Week 1 of the NFL season included an overtime game, two 60+ point games, division rivalries and a lot of great football. Week 2 kicks off with more intriguing matchups, including five can’t-miss games below on Sunday, Sept. 15.
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Sunday, Week 2 — Top 5 games to watch
- WHERE: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.)
- WHEN: 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
The Bengals had a less-than-encouraging start to the season, suffering a Week 1 loss to the Patriots. This marks the third consecutive season they’ve started 0-1 under Zac Taylor, though they’ve posted winning seasons the two previous years. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are still the Chiefs. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy emerged with a two-TD game in the opener, and it looks like he’ll make a big impact this season. These two teams are familiar foes, and it’s always a tough fight.
NFL Pro Insight:
Joe Burrow has been effective against the blitz in his career posting the ninth-highest success rate among quarterbacks with at least 100+ passes against the blitz over the last four seasons. Additionally, Burrow has shown a propensity to get the ball out quickly to his receivers downfield as he has the fifth-fastest time to throw (2.47 seconds) and the eighth-highest air yards per attempt (9.1) among those quarterbacks.
The Chiefs meanwhile blitzed at the fifth-highest rate last season (35%), but they tend to hold back when facing Burrow as they blitzed below their season average over their last four matchups with Burrow (20% blitz rate). In those four matchups, they have allowed 9.2 yards per attempt when blitzing.
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- WHERE: Ford Field (Detroit)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | FOX
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense had one of the most dominant offensive performances in the NFL in Week 1. Four passing touchdowns, 392 all-purpose yards and a 69.2% third-down conversion rate (highest in NFL) propelled them to a convincing win over the Commanders. The Lions also proved they have weapons all over the field and on both sides of the ball. There are things to refine (i.e. the secondary) but this is a very dangerous team, especially on offense.
NFL Pro Insight:
The Bucs are ranked No. 1 in overall pass efficiency heading into Week 2, per NFL Pro. Mayfield generated a 61.8% success rate on drop backs in Week 1 against the Commanders, the second-highest rate in the NFL in Week 1 and his highest since joining the Buccaneers in 2023.
Mayfield also completed 5 of 7 passes of 10+ air yards for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Of the 304 passing yards the Lions allowed in Week 1, just 54 of them were from passes of 10+ air yards. They gave up more sub-10-yard passing yards (263) than any other team in Week 1.
- WHERE: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)
- WHEN: 4:05 p.m. ET | FOX
These teams are arguably the most even matchups-wise on paper of Sunday’s slate. Arizona has high-ceiling potential as far as its offense is concerned, but the Cardinals have a lot of room for growth on the other side of the ball. The Rams offense had an encouraging start in Week 1, but L.A. lost two tackles and star receiver Puka Nacua to injury, so production is subject to change. Like Arizona, there is a fair amount of improvement to make on defense.
NFL Pro Insight:
In his NFL debut, Rams DL Jared Verse generated six pressures and one sack on 23 pass rushes (26.1% pressure rate) against the Lions in Week 1. Verse’s 26.1% pressure rate is the fourth-highest by any rookie in Week 1 since 2018, trailing only Nick Bosa, Byron Young and Will Anderson (min. 15 pass rushes). Verse aligned on the right edge on all 43 of his snaps against the Lions, which means he will likely be matched up against Cardinals left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. who allowed just one pressure on 38 pass block snaps (2.6% pressure rate) in Week 1.
- WHERE: EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | CBS
The Jags ran out of gas against Miami in Week 1 but did several things well. The Browns forgot to start the car. That said, there’s star power sprinkled all over this team and that should lend itself to eventual success. These two teams match up nicely against one another, which should make for a good game to watch.
NFL Pro Insight:
In 2023, Trevor Lawrence totaled 1,992 receiving yards on quick pass (under 2.5 second) attempts, the second most in the NFL. The Browns defense allowed just 4.7 yards per attempt on quick passes in 2023, the second fewest in the NFL. In Week 1, Lawrence completed 4 of 7 quick-pass attempts for 47 yards, his fewest yards on quick passes since Week 17 of 2021. The tides also turned for the Browns in their Week 1 loss to the Cowboys. Cleveland allowed 11 completions on 17 quick passing attempts for 101 yards and a touchdown (5.9 yards per attempt).
- WHERE: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wis.)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | FOX
The Colts had moments of greatness on Sunday — mostly on offense — but ultimately couldn’t get the ball back on defense in a loss to the Texans. Heading into Week 2, this defense could get some reprieve with Packers QB Jordan Love expected to be out with a knee injury. If that is the case, expect the Packers to rely on the ground game. The Packers averaged 7.8 yards per rush attempt (most in NFL) in Week 1. Their performance earned them the top spot in overall rushing efficiency rankings, according to NFL Pro.
NFL Pro Insight:
Colts QB Anthony Richardson averaged 16.5 air yards per attempt in Week 1, the most by any quarterback since Lamar Jackson in Week 3 of 2021. Richardson also completed two passes that traveled 60+ yards of air distance, becoming the first quarterback in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) to record two such completions in the same game. The Colts are ranked second in deep ball passing heading into this game.
