NFL Predictions Week 2: Bleacher Report's Expert Consensus Projections

OK, so here's the thing about predictions. They're more art than science, and unless you make the most obvious ones possible, you're going to be wrong from time to time.

Such was the case in Week 1. For instance, the esteemed writers here at Bleacher Report (and me) picked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to "upset" the defending NFC South champion Carolina Panthers.

We were chided for picking an upset featuring a team that was favored in Vegas, according to Odds Shark, although it's worth mentioning that the line opened with Tampa being a three-point underdog before everyone and their mother bet on the Buccaneers, swinging the line a full touchdown.

Well, the Panthers showed us all, defeating a sloppy Tampa team behind the surprisingly not terrible play of backup quarterback Derek Anderson.

Yes, that Derek "Airmail" Anderson.

There was also criticism of the "Player of the Week" predictions as "too obvious."

Never let it be said that we don't listen. Those categories have now been replaced by "Sleeper QB" (and so on), so you'll have much less obvious choices at each position to ridicule in the comments section of this article in Week 2.

We do it all for you, valued reader.

So as the gang at Bleacher Report tries to figure out if Josh McCown's mojo was stolen by a cartoon villain from the planet Mediocre 12, here's a look at our latest pigskin prognostications for Week 2.

Upset of the Week

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars (+4.5) over Washington Redskins (4 votes)

As is bound to be the case with this category every week, there were a multitude of candidates for upset of the week. In fact, one moron even picked the San Diego Chargers to defeat the juggernaut that is the Seattle Seahawks.

(That moron is me, by the way. It's a reach, but that's a textbook trap game with the Broncos coming to Seattle in Week 3, and the 'Hawks have been known to play flat on the road.)

Still, just like last week, one game stands above the rest in the eyes of our panel. And once again, given the state of the two teams involved, it may not be that big of an upset.

The Jacksonville Jaguars nearly pulled off an upset of the Eagles in Philadelphia last week—had they realized that football games have two halves, that is. They outscored the Eagles 17-0 in the first 30 minutes last Sunday, only to be annihilated 34-0 in the second half.

For Washington, the same problems that dogged the team during the preseason were very much evident in a 17-6 loss at Houston. The team made a number of costly mistakes. Quarterback Robert Griffin III continued to look erratic throwing downfield and uncomfortable in new head coach Jay Gruden's offense.

Not only were Griffin's passes off, but as Dan Hanzus of NFL.com reports, so was the third-year pro's scrambling ability:

"

Griffin isn't wearing that bulky knee brace anymore. He's supposed to be healthy, or at least the most healthy he's been since his January 2013 knee injury. But we didn't get a good idea of that on Sunday. Griffin looked helpless as Houston pass-rushers closed in, his ability to escape defenders notably absent. Is it gone forever?

"

Week 2 is still awfully early to be hitting the panic button, but if our voters are correct and Gus Bradley's Jaguars travel to the nation's capital and beat Washington...

People are going to freak...out.

Others receiving votes: Dallas Cowboys (+3.5) over Tennessee Titans (3 votes), Minnesota Vikings (+4.5) over New England Patriots (2 votes), San Diego Chargers (+4.5) over Seattle Seahawks (1 vote), New York Giants (+2.5) over Arizona Cardinals (1 vote), New York Jets (+9) over Green Bay Packers (1 vote), Chicago Bears (+7) over San Francisco 49ers (1 vote), Cleveland Browns (+6.5) over New Orleans Saints (1 vote)

Blowout of the Week

Peter Aiken/Getty Images

Winner: Denver Broncos over Kansas City Chiefs (6 votes)

Man oh man, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are the no-doubt, mortal-lock winners of the "Well, you see, what had happened was" award for Week 1 after getting shellacked at home by the Tennessee Titans, 26-10.

The Chiefs looked a lot more like the 2-14 team from two years ago than last year's playoff squad. As if the score wasn't bad enough, the team lost arguably its best defensive player in defeat, with inside linebacker Derrick Johnson going down with a torn Achilles. Ditto for starting defensive end Mike DeVito.

There's no time to lick the wounds, however. Now, the Chiefs have to travel to Denver and face a Broncos team that made short work of the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday night.

