Complete Predictions for Every Team's Week 2 NFL Game

Now that the dust has been brushed off of this NFL season, it should be a little bit easier to forecast Week 2.

Week 1 was filled with some upsets we didn't see coming. Rookie QB Robert Griffin III marched into New Orleans and helped the Redskins put a beating on the Saints. Kevin Kolb came off the bench for an injured John Skelton to steal a win for the Cardinals over the Seahawks. The Jets apparently played possum on offense all preseason because they wasted no time unloading on the Bills.

Peyton Manning made a triumphant return with another stellar nationally-televised performance against the Steelers. The Niners staked their claim to the NFC crown with a solid win over the Packers, while teams like the Giants, Eagles and Lions were a bit underwhelming.

Tonight, Week 2 kicks off with another tough contest for Green Bay. In one of the oldest rivalries in pro football, the Packers and Bears will square off in Lambeau just four days removed from their first game of the season.

The Packers vs. Bears clash leads off a second week with some interesting matchups. The Steelers attempt to get off the snide against the Jets and their suddenly-impressive offense. The Lions and Niners face off on Sunday night for the first time since coaches Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh exchanged postgame pleasantries.

Of course, what would a week of regular season football be without Peyton Manning in prime time? Manning and the Broncos get the bright lights of Monday Night Football in a showdown against Matt Ryan and the high-powered Falcons offense.

Last week's surprises showed in my picks, as I went 8-7 for the week against the spread. Granted, it's a winning record, but let's see how we fare now that I'm a little bit wiser this time around. Once again, the spreads are courtesy of USA Today's Danny Sheridan.

Chicago Bears (+4.5) at Green Bay Packers

The Pick: Green Bay

The Packers' defense proved last week that they are still a work in progress. They let Alex Smith make some big plays in the passing game, particularly over the middle. While they didn't give too many big runs beyond the Frank Gore touchdown, the Packers run defense still gave up quite a bit of real estate on the ground.

The Bears' offense is a bit more imposing than San Francisco's, so the possibility of an 0-2 start looms for the defending NFC North champions. The big difference is Chicago's offensive line isn't as stout as San Fran's. Bears QB Jay Cutler also has more of a tendency to turn the ball over than Alex Smith does.

That's where Green Bay needs to have the advantage. Even with WR Greg Jennings a "50-50" shot to play tonight, we know the Packers are going to score. It will be putting pressure on Cutler and forcing bad throws that will get them the W.

The Packers can't afford to lose two straight and fall behind two games in the division. They'll be more inclined to utilize RB Cedric Benson and the running game this time around. They'll put pressure on Cutler and LB Clay Matthews builds on his good game against the Niners with another sack.

Like so many of these Bears vs. Packers clashes, this one will be close throughout. Inevitably, I see Cutler forcing the issue and throwing a pick late in the game. The Bears' defense will wear down from chasing the elusive Aaron Rodgers and this versatile Packers offensive attack. Packers take this one by a touchdown.

Score: Packers 24, Bears 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+7) at New York Giants

The Pick: New York

It's the return of former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano back to the great state of New Jersey. Unfortunately for Schiano, there won't be much celebrating for him and his Bucs come Sunday.

While Tampa Bay managed an impressive upset over division rival Carolina last week, they'll find facing the defending Super Bowl champs on the road coming off a week-and-a-half of rest to be a bit more daunting. Making matters worse for Tampa, the Giants are going to be looking to make up for their loss in the season opener to Dallas.

The Bucs played a steady game against the Panthers, but showed the natural flaws of a young team as well. QB Josh Freeman held the ball too long at times and took a couple sacks. Tampa Bay as a whole didn't muster up much offense, although rookie RB Doug Martin was impressive in his debut.

Martin is Tampa Bay's best chance of pulling off the upset. Last week, Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray ran wild on this Giants defense, which opened things up for Tony Romo to have a nice day through the air. Utilizing the run game keeps Freeman out of harm's way against this nasty Giants pass rush. It also keeps Giants QB Eli Manning off the field.

The lack of scoring against Carolina suggests Tampa is going to have a tough time keeping up with the Giants, even if they do find ways to control the clock. The Bucs don't have the type of pass rush to make Eli as uncomfortable as Dallas did, which means the two-time Super Bowl MVP is going to pick them apart.

I see Martin having a good game, both on the ground and in the passing game. However, Freeman won't make enough plays through the air to stay within spitting distance of Big Blue. The Giants know the media frenzy they'll face if they start their title defense 0-2. They are going to be vicious in this one.

