Top 10 “Must See” NFL Games: Week 2
Every week, we will be taking a look at the ten most exciting match-ups the NFL has to offer, and providing you with picks, predictions, and possible outcomes. We will break down rivalries, compare stats, and let you know who we believe will emerge victorious.
But don’t stand on the sidelines! Leave us your predictions and comments, and let’s see who’s pig-skin knowledge is superior!
1. Chiefs at Bills
Talk about a match up of struggling quarterbacks. Ryan Fitzpatrick went 18 of 32, for 195 yards, completing only 56.3% of his passes and securing a poor passer rating of 66.5 with three interceptions and three touchdowns. Ouch. Matt Cassel is hurting too, who went 21 of 33, for 258 yards, completing 63.6% of his passes and reaching a 42.5 passer rating with one touchdown and two interceptions. Safe to say, there will be no high octane offense throughout this game.
Having home field advantage will, in all likelihood, help the Bills walk away from Week 2 with a 1-1 record.
Kansas City Chiefs: 23
Buffalo Bills: 27
2. Raiders at Dolphins
Thanks to the HBO series “Hard Knocks”, it is no surprise that the Miami Dolphins are struggling. Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphin offense couldn’t pick themselves off the ground in Week 1, and with Richard Seymour, Rolando McClain, and Tommy Kelly staring back at them this week, the story isn’t likely to change. Tannehill threw three interceptions and, at one point, the Dolphins turned the ball over in three straight back to back plays. Unless those kinks are straightened out, this sorry tune won’t change.
The Raiders are not without struggle either. Thanks to an inept special teams – that churned up two ground ball snaps and a blocked punt – they are coming off a Week 1 loss to San Diego. While Carson Palmer went 32 of 46, for 297 yards and a TD, he rarely looked down-field; allowing the Chargers to stack the line of scrimmage. Palmer’s inability to connect with his wide receivers showed in the oddest of ways. Darren McFadden had 15 carries for 32 yards, but 13 receptions for 86 yards. Um, what?
Oakland Raiders: 24
Miami Dolphins: 10
3. Bears at Packers
Green Bay Packers have a slacking secondary, incapable of effectively defending against the pass. Facing a quarterback who went 21 for 35, for 333 yards, 2 TDs, securing a 98.9 passer rating and completing 60% of his passes last week by the name of Jay Cutler; means a weak secondary could very well become the Packers’ Achilles’ heel. Add the dynamic duo of Matt Forte and Michael Bush, who will keep Chicago’s offense balanced and triple-threat ready, and Green Bay’s defense has their work cut out for them. It’s odd to see the Pack in a “must win” situation so early in the season, however, an 0-2 start would speak volumes.
Chicago Bears: 31
Green Bay Packers: 24
4. Buccaneers at Giants
Victor Cruz had a less-than-impressive game in the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Dropping three passes and committing two penalties, the star receiver will need to step up his efforts if he wants to assist his team in a win at home against Tampa Bay. However, he is not the only player in need of a pick-me-up. While Jason Pierre-Paul was his usual sensational self, the entire Giant defensive line depth gave a lackluster performance. It was clear that they were nothing short of exhausted, which lead to their inability to make a defensive stop in the last 35 minutes of the game against the Cowboys.
The Buccaneers are coming off a win against the Carolina Panthers. Lead by rookie Doug Martin – who rushed 24 times for 95 yards against the Panthers – is showing the league that Tampa Bay has an offensive arsenal worth respecting. In the end though, the Giants have more weapons at their disposal, and will come out on top at home.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 14
New York Giants: 32
5. Ravens at Eagles
Throwing four interceptions against the league’s second worst overall defense is no way to walk into Week 2 against a defense ranked 13th in the league. Michael Vick is going to have issues, to say the least. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will continue to create problems for the injury-proned quarterback, who seems to have trouble throwing smart passes.
Joe Flacco threw for 299 yards, two touchdowns, completing 72.4% of his passes and landing an impressive passer rating of 128.4. While the Philadelphia Eagles boast the best overall defense in the league, if Ray Rice has a decent performance the Ravens will prove too much for the home town team to handle.
