Thursday Night Football
Vikings @ Eagles: The word of the day is... Asterisk. Take for example, did the Eagles really deserve to beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship? Nah, put an asterisk on it because the 49ers were on their 3rd string QB. I hear Viking fans now claim because the Giants lost 40-0, it puts an asterisk on their playoff win over them last year. None the less, for the second straight year the Eagles and Vikings face off in week two and Vikings fans are probably hoping Jalen doesn't cook after getting Baked last week against Tampa.... that sounded better in my head. The Eagles come into this game without key members of their defense that will surely go in Minnesota's favor as Corner James Bradberry has already been ruled out and so has Linebacker Nakobe Dean. Darius Slay held Justin Jefferson to just 48 yards in last year's week two game, will a weaker secondary allow Jefferson to have a much better game?
The key will be to avoid the turnovers that proved costly against Tampa last week; The Eagles defense had three interceptions against Cousins last year. Fun fact: Minnesota is just 7-11 against the Eagles when games are played in Philadelphia... which might explain their record since WaWa is the official Hoagie of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sunday 1:00 PM
Packers @ Falcons: I'm not ready to crown Jordan Love or say he is the new owner of the Bears, but safe to say if you are a team looking for a quarterback in next year's draft and in need of a new GM, call the Packers. Clearly they are doing something right as Jordan Love's Packer career got off on the right foot as he threw for three touchdowns in the win against the Bears. On the flip side, Packers fans have to be excited about that defense and the way they got to Justin Fields last week. Containing the Bears passing and rushing attack, they head to Atlanta looking to contain a two man backfield that combined for over 100 yards last week against Carolina. It's clear Atlanta is focused on building a run game to support Desmond Riddler, coupled that with a defense that only allowed ten points and had two interceptions, both by free agent acquisition Jessie Bates.
Still, there should be some concern early on about the passing game and whether Desmond Riddler is the future of the Falcons franchise. Obviously getting help in the run game will take pressure off of the young quarterback, but if the Packers defense finds a way to stop the law firm of Allgeier & Robinson then it will put the game in the hands of Riddler who struggled last week.
Chiefs @ Jaguars: Are we looking at a possible AFC Championship Preview? Sure, Mahomes and the Chiefs lost last week but don't expect them to stay down for long. Kansas City's defense gets a boost in the return of Chris Jones, who without Jones held the Lions to just 14 points. Will Travis Kelce play? Will he be limited on his snap count? Perhaps, but it's clear Mahomes needs reliable receivers beyond Travis Kelce. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence had no problem finding his new receiver in Calvin Ridley who went off for 101 yards and a touchdown in the week over Indianapolis. For Jacksonville, this is their chance to make a statement and show they are ready to take the next step in competing for a Super Bowl. A game with a lot of playoff implications on the line, this could be the difference on where a potential rematch is played in January.
Raiders @ Bills: Don't worry Bills fans... you get an Asterisk for your loss to the Jets. The Madden curse is in full effect and the punt return that your special teams gave up to win the game for the Jets would not have happened. Josh Allen wouldn't have thrown for three interceptions, ironically to the same person who also wears jersey number three. No but seriously what is wrong with Josh Allen? He said it himself, he was the reason he lost on Monday Night. It seemed as quickly as that Super Bowl window opened for Allen and the Bills, the window is starting to shut. Is Ken Dorsey the right play caller for the Bills? Perhaps they were too conservative but we might be underestimating the impact Brian Daboll had on the development of Josh Allen.
As for the Raiders, I mean the AFC West leading Las Vegas Raiders who were the only team in the division to win in week one. If Monday Night was any indication, the game plan for the Raiders may be to just feed Josh Jacobs as the Bills defense allowed 172 rushing yards of which 127 yards came from Breece Hall alone. Their defense may not be the Jets, but containing Stefon Diggs will be key to keeping this game close. The Raiders going on the road, upsetting one of top Super Bowl picks will send a statement to the rest of the league that this Raiders team is for real.
Ravens @ Bengals: You will hear plenty about the playoff game last year between these two leading up to the game and during the game, but these two teams are completely different from the ones who took the field last January. One week into the 2023 season and JK Dobbins is loss for the season after suffering a torn Achilles, Safety Marcus Williams is out indefinitely with a torn pec, and they still don't know when Mark Andrews or Marlon Humphrey will be back. New offensive Coordinator Todd Monkens is already having to make adjustments not only to his play calling but protection as well with Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum both out this week.
