NFL Week 2 preview

This prime-time battle is for an early leg up in the AFC North. Both teams were impressive in different ways in Week 1, with Baltimore throttling Nathan Peterman and the overmatched Bills in terrible weather and the Bengals rallying from a 13-point, third-quarter deficit to overtake the Colts. Andy Dalton was sharp and Joe Mixon was more than capable in the backfield, and the Bengals' defense forced a late Jack Doyle fumble that Clayton Fejedelem took 83 yards for the final score, thus thwarting Andrew Luck's plans for a comeback victory. Joe Flacco and the Ravens were efficient and dominant in equal measure, churning out yardage and suffocating any semblance of offense from the Bills. Their challenge will be considerably more difficult against Cincinnati, and this one is close enough on paper that it may well be decided by which quarterback happens to have the better day. Jimmy Smith's absence may lend a slight edge to Andy Dalton in that particular battle.

No big-name quarterback had a worse Week 1 than Ben Roethlisberger, at least statistically speaking. Roethlisberger was responsible for five turnovers, and his poor play was the main reason the Steelers ended up with a disappointing tie against the Browns. Roethlisberger is a different player at home as opposed to on the road, and the Steelers, still waiting on Le'Veon Bell, will hope that they get much better play from their signal-caller, provided his gimpy elbow  is OK. Patrick Mahomes, on the other hand, was spectacular in his 2018 opener. Four of Mahomes' 15 completions went for touchdowns, and Tyreek Hill was a big-play monster, with a 91-yard punt return touchdown to go with a 36-yard touchdown reception. If Joe Haden's hamstring keeps him out of the Steelers' lineup, it could be a long day for Keith Butler's defense, and Mike Tomlin's team could find itself winless after two games.

The Falcons were stifled by Philadelphia in their showcase season opener, which was bad enough. The news that star linebacker Deion Jones is on injured reserve until at least Week 10 makes Atlanta's situation exponentially worse. Jones is exactly the kind of player you'd hope could slow down Cam Newton, or at least force him to stay in the pocket, and without him around, Newton is suddenly looking at a much easier task. The Panthers handled their business against Dallas, grinding out a workmanlike win, and a victory here would put them in very good early position in the NFC South. No one really expects Tampa Bay to continue doing what it did in Week 1, so a 2-0 start for Carolina, coupled with an 0-2 opening for the Falcons, could make fans in Atlanta uncomfortable indeed.

Los Angeles got beat by big plays against the Chiefs, something that figures to be the norm when Kansas City wins this season. The Chargers won't have nearly as much to worry about in this one, as the Bills likely have the worst roster in the league and have already ditched Nathan Peterman as their starter in favor of rookie Josh Allen. Allen isn't ready, of course, but Peterman was so bad that he gave Buffalo no other choice. Melvin Gordon was a dynamo for Los Angeles in Week 1, especially in the passing game, and if he gets going early, not only will the Bills have no chance to win, they'll have precious little hope of keeping things even moderately competitive. 2018 has the look of a long, frustrating season in Buffalo. Loading up your fantasy roster with Chargers players might be a shrewd move.

Fresh off his Willis Reed act in Week 1, Aaron Rodgers appears, at least at this juncture, to be good to go to face Minnesota in Week 2. That might not be the best idea because the Vikings were the team that ended his season last year and still boast a fearsome defense. The Packers also won't have the benefit of going up against a relatively inexperienced signal-caller like they did with Mitchell Trubisky last week. Kirk Cousins wasn't phenomenal in his Vikings debut, but he did enough to win, and he outplayed Jimmy Garoppolo by a considerable margin. Minnesota's defense might have some of its teeth taken away by virtue of the fact that this game is being played at Lambeau Field, and Cousins may have a harder time in front of a hostile crowd. But if the Vikes can get to Rodgers early, or if Green Bay's star ends up not playing, this one could get interesting.

