2019 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 2

Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) at Detroit Lions (0-0-1)

Sunday, September 15, 1PM ET

For the first three quarters of their season opener, the Detroit Lions looked like a team worth taking seriously. They kept the Cardinals offense in check, made some big plays of their own on offense, and had what looked like a commanding lead. As you know, things fell apart from there.

That final quarter of play is what I believe we’ll mostly see from the Lions in 2019. Matthew Stafford is not the man to lead this team to success, and the defense doesn’t have enough playmaking potential to make up for it. Wins will be hard to come by for Detroit, as you saw by their late-game collapse a week ago.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a strong Week 1 showing. Although their defense bent more than I would have anticipated, the offense was firing on all cylinders. Philip Rivers kept the passing game running smoothly, and Austin Ekeler made fans forget about Melvin Gordon. Even on the road, we should see similar results for the Chargers in Week 2.

The Lions will put up some semblance of a fight. However, when all is said and done, the Chargers figure to come away with a commanding lead that helps them stay undefeated through the first two weeks of the 2019 campaign.

Prediction: Chargers win 43-20