A full slate of NFL Week 2 games kicks off on Sunday. It’s only the second week into a long, grueling season, so teams are still trying to find their footing.
Notable matchups include: a rematch of last year’s NFC Divisional playoff game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals facing off against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Additionally, an interesting cross-conference game sets up a matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in Foxboro. Lastly, an NFC showdown on Monday night between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles.
Any given Sunday, expect a team to be on upset alert, and this week is no different. But these five teams are definitely on upset alert for this week.
Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots
Both the Seahawks and Patriots are coming off victories in Week 1. Seattle beat the Denver Broncos at home, 26-20. That was not a shock because the Seahawks faced rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Keep an eye on Seattle this year. They are a dark horse in the NFC.
On the other side, the Patriots pulled off the biggest upset in Week 1 when they went on the road and beat Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, 16-10. New England was an 8.5-point underdog. This weekend, the Seahawks are three-point favorites against the Patriots.
Why the Week 2 upset?
The Seahawks are on upset alert this weekend because of how good the Patriots’ defense was a week ago. They are the type of team that can win games just with their defense when the offense struggles.
Holding the Cincinnati Bengals’ high-powered offense to just 10 points is nothing short of impressive. They also forced two turnovers.
Related: 2024 NFL defense rankings: Week 2 fantasy D/ST rankings
Arizona Cardinals against the Los Angeles Rams
The Cardinals are favored by a point against the LA Rams on Sunday afternoon. Both teams are coming off of tough losses. The Cardinals lost to the Buffalo Bills, 34-28. The Rams lost in overtime against the Detroit Lions, 26-20.
Los Angeles lost one of their best receivers for the next four weeks, Puka Nacua with a knee injury. However, the Rams can still pull off the upset win on Sunday.
Why the Week 2 upset?
The reason we believe the upset can happen is because of the Rams running game. The Cardinals gave up the most rushing yards in the league last season and just gave up 130 yards to the Buffalo Bills last week.
In the two games against the Cardinals last season, Rams running back Kyren Williams torched Arizona with 158 and 143 yards, respectively, on the ground. Expect more of the same this Sunday.
Kansas City Chiefs against the Cincinnati Bengals
Once again, we get another classic showdown between Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes on Sunday afternoon. The Chiefs are coming off a victory last Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens, 27-20.
The Bengals are coming off a disappointing 16-10 loss at home to the New England Patriots. Granted, it was Burrow’s first game back since having wrist surgery last year, so rust was a factor. However, we do believe Cincinnati has a chance to pull off a huge win and upset the Chiefs this weekend.
Why the Week 2 upset?
Despite being 6.5-point favorites, the Chiefs are on upset alert this weekend because Joe Burrow is their kryptonite.
Kansas City is 1-3 against him since 2021. That includes a loss in their building in the 2021 AFC Championship Game. If anyone can beat the Chiefs, it’s Burrow.
Related: 2024 NFL QB Rankings: Evaluating all 32 quarterbacks ahead of Week 2
Detroit Lions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is a rematch of last year’s NFC Divisional Playoff game. The Lions beat the Buccaneers 31-23. Fast forward to this season and both teams are coming off wins last week.
Detroit beat the LA Rams in overtime 26-20. The Bucs blew out the Commanders 37-20. This week, the Lions are seven-point favorites against Tampa.
Why the Week 2 upset?
The Lions are on upset alert because the Bucs’ offense is so explosive in the passing game.
Against the Commanders, quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns while completing 24 passes on 30 attempts. Last week, Detroit allowed 304 passing yards against the Rams, so their secondary can be had.
Related: Predicting NFL playoff teams and Super Bowl 2025 winner
Philadelphia Eagles against the Atlanta Falcons
On Monday night, the Atlanta Falcons will face the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are coming off a 34-29 victory last Friday night in Brazil against the Green Bay Packers, while the Falcons are coming off a disappointing 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Philadelphia is a 6.5-point favorite against the Falcons in their Week 2 showdown.
Why the Week 2 upset?
The Eagles are on upset alert on Monday night mainly because of their inconsistencies on defense.
Against the Packers, they gave up many big plays, including 410 yards of total offense and 29 points for Green Bay.
The Falcons have really good weapons in running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London, and tight end Kyle Pitts. Although last week was a struggle against Pittsburgh, this week should be a chance for them to bounce back.
Related: Philadelphia Eagles great says Jalen Hurts needs to stop playing ‘hero’ ball