A Gander Across the Gridiron: Week 2

An early look at games and my predictions

Sep 18, 2020

Hello FTN Faithful! Well, last week could have gone better. Out of the 15 games I predicted (I smartly avoided the Niners game), I guessed correctly on 10 wins and got the line correct 8 times. At least I think 8 times, I went with the Chargers and Titans and their lines were respectively -3 and -2, which were the exact scores. I’m taking that as a win and you can’t stop me. Some of those wrong guesses hurt, mainly any prediction involving a NFC West team. I really hate this division. But I’m proud that I guessed the Washington upset correctly. That alone prevents this article from being called, “Shana Eats Crow”.

It is round 2, so hopefully I’m more accurate since we’ve had a week of football to get a better idea on teams. I’ll be going over each game, the line, my predicted score, and my reasoning. And be sure to call me out in the Slack game threads when I’m wrong! And remember, to avoid too much homerism I’m avoiding the Niners here. I’ll have my predictions up pre-game on Sunday here at FTN.

Bengals @ Browns

5:20 pm PT (TNF) CLE -6

It’s week 2 and the Browns are already being the Browns. I don’t think many expected them to play well against Baltimore, but that was very ugly last week. Burrow on the other hand was rattled at times, but didn’t play too poorly for his first NFL game against a solid pass rush. Maybe a bit jittery at times which is to be expected. And somehow the Bengals were a missed field goal away from overtime. Thursday’s game will be sloppy with these two teams, as TNF games usually are, but I think Mayfield has a bit of a bounce back week. It’s just hard to go with a rookie QB on a short week and on the road. That doesn’t mean I feel great about this choice.

Shana’s prediction: CLE wins 19-17

Giants @ Bears

10:00 am PT CHI -5.5

Trubisky looked decent against the Lions like I expected, but should have lost like I predicted. Even with a win, I don’t feel any better about the Bears. The rumors floating around about Allen Robison don’t help either. I know his agent said that he didn’t request a trade, but I still feel like there has to be some discord in that offense. On the Giants, I though Jones played well against the Steelers. He and Saquon Barkley just had no help from his O-line. Which is not something you want when you play against Khalil Mack. Once again, I’m going to predict a Giants upset because I think Jones is progressing nicely and Trubisky will go back to his usual self.

Shana’s prediction: NYG wins 24-23

Rams @ Eagles

10:00 am PT PHI -1

The Eagles offense is dead. Miles Sanders and Lane Johnson should be good to go this week. But Philly is just so banged up. I like Wentz, but I have no idea how he can be protected from Aaron Donald. The good news for their offense is that they have two good tight ends in Ertz and Goedert who should be able to avoid Jalen Ramsey. I’m a firm believer in football being won in the trenches, and I think the Rams are going to get a second win after being gifted one against Dallas.

Shana’s prediction: LAR wins 33-17

Falcons @ Cowboys

10:00 am PT DAL -4

The Falcons defense looks horrible so far. Everyone looks bad against Russell Wilson but he only had 4 incompletions. Dallas also has a strong offense with plenty of weapons around Dak Prescott. Losing Leighton Vander Esch this early is a big blow to their own defense. This game has potential to be a shootout, which makes it really hard to predict. I think Dallas is just a stronger team right now, so I’ll pick them.

Shana’s prediction: DAL wins 38-34

Panthers @ Buccaneers

10:00 am PT TB -8.5

I didn't see the Bucs game last week, but Brady has been getting some heat. Tompa Brady went 23/26 for 239 yards, two TDs, and two INTs, one being returned for a score. The Saints defense is really good and that was his first game, so I don’t think that offense is really doomed. People just had crazy high expectations for Brady. And I’ll choose to believe Mr. 49ers Redux who said Brady looked good. The Panthers is the perfect opponent for a bounce back week. I still don’t trust their defense. Christian McCaffrey should still get past the strong Bucs front 7, but a running back can only do so much.

Shana’s prediction: TB wins 34-23

Broncos @ Steelers

10:00 am PT PIT -7.5

Both teams played on Monday so at least a short week shouldn’t be too big of a factor. The Steelers looked a lot better than I expected, especially Roethlisberger. Conner is questionable, but I think they’ll be ok even if he doesn’t play. Their D-line should put a lot of pressure on Lock. But the main guy I’m interested in is Noah Fant and if he can help Lock get past a strong Steelers defense. Courtland Sutton will also return. I’m hoping to see more from this Denver offense than I saw on Monday, but I’m not expecting it. As much as I liked the Broncos coming into the season, I don’t think this is their week.

