NFL Week 2: Predictions and observations
The second week of the NFL season is upon us. It’s crazy how quickly the campaign moves along, with it feeling like yesterday that teams were reporting for training camp, but I digress.
So, after gathering data on 30 of the 32 NFL teams over the first week, what should we expect and/or be looking for come this weekend? Here’s a stream of consciousness on the subject…
The New England Patriots are going to play very well on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints down in the Superdome. It’s rare that the Patriots don’t play well in any game, and it’s almost unheard of that they would lose two games in a row. While Drew Bree’s might give them some trouble on the defensive side of the ball, expect Tom Brady to throw for 400+ yards against the Saints’ defense…
Sean McVay is going to have something in store for his old team. McVay got off to a heck of a start as a head coach with a 46-9 thumping of the Indianapolis Colts, courtesy his Los Angeles Rams. Los Angeles looked serious for the first time in years, as Jared Goff went over the 300-yard mark. The Washington Redskins, where McVay worked before as an offensive coordinator, have looked sloppy and disjointed. I expect the Rams to play very well in this one…
The Cincinnati Bengals are going to bounce back. I’m not in love with this team because I’ve never believed in Marvin Lewis, but the Bengals are significantly better than the Houston Texans, who they host on Thursday night. Cincinnati was shut out at home by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, serving as even more motivation to come out and get the job done. After throwing four interceptions, I believe Andy Dalton will get right against a reeling Texans team…
I believe we’ll learn if the Minnesota Vikings are a contender, or simply a decent team that might gobble up a wild card berth, only to be thrown quickly out of the playoffs. This Sunday, the Vikings travel to Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers and an offense that includes Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. If Minnesota can go on the road and take down Pittsburgh, we could be looking at a real challenger to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North…
Are the Kansas City Chiefs for real? After smashing the Patriots 42-27, that’s the question. Can Alex Smith and Kareem Hunt continue to play like stars? If they can, the Chiefs are absolutely one of the Super Bowl favorite, if not THE favorite. I believe Kansas City is very dangerous, but it can go out and provide further evidence this weekend at Arrowhead Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles.
