Here is what to look for from every game on the Sunday Week 2 NFL slate:
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens get what looks like another easy opponent to begin their season after destroying the Dolphins in Week 1. Marquise Brown burst onto the scene in his first professional game and gives the Ravens an extremely dangerous deep threat while making room for others to better operate. Baltimore will likely utilize a high number of different tight ends, but without question, Mark Andrews is the most dangerous receiver of the bunch. TJ Hockenson lit this Cardinals defense up last week. Andrews could do the same with his great after the catch and field stretching abilities. The Cardinals really had a tough time defending the pass last week with Patrick Peterson suspended.
On offense, Arizona used a very high percentage of four wide receiver sets and that is a trend we should expect to continue. But Baltimore has one of the NFL’s best and deepest secondaries. Plus, this is a very diverse defensive package and Kyler Murray could be overwhelmed from a mental perspective in just his second career start. Murray will need to get the ball out quicker than he did last week. Gaining yardage with a traditional ground game should prove very challenging though in Baltimore, especially when considering the state of the Cardinals offensive line. But Arizona should do everything possible to get David Johnson matched up on the Ravens linebackers in coverage. It will be an uphill climb for the Cardinals in Week 2.
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Derrius Guice is out for this game, which likely means the Redskins offense will go through Adrian Peterson on the ground and mix in Chris Thompson out of the backfield in throwing situations. Thompson could lead Washington in targets, as he did in Week 1. Trent Williams also won’t be playing and Jordan Reed might miss this game again as well. Washington’s offense was light on talent to begin with before injuries. Meanwhile, the Cowboys defense has athletic playmakers at every level. Dallas did a great job vs. Saquon Barkley to open the regular season.
The Cowboys offense is much more modern and creative with Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator. Dak Prescott is coming off just a fantastic Week 1 performance. Dallas now employs much more in the way of presnap shifts and motion. Coupling that with Amari Cooper firmly entrenched as a true number one receiver, Michael Gallup as an emerging number two, Ezekiel Elliott presumably back into his full time role and a great offensive line making it all go, Washington’s defense will have to play its best in this contest. Prescott dealt with little pressure a week ago, but the Redskins pass-rush should prove to be much more formidable although Jonathan Allen likely will not play, which will also negatively affect a Washington run defense that was too porous against Philadelphia. The Cowboys receivers also have a clear advantage over Washington’s secondary, including the overrated Josh Norman.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Few saw the Titans blowout victory over Cleveland coming last week, but it was a very well played game by Tennessee on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, Indianapolis could have pulled off an upset of their own against the Chargers had their kicking game been better.
With the exception of AJ Brown, who could be in for a breakout rookie season, the Titans really didn’t need the use of their wide receivers to get the better of Cleveland to open the season. The Colts may have really found something with the edge pass-rushing combination of Justin Houston and Kemoko Turay and Tennessee’s offensive tackles could be in for a long afternoon.
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s defensive front was dominant against the Browns, but they get a far stiffer test against Indianapolis’ offensive line. The Colts didn’t ask much from Jacoby Brissett in Week 1, but might need him to push the ball downfield more in this divisional battle. TY Hilton had a very strong showing, but will demand a lot of attention from the Titans secondary, especially with Devin Funchess out with injury. This is the type of game that feels like the team that runs the ball better will end up winning what could be a low scoring affair.
Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers
In 2018, Pittsburgh and Seattle couldn’t have been more different in terms of run/pass ratio with the Steelers very heavy on the passing perspective and the Seahawks the total opposite. The Steelers offense was overwhelmed in New England on Sunday night, mostly because of the Patriots exceptional secondary and man-to-man coverage. At home this week, Ben Roethlisberger and company face a talented Seattle front seven led by Bobby Wagner, but the Seahawks secondary is a clear weakness.
The Seahawks offense is extremely run-heavy with old school power man blocking schemes, often using a sixth offensive lineman. Chris Carson will touch the ball early and often and is now a larger part of the passing game as well. Russell Wilson remains a fantastic playmaker, but less is asked of him and he is now playing within the structure of the offense more than in his early years. That worked extremely well in 2018 and Wilson is probably coming off his best season as a pro. But Wilson is also an elite deep passer and taking shots downfield, usually off play action, is a staple of Seattle’s passing attack with both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf fully capable of converting long gains. Pittsburgh’s pass-rush is amongst the best in the league and the Seahawks’ protection remains worrisome and heavy footed, but getting Wilson on the ground is easier said than done.
