Week 2 NFL Preview: Where and What To Watch

After months of waiting, Opening Weekend did not disappoint, as long as your team won. It was non-stop action. Here's how you can watch Week 2 live. 

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Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books, and it was a wild one, my friends. Here is a quick recap of what occurred.

• Matthew Stafford was complete trash against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a 30-10 prime-time embarrassment. The Super Bowl hangover is real, folks.   

• Aaron Rodgers looked like he took ayahuasca right before he took the field on Sunday as the Kirk Cousins-led Minnesota Vikings throttled Green Bay. 

• Patrick Mahomes didn’t miss a beat at the start of the post-Tyreek Hill era in Kansas City, throwing five touchdowns against a good Arizona Cardinals team.

• The Steelers shocked Who Dey nation with a last-second overtime win in Cincinnati, something both the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts wish they could have pulled off on their way to an opening weekend tie.

• Carson Wentz threw four touchdowns. Yes, four. Touchdowns. It’s not a typo. 

• To round out the wild weekend action, DangeRuss Wilson’s debut in Denver was a massive letdown, with Geno Smith outdueling the Pro Bowl quarterback in a 17-16 Seahawks victory at home. 

 

After months of waiting, Opening Weekend did not disappoint, as long as your team won. It was non-stop action. How could Week 2 possibly live up to this start? Pretty easily, actually. 

Looking Ahead to Thursday Night for Week 2

The second NFL slate of the season kicks off in Kansas City, where the Chargers take on the Chiefs in an early match-up of AFC West rivals. This is supposed to be the best division in the league, as the Chargers will look to be the only undefeated one left in it.

The Chargers narrowly missed the playoffs last season, losing to the Raiders in Week 18. Week 2 is their opportunity to prove they deserve a shot at the trophy, not to mention Justin Herbert’s chance to outduel Patrick Mahomes. Chargers at Chiefs is shaping up to be a high-scoring affair, much like we expected between the Bills and Rams last week. Hopefully, fantasy managers won’t tear out their hair as much as they did during last Thursday night’s matchup.

These aren’t the only storylines to watch for during Week 2. 

• Will we see rookie running back Isiah Spiller in action for the first time?

• Is Juju Smith-Schuster the new Tyreek Hill in KC?

• Is Clyde Edwards-Helaire for real, or was last week an aberration?

• Can the new-and-improved Chargers defense keep a dynamic Chiefs defense in check?

• Will the Los Angeles offense thrive without wide receiver Keenan Allen?

The Chargers-Chiefs match-up has to be more exciting than the blowout we saw last Thursday Night. It’s science. Plan accordingly if you want to be on your couch for kick-off. 

Where to Watch

8:20 PM EST

• LAC @ KC (-4) on Amazon Prime (86 & Sunny) O/U 54.5

What to Watch for on Sunday

 

 

The 1 PM games for Week 2 aren’t as exciting as last week. It seems like the NFL loaded the Week 1 early slate with revenge games galore. The most exciting thing we’ll have early on is a divisional match-up between Tom Brady’s Buccaneers and Jameis Winston’s Saints. Suppose it’s a revenge game of sorts for Winston, playing against his former team in Tampa. However, this one isn’t as punctuated, as recent, or as big of a slight as Baker Mayfield facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. 

• The Miami Dolphins face a tough Baltimore Ravens team fresh off dismantling the New York Jets.

• Indianapolis looks to get their first win - or loss - against division rival Jacksonville Jaguars.

• The Giants look to carry the momentum from a Week 1 upset of the Titans back home against the Panthers. 

While not as dramatic as football's opening weekend, there’s still plenty to enjoy. 

Where to Watch

Early Games

• MIA @ BAL (-3.5) on CBS (85 & Sunny) O/U 44.5
• NJY @ CLE (-6) on CBS (85 & Sunny) O/U  40
• IND @ JAX (+4) on CBS (86 & Clouds/Rain) O/U 47
• TB @ NO (+3) on FOX (Dome) O/U 44
• NE @ PIT (+1.5) on CBS (83 & Sunny) O/U 40.5
• CAR @ NYG (-2.5) on FOX (86 & Sunny) O/U 42
• WAS @ DET (-2.5) on FOX (Dome) O/U 49

Late Games 

• SEA @ SF (-10) on FOX (64 & Sunny) O/U 42.5
• ATL @ LAR (-10.5) on FOX (75 & Sunny) O/U 47
• ARI @ LV (-6) on CBS (Dome) O/U 42.5
• HOU @ DEN (-10) on CBS (87 & Sunny) O/U 46
• CIN @ DAL (+7.5) on CBS (Dome) O/U 43

Sunday Night Football

• CHI @ GB (-10) on NBC (80 & Cloudy/Rain) O/U 42.5

Monday Night Lights

Week 2 is excitingly featuring not one but two Monday night match-ups. We have the Tennessee Titans heading to Buffalo and the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. While this is usually a Week 1 tradition, the Denver Broncos versus Seattle Seahawks was too juicy not to stand alone. So here we are in Week 2 with a doubleheader.

