Latest NFL Regular Season Week 2 Preview, Odds & Predictions

The NFL regular season is nearly upon us, and while there are plenty of games to focus on for the first week of the season, the slate for NFL Week 2 is just as good. The week starts with an AFC East matchup featuring Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills taking on Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins before concluding with the Atlanta Falcons battling the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. Sandwiched between those two primetime games is Sunday Night Football, which has #1 pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears traveling to Houston to battle C.J. Stroud and the Texans.

Let’s dive into our NFL Week 2 preview and provide NFL predictions for the second week of NFL games.

Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins - Thursday Night Football

The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins went head to head last season for the AFC East title, and these two squads will kick off NFL Week 2 at Hard Rock Stadium for Thursday Night Football. The Bills had plenty of changes this offseason, as WRs Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis are no longer with the team, so Josh Allen’s main targets will be WR Khalil Shakir, rookie WR Keon Coleman and TE Dalton Kincaid. This offense is extremely young, so Allen must be a leader and elevate his teammates’ play. The Bills were victorious in their opening game despite being down in the first quarter to the Arizona Cardinals.

Miami's offseason was highlighted by extending contracts for QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Jaylen Waddle. Additionally, veteran WR Odell Beckham Jr. joined the squad, and Tyreek Hill is back, so their offense should be just as lethal as last season. One of Miami’s biggest issues in 2023 was keeping players on the field, but I’d expect the majority of their team to be healthy in Week 2. Miami impressed in week 1 by coming back from a 17-7 deficit to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-17.

The Bills are 11-1 against Miami in their last 12 meetings, while Allen is 10-2 in his career. I’d avoid backing either team in this one because Buffalo made so many changes this offseason and it is expected to be a tight game, but both offenses should put up points in a high-scoring affair, as their last five meetings finished with an average of 53.8 points. 

Chicago Bears vs Houston Texans  - Sunday Night Football

The second primetime matchup of NFL Week 2 pits the #1 overall pick, QB Caleb Williams, against last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, QB C.J. Stroud. The Chicago Bears have made plenty of noise this offseason, as they signed RB D’Andre Swift, TE Gerald Everett, S Kevin Byard, extended CB Jaylon Johnson and traded for WR Keenan Allen. These moves coincided with drafting Williams first overall and WR Rome Odunze with the #9 pick. This is essentially a new team with plenty of upside, but it will be interesting to see how long it takes them to gel. Although the Bears did win against the Tennessee Titans in week 1, it was a performance that showed the team still needs to gel as they had to come back from a 14 point defecit at half time.

The Houston Texans were last year’s biggest surprise of the NFL season, as rookie QB C.J. Stroud and rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans led Houston to a 10-7 record. They went on to beat the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round before falling to the Baltimore Ravens. Houston made significant moves this offseason, signing pass rusher Danielle Hunter, DE Denico Autry, LB Azeez Al-Shaair and trading for WR Stefon Diggs and RB Joe Mixon. By doing this, they became the first team in NFL history to add players during the offseason with 10+ sacks, 1,000+ rushing yards and 100+ receptions. The Texans had to fight hard to get past the Indianapolis Colts in their opening game of the season.

I expect the Texans to take care of business in this matchup, as the Bears will need to be patient with their rookie QB. While Chicago has plenty of upside, this Texans squad only got stronger during the offseason, and Stroud should lead them on another playoff run this season.

Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles - Monday Night Football

NFL Week 2 concludes with Monday Night Football between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons signed QB Kirk Cousins to a four-year $180 million deal before drafting QB Michael Penix Jr. with the #8 overall pick. It was a strange decision, but Cousins will lead this squad and is a major upgrade from Desmond Ridder. The Falcons are loaded with talent for Cousins, and I expect RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts to fully be unleashed this year. The defense has plenty of questions, but acquiring OLB Matthew Judon in a trade should boost their pass rush. The falcons had a tough start to the NFL regular season losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The odds for this game don't make for good viewing with Atlanta being +240 underdogs.

The Philadelphia Eagles had a disappointing 2023-24 season, and QB Jalen Hurts will try to get this experienced squad back on track. Their biggest offseason move was acquiring RB Saquon Barkley from their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants, but they also boosted their secondary by signing S C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Eagles' play this year will come down to how Hurts performs, as he had a career-worst 15 interceptions and 3.9 yards per carry last season. If Hurts can perform more similarly to his 2022-23 season, Philadelphia will be a major Super Bowl contender in the NFC. The Eagles showed signs of improvement from last season in their opening games beating the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.

Overall, this game feels like the Eagles should win, as Hurts is 19-11-1 at home in his career and 7-3-1 in September. The Falcons could keep this one close if Cousins gels with his offense right off the back, but the Eagles will secure the win in the end.

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