NFL Week 2: Denver vs. Atlanta and Other Clashes We Can't Wait to See

With the surprising first week of the NFL season in the books, Week 2 brings some exciting matchups featuring teams that need to prove themselves.

Philly needs a jump-start, and beating the Ravens—who won 44-13 over Cincinnati yesterday—would be just that. 

Everyone wants to know if Robert Griffin III will continue his dominance, and the Broncos and Falcons are both coming to Monday Night Football off of big Week 1 wins.

Here are the breakdowns of the three most exciting games of Week 2.

Baltimore at Philadelphia

After barely beating the Browns—who are at the bottom of every analyst’s power rankings—Philly faces a Ravens team lead by Joe Flacco who threw for 299 yards and two TDs against the Bengals last night. 

The Ravens are known for their defense, and last night didn’t disappoint. Even without last year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Terrell Suggs, the defense sacked Dalton four times. Ed Reed had a pick-six, and Ray Lewis forced a fumble.

But the story of the night was Joe Flacco and the Baltimore offense. Ray Rice and Flacco both had two TDs, helping the Ravens to 44 points—only four points behind their franchise record for any game. We are excited to see what Flacco, Rice, and company will do against an Eagles defense that held the Browns to 210 yards total yards.

For the Eagles to have any hope in 2012, Vick and the offense need to look sharper. After five turnovers last week, we want to see what the Eagles do against that strong Ravens defense mentioned above.

Even if the Eagles lose, if they can limit their turnovers and hold the Ravens' new-found firepower offense to much less than the 430 total yards the Bengals gave them, it will give Philadelphia more confidence heading into the rest of the season. 

If they win, watch out NFC East.

Washington at St. Louis

This matchup is interesting for two reasons.

First, the Redskins have a history of good starts being foiled by bad Rams teams. In 2008, the Skins opened 4-1 only to lose to an 0-4 Rams team that finished 2-14. Washington went on to lose six of their last 10 and miss the playoffs.

In 2010, the Rams beat the Redskins, which set the tone for a weird season where Washington beat three dominant playoff teams and lost to just about everyone else.  Washington beat New Orleans 40-32, which indicates they have a real chance to compete this year, but if the Rams pull one of their historically devastating victories out of the hat, Washington will be in trouble.

Second, Robert Griffin III obviously had a stellar game against the Saints, throwing for 320 yards with two TDs and no picks, and the sports world is dying to know what he’ll look like next week.

The Rams defense gave up 429 yards last week to the Lions, 355 of which were to QB Matthew Stafford. They also picked him off three times, so it could be a crap shoot for RG3.

If he has a lot of yards and a couple interceptions, he’ll likely be the brunt of a lot of “see he’s a young QB and he makes mistakes, and he should have been picked off at least once in New Orleans” criticism.

Denver at Atlanta

Overall, the Broncos-Falcons Monday Night Football matchup will be the most exciting game of the week. Both teams scored more than 30 points in their first week's games. 

Peyton Manning seems to fit well in Denver, throwing for 253 yards, two TDs, and no interceptions against the tough Steelers defense that held QBs to 171.9 yards a game and 15 total TDs last season. 

Matt Ryan continues to look like a stud, throwing for 292 yards and three TDs against the Chiefs.

Although the Falcons are in the NFC and the Broncos the AFC, this game has season-long implications. Both Atlanta and Denver made the playoffs last season—at 10-6 and 8-8 respectively—but neither team made it past the divisional round.

Since both teams looked strong in Week 1, a win for the Manning-led Broncos could mean they leave their spot as an up-and-down NFL team behind. They finished 4-12 in 2010 and started 6-0 in 2009 only to finish 8-8. A win could mean they're ready to emerge as a truly dominant force.

The Falcons could show they will again find the postseason and be a real threat. They can shake off the previously mentioned result last year and a really disappointing 2010, where they finished the regular season atop the NFC and lost to the eventual Superbowl champion Packers in the divisional round.