NFL Week 2 game choices: Jags upend Pats; Vikings on packers



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Much to weigh when we weigh on the second week …

Injury and neglect.

Both were the mark of Week 1 and, frankly, will remain topical in the coming weeks. The current ABC limiting practice time throughout the year – and many coaches even avoiding to make eye contact with their precious beginners during the preseason – health and disorder have become important points of September. So many players underwent changes during week 1, or they simply found themselves quick.

Schedules also come into play here. SiriusXM's Pat Kirwan said the Eagles had nine days to prepare for the Tampa Week 2 game, which is important when considering the number of Buccaneers like DeSean Jackson. after week 1. And do not forget "Thursday night football". The Ravens and Bengals, who have just started back in this mysterious mode called "football form", have to hit the grid for another match just four days after the opening game of the season. We'll see how it goes.

On other subjects …

No need to underestimate the Redskins – by myself or by Baldy:

Speaking of the Redskins …

Lawrence is referring to my list of the top five games at Lambeau, which I have provided in this week's Power Rankings introduction. And yes, Lawrence, I'm with you. That's why I have this game in my personal safe. In fact, many short documentaries that we perform here come from sequences in my collection. Like this one:


Regarding these leaders, see below how I anticipate them in Pittsburgh three decades later. Special teams could dictate the result to the Panthers-Falcons, as well as to the Ravens-Bengals. Your catches are always special, so send: @HarrisonNFL.

Elliot Harrison went 11-4-1 on his forecast for week 1. How will he behave during week 2? His choices are below.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 16

Atlanta Falcons 23, Carolina Panthers 17

1 pm ET (FOX) | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)

Back at home this week, the Falcons even broke their record and even shot, even with everyone in the South of the NFC. With the 0-1 Saints welcoming the Browns and Bucals 1-0 hosting the defending champions, there is an excellent chance that each team in the division is 1-1 after this weekend. Carolina (1-0) and Atlanta are both affected (Atlanta sent Deion Jones and Keanu Neal to the injured list, while Carolina will miss Greg Olsen and Daryl Williams for a while). Everybody. Julio Jones destroyed the Panthers in front of the local fans before; James Bradberry must play at its highest level. Ditto Panthers keeps the spirits Da 'Norris Searcy and Mike Adams, who will inevitably be invited to support Jones. Expect the Falcons to support Devonta Freeman (if he can go) and especially Tevin Coleman so that they are more important than in the loss to the Eagles.

Washington Redskins 28, Indianapolis Colts 14

1 pm ET (CBS) | FedExField (Landover, Md.)

Do not see the Colts get up east this weekend. The current game will be held back by a new, improved Redskins front, which includes these defensive linemen in Alabama. Andrew Luck will often be under pressure, especially if Anthony Castonzo is still not right. Going to the other side of the ball, Alex Smith will not give gifts to an indy defense. The broad group of Redskins receivers is not the scariest in the league, but East Jordan Reed is in good health. This could be another productive match for Adrian Peterson, too. # 2-0

Houston Texans 22, Tennessee Titans 21

1 pm ET (CBS) | Nissan Stadium (Nashville)


Go with the road team this week. Could see Tennessee get a late field goal to win, but that would require Marcus Mariota leading a drive on time. We have not seen much of this from him at this level, partly because of the Titans' approach, but perhaps also because Mariota has not progressed as a prolific smuggler. . Anyway, he hit and without his main target, while Houston's Deshaun Watson held himself responsible after the Patriots' loss and seemed determined to make a 180. Given Houston's style of defense, this should to be a Dion Lewis match.

Philadelphia Eagles 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16

1 pm ET (FOX) | Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)

Consider this score as a proclamation that: A) The Eagles offense will still struggle, without Alshon Jeffery, and B) Ryan Fitzpatrick will return to Earth against a championship-proven defense. Philadelphia has the ability to rotate its defensive line, which should give a lot of trouble to Tampa's O-line. That's why it's imperative that the Bucs racing game, led by Peyton Barber, play a bigger role this weekend than in New Orleans. In other words, unless Fitzy starts throwing long balls at Mike Evans, Kevin House and Jimmie Giles. Sorry, a few decades ago. It would be nice if Nick Foles could connect to a long ball of hers. It's been a minute. There will also be nine days that Philadelphia has probably started to prepare for this meeting.

Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Kansas City Chiefs 28

1 pm ET (CBS) | Heinz Field (Pittsburgh)

What an interesting match it is. Both teams committed explosive offenses, although the Steelers gave the ball to the other team's offense (without throwing a ball) more than they could score in Cleveland last week. As for the Chiefs, they could have scored 28 points on the 2000 Ravens D of the way things were happening at Carson last Sunday. Think of the K.C. The track team will slow down from a full sprint to a quick jog at Heinz Field. Again, chiefs could get 28 in the middle of the second quarter. Pittsburgh must put Patrick Mahomes uncomfortable, which Joey Bosa-less Chargers could not do during Week 1. The concoction The Vein Bell-James Conner will be too difficult for a Chiefs defense. Look at this: James Conner's solo tour will be too much.

New York Jets 27, Miami Dolphins 10

1 pm ET (CBS) | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)

The Dolphin Victory Tour stops in the second week. Do not consider this an exaggerated reaction to the Lions' demolition of the Jets in Detroit. For the pound, the New York lineup is certainly comparable to that of Miami, including the quarter. If Miami must win on the road, the Kenyan Drake must take advantage of the so-called OLB Jets, and Frank Gore must produce quality yards, even if he has only 50 points for the game. A factor that could make it a much tighter contest: Gang Green's high school, which was caught Monday night and still waiting for Marcus Maye to make his debut in 2018. After all, this week is short for this group. It's good. J-E-T-S … Jets, Jets, Jets.

Los Angeles Chargers 26, Buffalo bills 14

1 pm ET (CBS) | New Era Field (Orchard Park, N.Y.)

The Bills take a quick start in this one with some defensively powered scores. (I see a choice of six white Tre 's Davious.) Then Philip Rivers and the Chargers advance the offensive. Love what little-known RB Austin Ekeler adds to the unit. Of course, Buffalo will not have to deal with Joey Bosa – but the offense of the Bills is not to the point of being able to enjoy something like this. An area that Buffalo absolutely must attack (or try attacking) is the middle of the bolts. Give the offensive chicken line a chance to hit people and get into the game. Give LeSean McCoy, who has not done much in Baltimore, the rock (like 30 times?). Of course, it is difficult for a rider to make hay when he has lost 44 points. Josh Allen has a chance to improve his performance in his early days. Hopefully this deal will be better than the last time a Buffalo Buffet had his first career start against the Chargers.

Minnesota Vikings 22, Green Bay Packers 17

1 pm ET (FOX) | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wis.)


Choose Viking Vikings to win at Lambeau against Aaron Rodgers if at week 2). It will not be easy. Kirk Cousins ​​will face a better staff in the back seven than he had seen in the cover against the Niners last week. The last seven of Minnesota will also see a much more talented passing game. Do not get me wrong, it's an incredibly important match in the North of the NFC, whatever the week. The Lions who trapped the meeting on Monday night, going up 2-0 against threats from the Chicago Division and Minnesota would be huge for Green Bay. But the Packers have to get something out of the game, which will not be easy against this Viking-laden defense. Minnesota can stand in line against all offense. Bryan Bulaga meets Danielle Hunter a week after visiting Khalil Mack. Oh man!

New Orleans Saints 34, Cleveland Browns 20

1 pm ET (FOX) | Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans)

Look for the saints to get back on track. (I hate this phrase almost as much as watching the New Orleans defense on several occasions last week in Tampa Bay.) The Browns are more attacking than a year ago. That said, QB Tyrod Taylor can hardly afford to be inaccurate this week. The Bucs ousted the Saints in their place because Ryan Fitzpatrick was connected with his receivers. There are no opportunities in this match; The game will be defined by lack Opportunities. Or, it will be Cleveland's dream to reach the third week without loss. Sorry, listen to Megadeth now.

San Francisco 49ers 29, Detroit Lions 21

16:05 ET (FOX) | Levi Stadium (Santa Clara, California)

It looks like the Lions start at 0-2. In what constitutes an important match for both teams, the 49ers should take it home. While Jimmy Garoppolo faced pressure against the Vikings last week (three sacks), he had other moments when he had time to pitch. Compare Detroit's pass to the Minnesota race, it's like comparing Barry Sanders to Jim Kleinsasser. Except that the benefit goes bad for Lions (and I love Jim Kleinsasser). Detroit's biggest disappointment with the Jets (other than Matthew Stafford's four picks) may have been the offensive line game, considered a team force. Detroit has not attracted much ground. Lions can not put the whole game on the quarterback anymore.

