NFL Week 2: The Ultimate Guide to Sunday's Action

We know nothing. 

That's the story out of Week 1, and it can't be more prescient than when heading into Week 2. Surprises were around every corner during the first slate of games as heavily regarded teams like the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears fell while the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans found their way to victory. 

Forget everything you thought you learned in Week 1 because nothing has quite the same paradigm-shattering potential of Week 2. Matchups shuffle. Week 1 pretenders are revealed. Trends start forming. 

With that in mind, here's everything—absolutely every single thing—you need to know about Week 2 in the NFL. 

Biggest Questions

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Patriots QB Tom Brady

Can the New England Patriots Stop the Run and Put the Minnesota Vikings Away?

Last week, the Patriots fell apart in the second half, losing to the Miami Dolphins 33-20 and giving up 191 total yards on the ground. I've been as high on Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno as anyone, but he's not the superstar the Patriots allowed him to be. 

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson won't be playing, but the Patriots need to win at the line of scrimmage in ways they did not do in Week 1. 

Are the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions for Real?

Neither the Falcons nor the Lions had a great 2013.

Going into Week 1, though, it isn't as if either were major underdogs. The Falcons had the New Orleans Saints at home in a rivalry game, and the Lions had a great home-field advantage against the struggling New York Giants.

Both teams turned out fantastic performances, yet both have big tests in Week 2.

The Lions will be in Carolina to face the Panthers while the Falcons will be on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. How these two enigmatic teams fare against their stiffer competition could be a big clue toward their season-long chances. 

Did the Philadelphia Eagles Learn Their Week 1 Lesson?

The old Mike Tyson quote is, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

Last week, the Eagles were thrown off their game plan right away as the Jacksonville Jaguars pounced to a first-half lead. Quarterback Nick Foles looked terrible for much of the game, and the defense looked even worse as Jacksonville receiver Allen Hurns had an All-Pro-like performance. 

That sort of thing won't work against the Indianapolis Colts. 

The Eagles need to come strong out of the gate, or things might not bounce back quite like they hope.

Odds and Ends

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Saints TE Jimmy Graham

• To find out which games are available in your area, check out these NFL coverage maps, via 506 Sports.
• Who's calling your game of choice Sunday? Here are announcer pairings for CBS (via Ken Fang) and Fox (via BFlo 360).
• Football Zebras provides a look at which referees are working each game so you can tailor your insults accordingly.
• Can't make it to a TV? SiriusXM covers every single game. Here's the lineup.
• Don't have satellite radio? Check to see if Westwood One has a game playing in your area.
• Regardless of whether you can watch your favorite team, make sure you have the B/R Team Stream app for the latest in news, fantasy and highlights.

Game of the Day

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Broncos LB Von Miller

Who: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

When: Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver

What: 

The Chiefs are in trouble. 

Last year, the Chiefs had one of the most fortunate early season schedules possible. They looked invincible every week, as it seemed almost as if the football powers that be wanted to roll out the red carpet to a fantastic year for Kansas City. 

Things have fallen apart a bit. 

As noted by ESPN's Adam Teicher, it's been a rough stretch for the Chiefs since starting 9-0 last season:

"

There's not a lot for the Chiefs to be optimistic about right now. Since their 9-0 start last season they've gone 2-7, including their collapse in the playoffs against Indianapolis. Their offensive line is in tatters, quarterback Alex Smithis throwing interceptions in uncharacteristically high numbers, running back Jamaal Charles didn’t get the ball much against Tennessee, some of their best young players aren't contributing much, they lost two of their best defensive players for the season with injuries last week and their defense got pushed around by Jake Locker and the Titans.

"

Last week's embarrassing loss to the Tennessee Titans was one thing, but the Denver Broncos are able to put up literally any number against a injury-stricken Chiefs defense, and the improved Broncos defense should prove to be a tremendous hurdle for quarterback Alex Smith and the Chiefs offensive line. 

The Chiefs don't have to win, but hopefully they can find a way to regain a little of their magic from last year, harass Denver quarterback Peyton Manning and utilize the return of wide receiver Dwayne Bowe to score a few more points in Week 2. 

Sunday Night Football (NBC)

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49ers LB Patrick Willis

Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers (8:30 p.m. ET)

The Bears dropped the ball in Week 1, and they could easily get dropped themselves in Week 2.