Score: Giants 28, Bucs 10

Arizona Cardinals (+13.5) at New England Patriots

The Pick: New England

You knew Tom Brady was going to spread the ball around and put up points. A couple of things that you may not have accounted for in New England's 34-13 rout of Tennessee was the emergence of the running game and some stellar defense.

Rookie defender Chandler Jones stripped Titans QB Jake Locker on a sack from behind that led to a Patriots touchdown. It was one of only two New England sacks, but the Patriots were constantly in Locker's face the entire day. On offense, new RB Stevan Ridley rushed for 125 yards and added a touchdown.

This week, New England gets a team that's even more offensively challenged. The Cardinals will be trotting out Kevin Kolb at QB in place of the injured John Skelton. Kolb led Arizona on a late scoring drive against Seattle. It will be interesting to see what he does with that momentum against New England.

The likely scenario is Jones and the Patriots defense make life miserable for Kolb. Look for the former Eagle to run for his life behind a shaky Cardinals offensive line. With no real running game to bail him out, Kolb will struggle to make enough plays to keep Tom Brady off the field.

Without too many long drives expected from Arizona, I expect Brady to have a similar game to the one he had last week against the Titans, and I also see Ridley adding to his breakout performance. We might even see backup QB Ryan Mallett by the end of the third quarter.

Score: Patriots 38, Cardinals 3

Minnesota Vikings (-2) at Indianapolis Colts

The Pick: Minnesota

There was once a time when, if a guy tore his ACL, it usually spelled the end to his season and he'd be out of action awhile. Those days appear to be over.

Determined to come back from blowing out his knee late last year, Vikings RB Adrian Peterson made good on his vow to be ready for Week 1 and wowed observers with a steady game against the Jaguars. While great performances have been the norm in the career of the man known as "All Day", it's important to remember: HE JUST BLEW OUT HIS KNEE NINE MONTHS AGO.

Peterson carried the ball 17 times for 84 yards and two scores. He was pivotal in Minnesota's overtime win over Jacksonville and now gets to strut his stuff against the Colts.

Colts QB Andrew Luck had the type of game befitting a rookie with high expectations playing on a mediocre team without much talent around. He was under constant pressure against the Bears as the line failed to protect him. He threw three interceptions and was sacked three times. He also racked up 309 passing yards and notched his first touchdown pass with a dart to WR Donnie Avery.

The protection issues aren't bound to get any better for Luck this week. He'll have Jared Allen and a tough Vikings pass rush chasing him the entire day. While bumps in the road were expected for a rebuilding Indy team, the hope here is that Luck doesn't end up like former Texans No. 1 overall pick David Carr. Carr was sacked an NFL-record 76 times in his rookie season.

The Colts don't have enough talent on either side of the ball to keep Peterson at bay or allow Luck to make enough plays on offense. Indianapolis could make things a little tougher on Viking QB Christian Ponder with the pass rush provided by Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney, but I think the Colts are in for another loss. Granted, it won't be nearly as bad as last week's drubbing.

Score: Vikings 24, Colts 13

New Orleans Saints (-2.5) at Carolina Panthers

The Pick: New Orleans

While it's easy to overreact to the Saints letting RG3 and the Redskins have a field day with them last week, there are a couple important things to keep in mind.

First, as bad as they played the entire game, the Saints still had a chance late in the second half. The Saints were sloppy on both sides of the ball. They committed way too many penalties, particularly on the offensive line. They were indicative of a team under an interim coach that underestimated its opponent. That isn't an excuse. It's just important to be aware of these things before hitting the panic button.

The Panthers weren't nearly as awful against the Bucs as New Orleans was against Washington, but they were still pretty bad. QB Cam Newton was picked off twice and found no room to run with only four rushing yards on five carries. The Panthers managed just 10 points against the Bucs.

This game will give us a better understanding of what we are dealing with in regards to both teams. Newton is a bigger, stronger version of Griffin and the Saints struggled last week when RG3 used his feet to extend the play. The Panthers, however, will be facing an offense that is much more dangerous than Tampa Bay's was.

I think both Newton and Saints QB Drew Brees have good games. Neither defense has the personnel to contain either of them from having their way on the field, but it will come down to which QB makes the key mistake. I see that guy being Newton, who will come down to Earth a little bit more in his sophomore season after an impressive rookie year.

Saints take it in a game that will be exciting and closer than expected.

Score: Saints 31, Panthers 24

Kansas City Chiefs (+3.5) at Buffalo Bills

The Pick: Kansas City

I think the Jets just scored on the Bills again.

