NFL Week 2 Predictions

 

(Photo: Niners Wire: 49ers highlights: Nick Bosa hits Matthew Stafford as he throws the football)

The second Sunday of the 2023 NFL season is rapidly approaching and we have some amazing games on the Week 2 slate.

We have what is shaping up to be a very interesting matchup between the Packers and Falcons in the early window, a matchup between two defensive heavyweights (Jets-Cowboys), and last but not least, a tantalizing AFC East showdown between the Dolphins and the Patriots on Sunday Night Football.

Let's get to the predictions!

Sunday Afternoon:

Los Angeles Chargers (0-1) @ Tennessee Titans (0-1): 1:00 p.m. (on CBS)

The Chargers lost in Week 1 to the Dolphins, but they put up a great fight and they were only a couple of plays away from winning that game. Meanwhile, the Titans also suffered a loss last week, but their offense looked absolutely pitiful against the Saints. Look for Justin Herbert to carve up the Tennessee defence and get the Bolts back on track. Chargers take it.

Chargers 30 Titans 20

Chicago Bears (0-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0): 1:00 p.m. (on FOX)

The Buccaneers looked good in Week 1, coming up with an upset victory on the road against the Vikings. Baker Mayfield played well in that one, and I think he will play well here against a bad Bears defence. Justin Fields will play a lot better than he did against the Packers last week, but it won't be enough. The Bucs will win at home in a shootout.

Bears 26 Buccaneers 29

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) @ Cincinnati Bengals (0-1): 1:00 p.m. (on CBS)

For the third time in the last nine months, the Ravens travel to Paycor Stadium to face the Bengals. The two-time defending AFC North champions looked horrible vs the Browns last week, but the Ravens didn't look good either against the lowly Texans and they are currently dealing with injuries to a lot of key players. Joe Burrow and the Bengals will bounce back to avoid a 0-2 start to the season.

Ravens 20 Bengals 27

Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) @ Buffalo Bills (0-1): 1:00 p.m. (on CBS)

The Bills should've won in Week 1 against the Jets, but Josh Allen was careless with multiple turnovers which ultimately led to the loss. Meanwhile, the Raiders are coming off a solid road win over the Broncos in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's debut with the team. I think Allen responds big time in this one, as the Bills explode on offense to win their home opener.

Raiders 20 Bills 35

Green Bay Packers (1-0) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-0): 1:00 p.m. (on FOX)

This should be a good one. Green Bay looked great in Week 1, but how much of that was because they played the Bears? Atlanta's defence was awesome against the Panthers, but how much of that was because they played a rookie quarterback? The Packers are on the road for the second consecutive week and are dealing with injuries to two of their top offensive playmakers (Aaron Jones and Christian Watson). The Falcons will win a close one to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2017.

Packers 21 Falcons 24

Indianapolis Colts (0-1) @ Houston Texans (0-1): 1:00 p.m. (on FOX)

Two of the top four picks from this year's draft will square off for the first time as Anthony Richardson takes on C.J. Stroud. Richardson played well last week, but it won't be easy to replicate that on the road against a DeMeco Ryans-coached defence. Led by Dameon Pierce, look for the Texans to run the ball well and win a back-and-forth game at home over their AFC South rivals.

Colts 20 Texans 23

Seattle Seahawks (0-1) @ Detroit Lions (1-0): 1:00 p.m. (on FOX)

For the third straight season, the Seahawks and Lions are playing each other in the regular season. Seattle's offence was horrific against the Rams in Week 1, and I think Geno Smith and Co. will play much better in this game. But both of their starting tackles (Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas) are out with injuries. That will be troublesome going up against Aidan Hutchinson. Lions will win it late behind Jared Goff and their explosive offence.

Seahawks 27 Lions 30

Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0): 1:00 p.m. (on CBS)

These two AFC contenders faced off twice last season, including in the divisional round of the playoffs (the Chiefs won both of those meetings). After missing Week 1, both Travis Kelce and Chris Jones will play on Sunday, which is obviously huge for Kansas City. For Jacksonville, this is exactly the type of game that they need to win to prove that they belong in the upper echelon of the AFC. And led by their dynamic Trevor Lawrence-Calvin Ridley duo, I think they will do just that. Jaguars win a back-and-forth shootout.

