The biggest upset of Week 1 was the St. Louis Rams knocking off the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks 34-31 in overtime. After that hard-fought win at home, the Rams have an excellent chance to go to 2-0 with a road win against Washington.
While Washington moved the ball well in a 17-10 defeat against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, it is about to clash with another strong defensive line. The Fins' front four was led by Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake. Expect no drop off from the Rams' Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn.
Washington will have issues running the ball because of the Rams defensive ends, and the inebackers.
The Rams have enough production from special teams with Tavon Austin offering a spark as a return man, and Nick Foles managing the game under center to remain undefeated after the first two weeks of the season.
Here's a look at my predictions for all 16 games on tap.
This is the Chiefs Time
The Kansas City Chiefs haven't beaten the Denver Broncos since 2012. That drought has equated to a six-game losing streak, but things are going to change on Thursday. With head coach Andy Reid's imprint firmly on the team, they are finally playing with the swagger necessary to win big division matchups.
In previous years, the Broncos' offense was so high-powered, it was difficult for KC to keep pace. In the last four meetings, Denver has averaged 25.75 points per game. The Chiefs have only cracked 20 once.
This year's first matchup finds the Chiefs' offense looking better, and Denver's attack slowing down. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith threw for 243 yards, three scores and no picks in the opener against the Houston Texans. This year, it appears Denver's strength might be in its defense.
The Broncos beat the Baltimore Ravens 19-13 at home in Week 1, but Peyton Manning had a sub-par performance. He threw for just 175 yards, didn't throw a touchdown pass and tossed one pick. It's hard to believe, but he looks to be on a downward spiral that could put an enormous amount of pressure on the defense to hold teams below 20 points every week.
Look for the Chiefs to establish the short passing game with a focus on all-world tight end Travis Kelce. His ability to get yards after the catch will be key as the Chiefs break their losing streak to their division rivals.
Beast Mode Will Carry Seattle
After losing the season opener, the Seahawks will be a little desperate in Week 2. The Green Bay Packers host the Seahawks and the former will be in trouble if they don't shore up their run defense. In Week 1, Green Bay allowed 189 yards on the ground to the Chicago Bears.
With Marshawn Lynch coming to town, the Packers should fear the Beast.
Packers' defensive coordinator Dom Capers blamed the Packers' tackling for the Bears' success on the ground. Per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, Capers said:
"We have to tackle better. Part of that is again the speed of the first game, it's the first regular season game. Forte is a good runner. We're going to see good runners every week."
Forte is a heck of a player, but Lynch is probably a notch above him. Whether Capers admits it or not, the issue went beyond tackling. Chicago's offensive line was consistently winning their matchups at the line of scrimmage. The Bears' line isn't terrible, but Seattle's run blocking might be a little better. Based on what we saw in Chicago, Green Bay has every reason to be concerned.
It will rid the back of Lynch to the win.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566960-nfl-week-2-picks-predicting-the-winner-of-all-16-matchups
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