The New England Patriots took out the New York Jets in a sloppy game on Thursday night to start things off in Week 2 and with a nice slate of games coming on Sunday and Monday, here are some picks and predictions for the second week of the season.
The St. Louis Rams are 1-0 after shutting out the Cardinals in the fourth quarter and coming back to win last Sunday and they will be facing a hungry Atlanta Falcons team playing their first home game after losing to the Saints. The Falcons are the favorite in the game and are the pick to WIN, but the Rams are no slouches this season under Jeff Fisher and the defense is expected to be improved from last year. The game will give Steven Jackson a chance to play against his old team after making his Falcons debut with 77 yards against New Orleans.
Sam Bradford and Matt Ryan each had solid games to start the season with both throwing two touchdown passes and Harry Douglas stepped up for the Falcons with Roddy White's ankle issues, making four catches for 93 yards to lead Atlanta. Daryl Richardson will likely continue getting fed the ball in the running game for the Rams and Tavon Austin will be a player that the Falcons will need to focus on.
The Panthers are visiting the Buffalo Bills after losing to the Seahawks to open the year and head coach Ron Rivera was not happy with the play of his team. Cam Newton is trying to avoid starting 0-2 again after the Panthers had a nice finish to last season and DeAngelo Williams is a player to watch, as he will remain the primary option in the running game with Jonathan Stewart out. Tight end Greg Olsen should continue getting targeted by Newton and the Bills are hoping for a better finish after losing at the last second to the Patriots. EJ Manuel will get his second start for Buffalo after passing for 150 yards and two touchdowns and the top concern on defense for the team will be linebacker Luke Kuechly. Look for the Bills to right the ship with a WIN.
The Vikings and Bears game on Sunday at 1 pm on FOX has the potential to be one of the best of the weekend, especially after the way Chicago came back to win against the Bengals last week. The Bears are hosting so they have a slight edge, but if Adrian Peterson gets going, the Vikings could take control of the game and ball position at Soldier Field. The Lions defeated the Vikings to start the season and Minnesota will try their best to not lose two division games to start the season, always a tough way to open. Brandon Marshall and Cutler have been beasts working together and they will continue on Sunday with the WIN after Marshall made eight catches for 104 yards and TD last week.
The Redskins and Packers are playing one of the best matchups of the weekend and each team is 0-1 after dropping their opening game to tough teams. The Eagles were 4-12 last season, but they are a new animal under Chip Kelly and they showed that to the Washington defense on Monday night football. The Packers played against the 49ers are lost a close game in San Francisco and they will try to rebound at home. Robert Griffin finished his first game healthy, but he looked tentative after not playing all preseason and he could be in better form on Sunday. Look for the Packers to come back and WIN.
The Cowboys received a few gifts from the New York Giants on Sunday night, but they still looked impressive and they will bring that on the road to KC. The Chiefs looked good in Week 1, but that was against the Jaguars and now they will play the improved Cowboys. Look for Dallas to come in and WIN.