With all the improvements Buffalo made to fix the pass defense, you would think they would have been able to keep Mark Sanchez from ripping them apart last week. The Bills let a Jets offense that looked dormant all summer put up 48 points on them. Adding injury to insult, RB Fred Jackson injured his knee and could miss at least three weeks. WR David Nelson also injured his knee in the loss.

A couple of bright spots for Buffalo, however. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick still managed to find the end zone three times, albeit when the game was already out of hand. RB C.J. Spiller looked like less of a bust with 169 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

As for the Chiefs, they made a valiant effort trying to keep up with explosive Falcons last week. My only question is, with WR Jon Baldwin stepping up in the preseason during Dwayne Bowe's absence, how does Baldwin not see a single ball his way the entire game? The Chiefs have some talent on offense, but to deny one of your best receivers the ball in a shootout? It didn't make much sense to me.

I see this one being a high-scoring affair. Both teams have speedy running backs who can break off a big play at any time. I expect both defenses to be better than the pedestrian performances they displayed last week, but I think Kansas City is the better team.

Time will tell how good this Jets team is, but I give the Chiefs more credit for hanging with the Falcons than Buffalo getting throttled by Gang Green. I'll take Kansas City with the rebound here.

Score: Chiefs 28, Bills 24

Baltimore Ravens (+2.5) at Philadelphia Eagles

The Pick: Baltimore

I really didn't like what I saw out of Philly last week against Cleveland. That game should have been a lay-up for the Eagles. Browns QB Brandon Weeden made plenty of rookie mistakes, but the Eagles just kept finding ways to give them the ball back.

Conversely, I loved what I saw out of Baltimore in their Monday night win against Cincinnati. QB Joe Flacco looked good throwing the ball. RB Ray Rice had his usual stellar performance, and the defense lived up to its billing by locking the Bengals down.

That's why it surprises me that the Eagles are being favored here. Yes, they are at home. However, they are coming off an awful performance and playing against a team that was a field goal away from the Super Bowl last year.

I don't think Flacco picks apart Philadelphia with the same ease he showed against Cincy on Monday night, but I see him outperforming Michael Vick. The Ravens can spread it around on offense and Rice is just too versatile to not be a factor.

Even without Terrell Suggs, the Ravens' defense is still formidable and I see them putting a beating on Vick and limiting RB LeSean McCoy as well. It's a good game between two talented teams, but it's hard to like Philly after last week's performance.

Score: Ravens 27, Eagles 14

Oakland Raiders (-2.5) at Miami Dolphins

The Pick: Miami

If Monday night's laugher against San Diego wasn't tough enough to watch, the Raiders showdown with the Miami Dolphins will be even harder on the eyes.

On paper, the Raiders should be better than they played against the Chargers. They have one of the best running backs in the game in Darren McFadden, who is surprisingly healthy this season. They have a lot of speed at receiver and a QB with a big arm in Carson Palmer. Even the Raiders defense has its share of talent.

They just looked inept on offense on Monday, routinely settling for short passes and dump-offs to McFadden. The Dolphins, meanwhile, were a team we knew was going to struggle on offense. With no proven receiver and a rookie QB, the beatdown at the hands of the Texans was kind of expected.

That being said, I like them a little more than Oakland this week. Miami has its own dynamic runner in Reggie Bush. QB Ryan Tannehill is still a work in progress, but I think he plays better this week. I also like what the Dolphins' defense can do against a Raiders offense that looks gun-shy.

This won't be the most exciting game on the docket, but it will be close. I'll take Miami by a field goal.

Score: Dolphins 17, Raiders 14

Cleveland Browns (+7) at Cincinnati Bengals

The Pick: Cincinnati

This game could be surprising. That's not to say I smell an upset, but I found Cleveland's ability to hinder Philadelphia's offense last week interesting. It could be that Michael Vick just had an off day or it could be that the Browns are better defensively than I initially thought.

As for the Bengals, they are a better team than they looked against Baltimore. The Ravens are going to make a lot of teams look bad this season. However, things can get interesting if Cincy struggles against the Browns here.

The Bengals won't have to worry about Cleveland's offense. Browns QB Brandon Weeden is a rookie and played like it in his debut. Fellow rookie RB Trent Richardson wasn't very productive either and it's not like the Browns have a bevy of proven receivers.

That's why the Bengals SHOULD roll in this one. Of course, we said that about the Eagles, too. If the Browns force QB Andy Dalton to make the mistakes Vick made, they can make life hard for the Cincy offense. However, that will be tough to do with star CB Joe Haden starting his four-game suspension. That should open things up for Bengals WR A.J. Green.

