NFL Game Picks: Week 2

Story posted September 16, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by CommRadio Sports Staff

After an eventful Week 1 full of big plays, turnovers, upsets and missed kicks, Week 2 is sure to bring more exciting moments.

This week’s matchups are mostly even, but it’s still too early in the season to determine who will be good and who will perform poorly.

Which teams will build a winning streak? Which will bounce back from their Week 1 loss or, in some cases, tie? Who will suffer at the hands of the winner's hangover?

Here are the game picks for Week 2:

Connor Fenix:

Cincinnati Bengals: 24, Dallas Cowboys: 13

Both of these teams would like to forget Week 1. The Bengals narrowly lost in overtime to the Steelers, while the Dallas Cowboys suffered a blow at quarterback. Dak Prescott is anticipated to be out for multiple weeks with a hand injury he suffered against the Bucs.

When it comes to adversity, the defending AFC champion Bengals will bounce back on the road facing a short-handed Cowboys team. The Cowboys were the only team in the league without a touchdown in the first week, and without Prescott, it’ll be even more of a challenge to get this offense on the rails against a tough Cincinnati team.

The Burrow-Chase connection will return, and the Bengals will handle the Cowboys with ease.

Miami Dolphins: 27, Baltimore Ravens: 21

Miami has what could be one of the most potent offenses in the NFL with Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill being the top three weapons. The Dolphins managed a 20-7 victory against the Patriots, a playoff team last year.

However, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have an offensive arsenal as well. Despite losing receiver Marquise Brown, Jackson remains a dual-threat quarterback with targets like Devin Duvernay and Rashod Bateman.

This is a tough one to pick, but the Dolphins will earn the key road victory.

 

New Orleans Saints: 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 20

A tough division game, matchups between these two bitter rivals have always been close. The Saints seem to have Tom Brady’s number in the regular season and have given him fits ever since he made the move to the NFC South.

The Saints defense is on the prowl once again. Another opportunity to play Tom Brady means the defense will be swarming, keeping Brady and company in check as the formula has worked well thus far.

The Saints barely escaped Atlanta with a win, but the defense will regroup and the offense will be clicking with receiver Michael Thomas back.

New England Patriots: 31,  Pittsburgh Steelers: 21

Mitchell Trubisky was not sharp against the Bengals by any means, but a win is a win.
Trubisky finished 21-of-38 with 194 yards and a touchdown, but he is still trying to find his stride with Pittsburgh.

Mac Jones and the Patriots were a playoff team last year, and Jones has proved he can compete with the best during his stellar rookie season.

Jones still has lethal targets to throw to, and with a year of experience under his belt, the Patriots will take down the Steelers in Week 2.

Shivoy Nagpaul:

Washington Commanders: 34, Detroit Lions: 27

The Detroit Lions have won five of the past six games against Washington and put up a great fight against the Eagles last week, matching them point for point in a 38-35 loss.

Meanwhile, the Commanders rode the stellar performances of Carson Wentz, Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson to win a dogfight against the Jaguars last week, 28-22. 

The Commanders aerial attack will continue their momentum into this game and will be too much for the Lions secondary to keep up with.

 

Chicago Bears: 20, Green Bay Packers: 10

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers looked uncharacteristically poor against the Minnesota Vikings. The first play of the game, where receiver Christian Watson dropped a beautiful deep ball for a would-be touchdown, was a microcosm for the disastrous night.

On the contrary, Justin Fields played as well as he could in the downpour at Soldier Field last week. In Chicago’s win over the 49ers, Fields threw two touchdowns, most notably a cross-field throw to a wide open Dante Pettis on a broken play. The Bears defense also dominated last week, pressuring quarterback Trey Lance and forcing multiple sacks and a takeaway. 

The same theme for both teams will continue, mostly because of Aaron Rodgers’ lack of options at the receiver position, which the Monsters of the Midway will take advantage of.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 28, Indianapolis Colts: 21

The Colts haven’t won a game in Jacksonville since 2014, and they had an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth in Week 18 of last season and blew it. In addition, they tied against the Texans last week, amid kicking struggles from Rodrigo Blankenship, who was released two days after the game. 

Meanwhile the Jaguars surprised everyone and put up a fight on the road against the newly named Washington Commanders. When it seemed like the Commanders would cruise to a win, interceptions from Tyson Campbell and Travon Walker kept the Jaguars in the fight, giving Trevor Lawrence and the Jags offense scoring opportunities. 

The Colts’ losing streak in Duval won’t end anytime soon. 

