The Minnesota Vikings travel to Green Bay to face the Packers, who may or may not have a hobbled Aaron Rodgers starting at quarterback this Sunday.
The Vikings have a strong defense while Rodgers and company are coming off their stunning comeback from a 20-0 deficit against the Chicago Bears in the opener that resulted in a 24-23 thrilling victory. This one could very well come down to the final possession.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Night Football game features NFC East rivals Dallas and the New York Giants going at it in Dallas where the Cowboys will be looking to jump start their offense after last week's debacle against Carolina.
Speaking of Carolina, the Panthers will face the Atlanta Falcons in a stiff road test.
The Falcons came so close, but again were beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles, 18-12 in the opening game. The Panthers defense frustrated Dallas last week and will look to do the same against QB Matt Ryan and the rest of the Atlanta offense.
Four other divisional games include Oakland at Denver (AFC West), Arizona at Los Angeles Rams (NFC West), Houston at Tennessee (AFC South) and Miami at New York Jets (AFC East). The battle between the Jets and Dolphins features teams that surprised the opposition in Week One and put them both in a tie with the New England Patriots for first place in the division.
The Patriots will be in Jacksonville to play the Jaguars, who knocked off the New York Giants, 20-15 last week behind stellar defense. The Jags will look to get a measure of revenge against the Patriots, who edged them in the AFC Championship Game back in January.
All in all, it looks to be a great slate of games this week. So here goes another effort for Heftyinfo to predict the winners and losers around the NFL. The following offers a capsule style preview of all the action as well as the picks.
Carolina (1-0) at Atlanta (0-1) - The Falcons, playing at home, cannot afford to start 0-2 this season. Panthers showed solid defense in their opener.
LA Chargers (0-1) at Buffalo (0-1) - The Chargers will likely be without defensive star Joey Bosa again. The offense must pick up the slack against a Bills D that allowed 47 points against Baltimore.
Minnesota (1-0) at Green Bay (1-0) - The Vikings defense against Aaron Rodgers and company . . . Now that is football.
Cleveland (0-0-1) at New Orleans (0-1) - The Browns could pull this game out if the Saints defense plays like they did last week, giving up 48 points to a backup quarterback led Tampa Bay team.
Miami (1-0) at NY Jets (1-0) - The Jets rang up 48 points on the road last week while the Dolphins won a close one at home in their opener. Flip a coin for this one.
Kansas City (1-0) at Pittsburgh (0-0-1) - The Steelers coughed up a 14-point lead late last week while the Chiefs roughed up the Chargers on the road as Tyreek Hill had a MONSTER game.
Philadelphia (1-0) at Tampa Bay (1-0) - Two unbeaten teams going at it. Beware the Beard ! (aka Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick) This game could be closer than most fans might think.
Houston (0-1) at Tennessee (0-1) - Another divisional contest that likely will go down to the wire. Titans QB Marcus Mariota was injured in the opener as the offense struggled.
Indianapolis (0-1) at Washington (1-0) - The Redskins rolled on the road last week while the Colts were hammered at home by the Cincinnati Bengals. Take the Redskins.
Arizona (0-1) at LA Rams (1-0) - Rams should roll in this game.
Detroit (0-1) at San Francisco (0-1) - The Lions looked pathetic in a drubbing at home last week. The 49ers were smoked by the Vikings. Something has to give.
Oakland (0-1) at Denver (1-0) - The Raiders need this win and it's only Week Two. Denver looked decent in their opener, but this game could go either way.
New England (1-0) at Jacksonville (1-0) - The NFL Game of the Week, no doubt. Two solid teams going at it in a game that might come down to the final minute. Brady and company rate a slight edge, even on the road.
NY Giants (0-1) at Dallas (0-1) - The loser of this game will likely be two games out of first place in the NFC East race.
Seattle (0-1) at Chicago (0-1) - Monday Night Football in the Windy City between two teams that suffered close losses in Week One.
The Heftyinfo picks for Week Two . . . . . (Home teams listed in bold; Lock of the Week is listed in BOLD CAPS)
Baltimore over Cincinnati
Atlanta over Carolina
LA Chargers over Buffalo
Minnesota over Green Bay
New Orleans over Cleveland
NY Jets over Miami
Pittsburgh over Kansas City
Philadelphia over Tampa Bay
Tennessee over Houston
Washington over Indianapolis
LA RAMS over Arizona
San Francisco over Detroit
Oakland over Denver
New England over Jacksonville
Dallas over NY Giants
Chicago over Seattle
Last Week's Record - 9-6-1
SEASON RECORD - 9-6-1
Lock of the Week Record - 0-1
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