Inevitably, I see the Bengals winning this one with some old school defense and the running game. They may be on short rest, but the Bengals are the better team. However, after seeing the Browns hold the Eagles to 17 points, I'm holding off on saying this will be a blowout.

Score: Bengals 24, Browns 13

Houston Texans (-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Pick: Houston

One of the things that I took away from Week 1 was that the battle for the AFC crown is shaping up to be a four-team race. The Ravens took care of business by beating the Bengals handily on Monday night. Peyton Manning and the Broncos looked impressive against the Steelers. Tom Brady showed off his normal excellence in the Patriots' win over the Titans.

The fourth team in the mix is the Houston Texans, who had the easiest game of the four. Houston did what it was supposed to do against lowly Miami, but looked great on both sides of the ball while doing it. If they can avoid the injury bug that plagued them last year, this team is going to be scary.

This week, Houston gets a Jacksonville team that fell victim to Adrian Peterson's comeback last week. An injury to RB Rashad Jennings means preseason holdout Maurice Jones-Drew will see his workload increase. MoJo D looked good against the Vikings for a guy who took the summer off, posting 77 yards on 19 carries.

Drew and the Jaguars will find scoring to be even more of a premium this time around. The Texans will stack the box against the run and make QB Blaine Gabbert beat them. Gabbert is still trying to find a reliable target, as neither Laurent Robinson or Justin Blackmon wowed the audience against Minnesota.

I see this being another Texans rout. If Jacksonville struggled with AP coming off knee surgery, they'll really have a tough time with Arian Foster and Ben Tate. That is going to open things up for QB Matt Schaub, who will justify his new contract with another solid performance.

Score: Texans 35, Jaguars 16

Dallas Cowboys (-3.5) at Seattle Seahawks

The Pick: Dallas

The conventional wisdom here is that a Seattle team that couldn't beat lowly Arizona won't pull off a win against an impressive and well-rested Dallas team. I subscribe to that logic here.

As great as rookie QB Russell Wilson looked in the preseason, that wasn't the case in his regular-season debut. With the Cowboys' secondary looking to be much improved, Wilson will have an even harder time moving the ball through the air. That puts a lot of pressure on RB Marshawn Lynch, who is battling back spasms.

Since a little over a week has passed since we last saw the Cowboys, it's easy to forget the masterful performance they put on against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants in the season opener. The pass rush constantly pressured Eli Manning. The secondary didn't give up many big plays. On offense, the Cowboys shined on the ground and through the air.

I expect more of the same here. Seattle is a little better in the defensive backfield than the Giants are, but they are going to have a tough time covering all of these options. RB DeMarco Murray will have another strong game with all that time off to rest and we will eventually have to start taking Dallas seriously as a viable contender.

Score: Cowboys 31, Seahawks 17

Washington Redskins (-3) at St. Louis Rams

The Pick: Washington

Well, making your regular-season debut by going into the Superdome and playing the Saint was SUPPOSED to be tough for Robert Griffin III. Instead, the former Heisman Trophy winner showed great poise and dazzled the Saints by making plays with his arm and his feet.

Things get a little easier for RG3 this time around as he travels to St. Louis to take on a Rams team that put on a spirited effort against the Lions last week. The Rams seem to be better defensively under new head coach Jeff Fisher, but the offense is still coming along. RB Steven Jackson didn't find much room to run and QB Sam Bradford struggled to air it out against one of the worst secondaries in football.

That's going to be a problem against Washington because it looks like the Redskins will be solid on offense if Griffin keeps this momentum going. Washington also got a solid performance from another rookie, RB Alfred Morris. Morris seems to be coach Mike Shanahan's running back du jour, but we could see a healthy helping of Roy Helu and Evan Royster here as well.

The Rams will put up more of a fight on defense than the Saints, making it unlikely for RG3 to put up the same numbers he did last week. But he'll still be solid and make enough plays to give Washington the win and Redskins fans a bit of hope.

Score: Redskins 28, Rams 10

New York Jets (+4.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pick: Pittsburgh

This was the toughest pick of the week for me to make. The Jets looked impressive, especially on offense, against Buffalo while Pittsburgh had trouble with Denver. I'm going with the Steelers here for a couple reasons though.

First, the defense will be better with the returns of LB James Harrison and S Ryan Clark. Harrison missed the opener due to a knee injury and Clark's sickle cell disease keeps him from playing in Denver. Those improvements on defense will be huge in stopping the Jets.

