Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season is coming, and with it comes picks and score predictions for every game.
The 2022 NFL season is off and running, as the first week of action was a much-needed return for us football fans. Now that Week 2 is upon us, it only makes sense to provide you all with a fresh batch of NFL picks and predictions for the upcoming weekend’s madness.
As will be the case every week this season, we’ve got you covered with the Week 2 edition of NFL picks and score predictions. Obviously, I’ll never claim to know what the future holds. Realistically, odds are high that at least a few of my NFL picks will be completely wrong on a weekly basis. I will, however, make my selections based on research, experience, and careful consideration.
As is usually the case on opening weekend, the end results of my predictions weren’t amazing. By the end of Monday night’s madness, my Week 1 picks had culminated in a 9-6-1 record. While it certainly could have been much worse, I’ll still consider it a win seeing as we only had so much to go off of coming into the week.
This is football — if there were a crystal ball that told the future, it wouldn’t be worth watching.
Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, here are my NFL picks and score predictions for Week 2. Keep in mind that I assume no responsibility if you choose to place wagers based on my picks — that’s your decision, not mine.
Week 2 Byes: None
2022 NFL Picks for Week 2: Huge AFC West matchup kicks things off
Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
Thursday, September 15, 8:20PM ET
Honestly, I’m a big Justin Herbert fan and I think the kid could take the Los Angeles Chargers far this season. While that may be the case, I can’t pick against the Kansas City Chiefs after the massacre they put on in Week 1. It’s just not logical.
Patrick Mahomes is wheeling and dealing right now, looking like the former MVP and generational quarterback talent we all know him to be. His offensive weapons are making the most of the opportunities provided to them, and they’re even getting a good amount of help from the Kansas City defense. All of the pieces are clicking for the Chiefs right now.
That doesn’t bode well for Herbert and the rest of this Chargers team. Chances are he’ll spend much of Sunday under heavy pressure, forcing him into more tough situations than are ideal. Even if he manages to avoid any costly mistakes, the chances to find the end zone won’t be as plentiful as he’d like.
In the end, the Chargers fall short while doing their best to keep up with Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Kansas City offense looks nearly unstoppable on its way to another high-scoring victory, providing further evidence of their standing as a top-tier contender this year.
Prediction: Chiefs win 35-27
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
Sunday, September 18, 1PM ET
We’re only through one week, but so far the Miami Dolphins have lived up to the hype. The team spent a ton of money this offseason upgrading the roster, and it appeared to pay off in Week 1 when the Dolphins demolished their divisional rivals on the way to a big win.
Tua Tagovailoa looked good, and he’s already clicking with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins offer more than enough weapons to consistently move the ball, and the defense also looks dangerous. Just ask the New England Patriots offense, which was nearly non-existent in the season opener.
That’s not to say that the Baltimore Ravens aren’t worth taking seriously. Their defense has the potential to be elite in 2022, but they weren’t quite as dominant against a Joe Flacco-led offense as you would have expected. Plus, the offense struggled to get going at times. If Lamar Jackson can play like we know he’s capable of, this Ravens team could rack up wins in a hurry.
For now, though, I’m predicting the Dolphins come away with the hard-fought win and stay perfect through two weeks. They keep Jackson uncomfortable all game long and force too many turnovers for Baltimore to overcome.
Prediction: Dolphins win 27-23
New York Jets (0-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-0)
Sunday, 1PM ET
Let’s call it as it is — the New York Jets did not look like a good football team in Week 1. Not having Zach Wilson under center didn’t help, but it’s clear they’ve got a lot of work to do before they’re ready to win consistently. They aren’t ready right now.
That means the Cleveland Browns should come away with a resounding win in Week 2, especially with home-field advantage on their side. They already showed their resilience in Week 1, staving off a late-game push to take down Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers. The Jets don’t pose nearly as worrisome of a challenge.
Look for the Browns to move the ball with ease, especially on the ground. We’ll see a healthy dose of both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, as they look to avoid putting too much pressure on Jacoby Brissett’s shoulders. Even with a focus on the ground game, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cleveland managed to score at least four touchdowns.
Despite the strides, Gang Green took this offseason, they’ve still got a long way to go before we can start talking about them as playoff contenders. The Browns take advantage of their young, inexperienced roster and improve to 2-0.
Prediction: Browns win 34-13
Washington Commanders (1-0) at Detroit Lions (0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 1PM ET
While the Detroit Lions definitely have grit, I’m not sure if they have enough talent to win on a regular basis in 2022. They gave the Philadelphia Eagles everything they could handle in Week 1, but still fell short after digging themselves too deep of a hole.
