NFL Week 2: 5 Must-see matchups on the schedule
After a handful of exciting NFL games to open the season, we now move on to the second week of the regular season.
Less than 10% of the teams who started the season 0-2 have qualified for the playoffs in recent years. At least three of them will be winless by the weekend, as three of this week's matchups (Giants/Washington, Patriots/Jets, Lions/Packers) are between teams that lost in Week 1. It's not always a death sentence to the season, but a winless start makes things much harder.
Check out the five best matchups of the week.
Five best matchups of the NFL Week 2
#1 - Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens
Sunday Night Football will see Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes face off one more time. Both are former league MVPs, but Jackson has never managed to beat Mahomes during their careers (3-0 for Mahomes) and he'll have a tough task breaking this drought on Sunday as the Ravens go through a slew of injuries.
The Chiefs survived a scare against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, and they hope to continue their winning streak against AFC North teams. Lamar vs. Mahomes is always a must-see on TV, and both teams should be playoff contenders.
#2 - San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts hopes to build after his great Week 1 performance, but his task will be more difficult now against a team that's not going to be beaten so easily in the trenches. If he wasn't much pressured against the Atlanta Falcons and had time to carve out their weak secondary, it's going to be tougher to do so with Nick Bosa hunting his head.
Jalen Hurts balled OUT in his first start of the season 😤 https://t.co/jOVCWxSEaV
The 49ers had an enormous amount of difficulty closing their game against the Detroit Lions, but they should fix this problem once their secondary settles down. While he's on the field, Trey Lance also presents a tricky matchup for an Eagles defense that suffered to defend outside runs against the Falcons last week.
#3 - Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins
The Bills are one of the main favorites in the AFC, but they are at risk of starting the season 0-2 if they can't beat the Miami Dolphins in a AFC East contest. Josh Allen showed signs of rustiness against the Steelers, and the offense struggled to get going for much of the Week 1 game.
The Dolphins also have a strong defense, and for the Bills, to get the passing game going will be tough with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones as starting cornerbacks for Miami. Tua Tagovailoa is up for the biggest win of his career yet if he can lead his team to a major win over playoff aspirations in the AFC.
#4 - Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Chargers
Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert are both incredible quarterbacks and this game should be one of the most entertaining of the entire weekend. But can the Cowboys get through their health problems to provide the upset?
Dallas will be without its best pass rusher, as DeMarcus Lawrence broke his foot and is headed to injured reserve. They will also miss Michael Gallup and La'el Collins in this game, while the Chargers have all their star players healthy and, more importantly, their offensive line did everything perfect to protect Herbert. Look for a lot of points in this game.
#5 - Tennessee Titans @ Seattle Seahawks
After such a devastating loss in Week 1, the Titans continue their adventures against NFC West teams by traveling to Seattle to face the Seahawks. The main focus for the team will be fixing the running game soon, as Derrick Henry had only 58 yards over 17 carries against the Cardinals on Sunday.
Highest passing grades when kept clean in Week 1:
🚀 Tom Brady - 92.4
🚀 Russell Wilson - 91.3
🚀 Kirk Cousins - 88.3
🚀 Baker Mayfield - 87.5 https://t.co/wNRHfLhKOx
After a great display for the new offense against the Indianapolis Colts, the Seahawks are hoping that Russell Wilson can continue his great form against a defense that had no answers for Kyler Murray's arm in Week 1. Can the Titans keep up a high-scoring game against the Seahawks and pull off the upset?