Shana’s prediction: PIT wins 19-16

Jaguars @ Titans

10:00 am PT TEN -7.5

Minshew started off the season really hot. That doesn’t mean I trust him yet. I think Tannehill is actually better than ancient Rivers right now. They have a strong running game through Henry, and a strong edge rusher in Clowney. And they have more experienced players. The Titans typically play very well against Jacksonville whereas the Colts usually struggle a bit. Tennessee has won 6 out of the past 7 matchups. The last time the Jags won in Nashville was 2013. Even on a short week for the Titans, where they had very questionable kicking, they should win easily.

Shana’s prediction: TEN wins 27-10

Lions @ Packers

10:00 am PT GB -6

Same old Lions. Stafford looked strong at least. Missed kicks and a crucial drop will do that. And the Packers simply destroyed the Vikings. The past couple of Detroit-Green Bay matchups were actually tight games, with one being heavily influenced by refs in classic Detroit fashion. This game could be closer than many people think, with an angry team that barely lost against a good team that probably feels a little cocky last week. To me, this screams “Yet Another Lions Heartbreak Loss”. Maybe a missed field goal at the end this time.

Shana’s prediction: GB wins 29-27

Bills @ Dolphins

10:00 am PT BUF -6

Buffalo came out a bit sloppy but had a pretty easy win against the Jets. Got up 21-0 pretty quickly and then cruised. Josh Allen had a strong day, and looks like he’s playing well with Stefon Diggs so far. He did have a few fumbles though. Miami looked bad in their own AFC East game, with Ryan Pickspatrick returning (3 interceptions). Without Tua playing yet, it’s hard to believe in Miami.

Shana’s prediction: BUF wins 24-16

Vikings @ Colts

10:00 am PT IND -3

Two teams coming off really embarrassing division losses. One with an actual ancient QB, the other having ancient WTF. I’m a little less worried about the Colts, who are strong in the trenches and get to play at home. Losing Marlon Mack sucks but the Colts are ready to replace him with Nyheim Hines and Jonathan Taylor. This game really can go any way though, so I’ll go with a close one. But whoever loses will have a very tough time coming back this season.

Shana’s prediction: IND wins 24-23

WFT @ Cardinals

1:05 pm PT ARI -6.5

I don’t want to talk about the Cardinals. But if Murray can avoid our rushers, I think they can get around the Football Team’s strong front 7. And Washington doesn’t have much besides that, and can’t keep up in a shootout. The Cards just look better than the Eagles right now and likely going on a win streak with an easy schedule for the next several games.Murray will probably get hit a bunch this game, and maybe get picked off, but he shouldn’t keep this one too close

Shana’s prediction: ARI wins 36-23

Ravens @ Texans

1:25 pm PT BAL -7

If you tell me you trust Bill O’Brien against John Harbaugh, you’re lying. Even with the extra rest, this will probably be as bad as the NFL opener. The Texans without Hopkins don’t have the offensive talent, and David Johnson having one good game doesn’t mean anything in this matchup. Houston does have extra rest, and the NFL is hard to predict, but I have no worries guessing a blowout will happen. Most of the points I’m giving to Houston will be garbage time. But I hope I’m wrong because it’d be hilarious to see Baltimore blow this.

Shana’s prediction: BAL wins 41-24

Chiefs @ Chargers

1:25 pm PT KC -8.5

This is the afternoon game most of America is subjected to so we should all just meet up on FTN after the Niners game instead of watching (Riqo, I promoted it. Your welcome). KC is rested, looking strong, and play against the Los Angeles Clippers, I mean Chokers. Oh wait, that’s the same thing… The Chargers almost blew a game to the Bungals and the Chiefs are the Chiefs so chances are this game is a travesty. The end.

Shana’s prediction: KC wins 33-16

Patriots @ Seahawks

5:20 pm PT (SNF) SEA -3.5

This game on the other hand could be really fun to watch. The Patriots had a pretty easy matchup last week, and Cam Newton did a lot better than many people expected. He can still run, and seemed accurate enough. The Seahawks might finally be letting Wilson pass the ball more which is terrifying. Both Wilson and Newton only had 4 incompletions last week, but Wilson had 16 more attempts and 4 passing TDs tacked on. Newton did manage two rushing yards though. I’m desperately hoping the Patriots get some picks and convince Seattle to return to their running ways, but Wilson will probably get the win like he usually does. And yes, this is the third time this week I have a NFCW rival winning.

Shana’s prediction: SEA wins 31-26

Saints @ Raiders

5:15 pm PT (MNF) NO -6

The Saints are still really good. Brees’ age still isn’t showing. They won’t have Michael Thomas, leaving Emmanuel Sanders as the best receiver. But their run game should still be able to run over Vegas. This team is just too good right now, and I have zero faith in the Raiders. Beating Carolina doesn’t impress me. They are the healthier team, but I have to choose the more talented team.

Shana’s prediction: NO wins 24-14

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