The Week 2 NFL schedule features many strong favorites, but as we learned last week after the New England Patriots shocked the Cincinnati Bengals, these games are rarely predictable.
Well, maybe there might be a few predictable games. Not many are giving the Carolina Panthers a chance to beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Then again, that was the case last week with the Patriots and Bengals. But based on how bad the Panthers have been in recent memory, we left off the potential trap game for the Chargers from our list of best games of the week.
There are many intriguing battles to choose from in Week 2, but it might not get any better than the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. The Baker Mayfield–led Buccaneers pushed the Lions during their playoff matchup in January. Tampa Bay’s surprising 2023 season doesn’t appear to be a fluke after a dominant Week 1 victory against the Washington Commanders.
Speaking of fluke, we’re keeping tabs on Sam Darnold after his impressive Minnesota Vikings debut, throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the victory against the New York Giants. Darnold can prove he’s a different quarterback from his New York Jets days by leading Minnesota to an upset win against the mighty San Francisco 49ers.
We’ll also highlight the Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints, Chiefs vs. Bengals, and Houston Texans vs. Chicago Bears. Here’s what you need to know about the Week 2 games, including Gilberto Manzano’s key matchups, Matt Verderame’s key stats, Michael Fabiano’s who to start and who to sit in fantasy, Jennifer Piacenti’s best bets and Conor Orr’s prediction for each game.
Jump To:Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit LionsNew Orleans Saints (1–0) at Dallas Cowboys (1–0)San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1–0)Cincinnati Bengals (0–1) at Kansas City Chiefs (1–0)Chicago Bears (1–0) at Houston Texans (1–0)
Start ’em/Sit ’em | MMQB Staff Picks | NFL Betting Picks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
When/TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox
Spread: Lions -7.5 (over/under 51)
Matchup to watch: Buccaneers WR Mike Evans vs. Lions’ secondary. The Washington Commanders declined to double Evans in Week 1—he had five catches for 61 yards, including two touchdowns—which Mayfield referred to as cheating because of the easy opportunities downfield. The Lions might have a better approach for the wideout who doesn’t appear to be aging in his 11th NFL season. But the new-look Detroit secondary struggled to keep tabs on Cooper Kupp, who had 14 catches for 110 yards and a score last week. —
Key stat: In the opener, the Buccaneers converted a league-best 69.2% of third downs in a win over the Commanders. Detroit excelled defensively in this category last year, tying for 10th-best at 37.1% against. —
Start ’em/sit ’em: Chris Godwin scored 22.3 points last week, and the Lions have allowed the third-most points to wide receivers and slot men since 2023. In a game with a 50.5 total, expect Godwin to shine again. —
Best bet: Evans anytime TD (+120). We played a Evans touchdown prop last week, and we are playing it again this week for a nice payout. Evans scored two last week against the Commanders, and he is a favorite target for Mayfield. Not only did Evans lead the Bucs with 13 scores in 2023, he commanded 40% of the team’s air yards and found the end zone in 11 of 17 games. The matchup with the Lions, who just allowed 266 yards and a TD to Rams receivers, is an excellent one. —
SI’s pick:Let’s call for an upset special here. Nothing changes for me about the Lions being a Super Bowl-winning team but Tampa Bay is strong in places that the Lions are a little bit weaker. Tampa Bay has a strong interior defensive line and good edge setters against the run. It also has veteran wideouts who can attack this secondary the way Kupp did. Detroit isn’t going 17–0 and Mayfield has never looked better. —
