TYLER WAGNER

After a plethora of exciting games in week one, there are some interesting matchups again in week two. This week kicks off on Sept. 17 with Peyton Manning and the Broncos taking on Jamaal Charles and the Chiefs. After Austin took week one with an 11–5 record, we’ll get back at it with our week two picks.

LAST WEEK:

TYLER:            Austin:

10-6             11-5

Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Sept. 17)

Both Denver and Kansas City won their first week matchups and come into the Thursday nighter on high notes. Denver’s offence played very out of character, as they did not find their way into the end zone once. Kansas City’s tight end Travis Kelce had two touchdowns and over 100 yards receiving and was a stand out in week one. Can Kansas City’s defence shut down Manning and the Broncos?

Tyler: Denver Austin: Kansas City

Tennessee Titans vs. Cleveland Browns (Sept. 20)

Marcus Mariota had one of the most impressive debuts in NFL history, putting up over 150 yards passing and four touchdowns in the first half alone of their blowout win in week one. On the other side of the ball, Josh McCown got hurt early in the Browns game and Johnny Manziel — the 2012 Heisman winner — got a chance to start. After throwing a beautiful touchdown on his first drive, he slowed down, which may have been a factor in why Cleveland lost to the Jets in week one.

Tyler: Tennessee Austin: Cleveland

New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills (Sept. 20)

Buffalo upset the Colts in week one with an outstanding defensive outing in which they held Indianapolis scoreless throughout the first half. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor played well, proving that he earned his starting job for the Bills, and managed the game extremely well in his first career start. New England got the ball rolling this season after beating the Steelers, and Brady came out of the (deflate) gates flying, having just two incompletions in the first half out of his 17 attempts. Another classic offence versus defence matchup.

Tyler: New England Austin: Buffalo

Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears (Sept. 20)

Carson Palmer showed that he is anything but washed up, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in the Cardinals’ 31–19 win over New Orleans in week one. Arizona is looking to be a powerhouse again this year and be competitive in their difficult division. Chicago lost to Green Bay, despite leading coming out of the first half. Matt Forte led the way on offence with an astounding 141 yards and a score. This Chicago secondary will have a tough time if Palmer and the Cardinal’s offence play like they did last week.

Tyler: Arizona Austin: Arizona

Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants (Sept. 20)

New York collapsed down the stretch and lost 27–26 to the rival Cowboys on a last second touchdown. The Giants were aided by a pair of defensive touchdowns, while their balanced offence struggled at times during the game. Atlanta took major steps forward under new coach Dan Quinn and their defence played better than they have in the last few years. Receiver Julio Jones showed once again that he is a beast.

Tyler: Atlanta Austin: Atlanta

St. Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins (Sept. 20)

St. Louis stunned the football world, upsetting the Seattle Seahawks in overtime in week one. The Rams defence was phenomenal all game and their offence played well against arguably the most dangerous defence in the league. Washington lost in a tight game where they led the whole game until giving up 10 fourth quarter points to the Dolphins. With Kirk Cousins under centre, the Redskins offence was ineffective, albeit against a solid Miami defence.

Tyler: St. Louis Austin: St. Louis

San Diego Chargers vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Sept. 20)

Keenan Allen had a huge game, tallying 15 receptions for 166 yards. Philip Rivers bounced back after a slow start and ended up throwing for over 400 yards in the 33–28 comeback win over Detroit. Cincinnati pounded the Oakland Raiders in week one, outscoring them 33–0 through the first three quarters. However, it will be a much tougher game this week.

Tyler: Cincinnati Austin: San Diego

Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers (Sept. 20)

Houston lost in a solid effort against the Chiefs last week, in which Deandre Hopkins was a standout with 98 yards and two scores. Carolina will have a tough time running the ball against what is arguably the toughest front seven in the league. Carolina beat Jacksonville in week one but suffered a huge blow to their defence, losing their star player Luke Kuechly to a concussion.

Tyler: Houston Austin: Houston

Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings (Sept. 20)

Detroit lost a nail-biter to the Chargers in week one, in which their secondary was ripped apart by Philip Rivers. Rookie Ameer Abdullah made his mark on the NFL when he rushed for 50 yards, including a touchdown on his first career carry. Minnesota was less than stellar in their opener, as Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater disappointed in week one. The Vikings defence got eaten alive by the run game and will look to bounce back in week two.

Tyler: Detroit Austin: Detroit

Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 20)

Dallas won in a thriller, where Jason Witten caught a touchdown pass to take the lead with only seven seconds left on the clock. However, Dallas has lost their most dangerous weapon, Dez Bryant, who will be out for four to six  weeks with a broken foot. Philly lost a heartbreaker, as kicker Cody Parkey missed a 44-yard field goal with minimal time remaining. After a slow start, the Eagles found their rhythm on both offence and defence, and this could be one of the best games of week two.

Tyler: Dallas Austin: Philadelphia

San Francisco 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Sept. 20)

Pittsburgh played well, but fell short in week one. They had a depleted offence without weapons Le’veon Bell and Martavis Bryant and will be dealing with the same problem this week. San Francisco running back Carlos Hyde had a huge day and is leading the league in rushing after week one with 168 yards and two touchdowns. However, he will be in for a much tougher game against the Steelers.

Tyler: Pittsburgh Austin: Pittsburgh

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints (Sept. 20)

Tampa Bay’s rookie quarterback had a tough start to his NFL career, throwing a pick-six on his first pass. Winston fought hard the entire game, just like he did in his college career. New Orleans lost in week one to the Cardinals, even though their legendary quarterback Drew Brees threw for over 300 yards on the day. Expect New Orleans to bounce back at home, just like they always do.

Tyler: New Orleans Austin: New Orleans

Baltimore Raven vs. Oakland Raiders (Sept. 20)

Baltimore’s offence failed to score a single touchdown in their opening loss to the Broncos. Joe Flacco finished the game with a quarterback rating of 38, the worst of any quarterback in week one. Oakland had a miserable day on offence, where they were blown out 33–13. To make matters worse, their starting QB Derek Carr left the game with an injury to his hand and will be undergoing an MRI.

Tyler: Baltimore Austin: Baltimore

Miami Dolphins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Sept. 20)

Miami showed great character, storming back with 10 fourth quarter points after trailing the entire game. Sophomore Jarvis Landry took the lead for the Dolphins with a 70-yard punt return touchdown that held up as the game-winning score. Jacksonville lost 20–9 in week one and looked like the Jaguars of old. Quarterback Blake Bortles was sacked five times and will need better protection against this frightening Miami defensive line if Jacksonville hopes to have any chance at defeating the Dolphins.

Tyler: Miami Austin: Miami

Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers (Sept. 20)

If anything, the Seahawks’ week one loss will make the team hungrier for a win against a tough opponent in week two. Russell Wilson and the entire Seattle team played very well in week one, but just fell short. The Pack didn’t perform as well as they should’ve against a weak Bears secondary, but still snuck out with a 31–23 win. Who else but last year’s Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers would lead Green Bay to victory, as he completed 18 of 23 passes and was very good without his star receiver Jordy Nelson.

Tyler: Seattle Austin: Green Bay

New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sept. 21)

The Jets defence was extremely impressive in week one, forcing three fumbles and holding the Browns to just 10 points. However, they took a blow and lost their number one cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who is marked as questionable for week two with a knee injury. Indianapolis was scoreless through the first half in week one and ended up losing 27–14 because of it. You can be sure Andrew Luck will come out angry in week two, after the bad loss.

Tyler: Indianapolis Austin: Indianapolis