NFL Week 2 Predictions Pt 2 of 2
NY Times Sept. 16, 2021
Sunday’s Other Games
Atlanta Falcons at TBay Buccaneers, 1p, Fox
Pick: Buccaneers
Don’t expect Tom Brady to need a comeback this time. Four seasons have passed since his Super Bowl LI win, but if the Falcons (0-1) couldn’t stop the Eagles’ second-year QB Jalen Hurts from throwing for three TD passes last week, then they will surely struggle with Brady, whose cast of receivers is arguably the best of his 22-year career. Oddsmakers expect this to be the largest mismatch of the weekend, and rightly so.
Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns, 1p, CBS
Pick: Browns
The Browns (0-1) spent all off-season preparing for last week’s rematch against the Chiefs - and a run at an AFC championship - only to fail to keep pace because of self-inflicted mistakes. Whatever frustrations Cleveland has from letting that game slip away should find an outlet on the Texans (1-0). Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will again be out as he recovers from off-season knee surgery. But the Browns don’t need him to beat a Houston team with a roster considered one of the least talented in the league.
Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears, 1p, Fox
Pick: Bears
In Week 1, Bengals rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase caught five passes for 101 yds and a TD from rookie QB Joe Burrow against the Vikings. The Bears’ secondary is arguably their weakest unit, allowing Rams QB Matthew Stafford to throw for 321 yds last week. The Bears OL is almost as bad, allowing QB Andy Dalton to be chewed up by the Rams D last week. RB David Montgomery was almost the entire Bears’ offense in Game 1. Can he keep the Bengals DLs off Dalton’s back? The Bengals have their own star runner in RB Joe Mixon. This game may come down to which team’s DL performs best.
NE Patriots at Jets, 1p, CBS
Pick: Patriots
Pats RB Damien Harris’s Q4 fumble in the red zone ended a final drive by rookie QB Mac Jones, and NE (0-1) fell to Miami, 17-16, last week. The score should not be so close against the Jets (0-1), who allowed six sacks of their rookie QB Zach Wilson last week. Blocking for Wilson became harder without LT Mekhi Becton, who suffered a dislocated kneecap. One first-year passer will start his career 0-2, and the chances are it will probably be the Jets’ Wilson.
SF 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles, 1p, Fox
Pick: 49ers
Last week, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts diced up the Falcons’ meager defense, throwing for three TDs and 265 yds, while escaping with only one sack. But vs hapless Detroit, the 49ers (1-0) defense looked like old times, sacking Jared Goff three times and pressuring him into a pick-6. SF’s starting RB, Raheem Mostert, had season-ending knee surgery, but his replacement, Elijah Mitchell, played well. If the Niners have a serious weakness – besides the injury bug – it’s their secondary. They lost injury-prone CB Jason Verrett to a torn ACL in Game 1. He was not only their best player in the secondary, but his experience and leadership were counted on to balance his more erratic younger teammates. Without him, the FA signing of journeyman CB Josh Norman assumes major importance for 2021.
Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1p, CBS
Pick: Broncos
Urban Meyer started poorly as an NFL coach, with a Jaguars loss against the depleted Texans. His second outing will be tougher, as he sends the #1 overall draft pick, rookie QB Trevor Lawrence, against a strong Broncos D led by LB Von Miller, who posted two sacks in his return from the ankle injury that sidelined him in 2020. Denver (1-0) lacks receiver Jerry Jeudy, who is expected to miss four weeks with an ankle sprain. But the Broncos’ defense, utilizing Josey Jewell and Dre’Mont Jones to free up Miller, should be able to wreak havoc on a young passer with a porous OL. Denver HC Vic Fangio is a defensive whiz, and his schemes aren’t easy to read even for an experienced QB. QB Teddy Bridgewater is a good fit for Denver OC’s Pat Shurmur offense, having won the starting job over strong-armed Drew Locke.
Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05p, Fox
Pick: Cardinals
Kyler Murray’s video-game-like numbers last Sunday (289 yds passing, five total TDs, including his own 2-yard rush) came against a developing Titans defense. It’s doubtful the Vikings (0-1) will allow a similar performance, but even a curtailed Cardinals offense should outgun the Vikings’ unbalanced attack. In Week 1, Viking RB Dalvin Cook rushed for only 61 yds while Kirk Cousins threw 49 times and took three sacks. Against the Cardinals (1-0), who sacked Ryan Tannehill six times last week, the Vikings can’t match Murray’s fireworks.
Monday Night’s Matchup
Detroit Lions at GBay Packers, 8:15p, ESPN
Pick: Packers
Rodgers was unconcerned after Sunday’s 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints when he told reporters, “It’s just one game.” No reason to hyperventilate unless something goes awry vs the Lions (0-1). Rodgers is still one of the league’s best QBs, and is 17-5 against Detroit.
Thursday’s Game: Washington 30, Giants 29
NYT picked the Washington Footballers to beat the Giants thinking a limited Saquon Barkley and QB Daniel Jones’s struggles with ball security would be evident against Washington’s pass rush. The Giants lost, 30-29, in a back-and-forth game with three Q4 lead changes. Surprisingly they can’t blame this on Jones. In the closing seconds, Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins sailed a 48-yard FG attempt wide right, but Giants lineman Dexter Lawrence jumped offsides. Gifted another chance and five extra yds, Hopkins nailed the 43-yarder.
Jones played well, 249 yds passing, a TD, plus running for 95 yds and a score. He could have gained two more TDs but the team keeps making self-inflicted mistakes with penalties and drops. It’s hard to pick a winner in the messy NFC East.