Second, while I'm willing to give credit where credit's due, it's important not to get too excited over the beating Gang Green put on the Bills. The Steelers are much better on defense than Buffalo and Jets QB Mark Sanchez won't have the same ease in throwing the ball around as he did last week. I also think Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger plays better than he did down the stretch against the Broncos.

Despite New York's offensive output in the opener, I see this being more of a low-scoring, smash-mouth affair. The Steelers will pound the ball with Jon Dwyer, Isaac Redman and maybe even Rashard Mendenhall, while the Jets will be a bit more cautious with Steelers S Troy Polamalu roaming the field.

The Steelers didn't look great last week, but I'm willing to give them a second chance. I'll take the Steel Curtain by six.

Score: Steelers 20, Jets 14

Tennessee Titans (+6) at San Diego Chargers

The Pick: San Diego

There are just too many reasons to not like Tennessee in this one. RB Chris Johnson seems to still be a shell of the guy who once rushed for 2,000 yards in a season. QB Jake Locker may not play thanks to an injured shoulder, and the Titans just looked bad overall against New England last week. On top of that, the Chargers have won the last seven times they've faced the Titans.

Chargers QB Philip Rivers didn't look great against the Raiders on Monday night, but he did enough to get the win. With RB Ryan Mathews nursing a broken collarbone, Rivers found familiar targets in WR Malcolm Floyd and TE Antonio Gates to move the chains. With Mathews potentially out again, expect the running game to struggle and Rivers to duplicate the game plan from Monday night.

The Titans can keep this one competitive if the offense steps it up. WR Kenny Britt returns from a one-game suspension and fellow wideout Nate Washington should be able to play through his leg bruise. The key, as always, is Johnson returning to his "CJ2K" form. Since holding out last preseason, Johnson has become a ghost on the field. The Titans need him to come up big, especially if Locker can't go.

Regardless of who the Titans play at quarterback, I think the Chargers' defense makes enough plays to contain him. I don't have enough faith in Chris Johnson to feel comfortable in saying he'll be a positive factor in this one, but I do think the passing game will look better than it did against New England.

I think Rivers pulls out another ugly win and the Chargers take this one by 10.

Score: Chargers 27, Titans 17

Detroit Lions (+7) at San Francisco 49ers

The Pick: San Francisco

You may have heard that, when we last saw these two teams on the field together, there was a bit of a confrontation between head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz. While that overblown storyline will get the brunt of the coverage leading up to the game, it only overshadows this potential statement.

The San Francisco 49ers are the best team in the NFC.

Yes, it's early. Yes, we've only played one game. Still, the Niners went into Lambeau Field, where Green Bay had won 15 straight regular season games, and made a very good Packers team play catch-up the entire game. They looked good on offense. They looked good on defense. They didn't fumble away any punts. Even veteran kicker David Akers put on a show with a 63-yard field goal.

The Lions, on the other hand, didn't look the greatest against St. Louis. QB Matt Stafford threw three interceptions, two of them coming in the red zone and one returned for a touchdown. WR Calvin Johnson is starting to get a slight taste of the Madden Curse, as he was slowed this week by a foot injury. Megatron is expected to play, but his hobbled wheel is worth keeping an eye on.

The Lions aren't going to be able to run the ball on San Francisco. Stafford is going to have to beat the Niners with his arm and that's going to be a problem if he doesn't keep the turnovers to a minimum. If San Francisco could steal a win against Green Bay on the road, it's hard not to like their chances at home against the Lions.

Score: 49ers 30, Lions 17

Denver Broncos (+3) at Atlanta Falcons

The Pick: Denver

Peyton Manning didn't show any of the rust or happy feet that I was concerned he may have after all that time off. Manning played in his first game since having four neck surgeries and looked great against a very game Steelers team.

Even with a new team and new concerns, you still don't bet against Peyton Manning playing at night. That's why I like Denver against a very good Atlanta team this week. Manning plays his best when he's under the bright lights and we know how dangerous he can be inside a dome.

This will be a solid shootout between a cagey veteran and a rising star in Matt Ryan. Ryan looked impressive against Kansas City and WR Julio Jones looks like he's going to have a huge year.

At the end of the day, the team that wins will be the one that can put pressure on the opposing quarterback. Manning might as well be playing behind a fort with that offensive line and he'll have even more time to throw against an anemic Falcons pass rush and no Brent Grimes in the secondary.

The Falcons' offensive line is going to struggle against the duo of Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil. Ryan will make a few plays, but he's going to struggle to keep up with Manning's precision. It'll be a fun game to watch, but Manning will once again be the story in this one.

Score: Broncos 31, Falcons 20