The problem against Philly was the Lions’ defense. They couldn’t contain the ground game and gave up too many big plays through the air. It’s obviously difficult to bottle the athleticism of Jalen Hurts, but their inability to do so is one of the key reasons they suffered a loss in their season opener.
So do they pull out the win in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders? I think so.
The Lions rely heavily on D’Andre Swift, who was electric in his 2022 debut, to move the ball against D.C.’s stout defense. Jared Goff avoids making any costly mistakes, getting the ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown early and often. Ultimately, the Lions produced a surprising amount of points.
Meanwhile, the Commanders can’t keep up, as Carson Wentz struggles with poor accuracy. Despite the best efforts of the Washington D, the Commanders fall short as there simply isn’t enough offensive production to come away victorious.
Prediction: Lions win 34-26
Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 1PM ET
It’s a disappointing Week 1 for both of these clubs, as neither came up with a win while underwhelming in their season openers. Now, they’ll look to right the ship against a division rival. If all goes as expected, the Indianapolis Colts will manage to avoid their first loss of the year.
We just didn’t see enough from the Jaguars in their first outing. Trevor Lawrence had a decent game, but he didn’t get much help from his supporting cast and missed a number of big opportunities to turn the tide of the game. The Jacksonville defense largely did its job but crumbled under the pressure in the second half.
With Jonathan Taylor likely to get plenty of touches in this one, the Jaguars figure to have a tough time slowing the Indianapolis ground game. Matt Ryan didn’t inspire much confidence in his Colts debut, so look for the 2021 rushing champion to lead the offense and help his club put consistent points on the board.
Lawrence makes a couple of bad throws that put the Jaguars in too difficult of a situation. The Colts gain an early lead and lean on Taylor to maintain it. Jacksonville is never completely out of it, but can’t muster enough offensive firepower to topple the visitors.
Prediction: Colts win 26-20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) at New Orleans Saints (1-0)
Sunday, September 18, 1PM ET
Not that anyone’s really surprised, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked VERY GOOD in Week 1. Tom Brady was his usual self, and the defense completely shut the door on anything the Dallas Cowboys threw at them. There’s a reason people are already talking about the Buccaneers as one of the best in the NFC.
Look for them to continue driving that point home in Week 2, when they visit the New Orleans Saints and hand their division rivals a painful loss. The Saints narrowly avoided being upset in their season opener, and are now facing much stiffer competition in the form of the Buccaneers.
While everyone will focus on Brady, it’s actually the Tampa Bay defense that has me believing in the Bucs in Week 2. They stifled the Cowboys for 60 minutes, and figure to do the same against a solid but not overwhelming Saints offense. Especially with Jameis Winston at the helm, every mistake will be taken advantage of — and likely turn into points for the Buccaneers.
Brady’s unretirement tour continues as Tampa Bay secures their second victory of the season. As for the Saints, they quickly learn that you can’t make that many mental mistakes against the league’s top teams.
Prediction: Buccaneers win 36-19
Carolina Panthers (0-1) at New York Giants (1-0)
Sunday, September 18, 1PM ET
At this point, I’m not buying either of these teams. I knew the Carolina Panthers would fall short in the Baker Bowl, and the New York Giants also seemed to win in Week 1 in spite of themselves. With that said, there were some noteworthy positives to take away from the Giants’ win.
Saquon Barkley is back and appears to be ramping up towards his former self now that he’s back to full health. Daniel Jones made some good plays, and Brian Daboll clearly isn’t shy about making difficult decisions. I’ll need more convincing before buying stock in the G-Men, but they’re definitely on the rise.
The same cannot be said for the Panthers. Their offense is clunky and Baker Mayfield is not as talented as he thinks he is. Unless Carolina finds a way to get Christian McCaffrey to score two or three touchdowns per game, it’s going to be a long season for this squad.
This one ends up being close because I’m still not convinced either of these teams is as well-balanced as some would like to believe. Regardless, the Giants get the win at home as Barkley strikes paydirt twice and Jones avoids turnovers to help lift his team to a second-consecutive victory.
Prediction: Giants win 23-21
New England Patriots (0-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Sunday, September 18, 1PM ET
I know — this seems like a bad pick. The Pittsburgh Steelers were surprisingly competitive in Week 1, while the Patriots had the look of a team in desperate need of a rebuild. I even claimed that it may be time for Bill Belichick to call a career in last week’s post.
Despite all of that, I’m picking the Patriots to come up with their own surprise win in Week 2. If there’s any coach who can orchestrate a quick turnaround, it’s Belichick. And it’s not like the Steelers were dominant last Sunday — they nearly choked away a win that was all but handed to them by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Plus, the Steelers came away from Week 1 with some injuries that can’t be ignored. Najee Harris may not be available, and it’s possible T.J. Watt is done for the year. Without those two on the field, Pittsburgh loses significant talent on both sides of the ball.
