Season: 22-10
MIA (0-2) @ BUF (2-0)
Thursday, September 18 | 8:15 PM ET | Prime Video
After all the work teams do in the offseason and all the optimism fans have about a new year, it’s sad that a bunch of squads—starting tonight with the Dolphins—are basically playing an elimination game before the Autumnal Equinox; since 1990, only four out of 165 teams to start 0-3 have made the postseason, and it feels like significant changes could be in the air for Miami if they don’t find a way to pull off a road upset in Buffalo. When these teams met in a Thursday Night Football showdown last September, the Bills blew out the Dolphins behind three total touchdowns by James Cook, so being unable to stop the run could lead to a very long night. In general, Josh Allen has dominated Miami throughout his career with a 12-2 record, but even more so at home where he’s gone 7-0 and Buffalo has put up 37.9 points per game. If Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t play better and others don’t show the same fight displayed by De’Von Achane (who has averaged 116.8 total yards per game with six total touchdowns in four meetings against the Bills) based on how he wouldn’t be denied near the end zone in back-to-back weeks, the Dolphins will be the first team in an 0-3 hole.
Winner: Buffalo Bills
ATL (1-1) @ CAR (0-2)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
Carolina has dropped to the final spot in our latest 2025 NFL power rankings based on how bad they’ve looked through two weeks, and it’s fair to wonder what team owner David Tepper is thinking after saying he believed the franchise had the right leadership in place towards the end of the 2024 season. As mentioned last week, Bryce Young (now 6-26 in his career) doesn’t have the supporting cast around him to have success, and injuries to right guard Robert Hunt (biceps) and center Austin Corbett (knee)—each facing extended an absence—puts Young and the Panthers in an even worse spot. The Falcons were ripped apart by the former No. 1 overall pick for five total touchdowns in a 44-38 overtime win for Carolina on New Year’s Day, but Atlanta showed on Sunday night that the defense has transformed over the past nine months when they sacked J.J. McCarthy six times and forced four turnovers. Look for first-rounders Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. to again make an impact this weekend, and they’ll only get better as the season progresses.
Winner: Atlanta Falcons
GB (2-0) @ CLE (0-2)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
Green Bay looks like a top contender by cruising to a couple of wins against 2024 playoff teams, but I’d like to see how they perform away from Lambeau Field—and Cleveland currently has the No. 1 overall defense, No. 3 pass defense, and No. 1 rush defense on the young season. My expectation is that the Browns will focus on stopping Josh Jacobs like they did Derrick Henry last week (11 carries for 23 yards), so more will fall on Jordan Love connecting on some of the plays that have been left on the field (including to rookie Matthew Golden, who might have a tougher time getting behind the defense as he sees a lot of Denzel Ward in coverage). This week will also be a test for the Green Bay run defense with Detroit not playing their preferred style in the opener and Washington not really trying to run the ball on them last Thursday night, so it’ll be important to keep second-round pick Quinshon Judkins from breaking into the open field after an impressive debut. From Cleveland’s perspective, controlling the clock and forcing Love into a mistake or two would be the path to an upset.
Winner: Green Bay Packers
HOU (0-2) @ JAX (1-1)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
The Texans have not looked good offensively this season, as the sophomore slump for C.J. Stroud has extended into the first two games of 2025—and DeMeco Ryans is showing some signs of frustration by saying his quarterback didn’t throw an accurate ball when Houston decided to pass at the goal line in Monday night’s loss. I thought Stroud was a bit overhyped after his rookie season, but in fairness to him so far this year, not having Christian Kirk (hamstring) hasn’t helped, so it’ll be a definite boost to have him back this week (and with an edge versus his former team). The concern for the Texans is that the offensive line is taking too long to gel, and even what appeared to be a breakthrough last week on Nick Chubb’s late go-ahead touchdown now seems to have been due to Tampa Bay allowing him to score (which is hard to believe, but the Bucs not denying it felt like confirmation). If rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery can’t keep Josh Hines-Allen—who is due for a breakout game—from getting to Stroud, and the Jags get the connection between Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr. on track, Houston could have a difficult time avoiding 0-3.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
CIN (2-0) @ MIN (1-1)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
Despite losing Joe Burrow (toe) for at least three months, the Bengals are far from finished with a fast start keeping them from the early-season hole that has plagued them in recent years. That said, Cincinnati is heading into a crucial game with the schedule after this week being brutal (@ DEN, v DET, @ GB, v PIT)—and they’ll also face the Bills, Steelers again, and Ravens twice potentially without their superstar quarterback. Jake Browning is a very steady hand and won’t lack for firepower with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but the running game needs to get going with Chase Brown averaging just 2.4 yards per carry through two games. Two years ago, Browning led a 27-24 overtime win over Minnesota and had a clear chip on his shoulder by saying the Vikings shouldn’t have cut him—but Carson Wentz will be a determined quarterback in place of J.J. McCarthy (ankle) as well, and I think Kevin O’Connell’s offense will be sparked by a new passer at the controls. This game feels like a coin flip, but Minnesota went 8-1 at home last year and might not lose two in a row at U.S. Bank Stadium to begin 2025.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings
