Thursday September 16th 8:20 PM ET
New York Giants 0-1 @ Washington Football Team 0-1
An NFC East showdown, the Giants travel to Washington. Both teams started off with a loss, and now look to bounce back and secure their first win of the season. The Giants looked overmatched last week against the Broncos, but I don’t feel that game was a true show of the Giants talent. Daniel Jones holds this team back, plus Saquon Barkley coming off injury and having one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The Football Team also didn’t show how good of a team they can be. The defense which is supposed to be the strength of the team, allowed the Chargers to move the ball with ease. Washington lost quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a hip injury, and he is now on IR, so Taylor Heinicke takes over. Daniel Jones gets another tough defense and Washington should be able to take advantage of the weak Giants offensive line and get their first win of the season.
Giants 13 Football Team 17
Sunday September 19th 1:00 PM ET games
Las Vegas Raiders 1-0 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 1-0
Both teams had surprising upsets as the Steelers defeated the Bills and the Raiders shocked the Ravens. Pittsburgh did it with defense as they held the explosive Bills offense to 16 points and made Josh Allen look lost. The Raiders and their offense came through, for they were down 14-0 before Derek Carr led a ferocious comeback for a 33-27 win. Pittsburgh’s defense led by their amazing pass rush won’t give Carr the same comfort level the Ravens did. Although the Steelers offense gives me cause to pause, I believe it’ll do just enough like last week and get the win to move to 2-0.
Raiders 14 Steelers 23
San Francisco 49ers 1-0 @ Philadelphia Eagles 1-0
The 49ers looked closer to their 2019 Super Bowl form, getting up 41-17 on the Lions before last minute blunders allowed the Lions to almost comeback. Philadelphia had a very dominant victory over the Falcons and Jalen Hurts showed extreme improvements. Hurts was 27 for 35 with 264 yards and 3 touchdowns with no turnovers. San Francisco lost Jason Verett to a torn ACL, and while they will need secondary help, I am confident in their front 7 to carry this defense. The Eagles offense look good scoring 30 points for the first time since 2019. The defense was strong and now people believe they can win the East. Before I come around to that thought, I will have to see how they fair against the 49ers. I think Kyle Shanahan and the Niners will defeat the Eagles in a very tight game.
49ers 27 Eagles 24
Houston Texans 1-0 @ Cleveland Browns 0-1
Houston shocked me with their performance against the Jaguars. I wasn’t shocked by their victory, but the dominance they displayed. Tyrod Taylor was 21 for 33 with 291 yards and 2 touchdowns. Houston’s defense forced three turnovers, but this week they’ll come back to reality. Cleveland gave the Chiefs all they could handle, but faltered in the end. The Browns look like the biggest threat to the Chiefs in the AFC. Chubb and Hunt are the NFL’s best backfield tandem. I expect the Browns, who may also get Odell Beckham, Jr. back, to defeat the Texans and get their first win of the season.
Texans 17 Browns 34
Denver Broncos 1-0 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 0-1
Denver knew they would be with close games with the talent on this team, but they also knew they needed a quarterback who could manage the game. Teddy Bridgewater was that guy last week against the Giants, he was decisive, poised, and efficient. The Broncos defense feasted on Daniel Jones and the Giants offense, and now they get the opportunity to face number one overall pick, Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars who were obliterated against the Texans last week. Lawrence threw three touchdowns, but he also threw three interceptions. Von Miller looked like his normal self, which is terrifying for this Jaguars team. Denver should also have another good performance as the Jaguars defense is atrocious. Denver will have their first 2-0 start since 2018.
Broncos 28 Jaguars 14
New Orleans Saints 1-0 @ Carolina Panthers 1-0
The Saints demise was extremely premature people believed once they lost Drew Brees but, they may have improved at the quarterback position as Winston not only gives them a more mobile threat, but he also gives New Orleans someone who can throw the ball deep. Brees the past few seasons, was unable to stretch the field, which at times made the Saints easier to defend. Winston and the Saints won in commanding fashion over the Saints 38-3. The Panthers defeated the Jets last week 19-14 as their defense was all over Zach Wilson, they totaled six sacks. Christian McCaffrey had 187 total yards from scrimmage and Sam Darnold, had a good game in his Panthers debut. In what will be a close NFC South game, I believe the Saints will put out the win.
Saints 21 Panthers 18
Los Angeles Rams 1-0 @ Indianapolis Colts 0-1
The Rams are my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and after week one, I feel even better about that pick. Matthew Stafford had an amazing first game against the Bears, and with the Rams defense, this is one of the more well-balanced teams in the NFL. The Colts had a struggle in week one, as their defense was torched by Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Although the Colts defense played better in the second half, what I saw from the Colts had me worried, especially their offensive line, which was supposed to be their strength, looked more like a major weakness, as the Seahawks harassed Carson Wentz all afternoon. It gets no easier for this Colts o line as now they must stop Aaron Donald which I don’t believe they will do. Matthew Stafford and the Rams will defeat Indy and send the Colts to 0-2.