Chiefs 31 Jaguars 34

New York Giants (0-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (0-1): 4:05 p.m. (on FOX)

The Cardinals are probably the worst team in the NFL on paper, but at least they showed up to play last week, unlike the Giants. That was a very embarrassing performance by the G-Men in Week 1. However, they don't have to play the Cowboys defence this week, which is good for Daniel Jones and Co. New York wins on the road, but it won't be easy.

Giants 27 Cardinals 20

San Francisco 49ers (1-0) @ Los Angeles Rams (1-0): 4:05 p.m. (on FOX)

The 49ers are looking to build off their dominant Week 1 win over the Steelers, while the Rams are also trying to keep up their momentum after their surprising upset win over the Seahawks. Matthew Stafford looked great last week even without Cooper Kupp, but that 49ers defence is no joke. Brock Purdy will continue to play great and Stafford won't be able to keep up, as the 49ers knock off the Rams for the ninth consecutive time in the regular season.

49ers 33 Rams 23

Washington Commanders (1-0) @ Denver Broncos (0-1): 4:25 p.m. (on CBS)

The Sam Howell era in D.C. got off to a solid start last week with the Commanders knocking off Arizona, but it certainly wasn't pretty. On the opposite side, Sean Payton lost his debut game as the Broncos' head coach against the Raiders. Howell was average in Week 1, and he will have a tough battle all afternoon long on the road against a good Denver defence. Washington's defence is also good, but Russell Wilson (who looked decent in Week 1) will do just enough to help the Broncos scrape by with a win.

Commanders 14 Broncos 20

New York Jets (1-0) @ Dallas Cowboys (1-0): 4:25 p.m. (on CBS)

Coming into the season, this game was circled on many people's calendars. Aaron Rodgers taking on the Cowboys in Dallas is always a fun one that typically ends in dramatic fashion. But now, of course, Rodgers is injured and in comes Zach Wilson. Wilson will be in for a tough day against this amazing Dallas defence that will exploit the Jets' weak offensive line while Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb will make enough plays to get the Cowboys to 2-0 for the first time since 2019.

Jets 16 Cowboys 24

Sunday Night:

Miami Dolphins (1-0) @ New England Patriots (0-1): 8:20 p.m. (on NBC)

I am extremely interested to see how this one plays out. Led by Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and their offensive mastermind in head coach Mike McDaniel, Miami's offence is as potent as any in the NFL right now. But on the other hand, New England's defence is talented at all three levels and they are extremely well-coached by Bill Belichick. Hill is a absolute nightmare to defend, but New England defends him better than any other team in the league. With that being said, I think Tagovailoa narrowly outplays Mac Jones on the road and becomes the first quarterback to win his first five career starts against Belichick.

Dolphins 30 Patriots 26

Monday Night:

New Orleans Saints (1-0) @ Carolina Panthers (0-1): 7:15 p.m. (on ESPN)

The Saints didn't play great in Week 1 against the Titans, but Derek Carr and the crew managed to do just enough to help New Orleans go to 1-0 for the fifth consecutive season. Meanwhile, Bryce Young wasn't able to break the trend of No. 1 overall picks struggling in their NFL debut. Young will now face a Saints defence that is better than the Falcons' defence that he played against last week. The Saints win a low-scoring bout to go to 2-0 and notch their first victory in Carolina since 2020.

Saints 24 Panthers 14

Cleveland Browns (1-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1): 8:15 p.m. (on ABC)

Two insane streaks are on the line in this AFC North rivalry game; first, the Steelers have won twenty consecutive Monday Night Football games at home, dating all the way back to 1991. Second, teams that have played against the 49ers the previous week have lost 16 games in a row when playing the following week. And of course, the Steelers just got pummeled by the Niners, 30-7, last Sunday. Cleveland looked very good against the Bengals last week, especially on defence. But something tells me that Mike Tomlin will have his team ready to play in primetime after suffering such a humiliating loss. Kenny Pickett plays better in this one as the Steelers win a nail-biter to end Week 2.

Browns 17 Steelers 20