A trendy preseason sleeper pick to reach the Super Bowl, Houston started its season with a thud against New England. There's no shame in losing to the Patriots, especially in their building. But it couldn't have been encouraging to see Deshaun Watson look pedestrian while Tom Brady took apart the Texans' defense. Fortunately for Houston, Marcus Mariota is not Tom Brady, and the Titans are not the Patriots. Worse yet for Tennessee, Delanie Walker is done for the year after suffering a fracture, as well as ligament damage, to his right ankle. His absence leaves a gaping hole in the Titans' passing game and robs Mariota of a guy who functioned as playmaker, safety valve and chain-mover in equal measure. The Titans are at home, and both teams should have a little desperation in their step, but the Texans seem like they have more talent.

Only the Browns could end their losing streak by...not winning. Cleveland rallied late in regulation, thanks to some exceptional sloppiness from the Steelers. The Browns had a victory all but assured after a Ben Roethlisberger fumble late in overtime, only to have a needless Myles Garrett block in the back penalty make its situation more dicey and eventually lead to T.J. Watt blocking the potential winning field goal. Cleveland appears to be better on defense, and Tyrod Taylor should make the Browns safer and more efficient on offense. That said, unless Garrett and the rest of the defense go crazy and harass Drew Brees from the opening whistle, it's hard to imagine the Browns not getting beat badly. The Saints are no doubt smarting from what Ryan Fitzpatrick did to them in their own building, but they did still score 40 points of their own. Taylor and the Browns aren't capable of those kinds of fireworks, so this one seems to favor the Saints.

Two of Week 1's surprise winners meet, with the victor possibly taking the lead in the AFC East, considering New England's tough road test in Jacksonville. The Jets went on the road and insulated Sam Darnold well, hammering the Lions with big plays throughout their Monday night win. Darnold earned high marks for shaking off an early pick-six and playing efficient football the rest of the way. Miami overcame a lengthy weather delay and two Ryan Tannehill interceptions thanks to a big game out of Kenny Stills. The ageless Frank Gore even contributed 61 yards on the ground, on only nine carries. Most experts expected the Dolphins to be terrible this year, and in fact the same thing could be said for the Jets. Whichever team wins might not stay atop the division for long but could turn some heads around the league. Darnold will be fun to watch in this one, if only to see how he handles what will likely be a hero's welcome at MetLife Stadium.

Perhaps no team turned more heads in Week 1 than the Buccaneers. Ryan Fitzpatrick joined Mark Rypien as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for over 400 yards with four touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and no interceptions in a single game. Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson overwhelmed a Saints secondary that was supposed to build off last year's solid showing, and Tampa led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter before the Saints rallied to make the final score close. Philadelphia didn't get any style points for its season-opening win over Atlanta, but the Eagles were able to grind the Falcons down and got just enough from their running game and defense to walk away with a victory. With the way Fitzpatrick was cooking, they may well have to score a lot more than 18 points if they want to start the defense of their Super Bowl at 2-0. Another Bucs win, especially if it comes courtesy of a huge day for Fitzpatrick, could stoke the fires of a quarterback controversy. 

The Colts had a lead, lost it and had a chance to seize it back and claim a win over Cincinnati, but Jack Doyle's fumble short-circuited Indy's late drive. While Colts fans were doubtless disappointed with the outcome, one imagines that they were thrilled to see Andrew Luck back on the field, taking hits and making plays and generally looking like the player he was before his shoulder injury and subsequent miserable recovery. Washington fans were likely even more excited to see Alex Smith look dominant, particularly in a 21-point second quarter, on the way to a surprisingly easy 24-6 win over the Cardinals. Smith, in case you forgot, led the league in passer rating last year, and if he plays like he did in Week 1 all season long and Adrian Peterson drinks from the fountain of youth all season, the NFC East could be both mighty interesting and mighty competitive.

Arizona laid an egg against Washington, at home, no less, and unless the Cardinals figure some things out, and fast, they'll be staring at an 0-2 start and a two-game deficit in the division. Sam Bradford's biggest problem is usually staying healthy, but he was flat-out bad against the Skins, and David Johnson did little of consequence, either. It felt like the Rams were an afterthought against the backdrop of Jon Gruden's triumphant return to the NFL, and they played like it in the first half. However, Los Angeles flipped the switch in the second half and buried the Raiders with 23 unanswered points. Jared Goff wasn't great, but new acquisition Marcus Peters had a pick-six, and the Rams defense tortured Derek Carr in the second half, all without Aaron Donald making a huge dent on the stat sheet. This might loom as a trap game for the Rams, but that assumes that the Cardinals have anything to trap them with.

