Wow, what a first week of football.
We now jump into week two of the NFL and hope to have as many good matchups as we did in week one. This week features an AFC East standoff, the 2022 AFC Championship rematch, a battle between two young quarterbacks (QB) and a matchup of two struggling offenses.
Bills visit Dolphins in Miami heat on Thursday night
For the past two seasons, these teams have been at each other’s throats for control of the AFC East. The last time these teams met, the Bills pulled off an ugly road win against the Dolphins in week 18 to win the division.
The Bills offense will look much different this time around compared to last year with several new wide receivers (WR) and the loss of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. They did not seem to miss a beat last week though, putting up 34 points against the Cardinals at home. In order to get past this Dolphin’s defense, they will need to pound the run as the Dolphins struggled heavily last week allowing 128 yards rushing. The defense will have their hands full with speedy WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Both put up over 100 yards receiving vs the Jaguars last week.
The Dolphins started the season strong with a 17 point comeback vs the Jaguars. They will look to avoid that this time around against a strong Bills team. Tua should be looking to throw the ball deep as the safety room is the weakest point on the Bills’ defense. Just repeat what happened last week, if not better, and everything should go to plan. On the defensive side of things, turnovers will be the key to victory. Last year, Bills QB Josh Allen had 21 total turnovers.
This will be a high-scoring game where I see the Dolphins getting by. Score: Bills 26 – Dolphins 30
Bengals and Chiefs face off for the sixth time since 2022
This rivalry has been one the best and strongest in the NFL since Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has come into the league. Over the last five matchups, the Bengals have gotten the better of the Chiefs at three to two. Will this outcome follow suit or will the Chiefs even up the score?
Last week was just ugly for the Bengals to say the least, as they lost at home to the heavy underdog Patriots. Nonetheless, there is hope the offense can get back on track. To do so they will need to get the ball out and quick to the receivers, as QB Joe Burrow was sacked three times last week and was pressured on almost every down. The Bengals seem to be without WR Tee Higgins for the second straight week so WR Ja’Marr Chase will need to go above and beyond. Similar to what I said about the Ravens last week, there is not much you can do to stop Mahomes other than just play football and pray.
The Chiefs are coming off a strong defensive win vs the Ravens. They will look to build on that win by tearing down another AFC North opponent. The offense needs to repeat its success by getting the ball to speedy rookie WR Xavier Worthy again, who scored two touchdowns in the season opener. The defense will need to continue to pressure the QB, especially going up against a QB such as Burrow. With a weak OL, this should be very possible.
I expect a prove-it game for the Bengals but them falling short. Score: Bengals 19 – Chiefs 30
Stroud’s Texans host Williams’ Bears in battle of 2022 Heisman finalists on Sunday Night
In 2022, the Heisman finalists came down to USC QB Caleb Williams and Ohio State QB CJ Stroud, Williams came out on top in the end. Now Stroud gets his shot at “revenge” in hosting the rookie QB in Houston. Who will come out on top?
The Bears became the first team in NFL history to win a game while being down by three scores at one point; having less than 150 yards offense; and having zero offensive touchdowns (TD). This was thanks to their defense and special teams showing up big in the second half with a blocked punt for a TD, a fumble and two INTs, with one going back for a touchdown. This will be very hard to repeat though as they are going up against one of the best offenses in the NFL. The Bears will need to find their offensive identity fast if they want any chance at winning this game.
On the flip side of things, the Texans also came out with a win in week one. They did that thanks to their offense popping off with four touchdowns, one on the ground and three through the air. They will look to repeat that success but have a much tougher challenge this time dealing with the strong Bears defense. They will need their defense to keep the Bears in check in order to win this game.
In the end, I have the Bears offense lighting it up but still losing. Score: Bears 26 – Texans 31
Titans host Jets as two struggling offenses try to find their footing
The Titans stay home in Nissan Stadium this week to face the Jets who are coming off of a disappointing loss to last season’s Super Bowl runner-ups, the San Francisco 49ers. The Titans are also coming off of a pretty disparaging loss to the Chicago Bears where we saw a tale of two halves for the Titans offense.
The Titans are coming off of a loss in which they allowed zero offensive touchdowns and less than 150 yards of total offense. A feat that had not occurred in NFL history until this past weekend. They can thank a poor special teams effort and QB Will Levis’ three turnovers for that. On the bright side, the Titans’ defense put up the best total defensive numbers of week one with a mere 148 yards and zero touchdowns allowed against the Bears’ offense.
This coming week the Titans face a veteran Jets team that is sure to test them on both sides of the ball. On offense, they will want to build on some success they had running the ball and try to give Levis some easy throws to start the game to build his confidence. On defense, they will need to create pressure up the middle to take advantage of a below-average Jets interior offensive line and attempt to take away star QB Aaron Rodgers’ go to wide receiver Garrett Wilson, making him beat you with his other downfield options.
On the flip side, the answer is clear for the Jets on defense. This past week Levis went 4-12 with two interceptions when under pressure, so get after Will Levis and make him make mistakes until he proves he can handle it. On offense, the Jets should look to run the ball outside where the Titans’ main runstoppers like Jeffery Simmons and T’vondre Sweat struggle to get to. Also, Aaron Rodgers should exploit the Titans’ lack of coverage skills in the linebacking unit and attack the middle of the field as frequently as possible.
I would expect a low-scoring game from two teams with struggling offenses and well-rounded defenses. However, I will take the veteran experience of the Jets to be the x-factor of a defensive slugfest. Score: Titans 13 – Jets 17
Remaining week 2 games and predictions:
49ers at Vikings: 49ers spoil Sam Darnold’s revenge game. Score: 34-20
Seahawks at Patriots: Seahawks overcome traveling to the east coast. Score: 27-14
Giants at Commanders: Commanders win ugly. Score: 13-20
Chargers at Panthers: Panthers get blown out again. Score: 35-17
Saints at Cowboys: Cowboys bring Saints down. Score: 20-30
Colts at Packers: Malik Willis struggles in his 2024 debut. Score: 26-13
Browns at Jaguars: Jaguars bounce back. Score: 20-32
Buccaneers at Lions: Lions hold off Buccaneers. Score: 20-27
Raiders at Ravens: Raiders almost pull upset off. Score: 21-22
Rams at Cardinals: Rams blowout Cardinals. Score: 42-17
Steelers at Broncos: Steelers win defensive battle. Score: 13-3
MNF Falcons at Eagles: Falcons struggle for second straight week. Score: 14-30