Mac Jones (assuming he’s good to go after suffering a back injury on Sunday) settles down and avoids making as many mistakes as he did in Week 1. The New England defense stiffens after getting run over by the Dolphins. They put the pressure on Mitchell Trubisky to win the game, and he can’t deliver. Another close one ends up falling in the Patriots’ favor.
Prediction: Patriots win 20-17
Atlanta Falcons (0-1) at Los Angeles Rams (0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 1PM ET
It’s hard to know what the situation is after Week 1 — have the Los Angeles Rams fallen off that much, or are the Buffalo Bills just that good? We’ll know more after Week 2 when the Rams host the Atlanta Falcons, a team that showed some promise in their opener.
Although the Falcons ultimately lost in Week 1, there was plenty to be proud of. The offense looked explosive at times, especially when the pigskin was in Cordarrelle Patterson’s hands. As long as Marcus Mariota can avoid turning the ball over, Atlanta should be in just about every game this season.
Still, I’ve got to give this one to the Rams. As embarrassing as last week’s loss was, you can’t deny the fact that Los Angeles has plenty of talent available across the roster. The Rams’ front five will need to make some major adjustments, but giving Matthew Stafford even a little more time to throw could work wonders.
This ends up being a close call, as the Rams allow the Falcons to stick around for all 60 minutes. Eventually, Stafford throws a strike to Cooper Kupp that puts Los Angeles ahead. A minute later, Aaron Donald and Co. shut the door, giving the Rams their first win of the 2022 campaign.
Prediction: Rams win 31-27
Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 4:25PM ET
Uhh, where did that come from? I was ready to throw in the towel on the Seattle Seahawks before the season even began. They shut me up real quick, taking down their former quarterback and one of the Super Bowl favorites on their way to an impressive Week 1 win.
Before anyone gets too excited, though, I do want to say this — don’t expect to see that Geno Smith every weekend. I’m glad he’s proving doubters wrong, but at some point, he’s going to remind us why he’s never managed to stay in a starting role for long.
Still, I’m going to have to give this one to the Seahawks. I don’t trust Trey Lance to be the guy for the 49ers, and the loss of Mitchell hurts. Even if San Francisco is playing in more normal weather, they may have a hard time combatting the toughness and tenacity that this Seahawks club appears to have carried into the 2022 season.
It comes down to the wire, but Seattle’s defense makes a clutch stop in the final seconds to remain undefeated while handing their division rivals their second loss in as many weeks. Not the way you saw this season starting off for these two teams, right?
Prediction: Seahawks win 16-14
Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 4:25PM ET
We’re going to chalk that up to a fluke, right? There’s no way Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are going to be that bad this season. There are some legitimate concerns, but they’ll find a way to right the ship and get back in the hunt for their second consecutive AFC title.
Unfortunately, there likely won’t be much legitimate contention this year for the Dallas Cowboys. Not only were they a mess in their Week 1 game blowout loss, but they also lost Dak Prescott for a significant amount of time to a hand injury. I don’t see Cooper Rush doing anywhere near enough to keep them in the mix until Prescott returns.
Even if Prescott was available, I still don’t think the Cowboys would come away from this one victorious. The offense was in shambles, as the offensive line was dominated by the Tampa Bay front all night long. The Bengals are more than capable of doing similar damage in Week 2.
Burrow enjoys a bounce-back game, looking like the quarterback that took the Bengals to the Super Bowl a season ago. Ja’Marr Chase does his thing, Joe Mixon gets going as well, and Cincinnati puts on a show. As for the Cowboys, they start wondering if a mulligan is possible.
Prediction: Bengals win 28-10
Houston Texans (0-0-1) at Denver Broncos (0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 4:25PM ET
What just happened?! I thought for sure the Denver Broncos were going to make minced meat of the rebuilding Seattle Seahawks. Instead, Russell Wilson got shown up by his former team and now finds his team tumbling down the power rankings.
Luckily for the Broncos, the schedule gods were good to them. Coming off that astonishing upset, they’ll now have an opportunity to even their record out against the lethargic Houston Texans. If it can’t come up with a win in Week 2, we’ll be labeling Denver the NFL’s most overrated squad before long.
I don’t think that’ll happen though. Despite managing a tie in Week 1, the Texans aren’t anything exciting. Davis Mills is a decent quarterback, but his weapons are limited and the Houston defense is not going to hold up. Chances are we see the Broncos roll in Week 2 the way so many expected them to this past Monday.
