NFL 2019-20 Week Two Preview - Well, the first week is in the books. There are teams that are off to better starts than we expected, or at least as good starts as we imagined. Among those would be Baltimore, New England, and Kansas City, to name just a few. Then, there are teams that surprised, such as Buffalo and Green Bay. And, of course, teams expected to contend in the upcoming season that are off to disappointing starts, such as Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Cleveland, and the Jets.
This coming week offers an opportunity for some teams to continue rolling, as Baltimore and New England are expected to do. But it could be dangerous territory for other struggling teams. The winless Bucs and Panthers met the other night, and it was Carolina who ended up disappointing and getting off to the miserable 0-2 start. Who else among projected contenders is in danger of falling to 0-2? Well, both the Jets and Browns, who also meet on a nationally televised game, will try and win to avoid the 0-2 start. Houston and Jax will also meet, with the winner avoiding that 0-2 hole.
Meanwhile, other teams will try to establish themselves early as potentially elite contenders. Among these are the two Los Angeles teams, the Chargers and the Rams, as well as Baltimore, New England, Tennessee, San Francisco, and both Minnesota and Green Bay, who meet this weekend in a big early season contest to see who gets the early leg up in the NFC North. Dallas will try to beat Washington to reach 2-0, and Buffalo and Seattle will also both try and get to 2-0, as well.
So, let's take a closer look at each game and see where each team is, what they stand to gain or lose in the upcoming games, and what my own predictions are for week two of the NFL this season:
Arizona at Baltimore – Not sure why the Ravens are getting some of the lightweight teams in the league right off the bat to start their season, but it bodes well, presumably. The Cardinals managed to pull off an improbable comeback to tie the Detroit Lions last weekend. But that was at home, and against a considerably weaker team. The Ravens are coming off a dominant win at Miami, and are legitimate playoff, and possibly title, contenders. Frankly, they are my favorites to win the AFC North this season, with an incredible defense, and an offense that may be explosive. With a weak Cardinals team coming to town, this should be another convincing win for the Ravens. My prediction: Baltimore
Jacksonville at Houston – Every now and then, a team will either seem cursed, or go through a period where they appear cursed. For Jacksonville, that period has been going on and off ever since they went 14-2 in 1999, and hosted the AFC Championship Game. That was close to a dream season, except that their only two losses during the regular season were against the Titans, who they met, and lost to again, in the AFC title game. Up to that point, Jax had enjoyed an almost charmed existence in the mid- to late 90’s, when they qualified for the playoffs, and won numerous postseason games, in their first five or so seasons. Since then, the Jaguars have not enjoyed success with any degree of consistency. They qualify for the playoffs every now and then, but these appear to be island mirages surrounded by oceans or deserts of mediocre seasons. Two years ago, they made it back to the AFC title game, and seriously tested the Patriots in it up at Foxboro. Last season, they fell to 5-11 after a promising 2-0 start. Now, they lost last weekend’s game, and lost their starting quarterback, to boot. The Texans just barely lost a big game down in New Orleans, and should be fired up to win this one. That probably means that Jax loses this one, as well, for an 0-2 start, as they appear to be headed towards another dismal season. The Texans are physically tougher, and very hungry for their first win right now. My prediction: Houston
L.A. Chargers at Detroit – The Chargers and Lions both had overtime games last weekend, after leading against their opponents. The differences, however, set these two teams apart. The Chargers got the job done, earning the win in OT. Meanwhile, Detroit very nearly lost with what would have been a disastrous pick by the Cardinals, and the Lions had to settle for the unusual tie. They have home field advantage in this one, but the Chargers are simply the better team, frankly. Look for them to find a way to win this one. My pick: L.A. Chargers
Indianapolis at Tennessee – This is the first big divisional clash in the AFC East this season. The Colts have to be hurting after a painful loss to the Chargers last weekend. Meanwhile, the Titans are flying high, after a very impressive, physical beatdown of the rather highly billed Browns in Cleveland last weekend. Tennessee is a very big and tough team, and looked disciplined. The Colts also have some talent, and have a history of usually beating Tennessee. But this is a new season, and Tennessee should be a tough place to play. They know how important this one is, and my guess is that they take advantage of home field advantage this time around to earn a huge win. My pick: Tennessee
San Francisco at Cincinnati – I remember the days when these two teams met in Super Bowls, including the classic finish to Super Bowl XXIII. Back then, the 49ers kept tormenting Cincy, with wins both in the regular season and the playoffs, from 1981-1990. This is a different era, but I can see the 49ers possibly pulling this one off, after that solid win in Tampa last weekend. However, I was admittedly mightily impressed with how the Bengals played last weekend in Seattle, and they have home field advantage. This is going to be a tough contest, which could possibly go either way. But in the end, I think the home team manages to pull this one off. My pick: Cincinnati
Minnesota at Green Bay – Another big, early divisional showdown, this one in the NFC North. The Vikings, who looked very impressive last weekend in beating down the Falcons, visit Lambeau Field to take on the Pack. Green Bay also looked very good in that first game at Chicago, and have a great chance in front of them to beat Minnesota and earn two important divisional wins in their first two games, to take sole possession of first place in the division. That would be a fantastic start, although this will be a tough game either way. In the end, home field advantage usually works for the Packers, and I am guessing that it might make the difference in this one, as well. My pick: Green Bay