Let’s be real here. Yes, anything is possible; that’s why they play the games. However, The Titans couldn’t manage to beat the lowly New York Giants to open up the season. The Bills are loaded on both sides of the ball. Barring a significant injury, suspension, or Josh Allen suddenly retiring before the game, this one will be over by the end of the first quarter.

The second contest of the night should be a far more exciting affair. Philadelphia looked like a complete team this past Sunday in a 38-35 victory over the Detroit Lions, and we all saw what Minnesota did to Green Bay. These are two much-improved squads who will likely be competing for a playoff spot come December. This one is a toss-up and could be the best game of the entire week. 

 

Where to Watch

7:15 PM EST

• TEN @ BUF (-10) on ESPN (81 & Sunny) O/U 49.5

8:30 PM EST

• MIN @ PHI (-2) on ABC (86 & Sunny) O/U 50.5

  

Week 2 Storylines to Watch

There’s a lot going on this week, folks:

• Were the upsets from Week 1 a fluke or are some of these teams actually good?
• Will a team in the AFC South win a game?
• Are we in an inaccurate kickers epidemic? 

If you took anything away from last week, it might be that kickers kind of sucked to start the season. There were six game-winning kicks that went wide, including a miss by Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship that led to a tie against Houston. Chicago placekicker Cairo Santos missed two extra points. Cincy’s Evan Mcpherson missed one as well, plus a potential game-winning kick in the same game the Steelers' Chris Boswell missed a game-ender before finishing it off as the clock expired in extra time. The lone kicking bright spot from last weekend was Cleveland’s Cade York Champ Chain-worthy 60-yarder to seal the deal against Carolina. Will the trend of wildly inaccurate kicking when it counts continue into Week 2? 

 

The AFC South heads into Week 2 with a tie for first, with Indianapolis and Houston sitting at 0-0-1. Jacksonville and Tennessee both lost, leaving this division without a single victory. Will this weekend bring us a win in the division? You would think it’s a certainty with the Jaguars facing off against the Colts, but we saw what happened on Sunday.

 

Next, the Texans face the Broncos in Denver, and before the Monday night debacle in Seattle, I would have said this game is already over. However, Houston looked good to open the season; Denver did not. Finally, the Titans face off against the Bills on Monday night in what should be a blowout snoozefest. My money is on Indy to take the lead in the South, but anything is possible.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, three of the four teams in the historically awful NFC East started their 2022 campaign off with a win. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were the lone loser in more ways than one. Not only were they destroyed by the Tampa Bay Bucs and their 45-year-old quarterback, but they also lost their star Dak Prescott for at least four weeks with a hand injury. That’s bad news for a team that looked lackluster on national television Sunday night. 

If you’re among the Green Bay Packers faithful, their Week 2 game is a Godsend. After getting blown out by the most vanilla quarterback on earth in Cousins, getting the Aaron Rodgers-owned Chicago Bears at home is a best-case scenario.

 

It’s difficult to know precisely what Chicago is after last week’s monsoon game, but we do know whatever they are isn’t good. Justin Fields will have his work cut out for him against one of the best secondaries in the league. Meanwhile, the Bears defense is going to have to buckle down and figure out how to get to Aaron Rodgers if this game is going to be even remotely close.

The biggest question from last weekend that will carry over to this Sunday is the Trey Lance saga. His debut as the starting quarterback in San Francisco was marred by a monsoon in Chicago and an embarrassing loss to an awful Bears squad. You can blame the rain all you want, but this is the NFL, and Lance’s home field is in one of the rainiest cities in the country. 

Lance’s rushing upside is undeniable, but this isn’t college football. He will have to throw the ball in an offense loaded with receiving talent. A Week 2 match-up against Seattle brings in much better weather for the second-year signal caller, possibly giving him a chance to rebound and right the ship, but can he?

 

Week 2 has a LOT to live up to after an electric Week 1. Here are a few Week 2 predictions straight from my brain to your eyes:

• Watch the Chargers and Chiefs will blow the over/under out of the water for Week 2 on Thursday night in what could be the highest-scoring game of the year.

• Carson Wentz and the Commanders will return to earth after barely beating a weak Jacksonville squad, losing handily to the knee-cap-biting Detroit Lions.

• The Colts will embarrass the Jaguars with Matt Ryan winning the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award.

• The New York Jets will shock the world and stay in it until the end against the Browns in Cleveland. Joe Flacco will throw for 350-plus yards and four touchdowns.

• Aaron Rodgers will lay off the psychedelics this week and efficiently handle the Bears.

• Minnesota and Philadelphia will take it down to the wire, with Jalen Hurts leading the Eagles into a victory formation.

• Joe Buck will have perfect hair on Monday night. 

However it all plays out, just remember that the most important thing this week is that football is back! 

Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.

I’ll be back next week with more musings on the week ahead and a review of the week just behind us, right here in the SmackZone.