NFL bold predictions are a must prior to the start of the season. We covered one for every team here. Now that the 2016 season is under way, we will bring a new set bold predictions to the table each week.
Why not? Anything out of the ordinary can happen on a weekly basis. For starters, another team will post a goose egg in Week 2. Meanwhile some unheralded players will shine.
Here are 10 bold predictions for Week 2.
Trevor Siemian destroys the Colts through the air
In his first professional NFL start, Siemian passed for enough yards (178) to compliment C.J. Anderson’s dominate ground game. That was expected against the Carolina Panthers.
Now Siemian will face a Colts defense that Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford just annihilated. Stafford passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns last week. Siemian will find similar success.
Siemian targeted Emmanuel Sanders eight times against the Panthers. That should only increase this week. Anderson will be up for some extra work too especially if Demaryius Thomas is limited.
When all is said and done, Siemian will deliver a 350-yard passing performance along with three touchdowns through the air.
Carolina Panthers will let a win slip to the San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers just came off an exciting four-touchdown victory. Granted, it was against the Los Angeles Rams. But San Francisco had its act together, particularly on defense.
Meanwhile, the Panthers did not accomplish their goal of beating the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Cam Newton took some terrible hits and completed only 54 percent of his passes. Furthermore, the Panthers defense ceded 148 rushing yards and two rushing scores along the way.
This is where Carlos Hyde, Blaine Gabbert and Shaun Draughn will swoop in and take advantage.
While the Panthers attempt to rediscover their pizzazz from last year, the 49ers are going to sneak by with a win. The last time the two teams played, in January of 2014, San Francisco came out on top.
Cody Kessler leads the Browns to their first win
Cleveland’s rotten luck at the quarterback position sadly continues on. The team placed Robert Griffin III on injured reserve after he sustained a shoulder injury last week.
Once again, it is time for the Josh McCown show. Yes. We are talking about the same injury-prone McCown who had only one win last year. It’s worth mentioning that McCown won only once when he played with Tampa Bay in 2014.
All it would take is the Browns to seek Kessler take center stage is to fall behind early or see McCown suffer an injury. Kessler did not see much preseason action. But, he did complete 67.9 percent of his passes and scored one touchdown compared to zero interceptions.
When McCown underwhelms or stubs a toe, Kessler will take over. The Browns will also beat a Baltimore Ravens squad that scored only 13 points last week.
Thomas Rawls rushes for 135 yards and two touchdowns versus the Rams
Rawls took a backseat to Christine Michael in Week 1. He was also not too impressive when he carried the ball 12 times and managed just 32 yards against the Miami Dolphins.
Because of that, some fantasy football owners already kicked Rawls to the curb. Big mistake. He will see a major increase in his workload due to his hobbled quarterback, Russell Wilson.
Plus, the Rams defense was absolutely horrifying when it allowed three rushing scores and 150 yards to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.
Rawls averaged 5.6 yards per carry last season when he was healthy. He should be up for the task of scoring twice while he bulldozes for 135-plus yards along the way.
All this devastation will occur when the Seahawks deal the Rams their second shutout in a row.
Brock Osweiler wins in Texans showdown against Alex Smith
The last time the Texans and the Chiefs tangoed, the result was horrible. Houston was shut-out (30-0) in January’s wild-card matchup.
Now, much has changed. Texans star pass rusher, J.J. Watt, is now healthy. And, the last we checked, Houston’s former quarterback, Brian Hoyer the Destroyer, was miles away in Chicago.
The Texans offense is in much better hands now with Brock Osweiler, Lamar Miller and some exciting rookie wide receiver additions.
Alex Smith and the Chiefs were pretty hot last week. Smith put the passing game in overdrive and also rushed in a game-winning touchdown for an overtime victory.
With that said, Smith is up for a tougher contest against Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. The Chiefs will stumble while Osweiler and the gang rise to the top.
Eli Rogers scores three touchdowns against the Bengals
Who is Eli Rogers? The Pittsburgh Steelers’ shifty slot receiver just scored his first touchdown against Washington last Monday night.
Impressively, Rogers hauled in six-of-seven of his targets from Ben Roethlisberger. Outside of Antonio Brown, Rogers looks to be Big Ben’s favorite go-to man.
Knowing the awesomeness Brown is capable of, the Bengals will be tripling up on coverage. As a result, Rogers will see an increase in looks.
Boldly, we are going to predict that Rogers scores three times at Heinz Field against Cincinnati in Week 2.
Eli Manning and Drew Brees best last year’s touchdown record
The last time the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants met up, 13 passing touchdowns were scored.
The game was the definition of barn burner. Manning torched the Saints defense when he scored six touchdowns and passed for 350 yards. Drew Brees one-upped Manning, passing for seven touchdowns and 505 yards.
Both defenses were absolutely helpless along the way. How thrilling would it be to see each quarterback pass for seven touchdowns, besting last year’s record by one? Fantasy football enthusiasts would certainly love it.
New Orleans’ defense ceded only one passing touchdown to Derek Carr in Week 1. And, the Giants prevented Dak Prescott from scoring from the air altogether.
This changes drastically when the two veteran quarterbacks deliver lights-out performances at MetLife this Sunday.
Jameis Winston outplays Carson Palmer sending Cardinals 0-2
Palmer looked average against the New England Patriots last Sunday evening, passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
On the other hand, Winston was smoking hot in his 2016 debut. He threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns against Atlanta.
The two quarterbacks will come head-to-head Sunday this Sunday, and Arizona is heavily favored to win at home. We predict that youth will prevails and Winston will defy the odds. After all, the Cardinals let a win slip to a young Jimmy Garoppolo and Co.
The same could happen against the Bucs. Tampa Bay’s defense was brutal against the run last week and allowed only 52 yards. If David Johnson struggles, Palmer will be forced to throw more. More passing attempts surely could spell trouble and turnovers for Palmer.
The game will be close. But Winston will deliver a better performance, sending the Cardinals to 0-2.
Adrian Peterson disappoints his fantasy football owners once again
Peterson put up a stinker of a performance in the season opener against the Tennessee Titans.
The veteran looked simply dreadful when he rushed for a meager 31 yards and 19 attempts. He also missed two catches and didn’t score. Needless to say, there weren’t many other fantasy running backs in starting lineups that performed worse than A.P.
In Week 2, Peterson will face the divisional rival Green Bay Packers. Their defense gave up only 48 rushing yards on 26 attempts to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.
Sure, Peterson is far more talented than the Jags’ squad. But, it is likely that Sam Bradford will need to pass the ball more to keep up with the Packers.
Peterson’s forte is anything but catching passes these days. He won’t be as awful as last week, but Peterson won’t produce anywhere near the RB1 stats his fantasy owners expect.
Eagles force a shut-out against the Chicago Bears
Jay Cutler and the Bears were so out of tune last week. And at the same time, Philly dished the business to Robert Griffin III and the Browns on all levels.
This week, the Eagles defense will have its way with Cutler and Co. after they limited the Browns to only 288 offensive yards and one score. Plus, the Eagles tallied three sacks and one interception against RGIII.
Cutler just got done being put through the Texans’ wringer. Along the way, he was sacked five times, fumbled twice and was intercepted.
Meanwhile, the Eagles offense, led by rookie Carson Wentz, performed quite splendidly. Overall, it recorded 303 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bears were shut out back in Week 3 in 2015 and once during this last preseason. It is going to happen again against the Eagles on Monday Night Football.