Get ready for more surprises in Week 2 of the 2016 NFL season. We learned a lot in Week 1, but there’s a lot we still don’t know. More could be revealed in the form of upsets.
(Covers.com odds through Thursday night were used for point spreads.)
No. 10: Baltimore at Cleveland (+6.5)
Josh McCown might have been 1-7 as the Browns’ starter last season, but he threw for 2,109 yards in half a season with 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions. His season high of 457 yards came at Baltimore. He’s not the Browns’ long-term answer at quarterback but he’s a better short-term answer than Robert Griffin III. The Ravens’ defense gave up 160 yards of offense, the fewest in the league, to a Bills team that put up 393 yards of offense in Thursday night’s 37-31 loss to the Jets. But division games on the road are never guaranteed wins.
No. 9: Miami (+6.5) at New England
There’s not much of a rational reason to believe this game has any upset potential. However, a couple of historic quirks have to make Patriots pickers just a little bit nervous. The Patriots boosted their stock last week by winning at Arizona without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. The previous time those teams played, however, came in 2012 at Gillette Stadium in Week 2. The Cardinals won that game 20-18 even though they finished 5-11 and the Patriots finished 12-4.
In this Week 2 game, new Dolphins coach Adam Gase comes to Foxboro. In 2008, the Patriots also were without Brady and faced new Dolphins coach Tony Sparano. That was a Week 3 game, and the Dolphins won 38-13. Then there’s the fact that the Dolphins came within 31 seconds of beating the Seahawks in front of the 12th Man last week. The Patriots should beware.
No. 8: Philadelphia (+3) at Chicago
Monday @cj_wentz will try to be 5th rookie QB since 1970 to win 1st two starts. Other 4 mixed bag: Elway, Leaf, Flacco and Sanchez
— trey wingo (@wingoz) September 15, 2016
Rookie Carson Wentz threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Cleveland. Even though the Browns aren’t a true test, there’s just as much of a chance that Wentz is the real thing as there is that the Bears are going to be any better this season. Rookie Will Fuller burned the Bears last week in a 23-14 loss to the Texans. Don’t be surprised on Monday night if Wentz becomes the latest rookie to burn them.
No. 7: Tampa Bay (+6.5) at Arizona
The pressure is on the Cardinals in this game. An 0-2 record would put a crimp in their Super Bowl plans. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are looking for their first 2-0 record since 2010. Even if they settle for 1-1, when they found out in April they’d start the season at Atlanta and Arizona they’d have gladly taken the split. Jameis Winston threw four touchdown passes in the Bucs’ 31-24 win over the Falcons. He’ll go up against a defense that had to claim former Seahawk Tharold Simon off waivers to shore up its secondary. Sure, the Patriots are the Patriots. But they were without Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and three starting offensive linemen and lost the turnover battle 2-0 and the Cardinals still couldn’t beat them. Perhaps the Bucs are making a move in the NFC and the Cardinals will be a disappointment.
No. 6: New Orleans (+4.5) at Giants
The Saints beat the Giants 52-49 last season at New Orleans. Not that these teams should be expected to combine for 101 points again, but it does have the highest over/under of the week at 53.5. Drew Brees is coming off a four-touchdown game and Eli Manning is coming off a three-touchdown game. This will be a shootout that could go either way.
No. 5: Jacksonville (+3) at San Diego
It’s shaping up to be a long year in San Diego. The Chargers lost Keenan Allen and blew a 27-10, fourth-quarter lead at Kansas City last week. Rookie defensive end Joey Bosa won’t suit up Sunday and might not even be available for Week 3 because of a hamstring injury. The Jaguars, meanwhile, gave the Packers all they could handle before falling 27-23 at home in Week 1. There’s a sense that these two franchises are heading in opposite directions.
No. 4: Dallas (+3) at Washington
The Cowboys have won three straight games in Washington, and a fourth straight is realistic. Dez Bryant caught just one pass for eight yards in the Cowboys’ 20-19 home loss to the Giants last week. Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott gained just 51 yards on 20 carries. The Redskins could be just what the doctor ordered for both of them. Josh Norman didn’t cover Antonio Brown much in the Redskins’ 38-16 loss to the Steelers on Monday. But even if the Redskins wise up and put Norman on Bryant, Norman won’t have the Panthers’ front seven in front of him. He has to prove that the Panthers’ defense didn’t inflate his talent. The Redskins’ defense allowed 33-year-old DeAngelo Williams to run for 143 yards, and it will go up against an offensive line that could be better than the Steelers’. The NFC East champs could start the season 0-2.
No. 3: Green Bay at Minnesota (+2.5)
Anyone who didn’t know this before Sunday knows it now. Mike Zimmer can coach. The Vikings lost their starting quarterback less than two weeks before the season, then fell behind 10-0 on the road in the season opener against a defense that was stuffing Adrian Peterson. So what do the Vikings do? They scored two defensive touchdowns in the second half and beat the Titans 25-16. Just because Teddy Bridgewater is out for the year it doesn’t mean 2016 has to be a lost season for the Vikings, and they certainly can’t be counted out at home against the Packers on Sunday Night Football in the first game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
No. 2: Cincinnati (+3) at Pittsburgh
A friendly reminder that Heath Miller had 10 catches in both regular season matchups against the Bengals last year. pic.twitter.com/IU67vAggWy
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) September 14, 2016
The Steelers are getting the customary three-point edge as the home team, but it’s tempting to pick the underdog here. The road team has won four of the last five games between these teams, and last year we saw that anything can happen in a Bengals-Steelers game. This is a neck-and-neck division rivalry that could go either way. If the Bengals beat the Steelers on Sunday, it would be an upset in name only. But among underdogs they have the second-best chance of winning.
No. 1: Kansas City (+2.5) at Houston
The Texans are favored, but the Chiefs aren’t getting the full three points that the visiting team usually gets. Because Brock Osweiler is the Texans’ quarterback and not Brian Hoyer, Vegas expects this game to play out differently than the wild-card game that the Chiefs won 30-0 at Houston last year. It’s too early to anoint Osweiler as the guy in Houston, however. He did OK against a banged-up Bears secondary. The Chiefs, meanwhile, got away with a shabby performance last week in their come-from-behind win over the Chargers. They’ll be ready to play Sunday.
