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

There are some real opportunities for savvy handicappers as we contemplate Week 2. 

We are still at a point in the season where the oddsmakers are gathering information, and while their lines are quite a bit sharper than they were in Week 1, there are chances to take advantage and have a strong week.

There are many factors to consider when handicapping, but the NFL is a quarterback's league. When the quarterback of one team has a sizable advantage over his opponent, there's a strong opportunity to pick a winner.

In addition to making selections on each game, we will go into detail on three of the games that appear to be "can't-miss" on the Week 2 schedule

Can't-miss, of course, is a relative term. Always handicap these games with a budget in mind, and remember there are 16 weeks remaining to the rest of the regular season, so there's no reason to go overboard in the second week of the season.

Game	Line	Over/Under	Prediction	Time	Network
Denver at Kansas City	KC -3	42	Kansas City; Under	8:25 p.m.	CBS
New England at Buffalo	Even	45	Buffalo; Over	1 p.m.	CBS
Houston at Carolina	Car. -3	40	Carolina; Under	1 p.m.	CBS
Arizona at Chicago	Ariz. -2.5	4546	Arizona; Over	1 p.m.	Fox
San Diego at Cincinnati	Cin. -3	47	SD; Over	1 p.m.	CBS
Tennessee at Cleveland	Even	41.5	Tennessee; Under	1 p.m.	CBS
Detroit at Minnesota	Minn. -2.5	43	Minnesota; Under	1 p.m.	Fox
Tampa Bay at New Orleans	NO -11	47	New Orleans; Over	1 p.m.	Fox
Atlanta at New York Giants	NYG -2.5	51.5	New York Giants; Over	1 p.m.	Fox
San Francisco at Pittsburgh	Pitt. -6	45	Pittsburgh; Over	1 p.m.	Fox
St. Louis at Washington	St. L -3.5	41	St. Louis; Under	1 p.m.	Fox
Miami at Jacksonville	Mia. -7	41.5	Miami; Under	4:05 p.m.	CBS
Baltimore at Oakland	Balt. -7	43	Baltimore; Under	4:05 p.m.	CBS
Dallas at Philadelphia	Phil. -5	55	Philadelphia; Under	4:25 p.m.	Fox
Seattle at Green Bay	GB -4	49	Green Bay; Over	8:30 p.m.	NBC
New York Jets at Indianapolis	Ind. -7.5	47	Indianapolis; Over	8:30 p.m.	ESPN

Cardinals ready to take advantage of undermanned Bears

When the Bears fired Marc Trestman at the end of the 2014 season, they were a completely dysfunctional team. Prideful Virginia McCaskey, the daughter of the legendary George Halas, could not stand what had happened to her late father's beloved team, so the Bears cleaned house.

Veteran coach John Fox is charged with making sure the Bears show improvement. While he is running a tighter and more professional ship than Trestman, the Bears have a long way to go. They were among the worst defensive teams in the league the last two seasons, and they don't have the personnel at this point to take a big step up the ladder. 

Bruce Arians does not have that kind of issue with the Cardinals. Arizona has a forceful and hard-hitting defense, one that was among the best in the league for much of the 2014 season. However, when the Cardinals suffered key injuries at the quarterback position, the defense lost its traction and the team struggled down the stretch.

Quarterback Carson Palmer is healthy this year, and he led the Cardinals to a Week 1 victory over the Saints. If he can get the best of Drew Brees, he should not have a problem gaining an edge over erratic Jay Cutler.

"

Listen in to Carson Palmer wired for sound during the win against the New Orleans Saints. https://t.co/4sAHXVviil

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 17, 2015"

In the Bears opener against the Packers, Cutler threw a key interception as Chicago was moving toward a potential tying touchdown.

Cutler led the NFL in turnovers with 24 last year, and that tendency puts even more pressure on the Chicago defense.

The Bears want to establish the run with Matt Forte as much as possible, which would reduce the number of times Cutler would have to throw the ball. Forte ran for 141 yards in Week 1 against the Packers, but the Cardinals held the Saints to a league-low 54 yards rushing on 20 attempts (2.7 yards per carry) in their opener.

If the Arizona run defense holds, this game could get ugly for the homestanding Bears.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Vikings will bounce back shell-shocked Lions

Some handicappers may feel a bit queasy about backing the Minnesota Vikings this week after their uninspired performance in the opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Vikings offense never was able to get on track despite the return of Adrian Peterson. The former All-Pro running back never found his rhythm and when he did carry the ball, he seemed to run tentatively. Second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater appeared to regress as his passes lacked both zip and accuracy.

"

Adrian Peterson: 31 yards rushing Tied for his 8th-lowest single-game total in career

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 15, 2015"

The defense put up a fight, but by the midway point of the third quarter, the Niners had won the physical battle and took it to the Vikings with their running attack.

The Vikings were beaten in every phase—and that's just why we like them this week against the Lions.

There's no getting around how bad they were, and head coach Mike Zimmer will not let them forget it up until game time. He will demand their best effort against a Detroit team that blew a 21-3 lead on the road against the Chargers and also lost their opener.

Matthew Stafford has a strong arm, but he threw two critical interceptions in Week 1. When Stafford has been pressured throughout his career, he has made big mistakes.

Expect Minnesota to be fully prepared when it plays its first home game, and it should win comfortably against the Lions.

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Colts have something to prove on Monday night

If you followed our logic with the Vikings, then you should understand why we are backing the Indianapolis Colts Monday night against the Jets.

The Colts got handled physically by the Buffalo Bills in the opener, and the heat is starting to mount on head coach Chuck Pagano. He is expected to have an excellent chance of leading the Colts to the top of the AFC this year, and that means that they can't afford to start the season 0-2.

Look for a sharp effort from the Colts offensive line, which did not do a good job against the Bills. If Andrew Luck gets solid protection, he should be able to have a strong game in the Colts home opener.

"

Andrew Luck was only accurate on 56.5% of his passes in week 1, the lowest in the league. pic.twitter.com/FNwUn93KbQ

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) September 15, 2015"

The Jets rolled to a relatively easy win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, but this is a major step up in competition against a motivated opponent. 

Those are tough circumstances for rookie head coach Todd Bowles. The Jets have a strong defense and could stay in the game for a half, but look for Luck to keep the pressure on as the Colts pull away in the fourth quarter.