NFL Predictions Week 2: Can't-Miss Picks and Matchup Guide

It’s a bit early to call any NFL game a must-win heading into Week 2, but an 0-2 start is clearly not ideal for any season.

In fact, it could even be a death sentence when it comes to the playoffs, considering the following information, courtesy of Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News: “It was an upsetting Sunday for several playoff contenders, making Week 2 almost must-win situations. Consider that since the NFL went to 12 playoff teams in 1990, just 23 of 196 teams that started 0-2 (11.7 percent) went on to make the playoffs.”

That means 0-1 teams like the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys better find a way to win in Week 2. With that type of pressure in mind, let’s take a look at some predictions using spreads that were listed on Odds Shark as of Tuesday evening.

Away Team	Home Team	Spread	Pick
Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	BAL -2.5	PIT
Miami Dolphins	Buffalo Bills	Even	MIA
Detroit Lions	Carolina Panthers	CAR -2.5	CAR
Atlanta Falcons	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN -5.5	ATL
New Orleans Saints	Cleveland Browns	NO -7	NO
New England Patriots	Minnesota Vikings	NE -3	NE
Arizona Cardinals	New York Giants	Even	AZ
Dallas Cowboys	Tennessee Titans	TEN -3	TEN
Jacksonville Jaguars	Washington Redskins	WAS -7	JAX
Seattle Seahawks	San Diego Chargers	SEA -5.5	SEA
St. Louis Rams	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB -7	TB
Kansas City Chiefs	Denver Broncos	DEN -14	DEN
New York Jets	Green Bay Packers	GB -9.5	GB
Houston Texans	Oakland Raiders	HOU -2.5	HOU
Chicago Bears	San Francisco 49ers	SF -7.5	SF
Philadelphia Eagles	Indianapolis Colts	IND -3	IND

Games to Watch 

Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

There was a lot of focus on the Dallas Cowboys defense and its presumed struggles this year before the 2014 season actually kicked off, but this game could come down to the Tennessee Titans defense instead.

DeMarco Murray ran for 118 yards and a touchdown and mixed in 25 receiving yards for good measure against San Francisco in the season opener. He was the only Dallas offensive weapon who played well in that loss, since Tony Romo threw three picks and Dez Bryant only tallied 55 receiving yards.

The Titans will be tasked with slowing Murray down, but they just held Jamaal Charles to 19 rushing yards in Week 1.

If Tennessee can turn in another defensive performance against the run like that, it will almost certainly come away with the victory. That would put Romo in a situation where he had to force the ball downfield, which is part of the reason why he had so many turnovers in the loss to the 49ers.

What’s more, it would put Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker in a position to carry the day on offense. He threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns in the opener and can extend plays with his feet, which is something that Dallas had trouble with against Colin Kaepernick.

America’s Team could be looking at an 0-2 start right out of the gates against a Tennessee squad that may be a bit underrated.

Prediction: Tennessee 24, Dallas 20

New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The New Orleans Saints tallied an impressive 472 total yards on offense and looked like a well-oiled machine at times, but they still found a way to lose to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.

Allowing 568 total yards is a good formula for failure.

The Saints defense was nonexistent for much of the game, and Matt Ryan threw for 448 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions on the contest. What’s more, the Falcons ran for 4.9 yards a carry and had no trouble getting a significant push up front.

Sure, it would be natural to look at the Cleveland Browns as an antidote to the defensive struggles, but they came storming back from a 27-3 halftime deficit against the Pittsburgh Steelers to almost win their opening game. Terrance West ran for 100 yards on 16 carries, and Andrew Hawkins looked to have some chemistry with Brian Hoyer in the passing game.

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Plus, this one is in Cleveland, and the Saints only won three road games in 2013.

However, even if New Orleans struggles to contain Cleveland, it will score enough points to win the game. The Browns gave up 365 passing yards to Ben Roethlisberger, 109 rushing yards to Le’Veon Bell and 116 receiving yards to Antonio Brown, and Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston and Brandin Cooks could put up even better numbers.

The rookie Cooks certainly impressed Brees in the opener if the quarterback's comments were any indication, via Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune:

"

Listen, he's impressive. He can do a lot of things. He's a very smart player, very intense. When he's out there, it's business. He can do a lot of things for us. I'm very excited about him as we go along here, continuing to build packages around him and giving him opportunities.

"

There are just too many weapons on this Saints offense for the Browns to contain for four quarters. It’s not quite time to panic yet in New Orleans.

Prediction: New Orleans 34, Cleveland 21

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