Dallas at Washington – The Cowboys beat down the Giants last weekend, but they have a considerably tougher test ahead this weekend. This is one of the toughest rivalries in the league’s history, although neither team has been among the elites for a while now. Dallas is hoping to change that, and they have solid talent right now. They may be on the road, but they should be better than Washington, and should find a way to just get by with a victory. My pick: Dallas
Buffalo at N. Y. Giants – Like the 49ers and Bengals, these two teams met in a classic Super Bowl decades ago. Back then, the Bills had a high-powered offense, and the Giants had a very tough defense. Now, the Bills have one of the toughest defenses, and the Giants have…well, a lot of problems. Their offense could not produce in Dallas last weekend, and they will be hard-pressed to do much of anything against the Bills. Hard to see how the G-Men get past Bills here this time. My pick: Buffalo
Seattle at Pittsburgh – Okay, the league must have made a point of getting some former Super Bowl match-ups this weekend. These two teams met in one of the dullest Super Bowls ever almost a decade and a half now. But they are both completely different teams. The Steelers got blown out and embarrassed last Sunday night in Foxboro by the Pats, and they clearly want to win this one to help erase the memory of that humiliation. Seattle is tough, but they are not unbeatable, and Heinz Field is a tough place to have to play. The Seahawks can win, they have enough talent. But my gut tells me this will go for the home team. My pick: Pittsburgh
New England at Miami – Well, let’s see. The Patriots are the defending champions, and may very well be the best team in the league. They are coming off a very impressive blowout win against Pittsburgh, a high quality opponent. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are widely regarded, already, as the worst team in the league. They are coming off a very embarrassing blowout loss at home. They are at home again in this one, and once again, I must say that the only advantage that I see them having is home field. Otherwise, all signs point to another Patriot victory here in this one. My pick: New England
Kansas City at Oakland – Another big divisional showdown. This one should show if the Raiders can be contenders, or are just pretenders. They do have home field advantage, and they did win last week with that. However, the Chiefs are a bit tougher than Denver, and their offense will present all sorts of problems for the silver and black. Plus, the Chiefs want to either pull ahead alone in this division, or at least keep up with the Chargers, so they want to stay hot for that reason, as well, while the Raiders do not have the immediacy of very high, championship-level expectations on their shoulders, like the Chiefs have on them. The Raiders might be tough, but ultimately, the better team is KC, and they should be able to pull this one off. My prediction: Kansas City
Chicago at Denver - Two navy blue and orange teams who both suffered tough losses to divisional opponents last weekend, and who both are looking to win this game to avoid digging themselves into an 0-2 hole to start the new season. The Broncos may be a bit better off with their new, veteran quarterback, Joe Flacco, who won that Super Bowl with Baltimore. However, they hardly looked great with him last weekend. And Chicago, despite losing, clearly have a tough and gritty defense. That should pose all sorts of problems for Denver's often troubled offense. Home field advantage should help, especially in the thin Rocky Mountain air at Mile High, but the Bears probably need this to maintain the rather lofty expectations on their shoulders. Although the way Da Bears offense generally and that Rex Grossman...er, I mean, Mitch Trubitsky, played last week was simply atrocious. Yes, Green Bay played well defensively, but that offense looked like it had serious issues, and should be a major concern in the coming weeks. Still, in a low-scoring affair, I like the Bears to produce their first win of the season on the road in Colorado. My pick: Chicago
New Orleans at L.A. Rams - This is probably the biggest showdown of the week! A rematch of last year's controversial NFC Championship Game. Only this time, it will be in Los Angeles, with the defending NFC Champions hosting. The Saints and their fans clearly have not forgotten, and they surely intend to exact a measure of revenge. They probably put a circle - a big one - on this date. Home advantage or not, my guess is that the Saints are very weell prepared and hungry for this one, although the Rams surely know that, and will play tough. But the Saints also know how crucial this one is, and I believe the road team will pull it out in the end. My prediction: New Orleans
Sunday Night Football - Philadelphia at Atlanta - The Falcons are already dangerously close to climbing into a deep hole. A loss here against the tough Eagles would do it. But the Falcons are usually tough themselves, at least at home. Surely, the loss at Minnesota had to have been dispiriting, but they are hungry to earn their first win. The Eagles did not play as sharply early on in last week's game as they likely had hoped, but they more than made up for it in a strong comeback and, ultimately, earning a solid divisional win. Now, on the road, they need to win to reach 2-0, and try and either sprint ahead, or at least keep up, with the Cowboys. I really could see this one going either way. But if I have to give the nod to anybody, I will give it to the bird team that actually finished the job and beat the Pats in the Super Bowl, rather than the team that took a huge lead against New England and blew it in the Super Bowl, and have never been the same since. My prediction: Philadelphia
Monday Night Football - Cleveland at N.Y. Jets - First, the Jets blew a 16-point lead to lose at home to Buffalo last week. Then, star quarterback Sam Darnold, the great hope for Gang Green at quarterback, is now sidelined indefinitely for surely a long time, as he came down with mono. Some cynical Jets fans I know called it "the kissing disease," and suggested that most adults manage to avoid it. But the Jets will now be without their emerging, promising young quarterback, and things have gone from bad to worse. It is not yet "JETS - Just End The Season" territory yet, but it might already be getting dangerously close, especially if they do not find a way to beat the Browns. Cleveland, meanwhile, wants to erase their own bad memories from last weekend's blowout loss to the Titans. It will likely be tougher for them on the road, but my guess is that the Browns, and not the Jets, should be able to grab the momentum and take this game. My prediction: Cleveland
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