Los Angeles Rams 31, Arizona Cardinals 13

16:05 ET (FOX) | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles)

Last Sunday, the cardinals could not offend anything. Last Monday, the Rams were warming up. I expect Arizona to give L.A. DC Wade Phillips a regular diet of David Johnson in an effort to loosen Phillips' defense early. Arizona will also want to increase the speed of play. It was an issue that the Raiders had had in the defeat of "Monday Night Football" against LA.: Their offensive was stuck in the second half and Oakland did not fall behind, resulting in several defeats. If the Cardinals thought they had a good comeback in their first game against the Redskins and Adrian Peterson, wait until they get a 30% charge.

Jacksonville Jaguars 17, New England Patriots 14

4:25 ET (CBS) | TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)

This sucker made my "Top 18 games of the 2018 season" last April. It's an alluring match that should be summed up unless the Jaguars defense absolutely controls the commitment. In other words: if the Patriots have to win, it will be in a tight fight where Tom Brady will do two or three workouts in the fourth quarter. However, if Jacksonville plays his best football in front of the noisy inhabitants of DUUUUUVAL – and if Leonard Fournette is in good health – this match could be very bad for Bill Belichick's group. None of the broad Pats receivers are superior to the Jags. Put Jalen Ramsey on Rob Gronkowski to counter this strategic advantage. So what's wrong with this prediction and the score? The hamstring uncertainty of Fournette.

Denver Broncos 23, Oakland Raiders 20

4:25 ET (CBS) | Broncos Stadium at Mile High (Denver)

The Raiders will show up, but will a sufficient road effort suffice? Case Keenum has always been much more careful with football than he was last week. Although his 2017 season with the Vikings was statistically an anomaly for the Broncos quarterback, he had a 22: 7 TD-INT ratio, one of the best in the league. His percentage of career interception (interceptions divided by attempts at success) is respectable by 2.3%. So, there will be no gifts. Oakland should run to this Denver front, in order to neutralize the rush to some extent. Von Miller hurt the Seahawks. Player I want to see more things: Rookie Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay, who could be the best of Vance Joseph.

New York Giants 28, Dallas Cowboys 24

ET20:20 (NBC) | AT & T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)


The Giants spoil Dallas' first home game. That's exactly what they did nine years ago – also in the second week, also on "Sunday Night Football" – at the official opening of Jerry World (sort of). Hard to believe, it's been several years since the palace of football opened its doors. Unfortunately, the stadium is not a hostile environment for visiting teams. It's as if the teams enjoyed playing it. Big Blue won in a defensive slugfest – and in the first Dak Prescott start – in 2016. The G-Men will likely play eight games in the area against Dallas – although there are some obvious evolutions, much like the Panthers did it. in the first week, audacious Prescott to beat them in the air. The Saquon Barkley-Ezekiel Elliott RB duel is rather radiant. Dallas needs this win more than the Giants, given the Cowboys' schedule and the perception they've already made in some corners. Meanwhile, New York must conclude the deal, unlike last week.

MONDAY, SEPT. 17

Chicago Bears 27, Seattle Seahawks 24

ETHI 20:15 (ESPN) | Soldier Field (Chicago)

Russell Wilson makes Seattle move late when he is too little, too late. Despite the collapse of Lambeau, I like this team from Bears. The current game is completely legitimate. Tarik Cohen is Darren Sproles 2.0 in the pass and run sections of this attack, while the O-line quality does it all. And the Chicago defense will finish in the top seven. Book. The question mark is Mitch Trubisky, and if you think that a tweet showing him missed a wide open receiver is an indicator of his overall game, you miss the point. Windows shut down quickly in the NFL, and he might have played safety – that is, trying not to spill the ball. This is normal for young QB. Even Wilson played it safe at the beginning of his career. In this match, Wilson will need his defensive line to thrive as much as his offensive line, so as to force Chicago into second place.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 13

Baltimore Ravens 24, Cincinnati Bengals 20

20:20 ET (NFL network) | Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati)

A rather juicy match, even if these franchises do not have the most "national" fan bases. As you may know, Andy Dalton silenced the bold dreams of Ravens fans last year. Now both teams are 1-0 and have solid defenses. Baltimore is better on this side and should remind Joe Mixon that it's not the Colts he's playing.

Key matches: The Ravens 'offensive line against a strong Cincy front and the Bengals' front desk against a defensive field without Jimmy Smith.

Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter @HarrisonNFL.

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