How will NFL Week 2 play out on Sunday? Let Madden 22 predict the future as we simulated all of Sunday’s action in the game to see who will win.
What did we learn from the first week of the 2021 NFL season? That’s actually a difficult question to answer. Because for as much as fans and analysts alike would like to claim they know after just one game for every team, this is the prime time for overreactions and aberrations. Subsequently, we need more of a sample size to truly make great judgments.
So instead of just picking every game on Sunday in NFL Week 2 ourselves, we’re going to leave that task up to the computer — well, more specifically, to the developers of Madden 22. We took every game on Sunday and simulated the outcome on the EA Sports video game to see how well it can predict what will happen.
This is how NFL Week 2 will play out according to Madden 22.
Simulating NFL Week 2 in Madden 22
New England Patriots 34, New York Jets 0
Suffice it to say that Mac Jones got the better of Zach Wilson in this game as the Patriots rookie went 19-of-27 for 230 yards and two touchdowns compared to 15-of-34 for 145 yards with the Jets signal-caller. Complete with a 98-yard touchdown run from Damien Harris, New England took no prisoners against their AFC East rivals.
New Orleans Saints 45, Carolina Panthers 25
Jameis Winston followed up his five-touchdown first start with the Saints with 353 yards and three scores to beat the Panthers. Sam Darnold looked okay with over 300 yards but two picks while Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara traded blows to each go for over 90 yards with one and two touchdowns, respectively, as New Orleans rolled to victory.
Cincinnati Bengals 27, Chicago Bears 35
Who needs Justin Fields? The Bears got a great outing from Andy Alton as he threw for 260 yards and three scores. Joe Burrow tried to better that with 454 yards but his two picks were costly. Chicago jumped out to a quick lead and then held Cincinnati’s best efforts at bay to move to 1-1 on the year.
Houston Texans 20, Cleveland Browns 54
Considering that Baker Mayfield only threw one touchdown in this simulation, you can guess that the Browns running back duo of Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb dominated, combining for 189 yards and five scores. Throw in that Cleveland picked off Tyrod Taylor five times and you get the recipe for this monster blowout.
Los Angeles Rams 33, Indianapolis Colts 39
Possibly the most shocking result of the week, Matthew Stafford threw four touchdowns but his two picks were costly as Carson Wentz was on fire with three scores, as was Jonathan Taylor with 104 yards and two touchdowns. Madden apparently isn’t all-in on the Sean McVay-Stafford marriage just yet.
Buffalo Bills 10, Miami Dolphins 41
Maybe the Dolphins were looking for revenge for Week 17 last season but Tua Tagovailoa was lights-out in this one, throwing for 380 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Miami defense continued the troublesome start for Josh Allen as he completed just 20-of-39 passes for 230 yards with a score but also an interception.
San Francisco 49ers 35, Philadelphia Eagles 38 – OT
San Francisco mounted a furious comeback after Jalen Hurts balled out with 356 yards passing and five touchdowns as Jimmy Garoppolo hit the 500-yard mark but it was only enough to force overtime. In the extra frame, a late Jake Elliott field goal proved to be the game-winner as the Eagles moved to 2-0 with the home win.
Las Vegas Raiders 16, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Derek Carr threw for 300 yards but inefficiently while Ben Roethlisberger was not good either, going 15-of-36 for under 200 yards. In a slugfest, the Raiders jumped out to a 13-7 lead but a late Najee Harris touchdown run completed a Steelers comeback to get another gritty and somewhat improbable win for Pittsburgh.
Denver Broncos 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
Urban Meyer’s tenure with the Jaguars continues to start dubiously as the Broncos didn’t dominate but still handled business. Trevor Lawrence was bad in his second start, going 15-of-34 for 208 yards and a pick. And their offense was anemic as their only touchdown came on a kickoff return, which is the only reason they kept it close against a solid Denver performance.
Minnesota Vikings 24, Arizona Cardinals 27
After a torrid Week 1, Kyler Murray kept rolling with 310 passing yards and two scores along with another rushing touchdown. Dalvin Cook found the end zone three times but it wasn’t enough to overcome a super-pedestrian performance from Kirk Cousins as the Vikings dropped to 0-2 and the Cardinals moved to an impressive 2-0.
Atlanta Falcons 36, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34
For whatever reason, the Falcons often play the Bucs close and they pull off the upset here. Tom Brady threw for 405 yards but an interception caused him to fall behind an equally good 374-yard, three-score performance from Matt Ryan. Calvin Ridley was the bonafide star, though, with 145 yards and all three touchdowns coming his way in the upset win.
Dallas Cowboys 37, Los Angeles Chargers 39
In a game many expect to be a shootout, things played out that way. Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert traded blows with three and four touchdown passes, respectively. Dallas had a lead in the fourth quarter but two straight touchdowns from Austin Ekeler and Jared Cook gave the Chargers the lead that they held on to take the win.
Tennessee Titans 28, Seattle Seahawks 20
A dud in the season-opener proved to be an anomaly for the Titans. Ryan Tannehill balled out with three touchdown passes while Derrick Henry bounced back with an 87-yard day. The big key, however, was Tennessee forcing Russell Wilson into two interceptions, thus opening the door for the road team to pick up the victory.
Kansas City Chiefs 38, Baltimore Ravens 20
To cap off Sunday in NFL Week 2 in primetime, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs thrived under the lights. The All-World quarterback threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns while Lamar Jackson simply couldn’t get the offense going through the air. That was the difference in an eventual rout for Kansas City.