Baltimore Ravens 27
Philadelphia Eagles: 20
6. Saints vs Panthers
One word: Revenge. New Orleans is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Redskins, courtesy of Robert Griffin III. Last year, the Saints never trailed by more than 10 points at home all year. Week 1 of this season, they trailed by more than 10 for the majority of the game. Look for the Saints to come into this matchup with fire in their eyes and anger in every hit they deliver.
Cam Newton showed he is no fluke, throwing for 303 yards, one touchdown, and sitting nicely on a passer rating of 83.3. However, Newton lacks the offensive targets Drew Brees has at his disposal. While this game will be a firing match between these two stellar quarterbacks, the win will go to the Saints.
New Orleans Saints: 31
Carolina Panthers: 28
7. Vikings at Colts
Indianapolis may be re-evaluating their “Suck for Luck” strategy of last season, as the rookie quarterback threw for three interceptions, one touchdown, and completed only 51.1% of his throws last week. Coupled with a sad rushing performance, that accumulated only 63 yards all game against the Chicago Bears; it was no surprise that their Week 1 matchup against Chicago resulted in a 41-21 loss.
While the Vikings aren’t necessarily a ferocious foe, they do have a rejuvenated Adrian Peterson. After an 8 month recovery from ACL and MCL surgery, Peterson ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Ponder didn’t have a touchdown pass, but he didn’t throw an interception either, and completed 20 of his 27 attempts for 270 yards. Look for such a performance to continue, as Indianapolis will more than likely be upset at home. Once again.
Minnesota Vikings: 24
Indianapolis Colts: 21
8. Cowboys at Seahawks
Dallas is coming off a much-needed win in the season opener against the defending national champs. The Seahawks, on the other hand, are coming off a devastating loss against the Arizona Cardinals, despite multiple chances in the final minutes of the match-up. Russell Wilson threw for 153 yards, completing 52.9% of his passes for one touchdown and one interception. The Seattle Seahawk 29th ranked offensive line didn’t help, nor did Braylon Edwards, who dropped a potential game winning touchdown pass as it flew through his fingers.
Seattle’s secondary will struggle against Kevin Ogletree, who caught the ball eight times for 114 yards and two touchdowns. However, Seattle also boasts the third best overall defense, while the Cowboys have the third worst. Ogletree shouldn’t become too accustomed to those numbers, especially with the 12th man roaring and ready to go this weekend.
Dallas Cowboys: 20
Seattle Seahawks: 24
9. Cardinals at Patriots
It seems that the quarterback controversy in Arizona has been put to rest, as John Skelton will remain on the sidelines thanks to a fourth quarter high ankle sprain he suffered against the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday. The Patriots should be anything but worried. This is a no brainer, as Kevin Kolb is as unreliable a quarterback as they come. Add Patriot defensive rookies Dont’a Hightower and Chandler Jones who, combined, had a tackle for loss, sack, and fumble recovery that resulted in a touchdown; and Arizona has some serious issues.
It isn’t just the Arizona offense that should be shaking in their cleats. Tom Brady has two tantalizing targets in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Combined, the dynamic duo went 119 yards with 12 catches, and scored two touchdowns. Let’s hope Arizona’s 4th ranked overall defense is up to the challenge. Safe to say, it’s highly unlikely.
Arizona Cardinals: 7
New England Patriots: 42
10. Redskins at Rams
The Robert Griffin III hype has only doubled since the rookie quarterback lead a previously pathetic Washington Redskins team to a victory over the New Orleans Saints last week. RG3 completed 73.1% of his passes, throwing for 320 yards, two touchdowns, and landing himself a passer rating of 139.9 in his NFL debut. The St. Louis Rams have an overall defense ranked 28th in the league, so look for RG3′s stats to only improve in Week 2.
While the Washington Redskins only have an overall defense ranked 19th, they do have a sensational front seven that will leave Steven Jackson and Isaiah Pead incapable of performing to the best of their abilities. Sam Bradford is no RG3, so he will not be able to carry his team on his own. The Redskins starting the season 2-0? It appears so.
Washington Redskins: 27
St. Louis Rams: 17
