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NFL Week 2 game previews: Division rival showdowns and a Super Bowl rematch

Ravens RB Derrick Henry smiles before a game against the Cleveland Browns
Ravens RB Derrick Henry smiles before a game against the Cleveland BrownsGreg Fiume/Getty Images
Week 2 of the NFL season is shaping up to be a great one, as we'll be seeing six divisional matchups along with a rematch of the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

Let's not waste any time here and get into the matchup previews!

And be sure to check out who are experts picked this week.

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys (-5.5)

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has won 13 straight games against the Giants heading into this matchup. While both teams are coming off losses to fellow NFC East division rivals, Dallas are the clear favourites.

New York was only one of three teams in Week 1 to score less than 10 points against a Commanders offence that was put in its place by the Packers on Thursday night. With a Cowboys offence that moved that unexpectedly well against the Eagles' defence last week, expect them to do the same in this matchup. 

The Giants' offence was bottom five in both yards and points last week while they also gave up the third-most yards (432). 

Seattle Seahawks @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)

One is coming off an emphatic win (Pittsburgh), the other is coming off a disappointing loss (Seattle). The Seahawks have faced the Steelers just twice since 2020, losing both matchups. 

Both teams ranked near the bottom of the league in total yards last week, while the Steelers still managed to finish scoring the third-most points (34). However, Pittsburgh has gone 2-3 in home openers since 2020, while Seattle is 4-1 in their first road games of the season. 

Los Angeles Rams (-5.5) @ Tennessee Titans

In the 'ugy uniform matchup of the week' the Titans are looking rough to start the season, while the Rams are the opposite. Los Angeles recorded three sacks in Week 1 while the Titans gave up six. 

Tennessee kept a good Broncos team close, losing just 20-12. But they only managed to put up 133 yards of total offence - the worst in the NFL coming out of Week 1. They were one of only two teams (Cincinnati Bengals) to be held under 200 yards last week.

Buffalo Bills (-5.5) @ New York Jets

A classic AFC East showdown that could prove to be more exciting than people expect it to be. Both teams ranked top five in both total yards and points in Week 1. 

Jets quarterback Justin Fields put up four total touchdowns last week - the first time he's done so since 2023. Meanwhile, Buffalo is coming off their game-of-the-week win over the Baltimore Ravens, proving why, once again, Josh Allen won the MVP last year and how he could be on track for another. 

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins (-1.5)

In what could be considered the worst game of the week by some fans, both the Patriots and Dolphins are coming off ugly, and I mean ugly, Week 1 losses. Miami was held to just eight points and 211 yards by the Colts, while the Patriots let Geno Smith throw for almost 400 yards on their defence. 

New England is 2-8 against Miami since 2020, losing four straight. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have yet to lose a home opener under head coach Mike McDaniel. 

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cincinnati Bengals (-3.5)

Jacksonville will be facing a tougher test this week after their win over the Carolina Panthers. Rookie standout Travis Hunter will be receiving more reps at cornerback this week as he'll have to line up against the likes of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins

Cincinnati is coming off a shockingly terrible offensive display in Week 1, putting up the second-fewest yards (141). They've lost four of their last five home openers, so we could be seeing an upset in this game.

San Francisco 49ers (-3.5) @ New Orleans Saints

The Titans-Rams have the 'ugly uniform game of the week', but this is the ugly game of the week. San Francisco will be without starting quarterback Brock Purdy, starting tight end George Kittle, and their No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk

Meanwhile, the Saints still have a ton of questions surrounding their quarterback position after coming off a Week 1 loss to the Bucs and are still expected as the worst team in football this season.

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens (-11.5)

Nothing quite like an AFC North rival showdown. Baltimore will be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of their franchise, hilariously against the team they once were. 

Both teams are coming off one-point losses last week - games they should've won. Cleveland beat Baltimore in their home stadium last year as the two split the season series. For anyone who knows, just because the Ravens look much better on paper, it doesn't mean this game will be completely one-sided.

These two are always hard-fought games, with three of their last five matches being decided by 10 points or less. So the Ravens being 11.5 point favourites (the largest of any game this week) is a big eye-opener for sports bettors. 

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions (-6.5)

Both NFC North rivals are coming off ugly Week 1 losses and it doesn't look good for Chicago. They are 1-5 against the Lions in their last six matchups, 0-3 in Detroit.

While the Bears did put on a better offensive performance than the Lions did in Week 1, the latter faced a stout Packers defence while the former gave up a win to a rookie quarterback. 

Denver Broncos (-1.5) @ Indianapolis Colts

Surprisingly, the Colts are coming off the most dominating win of any team in Week 1, burying the Dolphins 33-8. Meanwhile, the Broncos are coming into this game after barely scraping by a terrible Titans squad. 

Indy has lost back-to-back home openers. But if the team plays just like they did in Week 1, then Denver is in for a rude awakening. However, the Colts haven't won two straight games to start a season since 2009. 

Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals (-6.5)

Both the Panthers and Cardinals finished in the bottom half of the league in offensive yards last week. Carolina was just one of three teams not to record a single sack, while the Cardinals didn't force a single turnover against a very weak Saints offence.

Both teams are relatively healthy for the matchup. Cardinals will be without linebacker Cody Simon (concussion) and the Panthers are without defensive end Tershawn Wharton (hamstring). 

Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs

It's a Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and Eagles. Kansas City is coming off of a rough division loss to the Chargers, while the Eagles are riding their win against the Cowboys. 

Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, their leading receiver in Week 1, is out with a knee injury. On the Chiefs' side, Xavier Worthy is a no-go after dislocating in shoulder, leaving Hollywood Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster as Mahomes' top wide receiver targets this week.

Click here for a full breakdown of our 'Spotlight Game of the Week'.

Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings (-3.5)

A clash against one of the top teams (Falcons) in yards and another top team in scoring (Vikings). The makings of this game can undoubtedly provide some shocking excitement.

Falcons are coming off a three-point loss, Vikings are coming off a three-point win. The Falcons blew their Week 1 matchup at the end, the Vikings won theirs in the end. While it's not necessarily a perfectly even matchup, the injury report sure is.

Vikings will be without cornerback Jeff Okudah (concussion), linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (concussion), offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee), with safety Harrison Smith (illness) and linebacker Austin Keys (groin) both questionable. 

Falcons will be without wide receiver Jamal Agnew (groin), safety Jordan Fuller (knee), offensive tackle Jack Nelson (calf), kicker Younghoe Koo (benched), and wide receiver Casey Washington (concussion). Rookie James Pearce Jr. (groin) and Billy Bowman Jr. (shoulder) are questionable.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Houston Texans (-2.5)

The Bucs are coming off a win worth celebrating after rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka called game. And the Texans put up one of the worst performances of any team in Week 1. 

Houston's offence ranks 22nd, Tampa's ranks 23rd. However, the Texans' defenced forced a turnover and recorded three sacks. Tampa Bay's defence didn't force a single turnover and only recorded one sack. 

This is a game that looks like the Bucs should be favoured in. But it's honestly more of a toss-up than most realize. 

Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) @ Las Vegas Raiders

A battle of AFC West rivals coming off big Week 1 wins is the perfect setup for one of the two Monday night matchups in Week 2. 

Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers is active for the game against the Chargers, which is a key piece to their offence if they want to win. He put up the team's most receiving yards (103) last week in their win against the Pats. 

But with a Chargers team that was able to pressure Mahomes last week, this Raiders team needs to find a way to keep quarterback Geno Smith upright after allowing four sacks against the Patriots. 

Meanwhile, the Chargers are looking at their second straight season of possibly starting 2-0. 

Chances are you’re about to lose.

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