I won’t go as far as saying the Texans will give the Broncos their belly, but the fight shouldn’t last far into the fourth quarter. Wilson gets his new franchise back on track and secures his first win in the blue and orange.
Prediction: Broncos win 24-9
Arizona Cardinals (0-1) at Las Vegas Raiders (0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 4:25PM ET
Despite several hiccups, the Las Vegas Raiders nearly came away with a win in Week 1. Unfortunately for the Arizona Cardinals, they didn’t fare nearly as well, getting steamrolled by the Chiefs and looking like anything but a contender.
Also unfortunately for the Cardinals, I don’t think we’ll see anything too different in Week 2. The Arizona offense is reeling due to a lack of healthy/available playmakers, and Kyler Murray can’t do it on his own. The Las Vegas defense is no slouch and will make life difficult for Murray and Co.
Meanwhile, as long as Derek Carr cuts down on the turnovers, the Raiders are more than capable of scoring in bunches. Davante Adams was outstanding in his debut with the Silver and Black and figures to have similar success against a clearly overmatched Arizona secondary. Look for the Raiders to find the end zone all day long.
We knew there was potential for this Cardinals club to suffer a significant dropoff in 2022, but we weren’t quite sure how ugly it was going to be. Turns out, they could soon be sitting at 0-2 and wondering what they could have done differently to avoid this outcome.
Prediction: Raiders win 41-27
Chicago Bears (1-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 8:20PM ET
I absolutely will not go anywhere near claiming the Chicago Bears are going to surprise people this season. Sure, they won in Week 1 against a quality 49ers team. They were also playing on a slip-n-slide against a young quarterback who I believe will not live up to the hype in 2022.
Still, they got the win, so we have to give them some sort of credit. Justin Fields wasn’t a complete disaster, even managing to create some excitement despite the lack of explosive weapons around him. The Chicago defense also impressed, but again — ugly conditions, poor quarterback play, and an Elijah Mitchell injury didn’t help San Francisco.
Week 2 is going to be a different story for the Bears, who will be facing a frustrated Green Bay Packers squad. They were overpowered in nearly every aspect on opening weekend, and now need to find a way to right the ship. Chicago presents a prime opportunity to do just that.
Aaron Rodgers makes a few big plays despite a lack of strong offensive line play and a true No. 1 receiver, putting much more than seven points on the board. The Green Bay defense also finds a way to corral Fields, forcing the youngster into more mistakes than the Bears are capable of coping with.
Prediction: Packers win 29-20
Tennessee Titans (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (1-0)
Monday, September 19, 7:15PM ET
Something tells me this one is going to be closer than anyone anticipates, but I can’t in good conscience pick against the Buffalo Bills. I definitely can’t do so after the shellacking they dulled out to the defending Super Bowl champs on opening night.
There’s just too much to like about this Bills team. The offense, led by Josh Allen, is explosive, with a number of dangerous weapons in the passing game and a quality ground attack. The Buffalo defense is just as intimidating, combining serious speed with a collective nose for the football that leaves opposing offenses frustrated.
What do the Tennessee Titans have to offer? Derrick Henry. Anything else? Not really, apart from a few exceptional pieces on defense. The passing game was lackluster in Week 1, as Ryan Tannehill continues his downward trajectory. The lack of A.J. Brown is being felt, and Buffalo’s defense will help remind them of what they’re missing on Monday night.
On paper, this looks like a potential blowout. Somehow, though, the Titans should manage to stay within striking distance for most of this game. Ultimately, the Bills get the win but have to sweat it out before the final whistle blows.
Prediction: Bills win 27-23
Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
Sunday, September 19, 8:30PM ET
I told you so.
It may be hard to believe, but the Minnesota Vikings might actually be legit. The Kevin O’Connell offense delivered in its debut, as Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson lit up the Green Bay Packers defense in Week 1 and will look to keep the good times rolling in Week 2.
Honestly, this one will depend more on the Minnesota defense than anything else. I don’t have any doubt the Vikings will find a way to score against a Philadelphia defense that gave up 35 points to the Lions. But can Minnesota contain Hurts and keep him from running up the score?
After last weekend’s performance, my answer is yes. The Vikings’ defense managed to hold Rodgers and the Packers to only 7 points in 60 minutes, so will corralling Hurts really be that tall of a task? I think not.
In Week 2, the Vikings continue to prove that they’re a team worth taking seriously. Not only do Cousins and Jefferson combine for another excellent outing, but Minnesota forces three turnovers as the Eagles have a hard time moving the ball. I’m not going to talk about a Super Bowl yet, but the Vikings could be the surprise team of the 2022 season.
Prediction: Vikings win 33-17