Cincinnati is again in position to take advantage of a banged up Ravens secondary who may be without Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams, the perfect medicine to overcome last week's dreadful offensive performance against a bunch of elves. The keys to this game will be who can keep their quarterback up right, and we saw both Baltimore and Cincinnati struggle with that in week one. If Baltimore is down one or both of either Stanley or Linderbaum, Cincinnati's pass rush will surely look to what Houston did to contain Lamar last week. If Baltimore can get Andrews back on offense, perhaps we'll see what this passing attack is fully capable of with Odell, Zay Flowers, Bateman and Andrews on the field at the same time.
Seahawks @ Lions: These two teams met last year when the Seahawks beat the Lions, which proved to be the tiebreaker on who claimed the last wild card spot in the NFC Playoffs. Momentum is on the side of the Lions who scored a major upset over the defending Super Bowl Champs, but hey Travis Kelce and Chris Jones didn't play so I have to put an asterisk on the win. No matter how you feel, you can't discount how tough the Detroit Lions played last week which will surely make things hard on the Seattle Seahawks who got blown out at home against the Rams. Jared Goff and the offense will have to generate more than 14 points as the defense won't be able to account for receivers dropping passes every game and only scoring twenty or fewer points this season but we saw a lot of potential of what this team could be in the future.
As Geno Smith put it, the Rams wanted it more and now will need to regroup against a Detroit Lions team ready to take the NFL by storm. The Detroit fans will certainly be hyped and be critical to disrupting the Seahawks offense that struggled last week. Was last year a fluke? Are they undisciplined? Did Dave Canal take the magic with him to Tampa? In a league that strives on offense, Seattle only had one offensive play that was longer than 15 yards. What about their defense that couldn't get off the field? This was a team who seem poised to contend for the NFC West crown, only for them to already be looking for answers two weeks into the season.
Chargers @ Titans: Both of these teams are looking to avoid an 0-2 start to their season, and safe to say everyone is waiting for Brandon Staley to show off his defensive genius. Giving up 36 points last week to Tua and the Dolphins is something Chargers fans should be concerned about. Not saying it's a bad thing, when healthy Tua has shown he can play great. When you are in a division with Patrick Mahomes and have to go through a deep AFC to get to the Super Bowl, Chargers won't last long if they keep putting Justin Herbert in shootouts every week.
Thankfully, they play a Tennessee team who only scored less than half the points Miami scored last week on them. I said it last week, the Titans kicking the can down the road may hurt them and a 0-2 start would only be the start of that being right. If the Titans can manage to get Derrick Henry going, limit the time and damage Justin Herbert and company can do, they will have a shot at winning. If not, the Chargers may run away in this one and put the Titans in a major hole early in the season.
Bears @ Buccaneers: All offseason, Bears fans talked a lot about taking over the division, Justin Fields was going to take the next step, etc. That all came crashing down in week one as the Packers quickly reminded Bears fans who runs the NFC North. Chicago's OL did Fields no favor, and that was the number one issue that would prevent the Bears offense from taking the next step. Fields and company head to Chicago to take on Baker Mayfield and the Bucs who stunned the Vikings in an week one upset. The Bucs this week will be without Carlton Davis in the secondary who is nursing a toe injury, something Justin Fields will certainly want to take advantage of.
Colts @ Texans: Our first matchup of Anthony Richardson and CJ Stroud as both teams are looking for their first win of the season. Houston's big homecoming sees them without both of their starting safeties, Jalen Pitre & Jimmie Ward, and their offensive line will be missing three starters as they look to keep CJ Stroud upright who was dealing with a shoulder issue. If the Colts defensive line can disrupt the offensive line enough, it could be a long day for CJ Stroud. Houston's defense did well against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens as it seems it will be the team's biggest strength this season while Stroud and the offense develops. Which rookie will come out on top in this early matchup of top five picks?
