The only week in the NFL season harder to call than Week 1 is Week 2.
In the opening week, at least, we have a full offseason of roster moves, workouts and camps to give us a big-picture look at every team. In Week 2, half the league is undefeated and the other half is winless, and it’s tough to sort out which teams’ first games were real and which ones were flukes.
Week 2 kicks off with a doozy, as the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Baltimore Ravens — who, as you might have heard, have been in the news a lot this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Baltimore Ravens (0-1), Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET
Ben Watanabe’s pick: Ravens. The Ravens were shut out in the first half by the Bengals and are dealing with a tumultuous week, but this is one franchise obstinate enough to go out and win a game despite the circumstances.
Darren Hartwell’s pick: Steelers. The Ravens are dealing with a lot of drama this week, which is why they’ll lose. The Steelers will take care of a distracted and drained Baltimore squad thanks to a bruising running game and a breakout performance from receiver Markus Wheaton.
Mike Cole’s pick: Ravens. I actually think the Ravens’ crazy week will benefit them in this case. They’ll be galvanized in front of a home crowd and taking on a team that allowed 183 yards on the ground last week.
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Buffalo Bills (1-0), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Bills. Fred Jackson and Knowshon Moreno are both coming off strong Week 1s, but Jackson has home cooking on his side — not to mention the welcome news that the franchise is staying in Buffalo.
Darren: Bills. The Dolphins sent a statement with a win over the Patriots but lost Dannell Ellerbe from an already depleted linebacking corps. That should open up the field for Jackson and the vaunted Bills rushing attack, with EJ Manuel doing just enough in the passing game to earn the win.
Mike: Bills. The Dolphins were impressive last week, but until Ryan Tannehill can figure it out, it’s tough to believe they’ll establish any sort of consistency.
Detroit Lions (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (1-0), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Panthers. Matt Stafford followed a win with a loss five times last season, when the Lions boasted consecutive wins just twice all year. What I’m saying is, the Lions scare me despite their beatdown of the Giants last week.
Darren: Lions. The Lions always make noise in the beginning of the season, and they’ll continue to do so against a Panthers team that barely beat Tampa Bay in Week 1. Besides, who on earth can stop Calvin Johnson?
Mike: Panthers. Cam Newton will be back, Detroit’s offense has to go outside (chance of rain for Sunday in Charlotte) and the Lions aren’t very familiar with consistency.
Atlanta Falcons (1-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-0), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Falcons. Matt Ryan and the Falcons scored more points in the second and third quarters (24) than the Bengals scored all game (23) last week — and the Saints’ defense was supposed to be good.
Darren: Bengals. The Saints’ defense was supposed to be good; the Bengals’ defense is good. Cincinnati will slow down the high-flying Falcons at home and put enough points on the board to improve to 2-0.
Mike: Bengals. Despite losing Tyler Eifert, the Bengals still have some real strong offensive weapons, and they’ll run their regular-season home winning streak to 10 games against the Falcons.
New Orleans Saints (0-1) at Cleveland Browns (0-1), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Saints. Brian Hoyer proved the Browns can put up points in Week 1, but it won’t be enough against a Saints team smarting from its overtime loss to the Falcons.
Darren: Saints. The Browns’ fourth-quarter comeback against the Steelers in Week 1 is the only possible reason why this game could result in anything but a Saints blowout.
Mike: Saints. This is not going to be close.
New England Patriots (0-1) at Minnesota Vikings (1-0), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Vikings. As a rule, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady just don’t lose back-to-back games, but the Vikes’ offense looks hot and the Pats’ defense is still working some things out.
Darren: Patriots. New England always struggles in its own division, and it will be out for blood in Week 2. Expect the Hooded One to get the Pats back on track in a hurry.
Mike: Patriots. Picking the Vikings is so tempting here, but it’s tough to believe the Patriots won’t make at least a few necessary adjustments in order to get back to .500.
Arizona Cardinals (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Cardinals. Oof. The Cards, I guess? Only because I’m not crazy about Eli Manning’s chances against the Arizona secondary after throwing two picks last week. Don’t watch this one for tips on solid quarterbacking, from either side.
Darren: Cardinals. I’m with Ben here. Expect to see a lot more of the Manning Face as New York goes up against one of the best defenses in the NFL after managing just 14 points against an average Lions defense in Week 1.
Mike: Cardinals. Make it a clean sweep. The Giants were “LOL” bad last week, and the Cardinals feel like a better version of the Lions.
