NFL 2021 Week Two Preview Chiefs To Stamp Their Authority?

Week two of the 2021 NFL season kicks off this week with an all NFC East Thursday night clash between the Giants and Washington, both of whom are coming off an opening loss. This is not the most exciting of prime time games for the neutral, however, there is plenty to look forward to on Sunday!

The best has been saved for last on Sunday night with the Chiefs travelling to the Ravens. Baltimore having lost their opener will want to avoid slumping to 0-2 in what is likely to be a tough AFC North. The Chiefs will be looking to stamp their authority on the AFC with a second win against potential postseason opposition having edged out the Browns in week one. With only one team getting a bye in the playoffs now head to head wins can count big.

Big Night In The AFC East

Other games which catch our attention include the big AFC East clash between the Bills v Dolphins. Buffalo won’t want to fall two games behind even at this early stage. That will be our early evening watch. The pick of the late games looks to be Tennessee @ Seattle. Seattle is in the brutal NFC West and they will be keen to get another interconference win under their belts before the divisional games begin in earnest. We are not sure if Tennessee just had an off night or they were facing a very good Cardinals team. we will know a bit more after this one.

Monday Night Football

The week finishes on a high note too with Green Bay facing off against divisional rivals Detroit. Both lost last week and gave up lots of points in the process. The Packers looked very ordinary in their 38-3 beatdown in New Orleans. They couldn’t stop the run and turned the ball over 3 times. Despite the offseason drama, they were one of the fancied teams in the NFC and will be looking to bounce back.

The Lions on the other hand played quite well against the 49ers keeping to within one score. They battled back well in the 4th quarter and had the chance to tie the game up before turning the ball over on downs to end the game.

This one should be worth sitting up for.

Anyway here is the full list of the week’s games together with our predictions.

NFL 2021 Week Two Games

Thursday, 16 September

New York Giants @ Washington FT

Both teams lost their opening game and neither looked particularly good in defeat.  Washington will point to them losing their starting QB early and with a week to prepare back up Taylor Heinkie should do better. The Giants have won their last 5 games against Washington but might struggle this time against their defensive front.

Reasons to Watch 

If you like defensive football seeing Chase Young & Montez Sweat going after the QB should be enough.

Prediction 

Washington by 3 points

Sunday, 19 September

Cincinnati Bengals @ Chicago Bears

The Bengals pulled off a nice OT win last week after blowing a 10 point 4th quarter lead. Joe Burrow looked efficient on his return from injury and enjoyed throwing to his old College WR Ja’Marr Chase who had 101 yards and a TD on his debut. The Bears were well beaten by the LA Rams, however, that’s no disgrace and they did manage to move the ball quite well. They failed to convert on 4th down 4 times so things could have been closer.

Reasons to Watch 

Andy Dalton is likely to start at QB against his old club. He will be keen to put one over on them.

Prediction 

Bears by 3 points

Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns

The Texans got off to a good start, however, it was against the Jags so don’t read too much into it. The Browns gave the Cheifs quite a battle and had a chance at the win. They will probably feel they should have won that one. They should get back to winning ways in this one though.

Reasons to Watch 

Cleveland are genuine Superbowl contenders. There should be plenty of scoring in this one.

Prediction 

Browns by 10-14 points

LA Rams @ Indianapolis Colts

The Rams looked great in their season-opening win over the Bears and Matthew Stafford finally got the chance to show what he can do. 321 Yards passing with 3 TDs and a 156.1 passer rating is a nice way to announce your arrival. The Colts played ok against Seattle last week, but never really looked like winning the game. They are in a weak-looking division so going 0-2 shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Reasons to Watch

Matthew Stafford and the Rams Defense. Need we say more!

Prediction 

Rams by 7-10 points

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins

The Bills were many peoples pre-season tips for the AFC crown, however, they somehow managed to lose to Pittsburgh despite having the edge in offensive yards and time of possession. 8-18 on third down pretty much tells you the story. Miami may have won 17-16 last week but they didn’t look impressive in the process. Still, their defense showed up and their shiny new Wide Receiver Jaylen Waddle seemed to enjoy teaming up with Tua again.

Reasons to Watch

Both of these teams have postseason aspirations, solid defenses and promising young QB’s.

Prediction 

Miami by 3 points

New England Patriots @ New York Jets

The Patriots started rookie QB, Mac Jones, in their opener, and only a red-zone fumble by Damien Harris prevented him from starting with a win. They missed the postseason last year for the first time since 2008 and have spent big to get back there. The Jets are rebuilding and didn’t look good against the Panthers last week. Rookie QB Zac Wilson showed some promise and it will be fun watching how he progresses.

Reasons to Watch

Two Rookie QBs starting and both coming off a loss. Who will step up and get that first win?

Prediction 

Patriots by 10-14 points (our banker)

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles

Both teams are coming off of opening Sunday wins and the Eagles actually looked pretty good. They shut down Matt Ryan and ran the ball extremely well. The 49ers are made of sterner stuff though and this will be a proper test. If Philadelphia wins this one then they could be for real. The 49ers let Detroit back into the game last week after leading 41-17 with less than 10 minutes left.