The Chiefs signed former Broncos defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson and made a practice squad promotion, but head coach Andy Reid admitted to The Associated Press (via USA Today) that some defensive changes are being made on the fly.

"We've brought some new people in here and we'll see how they do," Reid said. "We'll just see. I can't tell you play time and all that other stuff. We have to give them a couple practices here and get some time under their belt."

Does any of that, in any way, sound good heading into a matchup with Peyton Manning and that Denver offense?

No. No, it does not.

Others receiving votes: New Orleans Saints over Cleveland Browns (4 votes), Houston Texans over Oakland Raiders (1 vote), Arizona Cardinals over New York Giants (1 vote), Tampa Bay Buccaneers over St. Louis Rams (1 vote), Seattle Seahawks over San Diego Chargers (1 vote)

Biggest Mismatch

Peter Aiken/Getty Images

Winner: Denver Broncos offense vs. Kansas City Chiefs defense (8 votes)

Given our panel's pick for Blowout of the Week, this one isn't exactly a shock. Simply put, this game is shaping up to be a nightmare for the Chiefs defense, a defense that just gave up 26 at home to Tennessee.

The Broncos may score that many points in the first quarter.

Derrick Johnson was by far the team's best linebacker against the run, and now, if the Chiefs want to keep Montee Ball from running wild, they'll likely have to cheat safety Eric Berry up. That will open up the middle of the field behind him for tight end Julius Thomas.

Kansas City's biggest defensive strength lies in rushing the passer. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Denver allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL last year. Its line ranked No. 1 in the NFL in pass protection in 2013, according to Football Outsiders.

And that was without Pro Bowl left tackle Ryan Clady, who's back after missing most of last year.

At least the Chiefs will have cornerback Marcus Cooper back after he was inactive last week against the Titans. Oh wait, Manning roasted Cooper like a Cornish game hen last year in Denver.

Yep. "Nightmare" about covers it.

Others receiving votes: Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense vs. St. Louis Rams offense (4 votes), Atlanta Falcons offense vs. Cincinnati Bengals defense (1 vote), New Orleans Saints defense vs. Cleveland Browns offense (1 vote)

Sleeper QB Performance

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

Winner: Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (8 votes)

As I mentioned in the title slide, we're going a bit deeper with the positional predictions this week, although there are sure to be arguments over what exactly constitutes a "sleeper."

In some ways, Jake Locker of the Tennessee Titans wouldn't seem to qualify, as his ascension was just put into hibernation last year. Locker actually played well in 2013 before getting hurt (again), topping the 60 percent completion mark for the first time in his career. In the NFL or in college.

The fourth-year pro picked up right where he left off last week, passing for 266 yards and two scores in Tennessee's beatdown of the Chiefs.

After that game, Locker told Peter King of The MMQB, "I don't want to sound arrogant, but one of our expectations was that we were going to be able to execute and be efficient on offense."

Our panel expects Locker to once again execute this week against a Dallas defense that was terrible before it was ravaged by injuries.

Others receiving votes: Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars (2 votes); Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (1 vote); Matt Cassel, Minnesota Vikings (1 vote); Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (1 vote); Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (1 vote)

Sleeper RB Performance

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Winner: Terrance West, Cleveland Browns (4 votes)

At this time a year ago, Terrance West was carrying the load in the backfield for tiny Towson University. A lot can change in a year.

Sunday, he will start at running back for the Cleveland Browns against the New Orleans Saints. Ben Tate suffering a knee injury (I know, him getting hurt is a shocker) last week has opened the door for the rookie third-round pick to draw the start.

West, who ran for a staggering 2,509 yards with 41 touchdowns at Towson last year, certainly didn't seem overwhelmed by the NFL a week ago, gaining 100 yards on 16 carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Head coach Mike Pettine praised the play of West and fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell while speaking with Kevin Jones of the team's website:

"

It was encouraging, but they need to be able to take the next step. This will be another challenge for them. To go against this type of defense that nothing either one of those guys have seen before. It’ll be a good test for them. I think [running backs coach] Wilbert Montgomery has done a good job with that group. They were obviously prepared for the Pittsburgh game to step in [and] play. And we’re hopeful it’ll be more of the same this week.

