Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) at New England Patriots (1-1)
Sunday, September 27, 1PM ET
As much as I hate to admit it, this is still a scary New England Patriots team. They may be coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but they’re no slouch. Then again, what else can we really expect from a Bill Belichick-led team, right?
It’s not just the old ball coach that has the Patriots looking like contenders, though. It’s also the fact that Cam Newton has seemingly returned to MVP form, showing the confidence, swagger and skill that helped him guide the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50. On top of that, he’s got a strong running game to rely on and guys like Julian Edelman to throw to.
So why would I be worried about the Las Vegas Raiders coming to town and handing them another loss? Well, as it so happens, I wouldn’t.
Instead, the Raiders are going to get a hard lesson in what it means to be a true contender in the AFC. The Patriots know they need a big bounce back, and use Las Vegas as their trampoline. Newton turns in another spectacular performance, the New England secondary recovers from their Week 2 shellacking, and they leave the weekend with a 2-1 record.
Prediction: Patriots win 33-14