Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills
September 14, 1 PM EST
Both teams pulled off surprising wins in week one, but only one will emerge this week with a perfect record. Buffalo went out on the road and beat the Chicago Bears in overtime, while the Dolphins ran over the Patriots. Now the two AFC East teams clash with the hopes of gaining a nice advantage in the standings.
While the Bills had a nice win, this still isn’t a good team. E.J. Manuel gets flustered by pressure and stares down wide receivers, and the secondary has issues. The Dolphins dominated the Patriots last week with the ground game and a defense that made crucial stops, while generating some pressure. Ryan Tannehill will look to connect with Mike Wallace often and try and put this game away early.
Prediction: Miami 28 Buffalo 20
New Orleans Saints @ Cleveland Browns
September 14, 1 PM EST
The Saints were early favorites to match up against the Seattle Seahawks in an eventual NFC Championship, but they didn’t look close to that caliber team last week. New Orleans’ rebuilt defense couldn’t stop Matt Ryan. As for Cleveland, they provided a miraculous second-half comeback against the Pittsburgh Steelers but fell short.
The Saints always seem to find trouble on the road and their defense certainly has shown it can be exploited. Brian Hoyer will still have Jordan Cameron to work with and a balanced running attack with Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell. But in the end, there just isn’t enough at wide receiver to match the Saints’ offense.
Prediction: New Orleans 27 Cleveland 17
Detroit Lions @ Carolina Panthers
September 14, 1 PM EST
After an impressive win over the New York Giants, the Lions hope to continue their success even with injuries along the offensive line and in the secondary. They will face a Panthers team who surprised many with a win against Tampa Bay, pulling off a victory without Cam Newton. While Newton’s return is a big headline, what will cost Detroit in this game is the inability to run the football.
Prediction: Carolina 27 Detroit 24
Atlanta Falcons @ Cincinnati Bengals
September 14, 1 PM EST
This will certainly be one of the major matchups of the week as the NFC South and AFC North face off. Cincinnati is returning home after a big division win against the Baltimore Ravens, with a chance to gain sole possession of first.
Atlanta surprised many across the league with an opening victory against the Saints, who were the unanimous favorites to win the division this year. Ryan looked like an MVP-caliber quarterback in his record-breaking day and now hopes to carry that over into this week. Unfortunately, his three touchdowns won’t be enough as the Falcons’ defense and offensive line pull this team down.
Prediction: Cincinnati 31 Atlanta 27
Dallas Cowboys @ Tennessee Titans
September 14, 1 PM EST
We knew the Cowboys’ defense was going to be very bad this season, which meant the pressure would be on Tony Romo to have an excellent season if Dallas wanted to win eight games. Yet against the 49ers, Romo made baffling decisions that resulted in three interceptions and more missed throws.
Dallas will take on an underrated Titans roster. A team that includes Jake Locker who looked impressive when healthy in 2013 and last week against Kansas City. Tennessee's defense held Kansas City to just 10 points and is starting to establish themselves as a strong group. Look for Locker to rip apart the Cowboys’ secondary and lead Tennessee to a 2-0 record to start the season.
Prediction: Tennessee 20 Dallas 17
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Washington Redskins
September 14, 1 PM EST
The Jaguars could very well be the surprise team this season and while that may not mean a trip to the playoffs, they will provide a tough matchup for every team they face this season. This week they have a great chance for their first victory of the season, taking on a Washington team that showed zero positive signs in a loss to the Texans. The Jaguars should be able to keep Washington away from the red zone, and sneak out of town with a 1-1 record.
Prediction: Jacksonville 16 Washington 13
New England Patriots @ Minnesota Vikings
September 14, 1 PM EST
Last week, the Patriots looked like an inferior team to the Dolphins. Now as they head out to Minnesota, they must avoid making self-inflicted mistakes that could cost them against a well-coached team. While the Vikings don’t get talked about often for the talent on the roster, Mike Zimmer has already had an excellent impact in his first season. This will still be extremely tough for Minnesota, especially without Adrian Peterson. New England can focus entirely on stopping Cordarrelle Patterson, quieting the biggest weapon the Vikings have left. While Brady may not be a top-five quarterback any longer, he should do enough to win this game.