Reasons to Watch

Will Trey Lance get another cameo appearance? He is 1-1 with a TD so far in his NFL Career

Prediction 

49ers by 3-7 points

Las Vegas Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The Raiders won a hugely entertaining game against Baltimore in OT to open the season. The game could have gone either way but it is still a great win. Pittsburgh similarly upset the odds in beating Buffalo. Are either for real?

Reasons to Watch

This could be Ben Rothelsbergers last season so grab every chance you get to watch one of the greats.

Prediction 

Steelers by 3-7 points

New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers

The Saints walloped the Packers last week and Jamies Winston didn’t throw a pick! Ok, he did but it was called back for a dubious penalty however it is big news. He can throw the ball so if he has sorted out his decision making the Saints could be a threat. The Panthers beat the Jets last week largely thanks to two players that NY cast off. Sam Darnold connected with Robbie Anderson for the key TD.

Reasons to Watch

Can Jamies Winston make it two games without throwing an interception and how with the Panthers running game fare against the Saints D-Line. Should be a good game.

Prediction 

Saints by 7-10 points

Denver Broncos @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Broncos beat the NY Giants in their opener – which is nothing special but they did put up 420 yards of offense and may have solved their QB dilemma with Teddy Bridgewater. The Jags are young and inexperienced and have now lost 16 games on the trot. That was a whole seasons worth of games before it moved to 17 this year.

Reasons to Watch

Trevor Lawrence could be the next big thing at QB and he opened his NFL career in some style with 322 yards passing and 3 TDs. Not bad for a Rookie with a set of swing doors serving as an O-Line. Ok, he had 3 picks but whatever we are looking forward to seeing how he fares against a very good defense.

Prediction 

Denver by 3-7 points

Sunday Late Games

Minnesota Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals

The cardinals looked sensational last week on both sides of the ball. They were up against a supposedly Super Bowl contender in the Titans but never looked in danger of losing. Kyler Murray threw for 4 TDs and ran in another, while the defense shut down Tennessee’s vaunted run game. Titans QB Ryan Tannehill fared no better getting sacked 6 times – 5 of those from Chandler Jones. The Vikings were a tad unlucky last week losing in overtime quite literally as time expired. Not helped by giving away 116 yards in penalties and losing the TO battle too.

Reasons to Watch

Both missed the playoffs last season and are on the fringes now. The winner could be for real. On the field, win or lose Kyler Murray is always fun to watch.

Prediction 

Cardinals  by 3-7 points

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccs opened the season with a hard-fought win over the Cowboys. Tom Brady looked sharp though and he pulled out another last-minute drive to snatch the win.  The Falcons looked bad in their opener and even the addition of TE Kyle Pitts failed to ignite their offense. The Falcons are on a 6 game losing streak and it’s hard to see it ending here.

Reasons to Watch

Tom Brady defying old father time is reason enough.

Prediction 

Buccaneers  by 14 points +

Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Chargers

Dallas played very well against the Buccs last week, and Dak Prescott looked like he was back to his best. Their defense is still suspect but they will put up yards this season if everyone stays healthy. This will be a challenge though as the Chargers are a solid team. Justin Herbert lit up the Washington secondary last week and unfortunately for them, the Cowboys backfield looks no better. This should be a shoot out.

Reasons to Watch

Two quality QBs facing off is always fun.

Prediction 

Chargers by 3-7 points

Tennessee Titans @ Seattle Seahawks

There was quite a bit of buzz around the Titans pre-season, however, it failed to materialise in their opener. They were never in the game against Arizona, and star running back Dereck Henry only managed 58 yards! Talk of back to back 2,000 yard + seasons may have jinxed him. Seattle opened with a nice road win against the Colts, who are likely to be the Titans biggest rivals in the AFC South. The Seahawks tend to be good at home, and now with fans back, it’s hard to see Tennessee not dropping to 0-2.

Reasons to Watch

The famous 12th man. Not familiar well it’s the cauldron of noise that the home fans produce. Even watching on TV you can feel it. Plus Russel Wilson is usually good for a couple of outstanding scrambles.

Prediction 

Seahawks by 7-10 points

Sunday Late Game

Kansas City Cheifs @ Baltimore Ravens

Two of the pre-season favourites for the AFC Championship meet early and for Baltimore the prospects of falling to 0-2. The Chiefs with a win would move to 2-0 and have the head to head win, which could be crucial come postseason rankings time. The Ravens are coming off of a tough OT loss at the Raiders, while the Chiefs already have a Marquee win over the Browns. This is a game neither will be happy about losing so expect some fireworks.

Reasons to Watch

Two genuine Super Bowl contenders meeting is always worth sitting up for. Plus we have two of the league’s best young QBs in Lamar Jackson & Patrick Hahomes. Different styles of play but great to watch.

Prediction 

Chiefs by 3 points or less

Monday Night Game

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers

The Packers had a game they will want to forget last week and they will know that this is one they can’t afford to lose. The Lions were expected to struggle this year, however, they showed a bit of pluck against the 49ers. Unfortunately for them, their best CB Jeff Okudah is out for the season so their secondary is looking a bit thin.

Reasons to Watch

Will Aaron Rodgers bounce back from one of his worst ever games? Does he even care? If the Packers don’t win this one we could be seeing the Jordan Love era begin sooner than expected.

Prediction 

Green Bay By 10 points +

If you want to check out last weeks results you can find them here and for live updates on game night visit the NFL webiste.