NFL Week 2 predictions: Projecting every game, including, Bills vs Dolphins and Chiefs vs Bengals

The Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills are both coming off wins that required second-half comebacks. Unfortunately, the Bills came out of Week 1 a little more banged up. While Josh Allen (non-throwing hand) is likely to play in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football, Bills’ nickel Taron Johnson probably won’t be. In Miami’s warm weather, the Dolphins’ offense should be able to deliver enough big plays to beat Allen and the Bills for a 2-0 start.

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The New Orleans Saints put on one of the best performances league-wide in Week 1, but that’s a lot easier to do when your opponent can’t exploit your glaring weaknesses. The Dallas Cowboys defense is coming off a phenomenal performance against the Cleveland Browns and it now takes on an even worse Saints’ offensive line. Dallas should also have plenty of success feeding CeeDee Lamb in this one, leading to a two-score Cowboys victory.

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The Detroit Lions’ passing offense was a bit out of sorts on Sunday Night Football in Week 1, but they still pulled out a victory. Now, Jared Goff and Co. get to prepare for a Week 2 matchup against a banged-up Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary that already looked like a glaring weakness before injuries struck. Baker Mayfield and Co. should be able to keep this at a one-score game, but Detroit has more blue-chip talent and that will make the difference in this game.

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The Green Bay Packers probably won’t go winless in the 3-4 game stretch without Jordan Love, but the first game with Malik Willis or Sean Clifford as the starter will probably be ugly. Josh Jacobs can alleviate some of the pressure against an Indianapolis Colts defense that just allowed over 150 rushing yards to Joe Mixon, but the Packers’ fill-in starter will be sacked at least 3 times against this Colts’ front. This should also be a big spot for Jonathan Taylor to deliver for Indianapolis.

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The Tennessee Titans are going to win enough games this season to avoid having a top-7 pick but quarterback Will Levis might just be too volatile for this team to snag a Wild Card spot. Even if he settles in, the last thing he needs after that rough Week 1 performance (2 INTs and 4.0 ypa) is to face one of the best defenses in football. We don’t expect a ton of scoring in this matchup, but New York should win it fairly comfortably.

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The Minnesota Vikings coasted in their Week 1 victory over the New York Giants, with the defense delivering an outstanding performance. Of course, facing the Giants offense followed by the San Francisco 49ers offense is like making the jump from college football to the NFL. San Francisco boasts the receiving corps to exploit the Vikings’ secondary and the 49ers defense should be able to generate a fairly consistent pass rush on Sam Darnold. Minnesota’s defense and Justin Jefferson can keep this a one-score game, but the 49ers are just the superior football team.

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The Seattle Seahawks defense made it a miserable Sunday for Bo Nix in his NFL debut and we don’t suspect veteran Jacoby Brissett will have an easier time in Week 2. Seattle’s secondary has an overwhelming advantage over the Patriots’ receiving corps and that should generate multiple coverage sacks for this defensive front. It’s that advantage and the Seahawks’ offensive core that should lead them to a 2-0 record, but the Patriots’ defense and running back Rhamondre Stevenson at least give New England a shot at an upset.

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If we could pick one game in Week 2 we’d want to avoid at all costs, it’s probably this one. Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels offers the possibility for intrigue, but he’s starting behind a bottom-5 offensive line and the one strength on this New York Giants roster is the pass rush. Two bad offenses would typically mean a low-scoring game, but these defenses also aren’t good and it’s especially bad in the secondary. Just expect some big plays followed by the offenses stalling and then settling for field goals.

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The Carolina Panthers might be so bad this season that they are double-digit underdogs in a significant percentage of their games. Carolina was run over in Week 1 and bullied in the trenches, which is exactly the type of football Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman want to play with the Los Angeles Chargers. Plus, with the Panthers’ offense evidently held down by its quarterback, the Chargers defense can have a great day as well.

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In one corner we have a team with an elite defense and a strong cast of offensive weapons without the quarterback or offensive line to make this one of the best clubs in the NFL. Meanwhile, in the other corner, we have a very good defense with a franchise quarterback who fails to take advantage of it because of coaching and the front office. Fans of quality defense and pass rushes should enjoy this Jaguars vs Browns game and we’ll give the final edge to the superior quarterback.

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The Las Vegas Raiders needed their defense to be excellent for this team to have any shot at being relevant in 2024. Losing Malcolm Koonce (knee) before the season hurt, but it’s also evident this Raiders defense can’t stop the run. Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens defense should comfortably carry their team to victory in Week 2. If this game is close, it’s because Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins wreaked havoc on the Ravens offensive line and we certainly wouldn’t rule that out.

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The Los Angeles Rams are very fortunate in Week 2. A team forced to start 3-plus backup starters on the offensive line is typically going to be destroyed up front. Thankfully for Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, the Arizona Cardinals basically ignored their need for a pass rusher this offseason. McVay will be able to scheme around the injuries, including to Puka Nacua, with this Rams offense pushing this club to its first win of the season.

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In his NFL debut, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix averaged 3.3 yards per attempt on 42 passes which is tied for the sixth-lowest YPA in a game with 40-plus attempts since 1970 (Benjamin Solak). The Pittsburgh Steelers defense knows it doesn’t really have to game plan for Nix throwing 10-plus yards downfield and that makes Sunday’s matchup even easier. In a defensive-driven game, the Steelers will improve to 2-0.

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We know the history between these two teams, but it’s supposed to be called ‘history’ when the circumstances involved don’t really matter anymore. Yes, the Cincinnati Bengals still have Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, but Cincinnati’s offensive line is a disaster and its defense is bad. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have the best offense they’ve fielded in 3 years. It’s going to be a 2-0 start for Kansas City.

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Caleb Williams looked about as shaky as you’d expected from a rookie in his NFL debut. Unfortunately for the Chicago Bears quarterback, it won’t get any easier against the Houston Texans. DeMeco Bryans has a brilliant defensive mind, one that will find ways to confuse Williams and force him into mistakes. Ultimately, just a handful of those mistakes for Williams is what will ultimately cost the Chicago Bears in this exciting Sunday Night Football matchup in Week 2.

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For all the talk of Kirk Cousins being healthy, it sure didn’t look like it based on the Atlanta Falcons gameplan in Week 1. Early limitations for this passing attack make it much easier to game plan for, tipping the scales to give talent more of an edge. Speaking of talent, the Eagles have both the schematic and talent advantage on the other side of the ball against this Falcons offense. Look for Philadelphia to make it consecutive wins on a national stage, starting 2-0 with Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown leading the way on Monday Night Football.

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