Last week didn't turn out as well as we thought, but going 8-8 with all of those bizarre finishes is considered a victory. The first few weeks are very unpredictable, and as long as we can escape without a losing record, our cumulative numbers can be salvaged. HNGN is now 18-14 on the season and we look forward to Week 3, which kicks off Thursday night in Atlanta when the Buccaneers visit the Falcons.
Check out our selections below:
Buccaneers at Falcons, Thursday @ 8:25 p.m.
The Bucs have now dropped two games in a row against teams with backup quarterbacks. This week they'll face a division rival with their starting quarterback on the road. I don't see a reversal of Murphy's Law for Tampa Bay tonight.
Falcons 31, Buccaneers 20
Chargers at Bills, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
It ends this week for Buffalo. Despite San Diego making the dreaded trip to the East Coast, I simply do not see the Bills starting 3-0 against quality NFL teams. The Chargers are likely confident after their win over the Super Bowl champion Seahawks last week, so I think they'll come out on top in Week 3.
Chargers 23, Bills 17
Redskins at Eagles, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
The Eagles have now escaped two close calls in the first two weeks of the season, but can they keep doing it? The Redskins lost RGIII last week, and he'll probably be out for quite some time, which means Kirk Cousins will be the starter. Cousins is believed to be the better fit for Jay Gruden's offense, and I think he'll lead the Skins to victory in their first division game of the season.
Redskins 27, Eagles 24
Texans at Giants, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
Are the Giants really going to start 0-3 for the second consecutive year? Eli and the offense showed last week against Arizona that they can move the ball, but turnovers, dropped passes and the typical horrid special teams play ended up costing the them in the end. The Texans are playing mistake-free football and the defense looks solid, but Tom Coughlin cannot afford another loss.
Giants 24, Texans 22
Vikings at Saints, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
Saints. That is all.
Saints 34, Vikings 20
Cowboys at Rams, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
If Dallas can keep running the ball the way they are with Demarco Murray, maybe they won't have to rely on Romo late in games, during which he will likely throw an interception and keep them from making the playoffs, again. The Rams won last week, but gave up 144 yards to Bucs running back Bobby Rainey, so I'm going with Dallas to control the clock and keep it distant.
Cowboys 27, Rams 16
Titans at Bengals, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
The last time the Bengals lost a regular season game at home was in Week 14 during the 2012 season. They dominated the Falcons last week, and although the Titans may surprise many this year, the Bengals balanced attack will be too much for them.
Bengals 38, Titans 21
Ravens at Browns, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
The Browns shocked the Saints last week on a last second field goal, while the Ravens thrashed the Steelers in Baltimore. Cleveland did beat Baltimore last year at home in their second matchup of the season, but that was their first win in the last 12 meetings. The Ravens will continue to fend off distractions and win their second division game.
Ravens 23, Browns 13
Packers at Lions, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
This is a tough one. The Lions looked great in Week 1 (against a bad Giants team) and then looked awful last week in a 24-7 loss against the Panthers. Green Bay was embarrassed in Seattle in Week 1 and then had a close call with the Jets at home on Sunday, but Aaron Rodgers is 9-1 against Detroit in his career, so I'm going to go with the history.
Packers 28, Lions 27
Colts at Jaguars, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
Andrew Luck 0-3? Nope. Not after a trip to Jacksonville.
Colts 38, Jaguars 17
Raiders at Patriots, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
The Raiders are probably furious with the NFL about their schedule so far. In Week 1 they had a 1 p.m. game at the Meadowlands against the Jets, then traveled all the way back to Oakland for a matchup against the Texans, and are now coming all the way back to the East Coast to face Tom Brady and Bill Belichick at 1 p.m. I see the Raiders East Coast losing streak continuing.
Patriots 31, Raiders 14
49ers at Cardinals, Sunday @ 4:05 p.m.
The Cardinals played a fundamental game in their Week 2 win against the Giants while the 49ers watched the wheels come off in the fourth quarter in their 28-20 loss to Chicago on Sunday night. There hasn't been any news on Carson Palmer's shoulder injury, so it looks like Drew Stanton will still be under center for Arizona. And he's no Jay Cutler.
49ers 23, Arizona 16
Broncos at Seahawks, Sunday @ 4:25 p.m.
The rematch of last year's Super Bowl is fun to talk about, but it might not be fun to watch. Denver lost 43-8 at a neutral site, so it could be just as ugly when they travel to Seattle to deal with the 12th man. Denver hasn't looked as impressive as many expected thus far and I think Seattle at home is the safer bet.
Seahawks 35, Broncos 24
Chiefs at Dolphins, Sunday @ 4:25 p.m.
Miami followed up a 33-20 victory over the Patriots with a 29-10 loss against the Bills. And they managed to lose Knowshon Moreno for at least four weeks with a dislocated elbow and Lamar Miller is questionable with an ankle injury. If they don't have a run game they're going to keep losing. Kansas City kept it close in Denver last week, and I think Andy Reid will outcoach Joe Philbin.
Chiefs 23, Dolphins 20
Steelers at Panthers, Sunday @ 8:30 p.m.
The Panthers have looked great so far. They took down the Bucs in Week 1 with Derek Anderson as their starting quarterback and then held the high-powered Detroit Lions offense to seven points in last week's victory. The Steelers haven't looked impressive at all and they might suffer another embarrassing primetime loss.
Panthers 28, Steelers 17
Bears at Jets, Monday @ 8:30 p.m.
Chicago's offense came alive in the fourth quarter of last week's game against San Francisco during which they scored three touchdowns to seal the 28-20 win. The Jets have nobody in the secondary and if Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey are at full force, it could get ugly on Monday night. But the Jets have been playing tough and I think they'll keep it close.
Bears 24, Jets 23
