Headline games in Week 2 include the latest installment of the Manning Bowl, the 49ers meet up with the rival Seahawks, and Andy Reid faces his old rival Cowboys for first time as head coach of the Chiefs. Here are the Week 2 previews and game predictions.
New York Jets vs. New England Patriots
Thursday September 12, 2013 8:25pm
NFL Network -- Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock
Before the season started, predicting that the Jets would have a slight chance of beating the Patriots in Gillette Stadium would have been an absurd prediction. However, after watching the Patriots against the Bills on Sunday, coupled with rookie quarterback Geno Smith's play against the Buccaneers, it isn't all that absurd now.
While I still believe the Patriots will win, the Patriots have to be concerned with the injuries on their offense. Shane Vereen, who was one of only two running backs to rush for over 100 yards in Week 1, is now out with a broken wrist. Danny Amendola, Tom Brady's clear go-to guy in Week 1, may miss tonight's game due to a groin injury. It isn't looking good for Brady, but I'll be shocked if the Jets can pull off an upset.
New York Jets 20 New England Patriots 30
St. Louis Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
The Rams are coming off of a thrilling win, while the Falcons need a win to avoid going 0-2. The Falcons are in the Georgia Dome for this one, so I don't see any possibility where the Rams will stun the Falcons. This is the perfect game for Matt Ryan to get going after having a sluggish game against the rival Saints in Week 1.
St. Louis Rams 14 Atlanta Falcons 31
San Diego Chargers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
Both teams are coming off of Monday Night games, but the Chargers have to travel across the country for this game. It hasn't been a secret how poorly the West Coast teams perform on the East Coast. The Chargers will also have to figure out how to defend the Eagles' pace. Chip Kelly believed it wasn't fast enough. The Chargers can't be too happy about that.
San Diego Chargers 14 Philadelphia Eagles 38
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| Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid faces Cowboys for first time since leaving the Eagles. |
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Chris Myers, Tim Ryan
Both teams got off to 1-0 starts so there isn't an enormous amount of pressure on either team. For the Chiefs, their win came at the expense of the lowly Jaguars, so this is a statement game for them. The acquisitions of Andy Reid and Alex Smith is supposed to provide improved play and stability to the franchise. The Chiefs will get their chance to fully measure where they are early in the season.
Tony Romo took a brutal shot to the ribs in Sunday night's win against the Giants, and he didn't look real comfortable after the hit. I don't believe it'll bother him in this game, but you never know with these injuries. That's one thing to keep an eye out for as the Cowboys look to go 2-0.
Dallas Cowboys 20 Kansas City Chiefs 27
Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts
The Colts kick their season off with two manageable home games before they travel to San Francisco for a tough Week 3 matchup. Even though Andrew Luck looked good last week, the rest of the team didn't, and the Colts were down to the Raiders at one point in the fourth quarter before Luck led the comeback. We're still not quite sure if the Dolphins are improved, but this will be the game to measure that.
Miami Dolphins 20 Indianapolis Colts 24
Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
The Titans shocked the country when they marched into Heinz Field and beat up the Steelers all day en route to a 16-9 victory. The Titans must feel good about themselves going into Reliant Stadium against a division rival. However, the Texans are not the Steelers, and considering the Titans had to start the season with two road games, they'll be happy to go home for Week 3 at 1-1.
Tennessee Titans 13 Houston Texans 30
Washington Redskins vs. Green Bay Packers
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Both teams are coming into this game at 0-1, so one will end up at 0-2 at the end of this game. Both playoff teams last year, expectations have been high. The Packers had a great matchup against the 49ers, and even though they lost, they showed they are title contenders. The Redskins showed the opposite. Their performance against the Eagles sort of reminded everyone of the beatdown the Redskins took at the hands of the Eagles on Monday Night Football back in 2010. Don't be surprised if Robert Griffin III ditches the knee brace soon.
Washington Redskins 17 Green Bay Packers 34
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Marv Albert, Rich Gannon
The Ravens will get to hang up their championship banner in front of the home crowd, but it won't feel the same to rest of the country. The Ravens were denied an opportunity to play in front of the home crowd on opening night because the MLB's Baltimore Orioles decided their game against the Chicago White Sox was too big of a game to move to 1:05. Nonetheless, the Ravens are 0-1, so they'll need a win, and this is the perfect game for them to bounce back.
