NFL Week 2 Picks: Predicting the Winner of All 16 Matchups

Close games. They're what every NFL fan wants, except when trying to pick the winners.

A crazy opening weekend refused to ease viewers back into football's drama. Eight games were decided by four points or fewer, and only one (the Philadelphia Eagles' 29-10 win over the Cleveland Browns) ended in a double-digit margin before Monday.

That caused great intrigue but greater frustration from anyone whose picks turned sour because of a missed field goal, last-minute score or gutsy two-point conversion. It takes little imagination to picture nearly every Week 1 game swinging the other way.

In all likelihood, Week 2 will unfold in similar fashion. Any minuscule detail could alter the outcome of these contests, but let's try to decipher the victors anyway. 

Date	Time (ET)	Away	Home	Predicted Winner
Thur. 9/15	8:25 p.m.	New York Jets	Buffalo Bills	Jets
Sun., 9/18	1 p.m.	New Orleans Saints	New York Giants	Giants
Sun., 9/18	1 p.m.	Tennessee Titans	Detroit Lions	Lions
Sun., 9/18	1 p.m.	Dallas Cowboys	Washington	Washington
Sun., 9/18	1 p.m.	Kansas City Chiefs	Houston Texans	Chiefs
Sun., 9/18	1 p.m.	Miami Dolphins	New England Patriots	Patriots
Sun., 9/18	1 p.m.	Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	Ravens
Sun., 9/18	1 p.m.	San Francisco 49ers	Carolina Panthers	Panthers
Sun., 9/18	1 p.m.	Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	Steelers
Sun., 9/18	4:05 p.m.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Arizona Cardinals	Cardinals
Sun., 9/18	4:05 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks	Los Angeles Rams	Seahawks
Sun., 9/18	4:25 p.m.	Atlanta Falcons	Oakland Raiders	Raiders
Sun., 9/18	4:25 p.m.	Jacksonville Jaguars	San Diego Chargers	Jaguars
Sun., 9/18	4:25 p.m.	Indianapolis Colts	Denver Broncos	Broncos
Sun., 9/18	8:30 p.m.	Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	Packers
Mon., 9/19	8:30 p.m.	Philadelphia Eagles	Chicago Bears	Bears

New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants

Butch Dill/Associated Press

When these two teams met last year, Drew Brees posted 505 passing yards and seven touchdowns during a 52-49 thriller over the New York Giants.

Shootouts aren't a one-off deal in this matchup; the winner of their last four encounters has registered at least 48 points. Brees averaged 397.8 yards per game in those contests, high even for his standards. Now it's time to see if the Giants spent wisely during the offseason.

Following a rocky start, their new-look defense impressed in a narrow 20-19 Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Containing rookie Dak Prescott to five yards per pass attempt isn't an amazing accomplishment, but limiting Ezekiel Elliott to 51 yards on 20 carries forebodes a long day for Saints back Mark Ingram. 

New Orleans' abysmal secondary had no answers against Odell Beckham Jr. last season, surrendering 130 yards and three of Eli Manning's six touchdowns to the star wideout. It could get ugly again. According to the Times-Picayune's Josh Katzenstein, the Saints will play without their top cornerback:

Although Terrance Williams helped, Big Blue finally halted a late drive, an inability that haunted them repeatedly last year. Nevertheless, this game could again boil down to who possesses the ball last. 

Brees netted a subpar 6.96 yards per pass attempt away from the Superdome last year, so look for the Giants to contain him enough to win behind huge performances from Manning, Beckham and rookie wideout Sterling Shepard.

Prediction: Giants 35, Saints 31

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Two of last year's most underappreciated playoff squads, the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans each opened 2016 by displaying more offense than usual in victory.

In danger of suffering a surprising home upset versus the San Diego Chargers, the Chiefs stormed back to erase a 21-3 halftime deficit. Alex Smith abandoned his game-manager duties to accrue 363 passing yards, 129 of which went to running back Spencer Ware.

The Chiefs are likely in no rush to bring back Jamaal Charles, who did not make his return from last year's torn ACL last weekend. Per ESPN.com's Adam Teicher, Smith praised Ware's efforts in fueling Kansas City's comeback.

"The guy is such a spark for us," Smith said. "The energy he brings to his play, the way he runs, the guy does it all. Even on the sidelines as well he’s always positive, always wanting to be involved, always seeing what he can do."

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Week 1 was a blueprint for what Houston envisioned from its upgraded offense. Brock Osweiler delivered a solid game under center, and running back Lamar Miller churned out 106 yards in the bell-cow role the Miami Dolphins never allotted him. 

Rookie wideout Will Fuller also outshined star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, exploding for 107 yards and a touchdown during his debut. The Texans now have a capable offense to support J.J. Watt's defense, which sacked Jay Cutler five times on Sunday.

Osweiler won't throw four interceptions like Brian Hoyer, so don't expect another 30-0 blowout in their rematch from last year's playoff showdown. Yet the Chiefs have unlocked a lethal offense when necessary, and their defense will contain Houston's new aerial additions in a more competitive clash.

Prediction: Chiefs 23, Texans 17 

Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos

AJ Mast/Associated Press

Good news: Andrew Luck is back. Bad news: So is the Indianapolis Colts' tendency to fall behind early.

Down 21-3 to the Detroit Lions, Luck led a furious rally in the season opener. In his first game since last November—when he lacerated his kidney during a win over the Denver Broncos—he tallied 385 yards and four passing touchdowns, the last of which gave Indianapolis a 35-34 lead with 3:27 left.

The Lions then stormed the field to spoil his return. As Luck said in the postgame press conference, per the Colts' Twitter page, he has grown weary of the unsettling trend of limping out of the gate:

They can't afford another slow start against the Broncos, who once again upended the Carolina Panthers on the strength of their swarming defense. Indianapolis faces a much tougher task against last year's top-ranked passing defense, which stymied reigning MVP Cam Newton to 5.9 yards per pass attempt.

After letting the Lions—2015's worst rushing offense—churn out 116 yards and two scores on 24 carries, how do the Colts plan on stopping C.J. Anderson? The resurgent running back attained 139 yards and two touchdowns on a stout Panthers defense.

Luck has had Denver's number over his career, but a problematic offensive line and leaky defense will prove too much to overcome against the defending champions.

Prediction: Broncos 24, Colts 21