Rams 28 Colts 16
Buffalo Bills 0-1 @ Miami Dolphins 1-0
Buffalo suffered a loss to the Steelers while Miami defeated the Patriots. The Bills offense was out of sorts the whole game last week, and now look to get back on track against a stout Dolphins defense. I feel like this game will be a low scoring contest as both defenses are strong, but I also feel like Josh Allen will watch the film and realize he needs to not force the big play. Tua Tagovailoa did a solid job last week, but they’ll need more from him to defeat Buffalo. I don’t think they’ll get it from him.
Bills 20 Dolphins 17
New England Patriots 0-1 @ New York Jets 0-1
A battle of AFC East first round quarterbacks Mac Jones and the Patriots head to MetLife stadium to face Zach Wilson and the Jets. Jones had a solid outing and almost led the game winning drive versus Miami, but came up short. Meanwhile, Wilson was fighting for his life against the Panthers. Wilson struggled in the first half, but once he was more protected in the second half, Wilson settled in. This game, I feel like Wilson, will struggle again as Bill Belichick has had tremendous success against rookie quarterbacks.
Patriots 24 Jets 16
Cincinnati Bengals 1-0 @ Chicago Bears 0-1
The Bengals shocked me with how well they played against the Vikings. Joe Burrow looked good in his return, and while the o line struggled, the defense and run game looked good. The Bears look to get in the win column as last week they lost to the Rams. The Bears have the tools to be a good team, but Dalton starting will hold this team back. Khalil Mack has the potential to have a big day against this offensive line, but the weapons for the Bengals may be too much for the Bears in the end. I said in my season predictions blog that the Bengals have a lot of talent. I think they’ll get the win in Chicago.
Bengals 16 Bears 14
Sunday September 19th 4:05 PM ET games
Atlanta Falcons 0-1 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-0
The Falcons had an awful first game. I can’t name anything they did well. Now, it gets harder for them as they play the Super Bowl Champion Bucs. The Falcons will have to rely solely on their pass attack as the Bucs’ run defense has been extremely dominant the past year. The Falcons offensive line will have to protect Matt Ryan from this ferocious Tampa Bay pass rush, but I don’t think they will be able to do that as they weren’t even able to keep Ryan clean vs Philadelphia. I expect the champs to handle their NFC South rivals with ease.
Falcons 21 Buccaneers 34
Minnesota Vikings 0-1 @ Arizona Cardinals 1-0
The Vikings lost in overtime to the Bengals, and now travel to Arizona to play the Cardinals, who had one of the more impressive week one victories. I expected more from the Vikings defense as well as their offensive line which struggled last week. If the Cardinals defense can keep up their dominant play, this game may get out of hand. I expect the Vikings to come out with urgency, but the Cardinals just have too much fire power and will get the win.
Vikings 28 Cardinals 33
Sunday September 19th 4:25 PM ET games
Tennessee Titans 0-1 @ Seattle Seahawks 1-0
The Titans have an awful defense. Let’s just start there, but then on top of that, the offensive line was absolutely torched. Seattle did a great job rushing the passer against Indy. If Seattle can generate that same pass rush against the Titans and slow down Henry, the Titans will be blown out again. Seattle looked good, but that’s always the case with the Seahawks at the beginning of the season. I expect the Titans to play better versus this week, but Seattle will bring home the victory.
Titans 24 Seahawks 31
Dallas Cowboys 0-1 @ Los Angeles Chargers 1-0
Dallas looked amazing last Thursday against Tampa as Dak Prescott seemed to have no rust. Dallas should be able to be more balanced offensively this week and use Zeke more to take pressure off Prescott. The Chargers moved the ball very well against the Washington, so they will have a much easier time against Dallas. This game will be a shootout, but I expect Dak and the Cowboys to make a few more plays that will get them the win.
Cowboys 35 Chargers 31
Sunday September 19th 8:20 PM ET
Kansas City Chiefs 1-0 @ Baltimore Ravens 0-1
Mahomes and Jackson, two of the NFL’s brightest stars, lead their teams into battle once again. The Chiefs and Mahomes have gotten the better of Jackson, and the Ravens with the Chiefs, going 3-0 versus the Ravens the past few years. The Chiefs pulled off another one of their double-digit comebacks versus the Browns last week, and the Ravens blew a double-digit lead to the Raiders on Monday night. The Chiefs struggled to stop the run last week and while one would think Baltimore can take advantage of that, the Chiefs will be able to focus in on Baltimore’s one-dimensional offense. I believe the Chiefs will get the win in Baltimore as the Ravens don’t have the tools to defeat the Chiefs.
Chiefs 35 Ravens 24
Monday September 20th 8:15 PM ET
Detroit Lions 0-1 @ Green Bay Packers 0-1
Detroit almost pulled off an unthinkable comeback last week versus the 49ers, now they hope to carry that late game momentum into Green Bay. I expect Green Bay to play with more heart this week, after getting embarrassed by the Saints last week. Green Bay’s defense should be much better, there’s too much talent on both sides of the ball for Green Bay to look as inadequate as they did last week. Detroit is on the rise, but they have a long way to go before they compete with the big dogs.
Lions 17 Packers 27
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