Giants at Washington

Both the Giants and Washington are coming off losses and looking to rebound. Washington unfortunately lost Ryan Fitzpatrick to injury and will be without him for the foreseeable future, so Taylor Heinicke will be starting. Heinicke has had some impressive moments, but he’s very much a wild card heading into this matchup. The Giants will hope Saquon Barkley can improve after a poor outing in week 1. As he continues to play, he should get close to 100%. This will be a close, divisional matchup, but ultimately, Washington is without its quarterback, so the Giants have a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Giants 24, Washington 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Washington 20, Giants 9

Raiders at Steelers

The Raiders looked good last week in what was probably the best game of the season so far. The Steelers also impressed with an upset victory over the Bills. Their defense once again looks like an elite unit, but their offense wasn’t very good. Pittsburgh has practically no offensive line and struggled to move the ball. Najee Harris was ineffective in week 1 and will look to improve. The Raiders will struggle a lot against this defense, so expect a low-scoring game. At the end of the day, the Steelers defense is so good that they’ll likely be able to carry the offense to a win. It worked last week, and the Bills are a better team than the Raiders.

Expert Prediction: Steelers 17, Raiders 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Steelers 24, Raiders 20

49ers at Eagles

The 49ers looked good to start the game last week but almost ended up blowing a big lead to the Jared Goff-lead Lions. That’s not a great look. They’ll have the chance to rebound this week, however. The Eagles looked very good against the Falcons, but Atlanta isn’t necessarily a force to be reckoned with. The 49ers are a much better team. The Eagles should be able to move the ball decently against this 49ers defense, but they won’t be going up and down the field like they did last week. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles will likely struggle to contain this high-end 49ers offense, so expect the 49ers to win this one.

Expert Prediction: 49ers 30, Eagles 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: 49ers 41, Eagles 21

Texans at Browns

The Texans shocked the world by winning their first game last week, but that seemed to be more reflective of how bad the Jaguars are than how good the Texans are. The Browns are a significantly tougher opponent. Cleveland almost beat the Chiefs and is certainly a playoff-caliber team. The Texans will struggle to stop the run and on the other side of the ball, the Browns have a much better defense than the Jaguars. Houston won’t be able to score nearly as many points as they did last week, so the Browns should come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Browns 30, Texans 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Browns 28, Texans 27

Broncos at Jaguars

The Broncos looked like a solid team last week. They were practically unstoppable on the ground, which is great because they won’t be able to move the ball very well with their lack of a top-end quarterback. The Jaguars, on the other hand, looked like the worst team in the NFL. They got killed by the Texans, who were expected to be a laughing stock coming into the season. Trevor Lawrence turned the ball over too many times and the defense got carved up by Tyrod Taylor. Expect Denver to win by a mile.

Expert Prediction: Broncos 35, Jaguars 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Jaguars 32, Broncos 31

Saints at Panthers

The Saints had a great game against the Packers, but they seem like the type of team that will be very inconsistent all year. That was also an off-day for the Packers, so the win might have been more reflective of how bad Green Bay was than how good New Orleans was. Nonetheless, the Saints looked incredible on defense and have an offense anchored by Alvin Kamara. The Panthers, on the other hand, struggled to beat the Jets. Christian McCaffrey, Robby Anderson, and D.J. Moore are good, but they struggled to move the ball. The Panthers should play better on offense this week, but it probably won’t be enough to beat the Saints.

Expert Prediction: Saints 28, Panthers 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Panthers 35, Saints 30

Rams at Colts

The Rams looked elite last week. With Matthew Stafford at quarterback, Los Angeles has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. They might be the best team in the NFC. The Rams have an elite defense along with a very strong offense, making them hard to beat. The Colts will struggle to move the ball on offense, as they lack elite weapons and Carson Wentz isn’t a top-end quarterback anymore. The Rams will load the box to stop Jonathan Taylor. On the other side of the ball, the Colts lost many pieces on defense. They’re still good, but not an elite unit. They can keep the Rams at bay, but Los Angeles will be able to move the ball somewhat effectively. Expect the Rams to win this one.

Expert Prediction: Rams 26, Colts 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Rams 33, Colts 23

Bills at Dolphins

The Bills didn’t look like their old selves against the Steelers, so they will look to rebound this week. Every year there seems to be one team that everyone expected to be a contender that completely falls off. Last year it was the 49ers, the year before it was the Ravens, the year before that it was the Rams, etc. The Bills might end up being that team this year, though it seems more likely that the Packers fill that role. The Dolphins looked good, but their win seemed to be more based on the fact that the Patriots messed up than the fact that the Dolphins deserved to win. It seems unlikely that the Bills will allow themselves to start 0-2, so Buffalo has an advantage.