Buffalo Bills at New York Giants
The Giants pass defense was horrible in Week 1 and Dallas had wide-open receivers at their disposal far too often. That being said, Buffalo might try to take the ball out of Josh Allen’s hand to some degree and rely on their running game. Devin Singletary’s role seems destined to increase as soon as this week. New York does have some young talented big bodies in the middle of their defensive line that might not be easy to move however. That isn’t to say that Buffalo won’t use Allen’s big arm and take shots downfield though, most likely to John Brown.
The Bills secondary put on a show last week. Buffalo must be very aware of the damage Evan Engram can do as a receiver, but for New York to win this game they will need to lean extremely heavily on Saquon Barkley. But this Bills defense is excellent at disallowing big plays as well as taking the ball away and stopping the run. Besides Engram and Barkley, Eli Manning really doesn’t have a lot at his disposal and the veteran quarterback will have to play an efficient mistake-free game for New York to get their first win of the season.
San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals
Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t very impressive in his regular season debut. The Bengals should have an extremely difficult time slowing down George Kittle, whose Week 1 stat line wasn’t close to a true representation of his immense impact on the game. The Bengals rushed the passer well in Seattle, but we can’t forget that this was one of the NFL’s very worst defenses in 2018. Tevin Coleman won’t be available for this game, leaving Matt Breida as the clear top running back and Raheem Mostert most likely spelling Breida from time to time.
Is John Ross ready to finally break out and live up to his early draft pedigree? Week 1 sure indicated that he is. Being used out of the slot helped Ross find open space without compromising his great deep speed. The slot cornerback position is a clear problem area for San Francisco and their secondary overall is rather questionable. However, the 49ers’ defensive front is now loaded with talent. Getting the Niners blocked should prove far more difficult for the Cincinnati offensive line than what they dealt with in Seattle a week ago and the Seahawks sacked Andy Dalton five times in that matchup. San Francisco stopped the run well last year and upgraded their defensive front quite a bit since. The Bengals could be without Joe Mixon, although Gio Bernard is a very capable backup. Running room might be scarce nonetheless.
Los Angeles Chargers at Detroit Lions
The Chargers suffered yet another setback with the loss of Hunter Henry. Melvin Gordon won’t return either, but Austin Ekeler absolutely made the absences of Gordon palatable. Ekeler was a phenom in the short passing game, which is essential when considering how poor Los Angeles’ protection is, especially with Russell Okung also still out of the mix. The Lions did a nice job pressuring Kyler Murray last week, another weak offensive line, but this Detroit front is more equipped to clog up the run than disrupt the passer.
Getting Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram blocked so Matthew Stafford can ably get the ball down field won’t be easy. Compounding this problem, the Chargers have an excellent secondary. But without Derwin James in the equation, Detroit could have a lot of success attacking the middle of the field with TJ Hockenson. The Lions also should look to really establish a running game at home and their offensive line could be up for that challenge.
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Many expected grandiose things from the Aaron Rodgers/Matt LaFleur combination and while that might happen at some point, it sure didn’t against a very good Bears defense in season opener. It doesn’t get much easier this week vs. Minnesota. It would be great to see Green Bay get Aaron Jones going on the ground, but running against the Vikings is a difficult chore. The Falcons running backs only rushed for 50 yards in Minnesota last week.
This game might come down to which team runs the ball better, something Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison did extremely well last week in this Gary Kubiak scheme. But the Packers have a much-improved defense and showed that in a big way in Chicago. The Vikings improved offensive line should really have its hands full in both phases in Green Bay. The Packers’ defensive front will often alter their alignments and this young Minnesota line might have a tough time with communication as well as being overwhelmed physically.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Gardner Minshew is now leading Jacksonville’s offense. He is a very cool customer in the pocket, especially for a rookie, and does his best work by far in the short passing game with a reliance on timing and rhythm. Houston’s pass defense was very underwhelming in New Orleans and surprisingly; JJ Watt didn’t stand out in that game. But defending Minshew is much different than defending Drew Brees. Without question, the path to winning this game for Jacksonville comes through Leonard Fournette, including his abilities in the short passing game.
Laremy Tunsil had some problematic reps in his Texans debut, but that should be getting cleaned up. Houston’s protection is still far from a strength of this team though and the Jaguars are loaded with premium pass-rushers, including Josh Allen, who flashed in his rookie debut. Deshaun Watson makes up for a lot of the line’s problems and is coming off a remarkable Week 1 performance. Watson now has a multitude of great receiving options, but the presence of Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye can’t be discredited.
