Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Thursday Night Football sees the LA Chargers take on division rivals the Kansas City Chiefs in what should be an excellent game. The Chiefs thrashed the Cardinals 44-21 in Arizona and Patrick Mahomes threw for 360 yards as well as 5 touchdowns passes which is very impressive. As for the Chargers, they managed to beat fellow AFC West side the Las Vegas Raiders 24-19. Justin Herbert threw for 279 yards and three touchdown passes. These are two of the best teams in the entire league, let alone the AFC and despite it only being week 2, games like this can affect the teams post season. The Chiefs are 2nd in the power rankings whilst the Chargers are 5th. Mahomes V Herbert is a big enough selling point too. Should be a close one.
Prediction: Chiefs win
New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off their season with a great win against the Cincinatti Bengals were they dramatically won in overtime. Mitch Trubisky only threw for 194 yards and 1 touchdown. As for the Patriots, they were comfortably beaten in Miami, and they face a second away game in succession. Mac Jones threw for 213 yards with 1 touchdown pass. He also threw an interception. Neither team have been particularly great in either the offensive or defensive sides of the ball so this game should be interesting. The Steelers are 19th in the power rankings and a win for them here would give them a great platform to build from. As for the Patriots, they are 23rd in the rankings and a second loss would hurt them, even if they’ve both been away games.
Prediction: Steelers victory
Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants
Not many people had the Giants beating the Titans last week, but a crazy 2-point attempt and a missed field goal saw them get off to the perfect start. Daniel Jones only threw for 188 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception but the star off the Giants offense was Saquon Barkley who ran for 164 yards and averaged 9.1 yards per carry which is pretty crazy. He also scored a touchdown. As for the Panthers, they lost at home to Cleveland. Baker Mayfield wasn’t able to get revenge on his former side and his INT ended up proving costly. The Giants have moved up seven places to 21st in the power rankings whilst the Panthers have dropped 6 places to 29th. A 2-0 start for the Giants would be pretty amazing whilst a loss for the Panthers would really put them in trouble.
Prediction: Giants Win at home
New York Jets @ Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns picked up an important win in Carolina last week. Jacoby Brissett only managed to throw for 147 yards and 1 touchdown pass. He didn’t throw a pick though which is good. However, their offense was dragged along by the brilliant Nick Chubb, who ran for 141 yards with an average of 6.4 YPC. Kareem Hunt also managed 4.2 YPC which is pretty decent. The Browns come into Week 2 as the 20th best team according to the NFL Power Rankings. As for the Jets, they were comfortably beaten at home by the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco attempted a ridiculous 59 passes and got 307 yards for it. He also threw a touchdown pass and a pick. 2 turnovers didn’t help the team either. The Jets are currently 32nd out of 32 in the NFL Power Rankings. As much as a win here would be very impressive from the Jets, the real conversation would be what did the Browns do wrong.
Prediction: Browns win, a chance to send a statement to their divisional rivals
Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars
An AFC South matchup takes place as the Indianapolis Colts travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jags. The Jacksonville Jaguars came up short in Washington as Trevor Lawrence threw 1 touchdown pass, 1 interception and a total of 275 passing yards. Wide Receiver Christian Kirk had 6 receptions for an amazing 117 yards. Their biggest problem was they only converted 25% of their third downs which is pretty terrible. As for the Colts, they tied with the Houston Texans. The only positive they can take from the result is the fact that they were 20-3 down going into the fourth quarter. Matt Ryan threw for 352 yards as well as throwing both a touchdown pass and a pick. Johnathan Taylor also ran for 162 yards and Michael Pittman Jr caught the ball 9 times for 121 yards. Overall, the Colts had a total of 517 total yards, but they still couldn’t get the win. Jacksonville are 31st in the power rankings whilst the Colts are 15th. A win for the Jags would be impressive whilst the Colts need to be winning this game if they want to establish themselves as the team to beat in the AFC South.
Prediction: Colts should win
Miami Dolphins @ Baltimore Ravens
Two teams that have aspirations of playing in January face off in Week 2. The Ravens were comfortable in their opening game as they brushed aside the New York Jets. Lamar Jackson only threw for 213 yards and also threw a pick but, 3 touchdown passes make up for that. 5/13 on third down conversions isn’t great and they will need to improve when they face stronger opposition. As for the Dolphins, they were very impressive at home as they beat the New England Patriots 20-7. Tua Tagovailoa completed 23 of his 33 attempts for 270 yards with 1 touchdown pass. They also managed to turn the ball over 3 times on defense so they look pretty good all around. The Ravens are ranked as the 6th best team whilst the Dolphins are ranked 13th so theirs two good sides on display in Baltimore. A 2-0 start for either side would be nice, but it would definitely be more impressive if the Dolphins are the ones to do it.
Prediction: Ravens win
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
One of the games of the weekend takes place in New Orleans as the Saints host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints were losing 26-10 in Atlanta with just over 12 and a half minutes remaining, yet they managed to win. That could prove vital come the end of the regular season. Jamies Winston threw 2 touchdown passes and a total of 269 yards. As for the Bucs, they impressively brushed aside the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington. Tom Brady completed 2 thirds of his passes for 212 yards. He also threw 1 touchdown pass and 1 interception. Running back Leonard Fournette had a great game, rushing for 127 yards in 21 carries. The Saints are the only team that can challenge the Bucs for the number 1 team in the NFC South and a win here would be a big boost for the whole team. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, will want to make it 2 wins from 2 and a win here would definitely be a statement victory to the rest of the league. New Orleans are 12th in the power rankings whilst the Bucs are 3rd which showcases the belief that both of these sides could be in the playoffs come January.
Prediction: Bucs win
Washington Commanders @ Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions come into this game after a 38-35 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions can take positives from the performance, particularly with their 4th quarter comeback that nearly resulted in them winning the game. Jared Goff threw for 215 yards with 2 touchdown passes but also threw a pick. D’Andre Swift ran for 144 yards with 1 touchdown in just 15 carries which is scarily great. As for the Commanders, they started life with their new name in a good way as the beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-22. Carson Wentz threw or 313 yards with 4 touchdown passes which is very impressive but, his 2 interceptions are not a great look. A 70% conversion rate on third downs was probably their most positive stat. Detroit are ranked 26th in the power rankings and will definitely believe that a result is on the cards given last week’s performance. As for the Commanders, they are 24th in the power rankings and to be honest, these are the games that Washington needs to be winning as the games are going to get harder later on in the year. A 2-0 start would be very positive but also wouldn’t fill you with the belief that they can make the playoffs.
Wentz over Goff I think.