The opening week of the NFL season is much anticipated by the fans of all thirty-two teams and it is a time to dream.
However, the approach into Week 2 feels a lot different.
Now fans will higher be floating on clouds after a win, or will feel the world is caving in after a loss and there is very little in-between.
Some teams have proven that an opening loss is nothing to worry about and you would expect the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals all to recover and get back on track very quickly. In saying that, two of those three teams have tough looking games to negotiate in Week 2 and even their fans might begin to worry if falling into a 0-2 hole.
Others like the Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams will do well not to get too carried away, but over-reactions are not only seen in the stands and from talking heads on television, but will also be reflected in the spreads released by Vegas.
One team that may be concerned even at 1-0 has to be the New York Jets.
I have long said that it is virtually impossible to pick a Super Bowl winner in September without having some luck behind your pick and those who have Jets tickets in their pockets will know all about that.
Four Offensive snaps is all it took for the excitement and confidence to be deflated as Aaron Rodgers suffered an achilles injury that will keep him out for the season.
Zach Wilson did lead the Jets to the upset over the Buffalo Bills, but this is not a Quarter Back you would trust on a week to week basis and some are already suggesting that New York need to see if they can make another trade and bring in someone on a rental, eg Kirk Cousins from Minnesota.
You have to feel for Aaron Rodgers, and you do hope this is not how his career will end.
He does not seem the kind of person who would want to end his career on anything other than his own terms so the expectation he will try and return, but at 39 years old, Aaron Rodgers has some road back to get onto a NFL field again.
It was a decent Week 1, but the Thursday Night Football game will get the Week 2 Picks underway and it is a very long season.
Underdogs had a very strong week, but there are some very big favourites in Week 2 and a number of teams looking to bounce back from underwhelming openings.
Minnesota Vikings @ Philadelphia Eagles Pick: You are not going to win the Super Bowl after Week 1 of the NFL has been played, but fans will be looking at performance levels and results and then make sweeping statements about what they have seen.
Neither one of these teams impressed in Week 1, but the reigning NFC Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0), won on the road, while the Minnesota Vikings (0-1) were upset at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They meet in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football almost exactly twelve months to the day from when the Philadelphia Eagles comfortably got the better of the Vikings at home.
Once again it is a prime time spot for two teams that will have PlayOff aspirations at the very least this season and for two teams who are adjusting to what is demanded from them out of new Co-Ordinators.
It may have been a part of the reason the Eagles Offensive unit struggled through the second half of their win over the New England Patriots in Week 1. However, winning on the road against a Bill Belichick team that has had time to devise a game plan is never easy and so there are bigger expectations on the shoulders of Jalen Hurts and the Eagles on Thursday.
Brian Flores has to be largely pleased by what he saw from his Minnesota Defensive unit on the opening week, but facing Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a significant drop from the level that will be expected from Philadelphia. This time the Vikings Defensive Line will have to have a genuine concern in the ability of Jalen Hurts to make plays with his legs, while Minnesota have to generate a stronger pass rush if they are going to disrupt the home team in the passing game.
Stopping the Eagles moving the chains was problematic for Minnesota in the meeting last year and Philadelphia will certainly feel they have all of the tools to have success in this Thursday Night Football offering. The early numbers are encouraging for the Vikings after the Defensive performance last year, but one game against the Buccaneers in their current situation is not going to convince that a lot has changed.
The Eagles should be able to move the ball with more consistency at home than they did in New England and that is going to mean pressure on Kirk Cousins and the Vikings Offensive unit to bounce back from the opening loss. Kirk Cousins is effectively playing for a contract, whether here or somewhere else, but he had an Interception in the loss to Tampa Bay and the entire Offensive mistake made some key mistakes in being limited to 17 points.
Justin Jefferson will always get his catches and numbers, and the Vikings will likely target the hole left by James Bradberry who is expected to sit out in the concussion protocol in a short week. We have seen Kirk Cousins put up some decent numbers and he will feel he can do that here, although much is going to depend on the health of the Offensive Line.
Right now that does not sound as good as the Quarter Back would hope and the power of the Eagles Defensive Line is likely to make the difference in this game. The Eagles might be without Fletcher Cox, but they have talent on the Defensive Line and a banged up Vikings Offensive Line may struggle to give Kirk Cousins the time to try and attack this Eagles Secondary.
It does not help that the Vikings are not expected to have a lot of success running the ball, which means Kirk Cousins is operating behind an Offensive Line that will struggle to protect for enough time to make plays in third and long situations. As we have seen throughout his career, this could lead to Cousins turnovers and the Philadelphia Eagles look like they could pull clear for another solid win over Minnesota.
