It's only the second week of the NFL season, yet it feels like football never left.
Upsets and insane performances dominated the headlines last week, reminding us how unpredictable this sport truly is.
So, here's the rundown to help make sense of all the great matchups that are on deck for Week 2 of the season:
Thursday, Sep. 17
Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills: 8:15 p.m. ET
Playing in the new Highmark Stadium for the first time, Josh Allen and co. will be looking to put on a show for Bills faithful. And if there's a team that knows a thing or two about high-flying offences, it's Detroit.
Both teams love to run up the scoreboard, and both are coming off narrow Week 1 victories where defences seemed optional.
The key here will be Jahmyr Gibbs. The Bills' defence surrendered 102 yards on the ground to Houston's duo of David Montgomery and Woody Marks, and Montgomery — Gibbs' old running mate — found the end zone three times in the opener.
Despite the hat trick, Buffalo's run D only allowed just shy of one yard before contact per rush, ranking approximately 11th-best last week.
But Gibbs is widely considered the top back in the league, has a better O-line in front of him despite the unit being down two starters and out-produced the Texans' RB duo on his own.
Expect a big game from the three-time Pro Bowler.
(Pick: Lions +4.5)
Sunday, Sep. 20
Philadelphia Eagles @ Tennessee Titans: 1 p.m. ET
Cam Ward and the Titans fell to the (maybe not so) lowly Jets by 13 last week — not an ideal debut in their new uniforms.
Philly, meanwhile, has recorded four straight seasons with double-digit wins, and thanks to a two-point stop with a minute remaining in Week 1, has it travelling to Tennessee 1-0.
With a strong supporting cast and solid defence, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles should head to Chicago undefeated.
(Pick: Eagles -7)
Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots: 1 p.m. ET
The Patriots, like a few other top teams from a year ago, endured major struggles in their season opener. Drake Maye and the squad were unable to exact revenge on Seattle for their Super Bowl 60 loss, and also lost their top offensive weapon in WR A.J. Brown in the process.
On the other hand, the Steelers defence — albeit against Cooper Rush — looked dominant once again after the unit regressed last season. Aaron Rodgers is reunited with Mike McCarthy, and if a few more passes could be completed — DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson finished second and eighth, respectively, in air yards in Week 1 — the passing game can compete with New England's stingy secondary.
(Pick: Steelers +5)
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears: 1 p.m. ET
A team that just nearly dropped 60 points in its season opener, taking on a backup QB is quite the matchup.
However, that backup is Carson Wentz, and he led the Vikings to an impressive 39-22 win over the Packers in Week 1. Unfortunately for Minnesota, it's not just Kyler Murray who's (likely) out this week, as the team is also down co-starting RB Jordan Mason.
It may not be the end of the world though, as Chicago's defence struggled to keep the Panthers off the board.
But the historic offensive performance gives Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams all the confidence to keep it going, and adding some production from the Bears' top pass catchers in Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Colston Loveland should be too much for even Brian Flores and his blitz-heavy defence to handle.
(Pick: Bears -4.5)
Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons: 1 p.m. ET
Slowing down the pass-catching duo of Drake London and Kyle Pitts is always a challenge.
Here's the thing: the Falcons might do it themselves.
Last week, London was limited to 29 yards on two grabs, while Pitts went catch-less.
Enter Bijan Robinson, the Falcons' solution to everything. He put up 83 yards on the ground and added eight grabs for 90 yards and a score through the air.
If the Panthers can slow down Robinson, whoever starts at QB for Atlanta can handle the rest.
(Pick: Panthers -2.5)
Green Bay Packers @ New York Jets: 1 p.m. ET
The Packers need a rebound game after last week's debacle, and one of the worst teams of the past few years stares them right in the face.
This might not be the same old Jets, however, as Geno Smith appears to have this team playing competent football. The defence lacks playmakers, but if Smith can get the ball to his young pass-catching corps while Breece Hall handles the ground game, New York can keep this one close.
It just might not be enough to keep it within a field goal.
(Pick: Packers -3.5)
New Orleans Saints @ Baltimore Ravens: 1 p.m. ET
A battle between two of the more impressive teams from Week 1 should bring some fireworks.
The Ravens outclassed the Colts in every phase of the game, while second-year man Tyler Shough and the Saints battled back to force OT against the Lions.
Already covering a touchdown spread against one of the betting favourites to hoist the Lombardi, the Saints proved they can hang with the best.
(Pick: Saints +8.5)
Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans: 1 p.m. ET
Last season's top defence is tasked with slowing down yet another superstar QB and powerful offence. The Texans weren't able to pull out the win or cover the spread last week, so this pick may seem a bit risky.