The San Francisco 49ers took care of business against the Dallas Cowboys, and now they have another weak defense to tune up their offense against and another mistake-prone quarterback to pick on. Frankly, I'm not even sure if the Niners really needed to prepare for this week or if they just sat back and watched the Chicago Bears Week 1 blooper reel a few times for laughs—a blooper reel that included quarterback Jay Cutler.

Head coach Marc Trestman had nothing but good things to say about his quarterback following the Bears' Week 1 loss, though, per Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune:

"

I’ve seen Jay in my time here do a lot of the right things with the football. I can’t speak for anything else. I’m disappointed for the team and I see how hard he works and what he puts into it.

"

Cutler has to be much better than he was last weekend. A mistake here and there isn't a terrible thing for a high-risk/high-reward passer, but he can't let himself be rattled and throw one crushing pick after another. 

In the end, the game might be decided by the extremely favorable matchup between running back Frank Gore and the 49ers rushing attack and the woeful Bears defense. If quarterback Colin Kaepernick and company can just play keep-away without putting the ball in the air, the Bears won't stand a chance. 

Rest of the Slate (Fox)

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Lions DT Ndamukong Suh and Panthers QB Cam Newton

Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers (1 p.m. ET)

Two strong defensive lines face off, but the Panthers could have their hands full if the Lions are nearly as explosive as they were in Week 1. The health and performance of Panthers QB Cam Newton could be key, as the Lions lack a lot of athleticism in the back seven. 

Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans (1 p.m. ET)

Can the Cowboys stop anybody? 

If not, Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker's star will continue to rise and more of his doubters will be silenced. The Titans rushing attack is an interesting unit to watch as well, and they should have free reign to set the pace in this one.

Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants (1 p.m. ET)

With or without quarterback Carson Palmer, the Cardinals should be able to run roughshod over the Giants (even at home) if the Giants don't significantly improve after their performance against the Lions. 

Where's this new offense we keep hearing about? Eli Manning's been terrible. 

New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. ET)

The Saints were one of my Super Bowl picks, but this is already looking like a must-win (yes, I know, long season...blah, blah blah). Going 0-2 isn't the problem. No, the problem is losing one of those games to the Browns. 

The offense is fine and should put up big numbers here, but quarterback Brian Hoyer and company put up good numbers against the Steelers, and the Saints defense couldn't tackle for anything against the Falcons. 

OK, "must-win' might be a little extreme, but the Saints need to take care of business. 

St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4:05 p.m. ET)

The Rams are a completely different team from what was expected just a few months ago. They were blown out by the Minnesota Vikings and now face a Buccaneers team that has more than enough talent on defense to make this game a very low-scoring affair. 

If Tampa Bay quarterback Josh McCown finds a little bit more rhythm with his receivers, we could be looking at an awfully embarrassing 0-2 for Rams head coach Jeff Fisher and company. 

Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers (4:05 p.m. ET)

I have pretty high hopes for the Chargers this season overall, but this isn't the week for them to get wide receiver Keenan Allen rolling, and their only real hope is that the Seahawks' road woes from 2013 continue in 2014. 

Rest of the Slate (CBS)

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Bengals QB Andy Dalton and Falcons QB Matt Ryan

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET)

A bit like the opposite side of the coin from the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons question a few slides back, these two teams faced (and won) huge matchups in Week 1. Now, they almost get an early season tiebreaker to see who can be the up-and-coming team in the AFC.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington (1 p.m. ET)

I know one thing: Washington is going to do everything within its power to make sure Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns doesn't sneak behind its defense. 

It might not be enough. 

I like the defenses to take control in this one overall, and the tie might just go to the home team. 

New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m. ET)

Without Adrian Peterson, the Vikings still have some weapons (especially wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson), but they don't have the engine that makes the train go.

If Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and company can get the offense rolling, this could end up being quite the blowout.

Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals (1 p.m. ET)

Last week, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was able to mitigate the terrible play of his offensive line by extending plays and making terrific throws on the move both within the pocket and outside of it. 

Things are going to get a whole lot more difficult against the Bengals front seven. 

If the Bengals can get some stops, they should cruise at home. If not, the Falcons could go from zero to hero pretty quick. 

Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders (4:25 p.m. ET)

Can anyone on the Raiders stop Texans defensive end J.J. Watt? We talked so much about the blitz last week as Oakland faced off against Rex Ryan's New York Jets, but now we get to see Oakland's rookie Derek Carr try to pass efficiently against the league's single-best defender. 

Houston can't let this turn into a high-scoring game, though, and needs to create some turnovers and keep Carr's strong arm under wraps. 

New York Jets at Green Bay Packers (4:25 p.m. ET)

This game reeks of a "misplaced revenge" game for a Packers team that can't feel good about how Week 1 went for it. So it gets a much less talented Jets team at home. 

Yikes. 

The key will be for the Jets to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the pocket. They don't have the talent on the outside that Seattle does, but they have a couple of real studs up front. Disrupt the play early and play good contain, and they might have a shot.

Key Matchups

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Knowshon Moreno (RB Miami Dolphins) vs. Buffalo Bills Front Seven

The Bills won last weekend, but the defensive line play could have been better, and the loss of linebacker Kiko Alonso was always going to make the rest of the unit work harder. 

Honestly, this is a bit of a show-me game for both sides of this equation. The NFL world wants to believe in Moreno and that Week 1 wasn't just a fluke, but the consistency has to be there as well. If the Bills are able to shut him down, though, we'll all be forced to take their defense a lot more seriously. 

Keenan Allen (WR San Diego Chargers) vs. Legion of Boom

Speaking of guys who need to show something in Week 2...

No, not Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. 

Allen was near-invisible in Week 1, and that's a problem for a team that needs him to be the same budding superstar he was last season. The Seahawks will use a number of cornerbacks on him and will likely try to provide some safety help as well with the dearth of other truly quality targets. 

It's a tough hill to climb, but some of the best trials are by fire. 

Julius Thomas (TE Denver Broncos) vs. Eric Berry (S Kansas City Chiefs)

Thomas ate up anyone trying to cover him against the Indianapolis Colts, but typically, the Chiefs have used Berry on him, and Berry is one of the best safeties in the league. 

The Broncos have more than enough targets to go around, but Thomas is key to keeping the Chiefs pass rush (what's left of it) off quarterback Peyton Manning and also in releasing some of the pressure from the box by bursting down the seam. 

If the Broncos can impose their will and get Thomas the ball with Berry on him, there's no looking back. 

Brodrick Bunkley (NT New Orleans Saints) vs. Alex Mack (C Cleveland Browns)

A zone-blocking running game isn't about the running back as much as it is the linemen. 

The Saints, for as much as Ryan tore them apart in Week 1, bottled up the run game relatively well. At the point of attack, Bunkley is a load, but Mack is one of the very best. We saw this to some extent with center Jeremy Zuttah in Baltimore against Pittsburgh—if Mack consistently wins that battle, the Browns could pull the upset.

Injury Report

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Dolphins RB Knowshon Moreno

Vontaze Burfict (LB Cincinnati Bengals)—Questionable, Concussion

Burfict hasn't been practicing, but will play if he can pass the concussion protocol. Without him, it'll be that much more difficult to keep Ryan from spending a bunch of time keeping plays alive.

Knowshon Moreno (RB Miami Dolphins)—Probable, Shoulder

Moreno will almost certainly play, but fellow running back Lamar Miller could be asked to carry a greater load. 

Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery (WRs Chicago Bears)—Questionable, Ankle/Hamstring

If one or both of these guys can't play, it would almost seal the deal for the 49ers' victory. Cutler isn't going to start making those aforementioned better choices if he doesn't have the receivers he trusts out there. 

Carson Palmer (QB Arizona Cardinals)—Questionable, Shoulder

If Palmer can't go, the Cardinals will not only have to rely a lot more on their running game and Andre Ellington, but also on backup quarterback Drew Stanton.

Bleacher Report Expert Predictions

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Texans DE J.J. Watt

Check out the Bleacher Report writers' picks for this week and see how we did in Week 1.

Week 2 Expert Consensus Picks

NFL Predictions Week 2: Expert Consensus Predictions

To follow how the B/R writers stack up against writers from across the web, check out Pickwatch.com.

Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff on his archive page and follow him on Twitter.