Last week I went a formidable 11-5 in my NFL Pick’em Week 1 article. Couldn’t believe the Rams beating the Seahawks and the Lions over the Chiefs. In the Philly/New England matchup I almost predicted the exact score.
But now we are on for Week 2 NFL Pick’em. There are some interesting games on the schedule and I think we as prognosticators have a tendency to rely too much on the prior week’s results. This is a new week and matchups matter a lot.
Without further adieu, let’s get into the NFL Pick’em:
Minnesota vs Philadelphia
Thursday Night NFL Pick’em via Twitter
Green Bay 26 Atlanta 27
This is a toss up game for me. Ultimately I don’t like that Aaron Jones is hurt and hasn’t practiced this week. He’s the centerpiece of their offense and without him, the pressure lies squarely on Jordan Love’s shoulders. Atlanta gets Cordell Paterson back after missing week, which should help diversify their offense. Can Ridder break out of his shell and get the ball down field? Or can Atlanta just run the ball down Green Bay’s throat? We will see. Give me the Falcons in a tight one.
Las Vegas 13 Buffalo 31
This is a bounce back game for Buffalo. Good teams who get embarrassed the prior week bounce back and are extra focused. The Raider D is probably in the bottom 10 in the league and don’t match up well. If they can run the ball with Jacobs, maybe they have a chance. But there’s just too much momentum for the Bills to win this game for me to entertain an upset here.
Kansas City 28 Jacksonville 24
Kansas City is getting Kelce and Chris Jones back in the lineup, which I think will be huge. I also look for Toney to bounce back and have a much better game. Andy Reid has had 10 days to prepare for this game. I don’t think they go 0-2. Mahomes is on another level and will make enough plays to get the W.
Baltimore 13 Cincinnati 23
The Ravens are coming into this game banged up and playing a team looking to avoid an 0-2 start. Cincinnati needs this to make up for last week and to not go 0-2 on the season and in the division. Look for Baltimore to keep this close but Cincy pulls away in the end.
Seattle 17 Detroit 24
Many people are forecasting a let down for the Lions here. I don’t see it because the Lions lost to this team last year in Detroit, so there is reason to be extra focused in this game. Additionally, Seattle has injuries at both tackle spots, making it harder for them to block Hutchinson and the Lions’ pass rush. No Decker for Detroit but they should ok moving Vaiti to LT for a game. Seattle’s pass rush isn’t too great.
LA Chargers 22 Tennessee 24
The Chargers had a lot of success running the ball last week vs Miami. They’ll have no such luck this week. The Titans are a pissed off group looking to get in the win column. The difference in this game should be the Titans offense as they look to rebound against a less than stellar Chargers defense.
Chicago 9 Tampa Bay 17
To me, this seems like such a bad matchup for the Bears. Tampa defense is going to be all over the Bears offense, and particularly Justin Fields. I think they keep him in the pocket and Devon White keeps him from running wild. The offense for Tampa does just enough to get by.
Indianapolis 17 Houston 13
In a battle of rookie QB’s, the difference in this game is that Indy has a better team around Anthony Richardson. Houston is still in a heavy rebuild and just doesn’t have the manpower to hang with the Colts.
San Francisco 34 LA Rams 15
Another game where I think the 49ers dominate. They have owned the Rams over the years and LA’s roster isn’t close to that of San Francisco. Expect this to be a long day for Matthew Stafford as he’s also struggled against this team.
NY Giants 38 Arizona 17
Remember the old adage, a “good” team that gets blown out and embarrassed will almost always come back the next week stronger and more determined. I think that is exactly what happens in this game. Arizona is one of the worst teams in the league and the Giants will exploit that. With a Thursday night game looming vs San Francisco, they cannot start 0-2 or else their season could be over before it gets started.
NY Jets 13 Dallas 10
I’m going with the major upset here. Yes, the Cowboys were great last week. But I felt the Giants quit very early in that game. The Jets aren’t going to quit. I see this being an ugly, defensive battle where the Jets play more conservative offensively. Dak makes one big mistake that proves to be the difference.
Washington 13 Denver 20
This was a tough game for me to pick because I don’t really like either team. However, the Commanders really struggled last week protecting Howell and Denver has a great d line. That’ll be the difference in this game as Denver gets in the column.
Miami 24 New England 28
This feels like a let down game for Miami. The Dolphins have a concern in their run defense that I think the Patriots will exploit. On top of that, Miami is not going to be able to throw the ball like they did last week. New England will have a game plan for them to slow Tua down.
New Orleans 19 Carolina 22
A little bit of an upset, but I like Carolina to bounce back. The Saints are coming off a physical bout with the Titans last week and may not be fully recovered. The Panthers have had success vs this Saints team over the years. Give me Bryce Young winning his first game in prime time!
Cleveland 20 Pittsburgh 17
This is a tough matchup for the Steelers. Dionte Johnson is out for a few weeks with a Hamstring injury and just got destroyed by the 49ers. Last year teams that played the 49ers the week prior lost almost every time in their next game. Cleveland’s defense is better than people think. The Steelers offensive line will be hard pressed to stop Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith. Go with the Browns.
And those are my choices in the Week 2 NFL Pick’em. To see my other articles, click here.