Home favourites did struggle in Week 1, but the Philadelphia Eagles look to have a serious edge in the trenches on both sides of the ball in this Thursday Night Football game. The feeling is that they can win the turnover battle and that should see them eventually pull clear and beat the Vikings by double digits in this one before heading into a mini-break with the next game slated for Monday Night Football in Week 3.
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons Pick: Two teams who have produced Week 1 wins meet one another in Georgia and the oddsmakers are finding it tough to separate the two teams.
The Atlanta Falcons (1-0) beat the Carolina Panthers at home behind a strong Defensive performance, while the Green Bay Packers (1-0) were set as a narrow underdog on the road in Chicago in Week 1, but the Jordan Love era began with a big win over the Bears.
While there are question marks around the Falcons and Packers, those opening wins will have given the fans plenty of encouragement. The situation is not ideal for Green Bay having to begin the season with back to back road games, but the team have to be feeling good about the start to a new era with Aaron Rodgers moved on.
Jordan Love threw 3 Touchdown passes and for 245 yards in the win over the Chicago Bears, but it might be tougher this week with Aaron Jones potentially missing out. The Running Back was a very strong safety blanket for Jordan Love and AJ Dillon may not have the same pass-catching ability to offer the Quarter Back that same blanket on Sunday.
You do have to like the way Dillon has played for the Green Bay Packers, but this is a season when Aaron Jones is going to be very important and so his absence will hurt. It will also put more pressure on the banged up Receiving corps to make plays for Jordan Love and this revamped Atlanta Defensive unit will feel they can give a relatively inexperienced Quarter Back something to think about.
The Packers did not run the ball efficiently in the win over the Chicago Bears, but AJ Dillon may have a bit more room to operate in this one. It was something the Panthers were able to do against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, but the general feeling is that the Packers may not have the same room to operate Offensively as they did against the Bears.
Strong defensive play is going to be important for Atlanta all season and they will know that their own Offensive game plan will depend on being competitive in games. The Falcons do not want to put a lot of pressure on Desmond Ridder to have to make plays through the air, even if he does have some big targets in Kyle Pitts and Drake London operating in the Receiving corps.
Last week the Falcons struggled in pass protection and the Packers have a team that can generate a strong rush, while the Green Bay Secondary is capable of making big plays.
However, the Atlanta Offensive Line looks like it will be much more comfortable when it comes to grading the road and they did open up some decent lanes for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. The Falcons were a top three rushing team last season and have opened this season with strong numbers on the ground, which should be seen in this Week 2 game as well.
Those two Running Backs look like they are going to form a special partnership and both could be important as safety blankets for Desmond Ridder too. Last week the Packers allowed the Chicago Bears to pick up 122 yards on the ground at 4.2 yards per carry, but Green Bay's Defensive Line could have more issues with the traditional running game the Falcons will use rather than focusing on slowing down Justin Fields.
It is the ability to grind out those yards on the ground that look to give the Falcons an edge in this game against a team playing a second consecutive road game.
There is a trend that shows the Falcons have not been able to back up home wins when playing back at home, but they did cover in that situation in Week 18 with Desmond Ridder at Quarter Back last season. They can do the same in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers thanks to some big Defensive plays as Atlanta move to 2-0 for the season.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Buffalo Bills Pick: There are a number of teams playing back to back road games to begin this season and it should be noted that this is far from an ideal situation for any of those. The Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) secured a narrow win on the road against Divisional rivals the Denver Broncos in Week 1 and that will be a boost for Josh McDaniels and his team, but playing in the altitude of Mile High and having another road game to come is a tough scheduling spot.
Add in the fact they should be playing an angry Buffalo Bills (0-1) team that dropped a Divisional game on Monday Night Football and this really looks a tough challenge for the Raiders.
Josh Allen and company have to be frustrated about the loss at the New York Jets- in normal circumstances it might not have been a big surprise with the Jets having Aaron Rodgers playing for the first time at Quarter Back, but the future Hall of Fame player was out of the game after just four Offensive snaps and Zach Wilson helped lead the Jets to the victory.
The Bills have struggled to deal with the New York Jets over the last twelve months, but there will have been some concern with what was seen from Josh Allen. Poor decisions had overshadowed his 2022 season and there were more poor mistakes that ultimately cost Buffalo the opening game of the 2023 season and it will be something the Quarter Back will want to eradicate in the weeks and months ahead if he is going to take the Bills to a Super Bowl.