Cleveland Browns 17 Baltimore Ravens 27
Carolina Panthers vs. Buffalo Bills
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Dick Stockton, Ronde Barber
The Bills start their season with two home games, and they are coming off of a close loss to a Patriots team that has dominated them and the rest of the AFC East for the past 10 years. Things are looking up in Buffalo as rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel tries to be the franchise quarterback the team has been looking for since Jim Kelly's retirement after the 1996 season.
The Panthers are coming in at 0-1 just like the Bills. They had a great opportunity to upset the Seahawks in Week 1. While that didn't happen, the Panthers have to be encouraged by the play of their defense. The only question is the improvement of Cam Newton. He'll have to lead the way if the Panthers want to be a playoff team. Winning in Buffalo will be good for the Panthers. I just don't see it happening.
Carolina Panthers 16 Buffalo Bills 27
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
Sunday September 15, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
The Vikings are enduring the worst possible scenario to start their season. They have two road games against division rivals, and unless Christian Ponder steps up, I don't see how they win this game either. The Bears rallied in the second half to beat the Bengals, so they should be happy with their resolve. This is also a great opportunity for the Bears to start 2-0 and get a leg up in the division.
Minnesota Vikings 14 Chicago Bears 28
New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday September 15, 2013 4:05pm
FOX -- Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch
There is real concern among Buccaneers fans about how long Josh Freeman will last as the starting quarterback for that team. Other than a decent 2010 rookie season, Freeman hasn't been good. He did throw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns last season, but it was a very inconsistent season for the team overall.
The Saints should win this game easily despite going up against a very good secondary. Let's see how long Greg Schiano sticks with Freeman.
New Orleans Saints 31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21
Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals
Sunday September 15, 2013 4:05pm
FOX -- Sam Rosen, Heath Evans
The Lions looked impressive in their season-opening victory at home against the Vikings. The Lions looked much improve and looked more like that 2011 team that went to the playoffs. It's very early in the season, so there's still a lot to take care of. The Lions should also be motivated by this game. They came into the University of Phoenix Stadium last year and were handled easily by a Cardinals team mired in an awful losing streak. Revenge should be on the minds of the Lions.
Detroit Lions 24 Arizona Cardinals 21
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Oakland Raiders
Sunday September 15, 2013 4:25pm
CBS -- Spero Dedes, Steve Tasker
While this could be one of the easier games the Jaguars play all year, they may not even come close to winning this game. Terrelle Pryor looked good in his debut against the Colts last week on the road, so this game should be much easier. The Jaguars will need solutions soon. It's still early in the season. Find answers while the season isn't over yet.
Jacksonville Jaguars 10 Oakland Raiders 23
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| It will not be fun and games in MetLife Stadium when Broncos' Peyton Manning and Giants' Eli Manning face off. |
Sunday September 15, 2013 4:25pm
CBS -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
Easily the premier game of Week 2, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning will square off for the third time in their illustrious careers. Eli has never beaten his big brother, and this is his best opportunity to do so. The Giants are coming off of a devastating loss in which they committed six turnovers and only lost by five.
The Broncos are not the Cowboys, and Peyton ripped the Ravens for seven passing touchdowns. That is not a misprint. Peyton will not get seven touchdowns again, but he will keep up the pace and apply lots of pressure to the Giants' defense. There's a sense of desperation for the Giants at 0-1, so I believe they'll come through.
Denver Broncos 28 New York Giants 31
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| Seahawks' Russell Wilson will look to succeed against the 49ers much like he did last year at home. |
Sunday September 15, 2013 8:30pm
NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
The last time the 49ers came to Qwest Field, the stadium was very loud and it made life difficult for Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers were routed and embarrassed by the Seahawks, so revenge should definitely be on their minds. However, the loud noise will still be there, and it is hard to play against that kind of noise when you're the road team. The 49ers are very good. I just don't believe they can beat the 12th man.
San Francisco 49ers 20 Seattle Seahawks 30
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Monday September 16, 2013 8:40pm
ESPN -- Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden
The Steelers had one of the worst performances of any team in Week 1, so they'll be looking to bounce back. There's a big problem, however. They play the Bengals in Cincinnati, and the Bengals are coming off of a disappointing loss as well. After all of the AFC North teams lost in Week 1, they all play each other in Week 2. I guess that makes this game important.
I thought Ben Roethlisberger's rocky relationship with Todd Haley would've only been temporary. However, they still don't seem to be on the same page. It makes me wonder why the Steelers felt like they needed to go in another direction anyway after Roethlisberger was having success and fun with Bruce Arians.
Pittsburgh Steelers 14 Cincinnati Bengals 34
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