The main factor is Joe Burrow. We all know his talent. We all know about the talent that surrounds him. But is he healthy enough to be at full-go?
Burrow didn't throw during practice on Wednesday due to what he classified as back tightness, and if that lingers through Sunday, who knows what could happen.
(Pick: Texans -2.5)
Cleveland Browns @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1 p.m. ET
There might not be a more fiery player on the offensive side of the ball than Baker Mayfield. The Oklahoma product gets to face the team that drafted and traded him on Sunday, and the last time he had a personal vendetta against a team, he pulled out the win.
Deshaun Watson looked like a backup last week, and it's tough to see how the Browns' offence will fare any better this time around.
(Pick: Buccaneers -8.5)
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos: 4:05 p.m. ET
Talk about a difference in Week 1 outcomes.
The Jaguars absolutely dismantled the Browns to the tune of a 34-10 beatdown, while the Broncos were punched square in the mouth by the Chiefs on primetime.
Jacksonville handily won this matchup last season in Denver, and with Trevor Lawrence wheeling and dealing since the end of last season, it's a surprise the Jags are the underdogs.
The Broncos' loss wasn't necessarily indicative of who they are, but it's no secret that Sean Payton-coached teams get out to slow starts. Over the course of his head coaching career, Payton's record is just above .500 in the month of September, and the troubling starts have hit Bo Nix as well.
If the Broncos can get the run game going early and often, the offence should get on track and make last week's disaster a one-off. As of right now, that's one big if.
Denver's operating on a short week, and the momentum is on Jacksonville's side.
(Pick: Jaguars +2.5)
Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas Raiders: 4:05 p.m. ET
The Raiders haven't beaten the Chargers since scoring 63 points on them in 2023, and the recent four losses have all been by at least 10 points.
But Kirk Cousins looked a little closer to his Minnesota self than his Atlanta self, and Ashton Jeanty finally looked like the top pick he was a year ago.
The Chargers are coming off a demoralizing loss to Arizona and have a gauntlet of teams to go through over the next seven games, so a loss could really sink their season. To win by a touchdown, though, might be a bit too much in this battle between AFC West rivals.
(Pick: Raiders +6.5)
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals: 4:25 p.m. ET
Sam Darnold remains out, meaning Drew Lock will be under centre yet again.
While nothing spectacular, Lock did enough for the Seahawks to squeak out a win in a Super Bowl rematch on the NFL's opening night.
On the other sideline is the Cardinals, one of the pre-season favourites to land the top pick in the 2027 draft, who just upset the Los Angeles Chargers on the road.
Seattle boasts arguably the top defence in the NFL, and Arizona hasn't won this divisional matchup since 2021.
(Pick: Seahawks -4)
Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers: 4:25 p.m. ET
The Niners are back from Melbourne and ready to roll for their home opener, although already battered by injuries (what else is new).
The Dolphins may have some guys for the future in youngsters Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell to add to the offence alongside De'Von Achane, but the future isn't now.
(Pick: 49ers -13.5)
Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys: 4:25 p.m. ET
There's nothing like back-to-back divisional games to get the blood pumping early in the season.
The Commanders and Cowboys both fell to NFC East foes last week, and in fairly uninspiring fashion.
Washington has QB Jayden Daniels back and healthy, and while it took him a while to get in the swing of things, the former Rookie of the Year winner appeared to have settled in towards the latter half of Week 1.
Dallas' defence, which is now led by Christian Parker, didn't do anything against the New York Giants to inspire confidence that this unit will be better than years past. It will once again be up to Dak Prescott, Javonte Williams, Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens to lead the way.
(Pick: Cowboys -4)
Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City Chiefs: 8:20 p.m. ET
Patrick Mahomes is back, yet the Chiefs' win last week was almost entirely in spite of him. Off-season signing Kenneth Walker appears to have finally solved the RB problem in Kansas City, running all over the Broncos for 173 yards and a TD.
The Colts' season opener was quite the opposite of KC's, falling big to the Ravens. The good news is the Chiefs looked very beatable.
If the Colts can tackle (which is a prerequisite to play football, by the way), they should keep the score within a touchdown.
(Pick: Colts +6.5)
Monday, Sep. 21
New York Giants @ Los Angeles Rams: 8:15 p.m. ET
The John Harbaugh era with Big Blue got off to a hot start with a win on Sunday Night Football, while all that came out of the Rams' loss was that their travel plans blew up in their face and star pass rusher Myles Garrett landed on IR.
Now back on the West Coast, perhaps we'll see if the idea behind not acclimating to the time change in Australia will help the offence get back on track.
Regardless, the Giants looked rejuvenated with their young nucleus and should keep this one within a one-score game.
(Pick: Giants +7)
*BetMGM lines subject to change
