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Okay, so here we are in Week 2 already. The Eagles defeated the Vikings on Thursday Night Football to become the first team this season to start off 2-0. Several more teams will surely match them with wins today, while others will go the other direction, like Minnesota, digging deep holes for themselves early.
Some interesting match-ups this weekend, with the Chiefs and Jaguars pitting two division champs from last season together. There were will be a couple of good AFC North division match-ups, as well. The Bengals will host the Ravens today, while the Browns will travel to Pittsburgh for tomorrow's late night game.
Let's take a look at Week 2:
Seattle at Detroit - The Lions may or may not have the kind of breakout season that many are expecting from them this season. However, the impressive victory over the Chiefs at Arrowhead to start the season surely gave them a boost of confidence. Now, they have what appears to be a very winnable game for their home opener. They are well-rested, and should be able to get another win. So far, it looks like they have a chance for a charmed start to their season. When was the last time that the Lions started 2-0? Maybe 1991? They have a real chance for it today. My pick: Detroit
Chicago at Tampa Bay - Not a particularly intriguing match here. Still, the Bucs were not supposed to stand out, but have a chance to get off to a 2-0 start. They surprised the Vikings on the road last weekend, and should have enough to get past the Bears in this one. But they will not play apparently weak NFC North teams all season, so they better take care of business now. My pick: Tampa Bay
Green Bay at Atlanta - Another tough game to pick. But the Packers likely will struggle this season, and the Falcons surprised me with a solid home win last weekend. Look for them to earn another home game to get off to an impressive start for this new season. My pick: Atlanta
Kansas City at Jacksonville - The Jaguars pulled off a win last weekend, while the Chiefs just barely lost. But KC has had plenty of time to recover and prepare for this one. On what I imagine will be a hot Florida afternoon, the Chiefs should pull off the win and beat the Jaguars. My pick: KC Chiefs
Indianapolis at Houston - A battle between two lower tier teams. The Texans looked fairly impressive last weekend, particularly on defense, and they should have enough to earn this home win. My pick: Houston
Baltimore at Cincinnati - The Ravens gave the Bengals a hard time last season. But this is as close to a must win as the Bengals could have this early in the season, following the drubbing that they suffered in Cleveland last weekend. Look for a tough, gritty, close game, with the Bengals pulling it off in the end. My pick: Cincinnati
Las Vegas at Buffalo - Another AFC elite who started off 0-1. But the Bills should be among the elites this season, and this is their weekend to prove that. Look for the Raiders to put up a fight, but for the Bills to pull away in the second half at some point. My pick: Buffalo
LA Chargers at Tennessee - Both of these teams are kind of unknown quantities at this point. They could be contenders, or they could be on their way to long seasons. This game is very important for both teams, as neither obviously wants to dig themselves an 0-2 start. But I suspect that the Chargers are the better team, and should pull it off. My pick: LA Chargers
NY Giants at Arizona - Okay, as bad as the Giants looked last weekend - and they looked really, really bad - I figure that the loss embarrassed them enough to force a strong response. They are, or should be, better than what they showed last weekend. How could they not be? The best way to put that loss behind them is to earn a win the next weekend, and that is what I am picking them to do. My pick: NY Giants
San Francisco at LA Rams - I know that the 49ers look awesome. Right now, they may be the best team in the league. But the Rams really surprised me with that win last weekend. They surely want to get the monkey off their back and beat the 49ers, a team that has owned them, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two teams. Not sure if this is wise, but I am picking them to pull off an upset here. My pick: LA Rams
NY Jets at Dallas - The season now goes on for the Jets without Aaron Rodgers. This is going to be a tough game, going on the road against the Cowboys, who looked red hot last week, crushing that other New York team, 40-0. The 'Boys should have plenty enough to get past Gang Green here today. My pick: Dallas
Washington at Denver - A tough game to predict. Washington won last weekend, but struggled a bit against the Cardinals. Denver lost last weekend, losing a tough one against the Raiders. This could go either way, it's very hard to tell. But my sense is that Washington will remain undefeated after a solid road win at Mile High. My prediction: Washington
Sunday Night - Miami at New England - The Dolphins looked incredibly impressive last weekend, earning a road win against the Chargers. Their offense looks very explosive, and may be the most dangerous offense in the league. Belichick had better come up with a very solid plan to slow them down and contain Tyreek Hill, specifically, or it will be a long afternoon fr them. My pick: Miami
Monday Night Game 1 - New Orleans at Carolina - The Saints earned a tough win last weekend at home. Now they go up against the Panthers, who might not have been as improved as I had previously assumed (they were my pick to win the division). They just looked terrible at Atlanta last weekend. So I am going to predict that the Saints remain hot, at the expense of the potentially floundering Panthers. My pick: Carolina
Monday Night Game 2 - Cleveland at Pittsburgh - As much as the Steelers always seem to torture the Browns organization, historically speaking, my suspicion is that it might end, at least temporarily, this season. The Browns appear to many to be an unknown quantity this season. But I suspect that they will be a contender, and that this game, in particular, should announce that. My pick: Cleveland
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