Dallas Cowboys (0-1) at Tennessee Titans (1-0), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Titans. Jake Locker looked like an actual quarterback against the Chiefs, which was weird. Tony Romo had the misfortune of opening up against the 49ers, but three interceptions isn’t excusable no matter who you’re playing.
Darren: Cowboys. The ‘Boys have gone .500 the past three seasons, so why not make it four? The inconsistent offense will explode for 30-plus points and manage to keep Tennessee out of the endzone enough times to secure the win.
Mike: Titans. Tennessee opened some eyes last week with an impressive win over Kansas City, thanks to a plus-3 turnover margin. Given how careless the Cowboys were with the football last week, the Titans are the pick.
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Washington Redskins (0-1), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Jaguars. Sure, the Jags gave up 34 straight points to the Eagles, but at least they held a 17-0 lead before that. The ‘Skins, eh, not so much.
Darren: Redskins. I would take Jacksonville here, but they just keep finding new ways to lose. They’ll find another way against RGIII and the Washington Whatever-You-Want-To-Call-Them’s.
Mike: Jaguars. Only because I can’t pick a tie. Or can I?
Seattle Seahawks (1-0) vs. San Diego Chargers (0-1), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben: Chargers. Ha! Just kidding. Seahawks. I’m stupid, but I’m not crazy.
Darren: Seahawks. See above.
Mike: Seahawks. Take the ‘Hawks until they give you a reason not to.
St. Louis Rams (0-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1), Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Ben: Rams. This might be the toughest one to call, and unfortunately not in the hey-it’s-anybody’s-game-because-both-teams-are-good sort of way. Yes, the Rams were held to six points at home against the Vikings, but the Bucs were just so bad in their loss to the Panthers.
Darren: Buccaneers. Tampa Bay may have had a tough Week 1, but at least it’s heading in the right direction. The Bucs will do their best to ignore their hideous uniforms and defeat a hapless Rams team to give Lovie Smith his first win in Tampa.
Mike: Buccaneers. Somebody named Austin Davis might play quarterback for the Rams, so, yeah…
Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) at Denver Broncos (1-0), Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
Ben: Broncos. Pop quiz: What’s even worse than facing Peyton Manning? Answer: Facing Peyton Manning with two of your better defensive players, Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito, on the shelf.
Darren: Broncos. The question these days isn’t whether Denver will win, it’s by how much.
Mike: Broncos. Denver would probably win this game with Papa John under center.
New York Jets (1-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-1), Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
Ben: Packers. Aaron Rodgers isn’t facing Richard Sherman and the Packers’ front seven isn’t facing Marshawn Lynch, so things should be much easier this week.
Darren: Packers. Rex Ryan was pretty fired up about beating the Raiders in Week 1, but he’ll come back to earth when Aaron Rodgers throws a million touchdowns on his team’s shaky secondary.
Mike: Packers. Rodgers is a good quarterback — he’s even better when he’s able to throw both sides of the football field.
Houston Texans (1-0) at Oakland Raiders (0-1), Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
Ben: Texans. I don’t think anyone would accuse the Texans of being good, but J.J. Watt could probably play the entire Oakland team to a stalemate on his own if he got a strip-sack or two.
Darren: Raiders. You know your team is bad when a win over the Texans is considered an “upset.” That said, I’m picking the upset. Lead me to the promised land, Derek Carr!
Mike: Texans. The Texans should have to use Derek Carr’s brother David Carr as their quarterback in this one. That might actually get anyone outside of Houston or Oakland to watch this game.
Chicago Bears (0-1) at San Francisco 49ers (1-0), Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
Ben: Niners. The Bears worked so hard to get into overtime against the Bills, then gave up a 38-yard run to Fred Jackson that basically decided the game. The good news is, the Bears won’t experience a repeat this week, because they won’t make it that far against the Niners.
Darren: Niners. Chicago’s strength is its offense, and San Francisco’s is its defense. But the Niners have a better offense than the Bears have a defense, so by simple math, the Niners will win.
Mike: Niners. Expectations for the Bears were supposedly high entering the season, but now they’re about to be 0-2.
Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1), Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Ben: Colts. Falling behind by two touchdowns and a field goal in the first half might have been a winning strategy against Jacksonville, but the Eagles won’t have similar success if they try to same strategy against the far more consistent Andrew Luck.
Darren: Colts. This might end up being a shootout, but we’ll give the nod to Indy since they’re playing at home and the Eagles almost lost to one of the worst teams in the NFL last week.
Mike: Colts. This game will have all the points. Still far from sold on the Colts, but in that building with that quarterback, we’ll go ahead and say they win late.
Photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images
