2024 NFL Season: Football food for thought in Week 2

For the second straight week, there are only three divisional games on the schedule. However, one of those clashes kicks off Week 2 as the Bills and Dolphins square off in South Florida on Thursday night.

Six of the 16 games involve teams that both came away with a victory of Week 1. Meanwhile, there are also a half-dozen contests where both clubs are looking for their first win of 2024.

For the 16 teams that dropped their season opener, it’s safe to say that 0-2 is not where you want to be.

Thursday, Sept. 12

Buffalo (1-0) at Miami (1-0): It’s been a fairly one-sided series ever since Sean McDermott arrived in Orchard Park. Including a playoff victory in 2022, the Bills own a daunting 13-2 record in this AFC East rivalry. That includes a 5-2 road mark. Both of these clubs had to stage comebacks from double-digit deficits last Sunday. Buffalo’s run defense struggled vs. the Cardinals and could be in for a rough night.

Sunday, Sept. 15

Las Vegas (0-1) at Baltimore (0-1): The Raiders’ defense was steamrolled last Sunday at SoFi Stadium, allowing 176 yards rushing in a 22-10 loss to the Chargers. John Harbaugh’s club rolled up 452 total yards at Kansas City but still couldn’t knock off the defending Super Bowl champions. In that game, Derrick Henry managed only 46 yards on 13 carries (1 TD). That figure will change in a big way this weekend.

L.A. Chargers (1-0) at Carolina (0-1): Balanced football was the call for Jim Harbaugh against the rival Raiders last week. The Bolts finished with 27 rushing attempts and 27 pass plays in the victory. Dave Canales’ debut with the Panthers was a total disaster in the Big Easy. The Chargers haven’t opened a season 2-0 since 2012 (they finished 7-9). That same year, Harbaugh led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLII.

New Orleans (1-0) at Dallas (1-0): It's safe to say that neither the Saints nor Cowboys had any problems lighting up the scoreboard last week. The two clubs combined for 84 points and made it look easy against the Panthers (47-10) and Browns (37-20), respectively. You would have never guessed that Dallas finished with just 265 total yards. Saints’ running back Alvin Kamara flashed his former Pro Bowl form last Sunday.

Tampa Bay (1-0) at Detroit (1-0): For the second straight week, Dan Campbell’s club is involved from a playoff rematch from 2023. A year ago, the Lions held off the Bucs, 31-23, in the divisional round at Ford Field. Baker Mayfield and company threw for four scores in las week’s win over Washington. Detroit had to go to overtime to beat the Rams last Sunday night. The Lions’ pass defense still has some work to do.

Indianapolis (0-1) at Green Bay (0-1): In Week 1, the Packers scored the most points by a losing team, falling 34-39 to the Eagles at Brazil. The Colts scored the third-most points by a club that lost last week, dropping a 29-27 nailbiter to the Houston Texans. Green Bay’s Jordan Love is out of action for a few weeks, so enter Malik Willis. The Pack needs to be much better on defense than they were vs. the Birds.

Cleveland (0-1) at Jacksonville (0-1): Welcome back, Deshaun Watson? The high-priced signal-caller was miserable in an ugly home loss to Dallas. He hit on only 24-of-45 passes for 169 yards and one score, but was sacked six times, fumbled once (without a turnover) and picked off twice. The Jaguars let one get away from them last week at Miami. Doug Pederson’s team totaled four yards in the fourth quarter,

San Francisco (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0): Kyle Shanahan’s team travels to the Twin Cities for the second straight season, and hopes to fare better than it did in 2023. Will Christian McCaffrey make an appearance on Sunday? The Niners’ running game was pretty effective on Monday night with Jordan Mason carrying the rock. Vikings’ quarterback Sam Donald was impressive in the team’s win over the Giants last Sunday.

Seattle (1-0) at New England (1-0): Was it really 10 years ago that these two teams clashed in one of the greatest Super Bowls? The Seahawks make their first appearance in Foxborough since 2016 and face an AFC team for the second straight Sunday. Both Mike Macdonald and Jerod Mayo began their NFL head coaching careers last week with victories, and both of their offenses were keyed by the ground game.

N.Y. Jets (0-1) at Tennessee (0-1): The one-time Titans battle the current Titans for the first time since 2021. The Jets also invade Nashville for the first time since 2018. Both teams had their issues last week, and watching New York’s defense get pushed around by the Niners was somewhat surprising. The Titans did not give up an offensive touchdown at Chicago, and still allowed 24 points while blowing a 17-0 lead.

N.Y. Giants (0-1) at Washington (0-1): These NFC East rivals renew acquaintances, and Big Blue looks to continue its recent dominance in this series. Dating back to the clubs’ second meeting in 2018, the Giants own an 8-2-1 lead in the last 11 encounters. Could New York’s Daniel Jones get back on track vs. the worst defense in the league in 2023, and one that didn't look much better on the opening Sunday at Tampa?

L.A. Rams (0-1) at Arizona (0-1): Both of these teams come off six-point losses in Week 1. The Rams’ 26-20 setback was in overtime at Detroit. Head coach Sean McVay has owned the series since being hired by the franchise in 2017. Including a lopsided playoff win in 2021, the Rams are a blistering 13-2 vs. the Cards over that span. Kyler Murray ran for 57 yards at Buffalo, but was also sacked four times and lost a fumble.

Pittsburgh (1-0) at Denver (0-1): So much for a Mile High reunion. By all indications, Justin Fields will once again get the start for Mike Tomlin’s club, with Russell Wilson on the sidelines. Pittsburgh defeated the Falcons last week with six field goals and three takeaways. Broncos’ quarterback Bo Nix had his issues in his debut, and Denver’s only touchdown at Seattle can with just 2:09 to play via a four-yard run by Nix.

Cincinnati (0-1) at Kansas City (1-0): Zac Taylor’s club was inexplicably stunned at home last week by the Patriots. It wasn’t a surprise that the defending Super Bowl champions held off the Ravens last Thursday night, but it was somewhat of a shock that Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive unit gave up 452 total yards to Baltimore. The perplexing Bengals are looking to avoid an 0-2 start for the third consecutive season.

Sunday night

Chicago (1-0) at Houston (1-0): While Matt Eberflus’s team rallied from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Titans last week, the Chicago offense came up with only 148 total yards and didn’t score a touchdown. Thank goodness for defense and special teams, each unit scoring a touchdown in the Bears’ second-half rally. Houston’s balanced attack could prove to be too much for Caleb Williams and company to keep up with.

Monday, Sept. 16

Atlanta (0-1) at Philadelphia (1-0): The Falcons’ defense kept the visiting Steelers out of the end zone last week, but three turnovers helped doom Raheem Morris’ club. The Eagles got a big game from newcomer Saquon Barkley (3 TDs) and held off the Packers at Brazil. Odd statistic of the week: This will be the third straight season Kirk Cousins will travel to Philadelphia for a prime-time contest in Week 2. Go figure!