Expert Prediction: Bills 27, Dolphins 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Dolphins 28, Bills 24

Patriots at Jets

The Patriots had a heartbreaking loss to the Dolphins, but they still looked good outside of stupid mistakes. Expect New England to fix those, as they always do. More importantly, Mac Jones looked great. He was easily the best of the rookie quarterbacks last week. The Patriots defense also looked incredibly strong. The Jets looked better than they did last year, but they’re still the Jets. New York simply isn’t a good team. The Patriots always dominate rookie quarterbacks. They even did so last year against Justin Herbert, who had the best rookie season for a quarterback ever. This week should be no different.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 31, Jets 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Patriots 26, Jets 17

Bengals at Bears

The Bengals were surprisingly able to pull off an upset against the Vikings last week and will now look to build on it against the Bears. Chicago didn’t look good at all, but they were playing an elite, Super Bowl-caliber team. The Bengals looked good on both sides of the ball, but they’re not a tremendous team either. The offense as a whole, outside of the offensive line, looked incredible. The Bears will struggle to keep them at bay if they can’t get pressure on Joe Burrow. Luckily for Chicago, they have Khalil Mack going up against an atrocious offensive line. On the other side of the ball, the Bears don’t have a great offense, but the Bengals have a mediocre defense. Andy Dalton knows Cincinnati’s defense as well, so he should play well. Ultimately, the fact that Andy Dalton is playing his old team gives the Bears the advantage because he’ll be extra motivated and he knows this defense very well.

Expert Prediction: Bears 28, Bengals 25

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bengals 30, Bears 28

Falcons at Buccaneers

The Falcons looked awful against the Eagles. They couldn’t move the ball and they still have no defense whatsoever. The Buccaneers had a close call with the Cowboys, but they ultimately pulled through. Tom Brady always seems to struggle early on in the season, so it wouldn’t be completely out of nowhere for Tampa Bay to be upset in one of the first four games. The Falcons simply don’t seem like the team to upset the Buccaneers, however. They’re too bad. The Buccaneers have games against the Rams and the Patriots after this week, and those seem to be more likely upsets than this game. For that reason, expect Tampa Bay to win this one handily.

Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 38, Falcons 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Buccaneers 44, Falcons 24

Vikings at Cardinals

The Vikings didn’t look very good last week. Even with Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen on offense, they struggled to move the ball and they had a tough time against a Bengals offense with no offensive line. The Cardinals are significantly better on offense than the Bengals and their defense was incredible last week. Arizona doesn’t have a great secondary, but their front seven is top-notch. The Vikings won’t be able to move the ball very well and they can’t stop Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense, so the Cardinals should come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Cardinals 32, Vikings 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cardinals 35, Vikings 20

Titans at Seahawks

The Titans were awful last week, so they’ll need to shift gears against the Seahawks. Seattle looked good, as they usually do early in the season, so this will be a tough game for the Titans. Seattle has a significantly worse front seven than the Cardinals, however, so Derrick Henry should be able to run rampant like he usually does. The Titans will be able to pass the ball much more effectively if the run game is working. On the other side of the ball, the Titans straight up won’t be able to stop Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Chris Carson. This will be a shootout, but with Derrick Henry on their side, the Titans can control the clock, so they have a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Titans 35, Seahawks 34

Analytics-Based Prediction: Seahawks 39, Titans 28

Cowboys at Chargers

The Cowboys looked very good last week. They almost beat the reigning champs on the road. This Dallas offense looked unstoppable, and that was while they were unable to run the ball. The Chargers’s run defense is much worse than that of the Buccaneers, so expect Zeke to return to form and have a big game. Los Angeles won’t be able to stop the Cowboys offense. Justin Herbert and the Chargers will be able to move the ball effectively against Dallas’s bad defense, but that likely won’t be enough to keep up with the Cowboys.

Expert Prediction: Cowboys 37, Chargers 30

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chargers 31, Cowboys 28

Chiefs at Ravens

The Chiefs didn’t look great to start their first game, but they pulled through like they always do. It's the same old Kansas City. The Ravens, on the other hand, have been devastated by injuries and only one game has finished. Baltimore looks like it might end up being last year’s 49ers. They’re a great team but they might have so many injuries that they miss the playoffs. There’s practically no chance that this injury-riddled Ravens team can beat the Chiefs. Kansas City has always had their number, and this week should be no different.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 34, Ravens 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 37, Ravens 30

Lions at Packers

The Packers were atrocious last week. There’s no way around it. It’s reminiscent of the 2014 Patriots Chiefs game when New England lost 41-14 and Tom Brady got benched. This was the worst game of Aaron Rodgers’s career by far. But Green Bay should rebound. There’s no way that every game this season ends like that. Will they be a Super Bowl contender again this year? Probably not. But they won’t be god awful every week and should still win the division. Aaron Rodgers will be hungry to bounce back, so expect a big game. The Lions looked better than expected last week, but they’re still the same old Lions. They aren’t good enough to beat a Packers team that will be seeking revenge.

Expert Prediction: Packers 31, Lions 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 25, Lions 23