Predictionsa nd PIcks for Week 2 of the NFL season

How much more “shape” will the NFL take in Week 2? And how much of an impact will injuries have on the proceedings? Let’s take a look at some matchups for Sunday (and Monday too): 

LOS ANGELES RAMS at ARIZONA CARDINALS, 4:05 PM ET
BetOnline NFL Betting Line: Pick’em, Total 47.5 (-115)

Even in defeat, it did look like Sesn McVay was having some fun out there last week, didn’t it? That’s because he was able to get a monster game out of Copper Kupp, who caught 14 passes for 110 yards against the Lions. It was good to see him look like the guy who dominated the league a couple of years ago, culminating in a Super Bowl MVP award.

Otherwise, there might be some dreadful thoughts going through McVay’s mind with Puka Nacua likely to miss the next five games at least with a knee injury. With Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson having shown out, the Rams have enough depth among their wideouts to pull through. 

The Cards have the player who might just turn out to be the best player out of this draft (Marvin Harrison Jr.), and it’s always comforting to know that you’re Kyler Murray and you don’t have to think about Aaron Donald bearing down on you. Sure, Arizona is in better shape offensively than it was a year ago, but the same can’t be said on the defensive side of the football.

And get this - there is no such thing as a home field advantage for the Cardinals, who have lost 18 of their last 24 games in Glendale (that’s NOT the Glendale that’s over near Burbank).

THE PLAY: L.A. RAMS pick 
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ATLANTA FALCONS at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, 8:30 PM ET Monday
BetUS Monday Night Football Odds: Eagles -6.5 (-102), Total 45.5 (Over -108, Under -112) 

The Falcons were chosen by most “experts” to emerge as the NFC South winner, and frankly, that may have come by default. This is not a complete team by any means. And those who were looking for a quick offensive transformation under QB Kirk Cousins may have been thinking prematurely.

With a damn good running back in Bijan Robinson, Atlanta should be running on offense similar to what Philadelphia has started to do under Nick Sirianna, bullying the opponent and controlling the clock. I’m not sure any team with Cousins behind center is going to do that. It will be uncomfortable for him as the Eagles work against this offensive line that is not near playoff-level.

Yes, Philly has had running backs over the last several years, but none quite as versatile and explosive as Saquon Barkley. Enough said there; he makes this offense look different. 

The hang-up for the Eagles may be the availability of WR AJ Brown, who suffered a hamstring injury on Friday and is listed as questionable. His absence would limit what Jalen Hurts can do. That goes without question. We’re leaning “under.”vTHE PLAY: UNDER 45.5 (-108)

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CHICAGO BEARS at HOUSTON TEXANS, 8:20 PM ET
BetAnySports Sunday Night NFL Odds: Texans -6 (-120), Total 45

If you are a Bears’ fan, you are no doubt ecstatic about them being able to come back and win last week in Caleb Williams’ NFL debut. But at the same time, you have to recognize that when you complete less than half your passes in today’s NFL, with fewer than 100 passing yards (and less than 150 overall), there may be a long way to go.

Williams will get clicking sooner or later, and he has the weapons on hand to help him do it. But maybe this is not the week for that. The Texans can come at people with a lot of pass rushers.

Houston was very active in the personnel market in the off-season, and that has to manifest itself somewhere. It may be a difficult assignment for them to cover the number here, especially as this is an opportunistic Chicago team that led the NFL in interceptions last year.

At the same time, one can’t see CJ Stroud, who threw only five regular season INT’s as a rookie, making the kind of mistakes that deep-fried Will Levis and Tennessee last weekend.

THE PLAY: HOUSTON -6 (-120)

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NEW YORK JETS at TENNESSEE TITANS, 1 PM ET
BetOnline NFL Betting Odds: Jets -3.5 (-118), Total 41 

Do signs point to a bounceback by the Jets, who faced a more formidable opponent last week? On the surface, you would think so, although there is something that makes you a bit uneasy about this defense that thought it was catching quite a break not having to face Christian McCaffrey last week but then wound up surrendering 147 rushing yards to his understudy, Jordan Mason.

Logic tells you that the offense will see more productive days with Aaron Rodgers at the helm. But this is not the deepest wide receiver group in the NFL. Our sense is that Breece Hall is going to become one of the more useful backs in the league. He’s going to be the key guy here.

You know, you have to think - just a little - about Rodgers and his disappearing act during the training camp. It seems things didn’t go as smoothly as they should have.vOf course, we admit that Tennessee’s quarterback might draw a lot more suspicion right about  now. Will Levis is string-armed and confident, but it;s going to take some added mental toughness for him to rebound from a performance where he threw a pass that no coach in the world would ever advise him to throw, and which helped the Bears erase a 17-point deficit with a comeback that featured almost no offense.

Veteran offensive line coach Bill Callahan (father of the first-year head coach) has his work cut out for him here, because Levis found himself under siege on almost half of his dropbacks last weekend. But don’t lose sight of the fact that Tennessee added some interesting parts in the off-season - enough so that they might be able to overcome it if DeAndre Hopkins is still hampered by his injury.

All in all, I’d like to see something more from the Jets before laying more than a field goal on the road with them. THE PLAY: TENNESSEE +4

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