GUCCI™ Posted September 18, 2016 Posted September 18, 2016 The second week of the N.F.L. season features some teams trying to prove last week was no fluke and others trying to prove their opening-day loss was nothing to worry about. Here is a look at Sunday’s matchups and who we think will win them (all times are Eastern): Seahawks (1-0) at Rams (0-1) 4:05 p.m. on Fox Line: Seahawks by 3 ½ With the N.F.L. holding its first regular-season game in Los Angeles since Christmas Eve in 1994, the real star of this matchup will be the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. First opened in 1923, the stadium is the longtime home of the University of Southern California, but along the way has hosted two Summer Olympics and two Super Bowls (including the first one); offered refuge for the fleeing Brooklyn Dodgers; and served as a launching pad for Evel Knievel. The stadium, with a sprawling capacity that can be unforgiving to a team that is not able to attract 80,000 or more fans per week, has been around long enough that this is not even the first time the Rams have relocated the franchise there in hopes of taking advantage of the riches of Los Angeles. In 1946, the Cleveland Rams were struggling, so the ownership forced a move to Los Angeles and then called the Coliseum home until moving to Anaheim in 1980. No one will confuse the current Rams with any of the hallowed tenants that came before them. Built around a fantastic defensive line, and not much else, the Rams had the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, but have yet to see any returns. Jared Goff, the University of California quarterback they selected, was not active in Week 1 and is not expected to play any time soon after a difficult preseason. Holding space for Goff is Case Keenum, who was atrocious in a Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Keenum managed 130 passing yards despite throwing the ball 35 times, and Coach Jeff Fisher said after the game that he considered benching Keenum in favor of Sean Mannion, but decided to ride things out in a 28-0 shellacking. Things will not get any easier this week, as the Seahawks outclass the Rams in talent. That did not stop the Rams from winning both of their matchups last season, however. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had his ankle crushed by Ndamukong Suh last week, but if his mobility is intact, it is hard to see a way the Rams win. Pick: Seahawks Buccaneers (1-0) at Cardinals (0-1) 4:05 p.m. on Fox Line: Cardinals by 7 Most of the attention in an upset loss by the Cardinals last week went to New England, which found ways to take away the deep pass from Carson Palmer. But that would not have been much of a problem had the defense been able to contain quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the Patriots’ star-depleted offense. New England exploited a weak link in the Cardinals defense: Brandon Williams, a rookie cornerback who was a running back until his senior year of college. An injury to Justin Bethel forced Williams into on-the-job training as a starter, and it went poorly, with the 24-year-old being torched for 74 yards and a touchdown. Nothing against Garoppolo, who seemed more than capable of navigating the Patriots through Tom Brady’s suspension, but this week the Cardinals defense faces something far more terrifying in Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay offense. Winston showed flashes of potential as a rookie last year, but in Week 1, he looked like a superstar veteran, completing touchdown passes to four different receivers while calmly leading his team to a road win over the Atlanta Falcons. Regardless of whether Williams or Bethel starts opposite Patrick Peterson, that side of the field is where Winston will focus most of his attention, which could be bad news for Arizona. The Buccaneers will need all the points they can get because their defense stands little chance of mimicking New England’s success at slowing down Palmer & Co. Pick: Cardinals Bengals (1-0) at Steelers (1-0) 1 p.m. on CBS Line: Steelers by 3.5 Games between these teams always seem to be heated, but that was especially true last season when they had a pregame fight before a regular-season game, then had a playoff game both teams would rather forget. In that disastrous wild-card matchup, the Bengals choked away what would have been the franchise’s first playoff win since January 1991, thanks largely to their lack of discipline, as costly penalties on Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones helped the Steelers move into position for a game-winning field goal. But the win came with a heavy price for Pittsburgh: Burfict’s illegal hit knocked Antonio Brown out of the playoffs. Burfict will sit this game out because of the three-game suspension he received for acting like Vontaze Burfict, which may ease the tension some. But even a dynamic Bengals offense that got stronger with the addition of Brandon LaFell as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver cannot match the firepower of Pittsburgh, which may have the best quarterback-receiver combo in the N.F.L. in Ben Roethlisberger and Brown and did not miss a beat in Week 1 without the suspended Le’Veon Bell, as DeAngelo Williams rumbled for 143 yards and two touchdowns in an easy win over Washington. The Rest 49ers (1-0) at Panthers (0-1) 1 p.m. on Fox Line: Panthers by 13 ½ San Francisco had the most lopsided victory of Week 1, beating the Los Angeles Rams, 28-0, yet the 49ers find themselves as 13.5-point underdogs in Week 2. The N.F.L. is hard. Regardless of the pessimism