Welcome back to Hagan’s Haus for week two NFL predictions. What a week one it was in the NFL! It was absolutely exhilarating to watch these events of the first week unfold. It had everything you could hope for in a NFL week. There were so many surprises and so many close games. Only one game on Sunday was decided by double digits, in which the Eagles beat the Browns by 19. Four games were decided by just a single point and the Raiders had the most gutsy one point win when they went for a late two point conversion. Two other games were decided by just two points. It led to much excitement or heartbreak for many fan bases around the country.
Monday night featured two games in which weren’t as close as the Sunday games. The Steelers won comfortably 38-16 against the Redskins. San Fransisco followed by completely blowing out the Los Angeles Rams 28-0. At the end of the Monday night games we had a better understanding of who are possible contenders and who are just pretenders. I finished week one with a 10-5 record. From Hagan’s Haus to yours, here are my week two NFL picks.
Last Week Record: 10-5
Season Record: 10-5
Thursday Night
New York (J) 14 @ Buffalo Bills 17: The New York Jets looked much better than the Buffalo Bills did in week one. The Jets haven’t won in the past five meetings versus the Bills and haven’t won in Buffalo since 2011. This should be a very tight defensive battle that the Bills will find a way to win due to home-field advantage.
Sunday Morning
San Fransisco 20 @ Carolina 27: The 49ers looked great on Monday night. They have a short week and have to travel across country and that is a tough task. Facing the Carolina Panthers makes that task more difficult. The Panthers should have won their game against Denver. A kicker has to make those big kicks. Cam Newton looked great and so did the Panthers defense. This team is still a Super Bowl contender and they will get back on track this week.
Baltimore 34 @ Cleveland 20: I really thought the Browns would be a better team this season, but they made Carson Wentz look virtually unstoppable. Baltimore impressed me against the Bills and should win fairly easily in this AFC North match-up.
Tennessee 24 @ Detroit 21: Detroit won a shootout against a Colt’s defense that was decimated in the secondary. The Lions defense gave up a lot of points and didn’t look all that impressive. Although the Titans lost to Minnesota their defense completely shut down Adrian Peterson. The Titans could have won the game without the turnovers and I expect them to correct that issue this week and get an upset win in the Motor City.
Kansas City 27 @ Houston 23: This could end up being the game of the week. The Chiefs got off to a very slow start against the Chargers but like a championship team should, they fought back and gritted out a win. Houston got a solid home win against the Bears in Brock Osweiler’s Texans debut. The Texans may have a tough time moving on offense against the Chiefs defense which is why the Chiefs should win.
Miami 23 @ New England 26:Â The Miami Dolphins defense was impressive against the Seahawks. They played a great game and looked better than I expected them to. Unfortunately, they still lost and now have to go to New England to take on one of the best franchises in all of sports. Next man up is the Patriots slogan and they continue to prove it no matter the position. The Patriots didn’t miss Tom Brady and that is really saying something. The Patriots will continue to win games and this week will be no different.
New Orleans 27 @ New York Giants 29: The Giants spent a lot of money on their defense this offseason and it looked great against the Cowboys. Oliver Vernon played a great game and Janoris Jenkins has finally given the Giants a corner who can come up and press receivers at the line of scrimmage. The Saints looked like the old Saints. They played great offense and juvenile defense. I think the Giants defend home field behind their much improved defense to get a win.
Cincinnati 23 @ Pittsburgh 30: The Bengals versus Steelers is always a great, physical game. This one shall be no different. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are one of the greatest quarterback to receiver connections in NFL history. I believe the Steelers are heading towards the Super Bowl this season because of how good they are offensively. This game will showcase their talented offense and the Steelers will get a divisional win.
Dallas 22 @ Washington 21: If the Cowboys formulate a game plan that gets Dez Bryant more involved in the offense the Cowboys will win this game. Washington didn’t look good against the Steelers. In my division preview of the NFC East I mentioned that the Redskins will lack a running game and it will result in more Kirk Cousins turnovers. Against the Steelers the Redskins ran for a total of 55 yards and it led to two interceptions by Kirk Cousins. This will be a yearly theme.
Sunday Afternoon
Tampa Bay 31 @ Arizona 26: Jameis Winston looked like a seasoned veteran in week one. The Cardinals defense is much better than than the Falcons but Winston is going to prove that he is a great NFL quarterback. The Cardinals couldn’t beat a Patriots team missing lots of key players. I am not sold on the Cardinals like everyone else is. I still believe they finish third in the division this season. Tampa will sneak out a win due to big plays by Winston.
Seattle 20 @ Los Angeles 7: This will be the first home game for the Rams in Los Angeles since December 24, 1994. The Rams were embarrassed on Monday night in San Fransisco. Russell Wilson has an ankle injury, but I don’t expect him to miss or even struggle in this game. Typically the Rams have played the Seahawks tough, but they will struggle to score in this game.
Indianapolis 21 @ Denver 27: Denver has a great defense and the Colts have a suspect offensive line. Andrew Luck may be hit a lot in this one. The Colts struggled against the Lions, who aren’t very good. The Broncos are at home in this one and the crowd noise along with the defense will push the Colts to a 0-2 start.
Atlanta 27 @ Oakland 36: I picked Oakland to win the AFC West and if they are going to do so they have to win games like this, against weaker competition. The Raiders look like an offensive juggernaut. Jack Del Rio had the most risky call of week one, but it paid off and resulted in a huge win in New Orleans. Atlanta still can’t pressure the quarterback and without the ability to do so they will continue to struggle.
Jacksonville 34 @ San Diego 24: The Jaguars almost pulled off the upset against the Packers and showed how much they have improved as a team. They will compete for their division title this season. The Chargers blew a 21 point lead in week one and looked overwhelmed in the second half. The Jaguars offense will overwhelm them again this week.
Sunday Night
Packers 17 @ Vikings 20: The first regular season game in the Vikings brand new stadium is going to be a slobber knocker. The Vikings great defense was on display against the Titans as they scored two touchdowns. The Vikings should win this game because of the emotion of opening up the brand new stadium and their stellar defense.
Monday Night
Philadelphia 23 @ Chicago 24: Carson Wentz had a nice debut, but the jury is still out on Wentz. The Browns could make any player look great. I need consistency from Wentz before I start salivating over how great he is like everyone else seems to be doing. Jay Cutler and the Bears will play well at home and pull out a win in tough battle.