I am skipping my Power Rankings for a week. Without a preseason, and since most of the Week 1 games were divisional matchups where the teams know each other, I don't think we got a really good picture of what teams are capable of. The Power Rankings will be part of next week's column.
That said, let's jump right to my prognostications.
Thursday game
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns: It's Week Two and already Baker Mayfield is facing criticism and fears of being replaced. Granted, he looked atrocious against Baltimore last week, but they did have to face that strong Ravens defense. Joe Burrows was decent in his debut, but he is still leaning heavily on some of his collegiate tricks. NFL defenders are smarter than that, and will soon devise ways to shut him down. Will that be this week? BROWNS, 20-17
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys looked a little unsettled and confused on offense without "guiding hand" Jason Garrett. Atlanta put up quite a few points against Seattle, but showed that their own defense is lacking. Except the Cowboys to take advantage of that. COWBOYS, 30-27
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins defense was able to slow the Brady-less Patriots, but I don't think the same can be said for the efficient Bills offense. BILLS, 28-13
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Bucs: Tom Brady had some problems against the Saints defense, but Carolina is a different story. Brady finally started to connect with his slew of receivers in the fourth quarter, and I think that will carry into this game. BUCS, 24-13
Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Broncos showed a strong defense on Monday night, but the Steelers have an even better one. More importantly, the Steelers have their offense moving again, even though their ground game wasn't quite what we've come to expect from them. Given the strength of the Broncos front line, that may actually help the Steelers in this game. STEELERS, 23-17
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers: The Packers showed that, when they are healthy, their offense is potent. The squad is still mostly intact, so the Lions will have problems. PACK, 27-16
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans: The Titans offense sputtered on Monday night, but their defense was solid. The Jags had it easy against the Colts, so without a preseason, I don't think they're quite ready to face this defense. TITANS, 20-13
Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles: I did not expect that the team with the win coming into this game would be the Rams. The Eagles made too many mistakes against Washington last week, but I think they'll clean that up. The risks Jared Goff took paid off against the Cowboys secondary, but the Eagles is another story. This could be a close game, but I like the Eagles D to pull this one out and prevent a late touchdown. EAGLES, 23-20
Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts: The Vikings are on offensive explosion, and the Colts defense just isn't equipped for that, nor can their offense keep up. VIKINGS, 35-20
New York Giants at Chicago Bears: People criticized the decision to start Mitchell Trubisky, and he did look shaky in the first half. He righted himself, though, and pulled off the comeback, assisted by the defense. That same defense will make life hard for the Giants, which rely too heavily on Saquon Barkley. The Steelers defense exploited that on Monday night, and the Bears will do so this week. BEARS, 23-16
San Francisco 49ers at New York Jets: The 49ers got stung by the Cardinals last week, but the Jets don't have the same firepower, nor do they have as good a defense. 49ERS, 27-16
Sunday late games
Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans: I don't think any team has a tougher schedule to open the season than the Texans. They opened against the Chiefs, and now start their home schedule with the tough Baltimore Ravens. Man, the scheduling gods hate the Texans! RAVENS, 34-17
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers: The Chiefs bring their high-powered offensive road show to Los Angeles. They should light up the City of Stars with an impressive performance, better than what the Chargers will produce. CHIEFS, 31-20
Washington Who-Dem at Arizona Cardinals: Okay, so the Cardinals defense is something to fear. They certainly gave the 49ers fits last week. Washington QB Dwayne Haskins is more used to tough defenses (come on, he practiced against one of college football's fiercest defenses!), but I think his NFL inexperience will prevent a Washington victory. CARDS, 20-17
Sunday night game
New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks: The Pats won last week because Cam Newton was allowed to be Cam Newton, but that won't last. He's already irritating his coach by bragging on social media and taking all the credit for the win. Bill Belichick believes in the "We are Team" attitude, and Newton's ego will quickly cause friction. The Seahawks are great at causing tension on teams they face, and so they will push the Pats as far as they can. SEAHAWKS, 27-24
Monday Night Football
New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders: How many people want to see the two dynamic offenses of Drew Brees and Patrick Mahomes face each other in the Super Bowl? I certainly do, and a second win here moves the Saints closer to that goal. Their obstacle? No team in the NFL has a better recond on Monday Night Football than the Raiders. They might pull off the upset, but I'll still favor the Saints. SAINTS, 31-24
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