Minnesota Vikings: 35, Philadelphia Eagles: 20

The Vikings played out of their minds last week against the Packers behind a monster performance from Justin Jefferson. The Minnesota defense also played well, only allowing seven points and shutting down the reigning league MVP, Aaron Rodgers. 

Meanwhile the Eagles defense struggled against what was supposed to be a mediocre Lions offense, letting up 35 points. Jalen Hurts also struggled throwing the ball, without any touchdowns through the air, although he did have one on the ground. 

Minnesota seems like the better team on both sides of the ball and will take care of business in Philly.

 

​​Daniel Maiorana:

New York Giants: 24, Carolina Panthers: 21

Carolina will enter MetLife stadium being winless in its last eight games played in New York. Coming off a close loss to the Cleveland Browns last week, this week is a must-win against a beatable team.

New York is without Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari and most likely Wan’Dale Robinson, who suffered a knee injury last week. Running back Saquon Barkley will look to make even more noise after his performance in Week 1. If everyone else does their jobs respectably, Barkley should run right through Carolina.

Cleveland Browns: 18, New York Jets: 14

Amid the Deshaun Watson distraction, the Browns are a very underestimated team that should start the year 2-0. Short passes and running the ball were what made Cleveland successful, as Jacoby Brissett averaged 4.3 yards per passing attempt.

The Jets were also playing the short game as Joe Flacco attempted 59 passes, but also only averaged 5.2 yards per attempt. Flacco simply just doesn’t have it in him like he once did a decade ago with the Ravens. Expect to see many short passes and runs in this matchup.

Denver Broncos: 35, Houston Texans: 18

The Broncos need to clean up the penalties on both sides of the ball for there to be some consistent offensive drives. Getting inside the 5-yard line three times and only scoring three total points is not ideal.

After a tie with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the Texans will need to pick up some steam to keep up with Denver. A total of 78 rushing yards isn’t going to work with an established Denver defense.

Buffalo Bills: 33, Tennessee Titans: 13

Tennessee is coming off a demoralizing loss against the Giants, as it blew a 13-point lead. In times of need, its players did the exact opposite of what was expected offensively and defensively. There are not many chances for the Titans to come out victorious, so they must fire on all cylinders

Anything mentioned above the Bills will do better. Coming off a convincing win over the reigning Super Bowl champions, Josh Allen and the Bills look to eat up the Titans defense. That may be halted by defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons who had a 91.6 pass rushing grade last week, but he won’t be able to do it all by himself.

Jonathan Hartley:

 

(COMPLETED) Kansas City Chiefs: 38, Los Angeles Chargers: 24

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs kicked off the post-Tyreek Hill era with a dominant 44-21 Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Mahomes threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns while quickly developing a rapport with his new wide receivers Juju Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

The Chargers bested the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 by a score of 24-19. This week, they will likely be without star wide receiver Keenan Allen due to a hamstring issue, which should somewhat diminish their offensive attack.

San Francisco 49ers: 24, Seattle Seahawks: 17

The 49ers struggled offensively in their Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, as quarterback Trey Lance went 13-of-28 for 164 yards and an interception. The offense looks to right the ship against a formidable Seattle defense.

The Seahawks impressed on Monday Night Football as they defeated their former quarterback and the Denver Broncos 17-16. Geno Smith was the main story of this one, going 23-of-28 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Smith will have to play well again, as the 49ers run defense should stifle the Seahawks’ run game.

Los Angeles Rams: 31, Atlanta Falcons: 17

The Falcons are coming off a 27-26 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Running back Cordarrelle Patterson shined, rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Drake London had a solid NFL debut, catching five balls for 74 yards.

The Rams were dominated by the Buffalo Bills in the opening game of the NFL season, as quarterback Matt Stafford could only find success when throwing to star wide receiver Cooper Kupp. The offense looks to get back on track this week against a defense that struggled last week.

Las Vegas Raiders: 27, Arizona Cardinals: 24

The Cardinals struggled all around in their Week 1 loss to the Chiefs, but two late touchdowns gave them something to build on going into Week 2. Kyler Murray went 22-of-34 for 193 yards and two touchdowns, and will have to be better this week.

Derek Carr threw three picks in last week’s matchup, which ultimately led to a five point loss to the Chargers. Carr will have to take better care of the ball this week, as the Cardinals have one of the league’s better safety duos.

Connor Fenix is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.

Jonathan Hartley is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jdh6293@psu.edu.

Shivoy Nagpaul is a freshman majoring in Broadcast Journalism.  To contact him, email shivoynagpaul@psu.edu.

Daniel Maiorana is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism, to contact him email dkm5903@psu.edu.