that the 49ers can keep up that hot start against a well-oiled machine like the Panthers, Coach Chip Kelly has certainly engendered more excitement than the team has seen since Jim Harbaugh’s penultimate season with the team. Pick: Panthers Falcons (0-1) at Raiders (1-0) 4:25 p.m. on CBS Line: Raiders by 5 Playing on the road last week, the Raiders offense kept up in a shootout with the Saints’ Drew Brees. Then, with the game on the line, Coach Jack Del Rio let it all ride on a game-winning 2-point conversion rather than settling for a tie and overtime. Praised for his bravado in the aftermath of the play’s success and his team’s Week 1 victory, Del Rio also showed off a great sense of humor, mocking ESPN’s Stats and Information service on Twitter for its assertion that he harmed the team’s chances of winning by attempting the conversion. Pick: Raiders Colts (0-1) at Broncos (1-0) 4:25 p.m. on CBS Line: Broncos by 6 After a great deal of criticism for how lenient the officials were with illegal hits in Denver’s Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers, there will be a great deal of scrutiny of how its game is called this week. Should that detract from the aggressiveness of Denver’s front seven, then Andrew Luck may be able to continue his re-emergence as a star after a year lost to injury and ineffectiveness. Pick: Colts GRAPHIC Fantasy Football 2016 | Week 2 Rankings These player rankings from the Sablich brothers are for standard scoring formats and will be updated each week. OPEN GRAPHIC Packers (1-0) at Vikings (1-0) 8:30 p.m. on NBC Line: Packers by 2 ½ Having had enough of the team’s temporary outdoor home, the Vikings head back inside, and will host the Packers in the regular-season debut of U.S. Bank Stadium. Giving their division rival a loss and ruining the opening of its stadium sounds like something that would appeal to Aaron Rodgers and his Packers teammates. Pick: Packers Dolphins (0-1) at Patriots (1-0) 1 p.m. Line: Patriots by 6 ½ Looking at another week without Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski or Rob Ninkovich, the Patriots should feel awfully confident since their backups led the team to victory over Arizona last week. Miami is not nearly as talented as Arizona, and short of the Patriots looking beyond the matchup and getting surprised — not something that happens often in the Bill Belichick era — this one should be a laugher. Pick: Patriots Continue reading the main story RELATED COVERAGE Fantasy Football: Players to Start in Week 2 SEPT. 15, 2016 Shining Moments, Some Surprising, Around the N.F.L. After Week 1 SEPT. 15, 2016 Jaguars (0-1) at Chargers (0-1) 4:25 p.m. Line: Chargers by 3 The Chargers have had a lot of success against the Jaguars in recent years, but with Jacksonville’s offense carrying over its progress from last season, and San Diego looking at spending the entire season without Keenan Allen, the team’s top wide receiver, it could finally be time to turn the tables. Pick: Jaguars Cowboys (0-1) at Redskins (0-1) 1 p.m. on Fox Line: Redskins by 2 ½ Ezekiel Elliott did not have the start to his career that he or anyone else expected, gaining just 51 yards on 20 carries while running behind the best offensive line in the N.F.L. Despite that, the team is committed to the run in Tony Romo’s absence, and some combination of Elliott and Alfred Morris — the veteran running back who joined the team as a free agent after four years with Washington — should be able to wear down the Redskins defense. Pick: Cowboys Saints (0-1) at Giants (1-0) 1 p.m. on Fox Line: Giants by 4 ½ The Saints offense put on a show last week. Brandin Cooks recorded a 98-yard touchdown, the longest reception in the N.F.L. since 2011, on his way to 143 yards, and Willie Snead was even better with nine catches for 172 yards. It did not matter, because the Saints defense did absolutely nothing to stop Oakland from stealing the game out from under them. Unfortunately for Drew Brees, that is the standard script of Saints games from the last several seasons. Pick: Giants Sign Up for the Sports Newsletter Get the big sports news, highlights and analysis from Times journalists, with distinctive takes on games and some behind-the-scenes surprises, delivered to your inbox every week. Chiefs (1-0) at Texans (1-0) 1 p.m. on CBS Line: Texans by 2 ½ The Chiefs rallied to win last week by airing the ball out, but would likely prefer to get back to their strengths of playing stifling defense and running their opponent into submission. That will be hard this week because J.J. Watt found his rhythm in the second half of a Week 1 win over Chicago, and the relentless pressure that he and Houston’s stellar defensive front provides should give the Texans the edge. Pick: Texans Titans (0-1) at Lions (1-0) 1 p.m. on CBS Line: Lions by 6 A good way to respond when people wonder loudly if your career will fall apart after the surprising retirement of receiver Calvin Johnson is to complete 31 of 38 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, as Matthew Stafford did last week for the Lions. Pick: Lions Ravens (1-0) at Browns (0-1) 1 p.m. on CBS Line: Ravens by 6 ½ The Robert Griffin III era in Cleveland may already be over, and if it is, he completed the Browns quarterback hat trick of offering brief optimism, losing and being injured. With Josh McCown set to start this week, the Browns will have had at least two starting quarterbacks in a season for the record-setting 15th consecutive year, which is a record no team has ever wanted. Pick: Ravens Quote
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