Buffalo's Offensive Line will have something to prove this week having been rattled far too often by the Jets pass rush, while Allen and company will want to show off a much stronger passing game. As well as the Raiders played last week, the feeling is that the Bills will be much more comfortable with this match up against a Secondary that does have some holes to exploit.
More will be expected from Dalton Kincaid to aid the passing options at Josh Allen's disposal, while the Bills should be able to establish the run through their Quarter Back and James Cook. The Jets have a Defensive unit that will likely be ranked inside the top five again, but the Las Vegas Raiders are not expected to be nearly as strong as what we saw last week and Buffalo should be able to pile up the points.
You also have to believe that Josh Allen will not throw 3 Interceptions again in Week 2 and that means it will be up to Jimmy Garoppolo to try and make sure the Raiders remain competitive. The former Patriot and 49ers Quarter Back is someone who has produced winning Football without always looking as strong as the record would suggest and that was seen again in Week 1 as he led the Raiders to a win in Denver despite finishing with just 200 passing yards.
Those passing numbers may take a dent if Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are both missing for the Raiders in Week 2- both have missed practice and Meyers is almost certainly going to be absent as he moves through the concussion protocol. Jimmy Garoppolo may struggle to get much going through the air in this one if both of those Receivers are out and the Raiders will need to lean on Josh Jacobs to try and keep the ball out of the hands of the powerful Buffalo Offensive unit.
In something of a surprise, the Bills Defensive Line could not clamp down on the run last week once Aaron Rodgers was out of the game. They allowed the Jets to rack up some big yards on the ground, but Buffalo are much better against the run and there should be a reaction from them as they try and force Jimmy G to win this one through the air.
The Bills were surprisingly beaten at home by the Minnesota Vikings the week after losing at the New York Jets in 2022, but Josh Allen has usually bounced back to lead his team to not only a win, but a cover following a defeat. The Quarter Back would have heard some of the negative opinions about his performance on Monday Night Football, but this looks a very good spot for Buffalo to bounce back and especially with the Raiders on the second half of consecutive road games after a tough Divisional win at the Broncos in Week 1.
Seattle Seahawks @ Detroit Lions Pick: There has been so much hype around the Detroit Lions (1-0) and what they could potentially achieve this season. The departure of Aaron Rodgers from the NFC North meant the Lions were the trendy pick to win the Division, especially after the way they finished the 2022 season, but proving that on the field is all that matters.
Beating the defending World Champions on the road in Week 1 will only have intensified the expectations of this Detroit Lions team.
Despite the words of Mike Tirico on the broadcast at the end of the Lions in in Kansas City, most will have to accept it is a big win for a team that been improving in leaps and bounds under Head Coach Dan Campbell. This is one Coach that will demand a lot more from his team and the extra time between the Week 1 and Week 2 games should only have given Dan Campbell more of an opportunity to remind his players that they have achieved absolutely nothing by winning just one game.
Motivation should not be an issue for the Detroit Lions when hosting the Seattle Seahawks (0-1) as it was the Week 4 loss here to the Seahawks that ultimately was the difference between PlayOff Football and an extended break. That loss dropped the Lions to 1-3 on their way to a 1-6 start, but the team looks much more well-positioned in 2023.
They are hosting a Seattle team that looked really poor in the Week 1 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams as they put up just 180 total yards and saw Geno Smith struggle to just 112 yards through the air. The Seahawks did move the ball on the ground with some efficiency at 4.7 yards per carry, but they were chasing the game and had to move away from that side of their game.
Running the ball against the Detroit Lions will not be easy and especially not if the Offensive Line is as banged up as it sounds. Both Tackles on the Offensive Line could be missing and that is going to leave Geno Smith and the Seattle team vulnerable to this Lions pass rush that will be expecting a much bigger impact than they produced in the win over Kansas City.
They were not able to get to Patrick Mahomes and Geno Smith can scramble around, but the Lions will feel their pass rush pressure will win out if they are having to deal with a makeshift Offensive Line.
It should also mean the Lions Secondary can back up what was a strong opening performance with the Seattle Quarter Back throwing out of pressurised spots. While you have to believe the Seahawks cannot be as poor as last week, this looks a very tough game on the road against a rested, motivated Detroit team and Geno Smith and company may not be able to have the consistency on this side of the ball to keep up with the Lions.
While Seattle and Smith could be playing with pressure all around him, the Detroit Lions and Jared Goff should be playing with a much cleaner pocket. The Quarter Back should be able to find his Receivers in spaces against this Seattle Secondary and Jared Goff is also expected to have more support from the run game, which was largely ineffective last week.