"

The Saints surrendered 123 yards on the ground to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, and you have to think Pettine will try very hard to run the ball and control the clock against New Orleans' high-octane offense.

Add it up, and our voters say, "Go West, young man!"

I'll be here all season, folks. Don't forget to tip your server.

Others receiving votes: Chris Ivory, New York Jets (3 votes); Toby Gerhart, Jacksonville Jaguars (2 votes); Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons (2 vote); Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills (1 vote); Shonn Greene, Tennessee Titans (1 vote); Maurice Jones-Drew, Oakland Raiders (1 vote)

Sleeper WR Performance

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Winner: Golden Tate, Detroit Lions (3 votes)

This is an entry that will get an argument started about whether Golden Tate qualifies as a "sleeper."

After all, Tate was the leading receiver for a Seattle Seahawks team that won the Super Bowl last year. Just this past Monday night, Tate reeled in six passes for 93 yards in the Lions' lopsided win over the New York Giants.

However, Tate has never amassed a 1,000-yard season in the NFL—a feat that isn't exactly mission impossible nowadays—so we'll say he counts.

If last Monday was any indication, though, that 1,000-yard season is coming. As John Niyo of The Detroit News reported, Tate was "as advertised" in his first game in Motown. Among Tate's half-dozen catches was a 44-yard rainbow down the sideline where he was wide-open, a play that drew a smile from the receiver.

"That's a big play," Tate said, via Niyo. "That's a first down. That's an explosive play. And that's what we want to do. We want to be an explosive team, consistently. It doesn't matter who we're going against."

There should be plenty of opportunities for those sorts of plays Sunday in Carolina. The Panthers secondary is average at best, and playing opposite Calvin Johnson has a tendency to result in all sorts of single coverage.

Others receiving votes: Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles (2 votes); Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals (2 votes); Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans (2 votes); Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints (1 vote); Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys (1 vote); Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons (1 vote); Brian Hartline, Miami Dolphins (1 vote); DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (1 vote)

Sleeper TE Performance

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Winner: TIE

Larry Donnell, New York Giants (3 votes); Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears (3 votes); Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (3 votes)

We've got a three-way logjam for the "sleeper" tight end of the week.

Behind door No. 1, there's Larry Donnell of the New York Giants, who opened a lot of eyes with five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. This week, the 25-year-old gets an Arizona defense that was one of the worst in NFL history at defending tight ends last year.

If that's not your speed and you prefer tight ends catching passes from actual NFL quarterbacks (Eli, dude—what is up?), there's Martellus Bennett of the Chicago Bears. Bennett hauled in eight catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in last week's overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills.

But wait, there's more!

Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles, who was a trendy pick in many circles as a potential breakout candidate at the tight end position in 2014, also picked up three votes from our panel. Ertz reeled in three catches for 77 yards and a score last week against the Jaguars.

"I'm more of a complete tight end this year than last year," Ertz told Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I've made some improvements in the blocking specifically. I made plays in the passing game. Hopefully I can contribute more and more each week."

Decisions, decisions.

Others receiving votes: Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts (1 vote); Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints (with one arm tied behind his back?...1 vote); Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions (1 vote); Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals (1 vote)

Best Defensive Performance

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Winner: J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans (7 votes)

OK, so we may have to change the name of this category, either by adding a "sleeper" tag or just calling it "The J.J. Watt Memorial to Emotionally Shattered Quarterbacks."

Make no mistake: Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III is going to be seeing Watt in his sleep for weeks.

It wasn't just that Watt had a sack in last week's win. He was absolutely relentless. He single-handedly changed Washington's entire offensive game plan.

This week, Watt and the Texans travel to Oakland to face the Raiders and rookie quarterback Derek Carr.

Watt against a rookie quarterback? They might as well cover Carr in gravy before the game.

While many went the obvious route with Watt, Bleacher Report NFL National Lead Writer Mike Tanier and AFC West Lead Writer Christopher Hansen took the road less traveled, settling on Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph. It's a sneaky-good pick given how much trouble the interior of the New England Patriots offensive line had against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.

Others receiving votes: Gerald McCoy, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3 votes); Linval Joseph, DT, Minnesota Vikings (2 votes); Robert Quinn, St. Louis Rams (1 vote); Cameron Wake, Miami Dolphins (1 vote)