One can make the argument that no team in the league looked worse than Detroit in Week 1. The Lions let up big play after big play at home against a rookie quarterback and seemed to have no answers. Matt Patricia flopped in his head coaching debut, and already there are whispers that he is not well-liked in the Lions' locker room. Detroit's task in Week 2 isn't an easy one, as Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers will be looking to rebound from a humbling loss of their own. Garoppolo was flummoxed by Minnesota's swarming defense and a loud Vikings crowd, but he'll find the confines at home much friendlier and more conducive to success. San Francisco has issues at running back, and Garoppolo threw as many touchdowns to Vikings defenders as he did his own team. But what is already percolating in Detroit seems much worse. 

It was all going so well for Oakland through one half. The Raiders had the lead, the Black Hole was rocking, Jon Gruden was dialing up the right stuff and Derek Carr was executing well. Then came the second half, and the wheels fell off. Oakland, despite all the warm feelings surrounding Gruden's debut, doesn't seem like a very good team. Certainly, its only real hope of contention is that Gruden takes Carr to completely new heights, and the team benefits. But there was no sign of that in Week 1. Denver got a huge game from Emmanuel Sanders, some surprising good work from running back Phillip Lindsay and survived Case Keenum's roller coaster performance to get the drop on Seattle. That game was at home, a fact that doubtless helped the Broncos, and this one is, too. Oh, and Oakland isn't as good as Seattle. This should be a Denver win, especially if Keenum takes better care of the ball.

This is the marquee match-up of Week 2, and it should be a doozy. Jaguars players and fans, perhaps rightly, feel like they were jobbed by the officials in last year's AFC Championship Game, and have been waiting all season for a measure of revenge. The Jags' defense appears to be the same stingy, stifling unit we saw last year. They held Eli Manning in check, and even though Saquon Barkley hit them for a long touchdown late, his 68-yard run accounted for over 20 percent of the Giants' total yardage. New England chewed up the Texans and spit them out, with Rob Gronkowski doing most of the damage, and Tom Brady looking like his usual self. The going will be much tougher against Jacksonville, and it stands to reason that the Jags would have a slight advantage with the game being at home. If it comes down to Brady vs. Bortles, New England will win. If the Jags can get an early lead, however, they can go after Brady with impunity.

Two glamour teams in the NFC East; two disappointing Week 1 losses. The Giants got big games from Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr. but lost to Jacksonville because no one else on the team could do much. The Cowboys were put in a vise by Carolina, and neither Dak Prescott nor Ezekiel Elliott had a great game. Washington and Philadelphia don't have obvious layup wins this week. But even so, no team wants to start the season 0-2 and fall back in the division. Both teams played solid defense, even in Week 1 defeats, so this one might be for defensive purists. However, if the two big-name running backs get going on the turf, that kind of low-scoring prediction might go right out the window, and fast. The guess here is that both quarterbacks are unsteady, both teams gear up to stop the run, and the predicted slugfest is exactly that.

Seattle lost in conventional fashion, at least. The Seahawks went on the road, and the Broncos snatched a win away from them with a fourth-quarter touchdown. It's the NFL; it happens. The Bears? The Bears had the knife twisted on them by the cruelest possible culprit. Despite being banged up, harassed all night by Khalil Mack and down 20-3 at the start of the fourth quarter, Aaron Rodgers somehow led the Packers to a thrilling 24-23 comeback win. He did all of this after it looked like he might be out for several weeks, if not longer, with a serious leg injury. One thing gleaned from this result is that Mitchell Trubisky still has a long way to go to become the player Chicago envisioned when it drafted him. He had nothing to offer when it came time to try and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, even though Chicago needed only a field goal to get a win. He'll have to turn in a better performance against a Seahawks defense that is a shell of its former self but still features Earl Thomas on the back end.