Week 1 of the NFL Season was as unpredictable of a season opening week as I can ever remember, and week 2 could be no different. Week 2 will feature many teams trying to erase their week 1 disasters, more rivalries culminating under the bright lights, and rookies who will be rightfully welcomed by their home fans for the first time.
With that being said, here are my picks for week 2 of the NFL Season.
MIAMI DOLPHINS @ NEW YORK JETS
This Sunday will be the most anticipated home opener for the New York Jets in a long time.
Following his first career play turning into an ugly pick-six, Sam Darnold had one of the most impressive NFL debuts in Jets history, throwing for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns as he led the Jets to a 48-17 win over the Detroit Lions. On top of that, the Jets defense was a nightmare for the Lions, picking off Matthew Stafford four times and forcing their way through a weak offensive line.
MetLife Stadium will be a mad house on Sunday, and it spells trouble for their AFC East rival, the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins escaped with a week 1 victory, but I believe that was more about officials and both teams just trying to end the game as soon as they could after the lightning delays keeping them at Hard Rock Stadium all day.
The way I see it, this Jets team looked very different Monday night and I believe it is momentum that they will carry into the Meadowlands on Sunday.
They have a confident young Quarterback in Darnold, reliable receivers in the return of Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, and Terrelle Pryor, and they have a stud defense led by Jamal Adams, Darron Lee, and Buster Skrine; all of whom had successful performances in Detroit.
Now, I’m not saying this team is winning the Super Bowl, but after a week 1 performance like that and coming home in front of fired up and excited Jets fans, I don’t give the Dolphins much of a chance. I expect Darnold to once again have strong command of the Jets offense and take apart Miami’s secondary. I also expect the Jets defense to get through an offensive line not many are crazy about and give Ryan Tannehill some trouble, just like they did to Stafford.
I hope Fireman Ed is ready, because this could be a fun one on Sunday.
MY PICK: NEW YORK JETS
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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS @ PITTSBURGH STEELERS
We have an interesting matchup here.
On one side we have a Kansas City Chiefs team that got off on the right foot with a new quarterback of their own in Patrick Mahomes, and on the other side we have a Pittsburgh Steelers team who tied the Cleveland Browns in week 1 after blowing a 14-point lead.
I would say the Steelers have the advantage due to this game being in Pittsburgh, but the Chiefs dominated the Los Angeles Chargers in LA last week, so that advantage might not matter.
The Chiefs offense is something special. From Mahomes, to Tyreek Hill who had one of the best games of his career last week, to Kareem Hunt, Sammy Watkins, etc. That offense is no joke and it’s an offense that’ll run all over that Steelers defense.
The Steelers are a joke and they proved it on Sunday. They have a team that is completely in shambles, nobody works well together, and despite James Connor having a great game Sunday in place of Le’Veon Bell, Bell holding out is still a big topic that continues to bring the club down.
The fact that the Steelers barely escaped with a tie week 1 against the Browns is embarrassing. I can only imagine what’s going to happen this week when they are up against real competition.
MY PICK: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
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MINNESOTA VIKINGS @ GREEN BAY PACKERS
This could be the toughest game to pick in week 2. Both of these NFC North rivals picked up impressive wins in week 1, and both teams are making their cases heard on why they will win this division.
The Vikings had a full effort from new Quarterback Kirk Cousins, as well as from Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and an impressive defense that took down Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers. The Vikings have picked up right where they left off last year.
However, on Sunday night we watched and witnessed something that we already knew: When Aaron Rodgers is on that field, it is very difficult to beat him, even when you know he’s hurt. We’ve seen it before and we saw it again against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Despite Rodgers’s health being a question, if he’s on that field Sunday, he’s not losing, especially in a home game with such big importance in the division race. Expect the Packers defense to struggle early, as they did last week, and for the Vikings to jump out early. However, Rodgers will lead the Packers down the field late and steal a close one against their arch rival at home.
MY PICK: GREEN BAY PACKERS
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NEW YORK GIANTS @ DALLAS COWBOYS
This is a must-win game for both of these teams. With both the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins picking up week 1 wins, neither team can afford to lose this one.
The loser of this game has a great shot of looking at 0-3 as both teams are in for big matchups on the road next week.
The Dallas Cowboys offense looked miserable in Carolina on Sunday. Cole Beasley was the only receiver to have more than 27 yards receiving, the Cowboys were 2-11 on third down, and they looked like they were missing a few certain weapons on offense that were released this offseason.
On the other side, a New York Giants team that under-performed Sunday as well in their loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Besides Saquon Barkley’s 68 yard touchdown that woke a lifeless MetLife Stadium crowd, the Giants had nothing to cheer about. Odell Beckham Jr. was kept out of every big play, the Giants offensive line couldn’t hold back one of the top defenses in the league, and bad play calling and a pick-six thrown by Eli Manning late cost them a game they could have won.
I expect this game to be low scoring on Sunday night, but I have to give the edge to the Giants.
From what we saw week 1, they have the more complete offense and they are going up against a defense that let the Panthers roll all over them. I think we see more of the same from Dallas on Sunday night.
MY PICK: NEW YORK GIANTS
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SEATTLE SEAHAWKS @ CHICAGO BEARS
We are in for a huge matchup on Monday night between the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears.
Both teams put up great performances in their week 1 losses, but I anticipate the Bears having a strong performance on both sides of the ball in this game and sending the Seahawks to 0-2.
Khalil Mack makes his anticipated home debut in front of what will be a roaring crowd at Solider Field. Mack had an impressive debut against the Packers last week and you saw what he could do to Aaron Rodgers, so imagine what he’s able to do to Russell Wilson, considering he barely has an offensive line to protect him.
On the offensive side of the ball, I expect a big game out of Mitchell Trubisky, I expect Allen Robinson to be a huge threat when he enters Seattle’s secondary, and I even expect Jordan Howard to have a decent game running the ball against Seattle’s defense.
Wilson did have a great game on Sunday, but we still see flaws on that offense — specifically the offensive line — that allowed Wilson to be sacked six times in Denver. One of Wilson’s most reliable weapons in Doug Baldwin is out for this game with a calf injury and the Seahawks could only muster up 64 yards rushing against the Broncos defense.
I think the game is closer than many think, but I do believe Chicago’s front seven will be in Wilson’s face all night long, forcing him to make mistakes and throw bad passes, which will leave Trubisky and the offense to pick up the pieces and get a much-needed win in their home opener.
MY PICK: CHICAGO BEARS
You can hear all my Week 1 picks in the latest edition of The SMC Sports Podcast.
https://soundcloud.com/sean-mcchesney/the-smc-sports-podcast-ep9-week-2-nfl-picks-ats
DO YOU AGREE WITH MY WEEK 2 PICKS?
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