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NFL Week 2 Picks and Week 1 Recap


The 2018-2019 NFL season is underway, and through one week we've seen the usual contenders, some hot rookies, some disappointing team performances, and an incredible primetime comeback from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Before looking to Week 2, let's see how I made out in Week 1:

While I didn't predict a score here, the Eagles ultimately won this Thursday night slugfest 18-12 behind two touchdowns from Jay Ajayi. 1-0
The Ravens won and the Bills offense definitely struggled. I correctly predicted no Buffalo touchdowns, but they only mustered three points in an abysmal quarterback performance from Nathan Peterman. Baltimore steamrolls to 1-0 and I'm at 2-0
Instead of all Saints, it was all Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buccaneers.Who would have guessed? Drew Brees still staged a late comeback to cut the final score to 48-40, but as of now, Tampa Bay had the most impressive Week 1 performance of an NFC South team. 2-1
A pretty solid prediction if I do say so myself (pardon the typo in the tweet though.) The Patriots prevailed 27-20 in a game where Houston definitely had a chance. 3-1
Perhaps I got carried away predicting the Jaguars would rout the Giants. New York's offense had both flashes of brilliance and signs of growing pains as I expected, but their defense played pretty well. The Giants ultimately muffed a punt to blow a chance to win the game. 4-1
Easily my gutsiest pick, I was trying to get ahead of the game by predicting the 49ers to be very good this year. Minnesota's defense is still a force, and Kirk Cousins came through with two touchdown passes in his debut with the team, a 24-16 win, and a failed attempt at an upset pick for me. 4-2
This could end up being one of my coldest takes of Week 1. Ryan Tannehill was great, going 20-28 with two touchdowns in a 27-20 victory over the Titans. 34 points were scored in the fourth quarter of this lightning-delayed thriller. 4-3
Was right to label this one a toss-up, as the Colts may have been favored by many at home, but the Bengals scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to steal a road win. Andrew Luck went 39-53 for 319 yards and 2 touchdowns in his return to the field. 5-3
I don't get the win here... because neither team did. But I still went out on a limb predicting a close game scoring in the high 20's. Ultimately the two teams tied 21-21 after both squandering field goals in overtime. The Browns were that close to their first win in over 18 months. 5-3-1
The afternoon games didn't treat me as well as the morning ones. Here, Patrick Mahommes surprised us with four touchdown passes on just 15 completions. The Chiefs offense rolled over the Chargers, en route to a 38-28 road AFC West victory. 5-4-1
Did I give the Seahawks too much credit, or the Broncos not enough credit? A little bit of both. I underestimated the impact having key players like Richard Sherman gone would affect Seattle's defense. And on Denver's side of the ball, Case Keenum balled out with 3 touchdowns and 329 yards. 5-5-1
In what one commenter called my coldest take, I predicted the Cowboys and Panthers would struggle through a game scoring in the 10's. I chalked this up more to offensive ineptitude, but underrated Carolina's defensive ability. Neither team flew off the page offensively, so it was Carolina's defense that willed them to a 16-8 victory, with some help in the air and on the ground from Cam Newton. 5-6-1
Felt good picking the Redskins here, and even got their point total right. But the Cardinals wouldn't score 16, they would only muster 6 points in their home opener. Alex Smith shined like the veteran starter he is, and Sam Bradford was pretty unspectacular for Arizona. 6-6-1
The score I predicted was basically the score of the fourth quarter alone (it was actually 21-3) as Aaron Rodgers manufactured an incredible comeback in what was far from a snoozer. Bears had a chance but couldn't hold off Rodgers late. I barely squeak out with a Sunday night victory. 7-6-1
Image result for sam darnold jets
While some saw the Lions as a safe pick, you can see I almost wanted to pick the Jets here. After a pick six to start the game, Sam Darnold was impressive in his NFL debut, and New York's defense/special teams helped the Jets to a dominant 48-17 win. 7-7-1
Another one where I correctly predicted one team's exact score but not the actual winning margin. Todd Gurley and the Rams ran away with the victory, while Derek Carr came out slinging to mixed success: 303 yards, but three interceptions. I finish the week just slightly above .500 at 8-7-1

Click here to see the predictions for all 16 games in Week 2.


Sam Darnold photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated.com
Header photo courtesy of USA Today Sports
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