Well, Week 2 came with some improvement in the picks but it was accompanied by some very lackluster football to close out the week. I picked up a couple of games going 10-6 and stayed steady ATS going 8-5-3 because of some pesky pushes. I’m still below .500 on the over/under thanks to constant second-guessing but 7-9 isn’t as bad as I have had it.
Christen won Week 2 in our house as she went 11-5, thanks to wisely not trusting the Broncos. And Ridley didn’t do too bad going with all home teams for a record of 7-9. You can check out the table below.
| Nick W | Nick L | Nick T | ATS W | ATS L | ATS P | O/U W | O/U L | O/U P | Christen W | Christen L | Christen T | Rids W | Rids L | Rids T | ||||
| 10 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | ||||
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | |||||||
| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | ||||
| 18 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 17 | 0 |
Sadly, for the second week in a row, the big news coming out of Monday Night Football is a season-ending injury (at least) to one of the game’s best players. At some point during the early stages of a plodding and ugly game between the Browns and the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Cleveland running back Nick Chubb was carted off the field after suffering a Willis McGahee-like knee injury on a hit by Minkah Fitzpatrick.
I didn’t see the severity of the injury at first as the broadcast opted not to show the replay but I guess they changed their minds over at ABC because the close-up slow-motion replay from the broadcast was making the rounds on social media during the 3rd quarter. Chubb is one of the game’s elite running backs and his work ethic and dedication are impressive, but it’s his humility that made me a fan. Losing him for the year isn’t just a blow for the Browns, it’s a big loss for the league as a whole.
Even though his replacement, Jerome Ford managed to fill in pretty well, Cleveland found a way to lose the game on a Deshaun Watson fumble that was returned for a Steelers TD. This was a sloppy game, riddled with bad football and turnovers but T.J. Watt the opportunistic Pittsburgh defense made the plays when they had to.
On the early leg of the first Monday night double-header of the year, we were treated to equally mediocre football as the Saints picked up a close division win on the road over the Panthers, 20-17.
It’s a good W for Carr and company but they could have at least covered as 3-point favorites, but it’s a lesson in buying the half-point. We did at least get this sensational catch from Chris Olave, but Jamaal Williams also suffered a hamstring injury and left the game which puts New Orleans in a bind with Alvin Kamara still suspended and rookie Kendre Miller still not healthy. But Tony Jones Jr. stepped up and scored twice in a run-heavy attack.
Carolina has a lot of work to do, but the number one overall pick and former National Champion and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young had some moments. Getting DJ Chark Jr. back helps but it’s the lack of run consistency that is hurting.
The Sunday night game between the Dolphins and Patriots wasn’t much to write home about either. It was a little too close for comfort for Fins’ fans after a missed field goal by Jason Sanders but they led the entire way and more or less coasted to an important division win, 24-17.
New England did a pretty good job in coverage to limit the explosive passing combination of Tua, Tyreek, and Waddle but it was the Raheem Mostert show as he dominated the ground game with 18 carries for 121 yards and 2 TDs.
Primetime games carry a lot of weight around the league in terms of perceived value but the afternoon games had plenty of drama in Week 2.
Different week, different season, different opponent…same Denver. Well, kind of. At least the Broncos put some points on the board this week in a 35-33 loss to Washington, but they blew a second-half lead twice before nearly tying the game on the final play. Russell Wilson did drive them down the field for the TD but they couldn’t convert the 2-PT conversion after the 15-point swing in the second half. Credit to Washington for hanging in there and Brian Robinson looked like the guy he was promised to be before returning to action following recovery from gunshot wounds last season.
Don’t count the New York Giants out just yet. Sure, the 40-0 loss at the hands of the Cowboys was ugly, and starting off down 20-0 at the half against Arizona was less than ideal, but the G-Men have come too far to let that define their whole season. Daniel Jones and company found a way to rally in the second half and stormed the gates en route to a 31-28 comeback win. Their star RB Saquon Barkley did suffer an ankle injury, but the severity doesn’t appear to be too back as of now.
The Cowboys did what they were supposed to do and beat the Jets convincingly, 30-10, but it was sad that we didn’t get to see Aaron Rodgers in that matchup. Dallas was good on both sides of the ball. They learned from the Bills’ mistakes, prioritizing efficiency while also causing havoc in the Jets’ offensive backfield and ultimately holding the Jets to just 215 total yards.
Elsewhere atop the NFC, Brock Purdy and the 49ers improved to 2-0 on the year but had their hands full with the surprising Rams. The game was tied at 17-17 at the half and it was a 7-point game inside the final five minutes when Matthew Stafford threw a costly interception deep in his own territory that set up a key FG for the Niners to put the game out of reach. I actually suggested buying the half-point on the Niners down to -6.5 rather, which you can hear on the show.
Two of the top teams in the AFC got back on track with wins as the Bills took out their Week 1 frustrations on the Raiders, 38-10. Josh Allen had an efficient and lethal game going 31/37 for 274 yards with 3 TDs, but the emergence of James Cook with 17 carries for 123 yards is the stuff I want to see from the offense. And the defense holding Josh Jacobs to -2 yards on 9 carries was a statement after last week.
