NFL Predictions Week 2: Teams That Will Bounce Back After Week 1 Losses

Week 2 can't arrive quickly enough for the teams that lost during the opening week of the 2012 NFL season. Since there's always so much overreaction to the first game, the only way to quiet a growing legion of doubters is to go out and score an immediate bounce-back win.

Aside from taking away some ammo from the critics, avoiding an 0-2 start is also keen to a team's playoff hopes. Every early loss digs a bigger hole that will become tougher to climb out of down the stretch when the race gets close.

With that in mind, let's take a look at three teams who will get back to .500 with key victories in Week 2.

Buffalo Bills

Hopes were high for the Bills after more than a decade without a playoff appearance. They were a popular AFC wild-card pick this offseason after spending big to upgrade the defense, but the first game of 2012 was a dud as Buffalo got blown out by the New York Jets.

It's not time to jump off the bandwagon yet, though. The Bills did put up 28 points on a tough Jets defense and C.J. Spiller proved he can carry the load while Fred Jackson is out. Furthermore, the defense probably won't play that bad again all season.

Buffalo returns home to face the Kansas City Chiefs, a team it beat by 34 last season. Now that the mainstream hype has disappeared, the Bills have a perfect chance to get back to 1-1 and get the journey to the playoffs back on track.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers have already matched their loss total from last year's entire regular season. The team's defense allowed the San Francisco 49ers to gain nearly 400 offensive yards and Aaron Rodgers wasn't able to save the day.

Make no mistake, the Packers are still one of the best teams in football. One loss to a fellow NFC contender doesn't change that despite the constant chatter. Losing by one score to the 49ers isn't a major cause for concern, even though it was a home game.

Next up on the schedule are long-time rival the Chicago Bears. Jay Cutler and company easily dispatched the rebuilding Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. Given the Packers' level of desperation and home-field advantage, both teams will likely be 1-1 after two weeks.

New York Giants

The defending champions didn't look like a team prepared to repeat in a loss on opening night to the Dallas Cowboys, but the Giants never make it easy. It's almost like they prefer to struggle through the regular season to help them prepare for the playoffs.

However, since every other team in the division earned a victory in Week 1, the Giants already know the battle for playoff spots is going to be as fierce as ever in the NFC East. They have to avoid a slow start that will likely doom them in the end.

New York matches up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. While the Giants should win the game pretty handily, the Bucs are a potential sleeper team, so the G-Men can't overlook them. They should escape with a narrow win.