Week 2 NFL Picks: Bold Predictions for the Week's Biggest Games

Week 2 of the NFL features a handful of incredibly tough matchups to predict, as some of the best teams in the league are pitted against one another.

The Denver Broncos will travel to face the Atlanta Falcons, the Detroit Lions will do the same against the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the New York Jets—just to name a few. 

Follow me as I pick winners for the top games of Week 2 and provide bold predictions for how the contests will be won. 

Bears at Packers

Bold Prediction: Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers will pass for over 800 yards and seven touchdowns combined.

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are both less-than stellar on the back end of their defenses, and that's putting it mildly. 

The Bears were torched for 309 yards by Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, while the Packers were victimized by Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers. Neither defense looked solid against the pass, and we can expect both offenses to come out of the gates with a pass-heavy gameplan. 

In the end, I predict that the Bears will have more success on offense, due to their ability to run the ball with Matt Forte and Michael Bush. They will do just enough in this regard to keep Rodgers and his offense off the field in the fourth quarter and hand the Packers their second loss of the season—a stunning 0-2 start that nobody saw coming.

Final score: Bears win 42-38

Ravens at Eagles

Bold Prediction: Michael Vick's mental errors will continue to be a problem.

Vick was atrocious in the Philadelphia Eagles' opening game against the Cleveland Browns, throwing up four ill-advised interceptions. He was lucky he didn't have a fifth interception on what turned out to be the game-winning drive, as L.J. Fort dropped an interception in the endzone that would have sealed the victory for the Browns. 

Vick and the Eagles are going from the frying pan into the fire this week, as they host Baltimore to face the Ravens. 

The Ravens will force Vick into multiple turnovers, and the Eagles will get the loss they deserved in Week 1. Furthermore, Andy Reid will be forced to take a hard look into whether or not Vick is actually the right quarterback for the team after another horrid performance. 

Final score: Ravens win 38-17

Jets at Steelers

Bold Prediction: Total points scored will be under 34 points.

I'm predicting a brutal defensive struggle in this game.

While the New York Jets broke out of their preseason slump in dramatic fashion against the Buffalo Bills, to me that result was more a case of the Bills defense playing bad than it was the Jets offense putting on a show. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense will be tough to score on at home, especially considering that Ryan Clark will be in the game—a player the team missed in Denver due to his sickle cell anemia—and the Jets still don't have any running game to speak of. 

Ben Roethlisberger hasn't fared well against the Jets the past few years. In his last two starts against Rex Ryan's defense, Big Ben has completed just 33-of-63 passes for 397 yards (6.3 yards per attempt) with one touchdown and two interceptions. 

Final score: Steelers win 17-13

Lions at 49ers

Bold Prediction: San Francisco 49ers will trounce the Detroit Lions at Candlestick Park.

Coming off of their impressive road win at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, the 49ers are set for an explosion at home against the Lions. 

The last time these two teams played, Alex Smith struggled for most of the game before finally coming back and hitting Delanie Walker on a slant patter at the Lions' goal line for the winning touchdown. Smith isn't going to struggle in this game, as he finally has a full complement of weaponry with which to operate the West Coast offense. 

Frank Gore had a field day against the Lions last year, and he and Kendall Hunter will put up huge rushing totals.

The 49ers defense will get pressure on Matthew Stafford all game long, feeding off the energy of their home crowd. As a result, I expect to see at least two turnovers from Stafford, and the 49ers will roll. 

Final score: 49ers win 38-20

Broncos at Falcons

Bold Prediction: Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan duke it out until the final whistle and combine for over 750 yards and seven touchdowns.

Since the Denver Broncos' third preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, Manning has looked unstoppable. He is getting comfortable with his receivers, and the offense is clicking. 

Ditto for Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons, and I'm expecting to see some fireworks on offense when these two team square off against one another on Monday Night Football. 

Final score: Falcons win 38-35

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78