The action gets started on Thursday night in Buffalo where the Bills will play their first ever regular season game in their new stadium, taking on the Detroit Lions, who won their opener, 31-30 in overtime last Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. The Bills won a 36-31 contest on the road against the Houston Texans to open their season.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen will look to lead the offense to a big game against the Lions defense, which allowed 30 points after shutting out the Saints in the first half. The Lions feature many weapons on offense, including do everything running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed for 156 yards and scored twice last week and also had five receptions. This game will likely be a high scoring one and could come down to the last possession. One thing for sure, the Bills fans will be jacked up sky high for this one.
The Chicago Bears put up 59 points (tied for second highest ever) in their season opener and will likely have a harder time doing that against a tough Minnesota defense, which shut down Green Bay in the second half in a 39-22 win last week. The Vikings will probably have to go with Carson Wentz again at quarterback after starter Kyler Murray was knocked out in the opener with a concussion.
The Bears defense was torched for 37 points by the Carolina Panthers, but it didn't matter because they put up the 59 points on the scoreboard while rushing for close to 300 yards. The Vikings defense got two big turnovers in their comeback win in the final quarter and will need to do more of that against the Bears if they are going to win. The game between these two teams could be high scoring (30-plus points for both teams) but don't be surprised if it isn't.
The surprising Arizona Cardinals take on the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener on Sunday. The Cards shocked the Chargers in Los Angeles last week, 26-14 as their defense stifled the Chargers offense and forced two turnovers while the special teams also came up big with a blocked punt that led to an easy score (three-yard TD pass) to seal the game early in the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks put away the stubborn New England Patriots, 13-10 last week, but the offense was lacking as starting QB Sam Darnold was knocked out of the game with a hip injury. Seattle better be ready because the Cardinals looked like a team that was out to prove something to all the doubters with their season opening road win. This game will be close and don't be surprised if the Cardinals win this NFC West tussle.
The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night and could be 2-0 after this one is over. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes played well in his first game back from the off-season knee surgery and new running back Kenneth Walker III had a huge game, scoring twice and rushing for 173 yards in the 31-10 rout over the Denver Broncos. Meanwhile, the Colts were manhandled by the visiting Baltimore Ravens, 41-23 as their defense had no answers for the Ravens offensive attack that piled up 506 total yards in the easy win. Look for the Chiefs to get another win in this game.
The Monday Night Football game in Los Angeles will feature two teams on opposite ends as the host Rams look to bounce back after their lethargic performance in the opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. The Rams lost 27-7 and the offense was stuffed in a goal line situation that swung the game completely to the 'Niners as they went 99 yards on a touchdown drive for a 24-7 lead following the big stop.
The New York Giants served notice they will be a team to beat in the NFC East as they knocked off Dallas, 28-20 last Sunday night with QB Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Saktebo leading the way. The Giants defense also came up with big plays to keep the highly touted Cowboys offense in check. This game will be a tight one as the Rams will be without defensive star Myles Garrett (knee injury) for the next four games. A toss up call here is in order, so look for anything to happen when the dust settles in this game.
The rest of the action for Week Two is featured in the capsule style form and the Heftyinfo picks follow up.
Carolina (0-1) at Atlanta (0-1) - The entire NFC South division is winless, so something has to give.
New Orleans (0-1) at Baltimore (1-0) - The Ravens should roll in this one.
Cincinnati (1-0) at Houston (0-1) - The Bengals will be going against a buzz saw team in this one. The Texans will be looking to right the ship after laying an egg at home in their season opener.
Pittsburgh (1-0) at New England (0-1) - The Steelers will have a much tougher game this week against a Patriots team that looked unprepared in their opening game loss.
Green Bay (0-1) at N.Y. Jets (1-0) - The Jets will look to fly high again this week, but the Packers need this one after getting smashed in the opening game.
Cleveland (0-1) at Tampa Bay (0-1) - Bucs QB Baker Mayfield has a chance to rip his old team in this game. The Browns looked pathetic in their blowout loss last week.
Philadelphia (1-0) at Tennessee (0-1) - The Eagles soar again this week in this game.
Jacksonville (1-0) at Denver (0-1) - Can the Broncos bounce back in their home opener against a Jaguars team that looked really good last week? Toss up here.
Las Vegas (1-0) at L.A. Chargers (0-1) - If the Chargers are really going to contend in the AFC this season, they better win this one convincingly.
Washington (0-1) at Dallas (0-1) - The Cowboys should win this game at home, but the Commanders will not go down without putting up a fight.
Miami (0-1) at San Francisco (1-0) - 49ers roll !
The Heftyinfo picks for Week Two . . . . . . . . . . . (Home teams are listed in bold; Lock of the Week is listed in BOLD CAPS)
Buffalo over Detroit
Atlanta over Carolina
Baltimore over New Orleans
Chicago over Minnesota
Houston over Cincinnati
New England over Pittsburgh
Green Bay over N.Y. Jets
Tampa Bay over Cleveland
Philadelphia over Tennessee
Denver over Jacksonville
L.A. Chargers over Las Vegas
Seattle over Arizona
Dallas over Washington
SAN FRANCISCO over Miami
Kansas City over Indianapolis
L.A. Rams over N.Y. Giants
Last Week's Record - 12-4
SEASON RECORD - 12-4
Lock of the Week Record - 0-1








