The first week is never sufficient to get a good picture of how many teams will perform, so this week has some picks that can really go either way.
Thursday night
New York Giants at Washington : Washington's offense definitely stood up better against the Chargers than the Giants did against a weaker Denver defense. Advantage: Washington. WASHINGTON, 23-16
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins : Miami's defense did a good job of holding back the Patriots last week, but the Bills have more firepower. At some point, they need to outplay Buffalo on offense, and I don't think Miami is quite there yet. BILLS, 24-20
Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears : When I planning my preview columns, I figured this would be a Bears victory. But after the floundering offensive performance last week, and the amazing performance by the Bengals, I have to flip this one. BENGALS, 27-17
Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars : Despite the lack of a consistent running game, the Broncos offense is clicking. Not so with the Jags, as Trevor Lawrence is still getting used to how the NFL differs from the college game. BRONCOS, 28-16
Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns : Another game whose outcome I am flipping from my previews. The Browns went toe-to-toe against the powerful Chiefs last week, so I think they'll outplay the Texans. BROWNS, 27-23
Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers : The Steelers have it working. The Raiders benefited from sloppy play by the Ravens. They won't get that benefit this week. STEELERS, 31-27
Los Angeles Rams at Indianapolis Colts : Seeing the offensive attack of the Rams against the Bears, they look even stronger than the height of Jared Goff's tenure. Watch out for them this season. RAMS, 24-13
New England Patriots at New York Jets : The Jets struggled last week, and I don't see that they have it all figured out yet. The Jets don't have the same quality on defense as the Dolphins, so this time the Pats will prevail. PATRIOTS, 20-13
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers : The Panthers defense won't be able to stop this offensive express. SAINTS, 34-13
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles : Both teams showed explosive offenses last week. The 49ers defense sputtered late and gave Detroit a chance to come back. I think they will fix that this week, and toughen that defense enough to keep a score ahead of the Eagles. 49ERS, 34-30
Sunday late games
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Bucs : The Falcons offense couldn't do much last week. Now, the Bucs showed a vulnerability for the type of pass-heavy attack of the Falcons, but I don't think their offense has the steam of Dallas, who couldn't quite keep pace with the Bucs. BUCS, 27-17
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers : This game could be a lot closer than people think. The Cowboys impressed everyone against the Bucs, but the Chargers have a better defense. However, the Cowboys are still a potent team who will stretch the home team as far as they can go. CHARGERS, 27-23
Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals : Minnesota's defense showed some holes last week, things that the Cardinals excellent offense will certainly exploit. CARDS, 31-23
Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks : Safe in the confines of home, the Seahawks will roll. SEAHAWKS, 28-17
Sunday night
Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens : The Ravens get a night game for the second week in a row, and unfortunately I don't think the outcome will be any different. The Raiders, whose offense can be tricky but not fast, gave the Ravens defense some problems. Watch what the speed of the Chiefs offense will do. The Ravens only saving grace? There seems to be something missing from the Chiefs defense, too. CHIEFS, 30-24
Monday Night Football
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers : With the collapse of the Packers line and the offensive explosion of the Lions in the second half last week, I definitely need to flip this game. LIONS, 24-14
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