4:00 PM Games
49ers @ Rams: For the second straight week, SoFi Stadium will be taken over by the visiting fans as the 49ers take on the Rams in a big NFC West showdown. In last week's win over the Seahawks, the Rams got a big lift from seventh round rookie Puka Nacua who set the franchise record for receiving yards by a Rams rookie with 119 yards. Tutu Atwell matched those 119 yards as the Rams passing attack got off to a great start last week. Now playing against a stingy 49ers defense that contained the Steelers to just seven points last week, will the Rams offense be able to duplicate what they did against Seattle?
Can Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense keep rolling against their division rival? Christian McCaffrey had 183 yards of total offense in the win against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, Brandon Aiyuk had 129 yards on eight receptions, the 49ers offense is off to a hot start and keeping Aaron Donald away from Brock Purdy will be key to securing their ninth straight win over the Rams?
Giants @ Cardinals: Tank Bowl II? The Giants begin a two week west coast stretch in Arizona as they look to quickly erase last week's embarrassing home loss to the Cowboys on Monday Night. The Cardinals defense was the lone bright spot in last week's loss to the Commanders as they had six sacks, a defensive touchdown and three turnovers. Have to think if Kyler Murray was healthy, Arizona wins the game. Can Arizona's defense come up big against a Giants offensive line that allowed seven sacks and lead the team to an improbable upset over the G-Men?
Jets @ Cowboys: The highs and lows of this game can be cruel, one second the entire Jets fanbase is excited and hopes of a Super Bowl. The next, watching Aaron Rodgers tear his achilles shaking their fists to the sky wondering what they did to deserve such cruel fate. The excitement that was Aaron Rodgers coming to the Jets is gone and all hope is again on Zach Wilson who will likely have multiple chances to win games thanks to a great defense, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson's catching abilities. Given how Aaron Rodgers got hurt, the Jets should ensure Zach Wilson's protection is a lot better this week so he doesn't get sacked seven times like Daniel Jones.
Dak doesn't need to do much if the defense is going to destroy opposing offenses the way it did to Daniel Jones and the Giants. I'd say Dak gets his first true test of the season against a Jets defense that picked off Josh Allen three times and forced a fumble. If Dak can avoid the turnovers unlike Josh Allen, they will win. I expect a defensive battle here between two defenses that will make it hard for either offense to have a good game.
Commanders @ Broncos: The more things change, the more they stay the same. In week one of the 2022 season, the Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks 17-16. To start the 2023 season, Denver lost 17-16 to the Las Vegas Raiders. It's early on in the Sean Payton era, but Payton's Saints teams also had early season hiccups before they found their groove as the season progressed. If Denver wants to win this game, they have to limit the quarterback pressures on Russell Wilson. Allowing a 17.1% pressure rate against the Raiders, they now face a Washington defensive line that sees the 2023 season debut of Chase Young. I fully expect this game to play out similar to the games these two teams played last week, a low scoring affair that will likely come down to which offense can produce more.
Sunday Night Football
Dolphins @ Patriots: This past offseason, Tua Tagovailoa considered retirement due to injuries and it would have been sad to see another Andrew Luck situation happen again. This is a team to watch out for if Tua stays healthy, 466 yards and a three touchdown performance against one of the top AFC teams in the Chargers showed that he's ready to take it to the next level. If New England wants to limit Tua, Belichick will likely look at what the Chargers did rushing for 233 yards on the ground last week against Miami. Mac Jones looked better with the addition of BOB calling plays, defense kept it close against the top team in the NFC last week. In a division that now is there for the taking with Rodgers now gone, Buffalo seemingly having issues with Josh Allen, Tua and the Dolphins look to stake their claim to the AFC East Crown early on.
Monday Night Football Double Header
Saints @ Panthers (7:15PM on ESPN/ESPN2)
Browns @ Steelers (8:15PM on ABC/ESPN+): A huge AFC North divisional matchup as Kenny Pickett and the Steelers look to rebound against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. They say the answer to a good offense is a good defense, well for the second straight week the Steelers play a really good defense. Cleveland's defense held Joe Burrow and the Bengals to just three points, the 49ers held Pittsburgh to just seven points in week one. Things aren't starting off well for Kenny Pickett and company after such a strong preseason, and no Diontae Johnson means more pressure on George Pickens. Perhaps Pittsburgh's pass rush can help limit the Browns and take advantage of Cleveland losing Jack Conklin for the year, a good day by TJ Watt could keep the game close and limit Watson and the Browns passing attack.