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
Let’s just say that the Patriots are rather large favorites in this game. Tom Brady should have very little resistance in the passing game from Miami’s defense, but the Patriots might decide to shorten the game and really stick with their diverse running game on the road in the heat. The one thing New England didn’t do in their blowout win over Pittsburgh was to really get Sony Michel going on the ground. This endeavor could be perfect for a big day from Michel. This also seems like the perfect game to ease Antonio Brown into the mix if he even plays. Brown’s presence would greatly eat into Phillip Dorsett’s role in New England’s passing game.
Even though this is a coverage-based defense (and quite possibly the best secondary in the NFL), New England should still win in both phases in the trenches when the Dolphins have the ball. Miami’s offensive line could be the worst in football. Devante Parker is also likely to be followed by Stephon Gilmore, which could truly eliminate Parker from the equation. Over the years, the Patriots have played some of their worst games in Miami. That is extremely unlikely to occur on Sunday.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
LeSean McCoy looks poised to be become the dominant member of this backfield and showed some of his old juice in his first game in a Chiefs’ uniform. Oakland’s defense against the run looks quite vulnerable. But the Raiders are in much more of a bind when Patrick Mahomes looks to throw the ball, even with Tyreek Hill sitting this one out. Kansas City might move the ball at will.
The Chiefs cornerback position is a real problem area and the Raiders offensive weaponry was quite effective last Monday night. Derek Carr played well and pushed the ball downfield more effectively than we have seen from him of late. Still, Josh Jacobs will have to be the engine of Oakland’s offense to stay competitive in this matchup. The Chiefs did do a very good job of shutting down Jacksonville’s running game last week before it really ever got started. But Kansas City’s linebackers also are not great in coverage and the rookie running back might be a big contributor in that facet. Another guy to watch here is Darren Waller, who could be a big play option down the middle of the field against this vulnerable pass defense.
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams
This is a heavyweight fight in the NFC and quite possibly, the first of two meetings between the Saints and Rams. Jared Goff has not been very impressive or productive over his last few outings and overall, the Rams offense was far better in the early to middle portions of 2018 than of late. Goff has played better at home though. Marshon Lattimore usually shadows the opponent’s top receiver and most likely, that will be Brandin Cooks. That sets up well for Cooper Kupp to rack up receptions out of the slot. Todd Gurley’s usage could be set to increase in what should be a difficult game for the Rams, but Malcolm Brown was quite impressive as well and will have a role without question. Houston averaged 7.8 yards per carry in New Orleans last week.
Christian McCaffrey tore the Rams run defense apart as well in Week 1. Don’t be surprised if both offenses run the ball to slow the pace of the game down and attempt to keep the opposing offense off the field. Also don’t be surprised if Kamara puts up a similar stat line to McCaffrey’s. The Saints are especially difficult to defend when Michael Thomas and Kamara are on the same side of the formation, something they do a lot of. Thomas should line up all over the formation and thrive, as usual, out of the slot in this matchup. The Rams defended Carolina’s passing game very well to begin the season and that was without much contribution from Aaron Donald. Donald did little to speak of last week. The chances of that occurring in back to back weeks is slim and none…and slim just left town.
Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos
There might not be very many points scored in this game. Denver is a very difficult place to play, especially for a team that doesn’t travel there often and Vic Fangio is obviously very familiar with Mitch Trubisky and the Bears overall. Running the ball should prove very difficult for both teams and neither offense should be happy with how they played in Week 1. That could all work out very well for Denver. If this game is a slugfest, the Broncos could really benefit late in the game with the road team likely to feel the early season fatigue in the Denver altitude. It is also difficult to say which team has the quarterback advantage here. This could be the lowest scoring game of the week and as such, special teams might be what wins or loses it. Von Miller and Khalil Mack being on the same field sure should be fun though.
Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta would be wise to attack the Eagles through the air than on the ground, but pass protection could put a wrench in that plan for Matt Ryan and company. The Falcons have a huge mismatch in their favor with their wide receivers, namely Julio Jones, against Philadelphia’s questionable cornerbacks. However, when Atlanta has the ball, the Eagles have a major mismatch in their favor in the trenches. Stopping Fletcher Cox from ruining everything is going to be a real challenge. So this will be an interesting study of pass-rush vs. coverage when Atlanta is passing the ball. The Falcons also should have a very difficult time moving the ball on the ground.
Minnesota’s offense dominated the Falcons on the ground the entire game last week and the Eagles could do the same on the road. Carson Wentz, behind a great offensive line, could have plenty of time to throw as well. Philadelphia is just loaded with offensive firepower. They have receivers of all shapes and sizes and Wentz could terrorize Atlanta’s defense at every level.