Prediction: New England 28 Minnesota 17
Arizona Cardinals @ New York Giants
September 14, 1 PM EST
The Giants proved something on Monday Night Football, this is a team with a lot of issues. From miscommunications between Eli Manning and the wide receivers, to a secondary that gives up one first down after another. If their problems weren’t hard enough, now they face the worst matchup possible. The Cardinals love to stretch the field and let Carson Palmer throw deep, something they will want to do more frequently against the Giants. When Arizona starts putting up points, New York won’t find any room against a stout Cardinals defense. This game will be over by halftime as the Cardinals cruise to an undefeated start.
Prediction: Arizona 31 New York Giants 13
Seattle Seahawks @ San Diego Chargers
September 14, 4:05 PM EST
It’s very clear the Seahawks are the best team in football, even though some still have concerns about this team on the road. While the Chargers impressed at times against Arizona, a fourth quarter collapse did them in. Philip Rivers said he will test Richard Sherman on Sunday, it might only take one interception to learn why it’s a bad idea. Seattle shouldn’t have much trouble this week and they will cruise to a victory over the Chargers.
Prediction: Seattle 34 San Diego 21
St. Louis Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
September 14, 4:05 PM EST
This might be the least-watched game of the weekend as two teams without a quarterback; problems at running back and terrible play calling face off. For St. Louis, there hope this week rests on the shoulders of quarterback Austin Davis. Davis leads an offense with no true identity at running back and a cast of number three wide receivers. They will take on a Buccaneers team who lost to Derek Anderson last week, thanks in large part to an offense that couldn’t move the ball until the fourth quarter. In the end, Tampa Bay wins it at home thanks to a turnover from Davis.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 17 St. Louis 10
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
September 14, 4:25 PM EST
Just a year ago, this would have been a prime time matchup featured on Sunday or Monday Night Football. A year later, this game is all set to be a blowout as Kansas City heads in the wrong direction. Peyton Manning will destroy the Chiefs’ secondary, Andy Reid will ignore Jamaal Charles and Kansas City doesn’t have an offensive line. Those are all the reasons you need to know this will be a blowout.
Prediction: Denver 38 Kansas City 20
New York Jets @ Green Bay Packers
September 14, 4:25 PM EST
After opening the season with a reality check from the Seahawks, Green Bay has realized where they rank amongst the NFC. Now the Packers hope to take advantage of their frustrations and roll over the Jets this week. Aaron Rodgers will certainly have his chances against an inexperienced secondary and Eddie Lacy has been cleared to play. While Green Bay struggled mightily against the run last week, an early lead should help force New York to pass and take away the Jets one strength on offense.
Prediction: Green Bay 31 New York Jets 21
Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders
September 14, 4:25 PM EST
In a battle of teams building for the future, we will have the chance to see a Carr try and get revenge against the Texans. Derek Carr certainly faced some bumps in his NFL debut against the Jets, but now has the jitters out of the way. Now he will try and help lead the Raiders to a home win against a tough Texans’ defense.
Houston is coming off a 17-6 victory against Washington, shutting out its defense for three quarters. While the Texans offense certainly leaves a lot to be desired, their defense can once again take care of a bad offense. In a low scoring game, the Texans defense forces a turnover late in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. The biggest winner from this game though will be J.J. Watt destroying the Raiders' offensive line.
Prediction: Houston 17 Oakland 10
Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers
September 14, 8:30 PM EST
Chicago couldn’t afford to let games slip through their hands this season but they did exactly that last week against the Bills. Now they head out on the road to take on a 49ers team opening their new stadium and returning from a decisive win over the Cowboys.’
Chicago has some offensive weapons to stay close in this game, but its defense is still a major problem. Add on to that, the Bears might be playing without Brandon Marshall or Alshon Jeffery this week and this game flows even more in San Francisco’s favor. Chicago should stay in the game for a while, but look for the 49ers to pull away late in the third quarter.
Prediction: San Francisco 28 Chicago 21
Philadelphia Eagles @ Indianapolis Colts
September 15, 8:30 PM EST
After an ugly first half against the Jaguars, the Eagles responded with 34 unanswered points in the second half and a 34-17 victory. While it was an impressive adjustment by the team, the inconsistency by the team is alarming heading into a road game against a tough Colts team.
Indianapolis might not have a lot of significant talent surrounding Andrew Luck, but this is still a very good team. They responded to a 24-7 deficit to the Denver Broncos by outscoring them 17-7 in the second half, falling just short of the comeback. Now it’s time for their home opener and Luck should provide a clutch drive at the end to lead Indianapolis to a win.
Prediction: Indianapolis 27 Philadelphia 21