Travis Kelce returned for the Chiefs and scored a TD in their 17-9 win in Jacksonville, but the Jags did a solid job of limiting the KC offense. However, the Chiefs’ defense did an even better job of limiting the Jaguars’ offense although a handful of missed toe-tap catches could have made a big difference. I was expecting more of a shootout in this one, but Patrick Mahomes is still working his way through all the pass catchers on the roster.
Rookie QBs squared off in Houston, but it was veteran QB Gardner Minshew who finished off the 31-20 win for the Colts after Anthony Richardson was ruled out with a head injury after his second TD of the game. Richardson also took a pretty big shot upstairs in Week 1, so that’s a big thing to keep an eye on. Texans’ rookie QB C.J. Stroud had a good day as well, but they were down big at the half and were forced to throw.
One of the biggest surprises of the year has to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield out to a 2-0 start after beating the Bears 27-17. It’s especially sweet when Deshaun Watson is responsible for 12 points off turnovers in Cleveland’s loss. The Bears are not good, on either side of the ball. Justin Fields has a lot of growing to do because he’s been sacked 10 times in two games and has 3 INTs and no wins to help balance out the negative. We know he is talented, but the Bears are a mess.
Speaking of messes. Both the Chargers and the Bengals are 0-2 to start the season. I knew the Titans were going to be a tough game for the Austin Ekler-less Chargers and it’s the game I wanted no part of. Justin Herbert had a good game as I thought, it was a close game as I anticipated as well, but there’s just something about the Bolts that is tough to trust. Oh, that’s right! It’s the defense. The Titans are still figuring out who they are going to be now, but they got the production on the ground to make it work and pick up the 27-24 win in overtime.
Even after the loss of J.K. Dobbins, Lamar Jackson is back and Baltimore is in the driver’s seat of the AFC North again. They outran and out-passed the Bengals in this one and picked up the win on the road in Cincinnati, 27-24. Joe Burrow and company played better this week, but it wasn’t a high bar to navigate. At this time last season, the Bengals were 0-2 as well and there was a lot of talk about not panicking. I know they are a good team, so they’ll likely bounce back at some point but they are playing catch-up now.
Two of the fun young upstarts in the NFC squared off in Detroit as the Lions hosted the Seahawks. I had a feeling Seattle would keep this one close and they flipped the script in the 4th quarter to take the lead. However, the Lions did rally to force overtime. That’s a recipe for drama and Tyler Lockett punched in the game-winning TD on the first drive of the extra frame to win it for the Hawks, 37-31. Both teams are 1-1 now and are my two favorite teams to watch in the NFC.
Another big surprise is the 2-0 Atlanta Falcons. They are young and have a lot of room to grow, but overcoming a 12-point deficit late in the game and beating the Packers was a big step. It wasn’t just the offense getting them back in it either, the Falcons’ defense forced consecutive 3 & outs and then turned the Packers over on downs to ice the W. Jordan Love played well, but I vastly overestimated the Packers’ defense despite never thinking they were particularly good in previous years where the narrative said as much. Oh well.
Then of course there was the Thursday night slopfest between the Eagles and the Vikings. The Eagles did what they were supposed to do and won at home, 34-28, but they were up 27-7 at one point in the 3rd quarter and didn’t muster a whole lot after that. It could be a lesson in taking your foot off the gas against a capable team. The Vikings are 0-2 now and turnovers seem to be the main issue, so their ascension to the NFC North throne isn’t going to be handed to them.
There are only 9 teams that emerged from Week 2 unbeaten, and the Dallas Cowboys hold onto the top spot while being flanked closely by the 49ers and Eagles. The Texans keep the bottom spot, but the Bears are giving them a run for their money.
| 1. Cowboys 2-0 (=) |
| 2. 49ers 2-0 (=) |
| 3. Eagles 2-0 (+1) |
| 4. Dolphins 2-0 (+4) |
| 5. Ravens 2-0 (+1) |
| 6. Buccaneers 2-0 (+4) |
| 7. Commanders 2-0 (+6) |
| 8. Saints 2-0 (+6) |
| 9. Falcons 2-0 (+6) |
| 10. Bills 1-1 (+7) |
| 11. Chiefs 1-1 (+7) |
| 12. Jaguars 1-1 (-5) |
| 13. Rams 1-1 (-1) |
| 14. Seahawks 1-1 (+8) |
| 15. Lions 1-1 (-6) |
| 16. Titans 1-1 (+7) |
| 17. Jets 1-1 (-12) |
| 18. Packers 1-1 (-7) |
| 19. Steelers 1-1 (+7) |
| 20. Colts 1-1 (+10) |
| 21. Giants 1-1 (+6) |
| 22. Raiders 1-1 (-6) |
| 23. Browns 1-1 (-20) |
| 24. Vikings 0-2 (-5) |
| 25. Chargers 0-2 (-4) |
| 26. Bengals 0-2 (-6) |
| 27. Patriots 0-2 (-3) |
| 28. Broncos 0-2 (-3) |
| 29. Cardinals 0-2 (=) |
| 30. Panthers 0-2 (-2) |
| 31. Bears 0-2 (=) |
| 32. Texans 0-2 (=) |
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