The Seahawks did play the run well against the Los Angeles Rams last week, but they struggled last season and are not expected to have improved significantly on that issue. Add in the power of this Detroit Offensive Line and the feeling is that David Montgomery will have a stronger outing for the Lions, which should only ease the game for Jared Goff.
He was given time against the Kansas City Chiefs and Jared Goff has really taken care of the ball in his time with the Detroit Lions with just 15 Interceptions thrown in his time with the team. As long as he can continue to do that, Goff should have a big game and put the Seahawks under the pump as he looks to take the Lions to a 2-0 record.
This will be the fourth time in a row that the Detroit Lions will be favoured to win a game at home and they are 3-0 against the spread in the previous three. At the same time, the Seattle Seahawks have struggled to remain competitive when set as the road underdog in recent games and with the motivation of losing last season on their side, the Detroit Lions can win and cover.
New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers Pick: It is going to take a bit of time for the Carolina Panthers (0-1) to turn things around with a new Head Coach and Quarter Back combination beginning with a Divisional loss to the Atlanta Falcons. That was on the road though and the Panthers are a part of a double-header on Monday Night Football as they face another rival from the NFC South.
This time they are hosting the New Orleans Saints (1-0) who also have a new look with Derek Carr at Quarter Back, but who managed to do just enough to beat the Tennessee Titans at home in Week 1. A losing record was enough for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the Division in 2022 and the retirement of Tom Brady means there is a void to be filled, one that the Saints will feel they should be favourites to do so.
Having Carr at Quarter Back and with the experience throughout this roster is certainly reason to have the Saints as the favourite in the Division, but they were beaten twice by the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
And with that in mind, it is quite surprising to see the Saints set as a pretty strong road favourite in this Week 2 game on Monday Night Football.
Derek Carr will need a bit of time to get on the same page as the Receivers, while the suspension being served by Alvin Kamara means a key player is out of the Offensive line up. That absence also affected the ability of the Saints to run the ball as they would like and Derek Carr has already made it clear that New Orleans need to do better in that regard to make things easier for the entire Offensive unit.
There is a talent drop from Kamara to Jamaal Williams, but the Panthers Defensive Line were not able to contain the Falcons threat on the ground last week. This should be good news for the Saints, and perhaps give Derek Carr a bit more time when he does drop back to throw.
Time was a problem in Week 1 as Carr absorbed a number of Sacks and he was also fortunate not to lose a Fumble- if the Saints have issues establishing the run, Carolina can certainly get to the veteran behind Center and that will disrupt the Offensive rhythm, much like the Tennessee Titans were able to do in their narrow road loss in New Orleans in Week 1.
New Orleans will still believe they are going to show more Offensively as Derek Carr becomes more comfortable in the system, and they may be able to lean on the Defensive unit while waiting for the Offense to get in sync with one another. For the ninth game in a row, the Saints have held teams to fewer than 21 points and that will always give the Saints a chance to win any game of Football.
Bryce Young had some early rookie struggles in Week 1 and so this is going to be another test for the Quarter Back, although being back at home should only aid him.
The ability to scramble out of the Quarter Back position did help the Panthers and they may feel they can get something going on the ground in this game too. Last week the Saints struggled to deal with the Titans rushing game, although it should be noted it is powered by Derrick Henry, and the Panthers might feel they can keep their young Quarter Back in positive down and distance.
He will have to be careful about the ability the Saints showed to turn the ball over by Intercepting Ryan Tannehill multiple times, but Young may be asked to make short passes and use his legs if the downs remain manageable. That will be important for Carolina as they look for the home upset, which they are capable of achieving if the Saints continue to have Offensive struggles.
Bryce Young did make some mistakes on the road, but that is not a major surprise out of a rookie Quarter Back. However, the expectation is that he will be a little more careful at home all around and the Panthers may be able to keep this one close.
You have to respect the fact that the Saints won road games at Cleveland and Philadelphia at the back end of the 2022 season, but taking the points with the home team looks to be the right approach to this early season Divisional game.
MY PICKS: Philadelphia Eagles - 6 Points @ 1.91 Coral (2 Units)
Atlanta Falcons - 1.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Buffalo Bills - 8 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)
Detroit Lions - 4.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (2 Units)
New York Giants - 4 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
Denver Broncos - 3.5 Points @ 1.91 Coral (1 Unit)
Miami Dolphins - 2.5 Points @ 1.91 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Carolina Panthers + 3 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Pittsburgh Steelers + 2.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Week 1: 5-2, + 2.51 Units (7 Units Staked, + 35.86% Yield)
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