PIT (1-1) @ NE (1-1)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
Coverage has been an issue for New England with the most passing yards per game allowed in the league (315.0), but they’re counting on Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) making his season debut this week—which would give them someone to match DK Metcalf on the outside. For the positives, Mike Vrabel having an elite run defense in Tennessee has carried over by holding Ashton Jeanty (19 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown) and De’Von Achane (11 carries for 30 yards) in check as runners so far this year, and the Patriots lead the NFL in sacks (nine) to help make up for the issues in coverage. On the other side of the ball, Drake Maye is coming off perhaps his best game since entering the league, and Pittsburgh isn’t a feared defense right now with the group underperforming and dealing with injuries to first-rounder Derrick Harmon (knee), Alex Highsmith (ankle), Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring), and DeShon Elliott (knee). T.J. Watt is due for a takeover performance, though, and Aaron Rodgers has gone 3-2 with multiple touchdown passes in every game against New England in his career. I’m going with Mike Tomlin’s squad on the road.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
LAR (2-0) @ PHI (2-0)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
It’s difficult to understand why the playoff rematch between the Rams and Eagles wasn’t scheduled as a featured game, but Sunday will be another battle for Philadelphia after narrowly escaping with wins over the Cowboys and Chiefs—while Los Angeles added Davante Adams and has obviously still has a top young defense that has grown since January. I would be surprised if the Rams allowed Saquon Barkley to run wild like he did in both wins last year (26 carries for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season and then 26 carries for 205 yards and two scores in the playoff victory), but the Eagles clearly knew how to best attack LA’s defense, and what makes Barkley so dangerous is that he’ll take a touch to the house versus a stacked box if just one defender misses an assignment or tackle. In the secondary, I’m happy to see Emmanuel Forbes Jr. thriving in a starting role for the Rams after he lost his confidence in Washington (where he wasn’t put in the best positions to have success), but A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have both given him problems (dating back to college for Smith), and the star offensive trio for the Eagles is more explosive than Kyren Williams, Davante Adams, and Puka Nacua to potentially slant a matchup in an instant.
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
NYJ (0-2) @ TB (2-0)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
The Jets might be hoping to replicate the Detroit model under Aaron Glenn with Justin Fields—who is out this week due to a concussion—being their version of Jared Goff, but last week showed the inconsistency of New York’s starter when he completed three-of-11 passes for 27 yards and fumbled twice (one lost). Although there were lows for Goff to begin his time with the Lions, we should remember had been to a Super Bowl, won games in the toughest of playoff environments, and proved to be one of the most prolific passers in the league. Fields does need more support at wide receiver to reach his ceiling, but the Jets not putting some wins together could lead to them being in position to get a top signal-caller in 2026. The ball will be in Tyrod Taylor’s hands this week to get the first win for a new regime, and he is more than capable of pulling off an upset with a career 28-28-1 record and 69:29 touchdown-interception ratio; and Taylor did very well versus Todd Bowles’ defense when both were in the AFC East with a 3-2 record and 8:2 touchdown-interception ratio. Still, the Bucs have the clear talent advantage if Quinnen Williams doesn’t wreck the game with standout guard Cody Mauch (knee) done for the season.
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
IND (2-0) @ TEN (0-2)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
Many believe Daniel Jones will turn into a pumpkin at some point, but the doubters are hanging onto preconceived notions—some dating back to his time at Duke—rather than admitting how efficient he’s been with pinpoint passes at all levels of the field. Jones’ play is the latest evidence of the situation for a quarterback being key, and the former No. 6 overall pick has been at his best when supported by a superstar back (now Jonathan Taylor, and he led New York to the postseason in 2022 when Saquon Barkley was healthy for 16 games). The red zone is where Jones can show improvement with him completing just four-of-12 passes for 24 yards and a touchdown thus far, but he’s made up for it with three rushing touchdowns (tied for the NFL lead), and the ball hasn’t been put in harm’s way. Tennessee will be a challenge with their defense causing some problems for the Broncos and Rams in back-to-back games, but Indy has had their number under Shane Steichen (4-0 record with 28.0 points per game).
Winner: Indianapolis Colts
LV (1-1) @ WAS (1-1)
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
Jayden Daniels (knee) is set to miss Week 3, but Washington didn’t miss a beat when Marcus Mariota came off the bench for extended action twice last season—completing 80.5% of his passes and totaling 456 yards and five touchdowns in wins over the Panthers and Cowboys. It’s fun to ponder what alternate reality we might have in the NFL if Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was able to work with Mariota after coaching him at Oregon, and Sunday will be an opportunity for the probable starter for Washington to show Las Vegas they made a mistake in not choosing to sign him this offseason. Trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith instead could be considered part of the 2025 draft class (and Smith should mostly play closer to how he did in Week 1 when he led the NFL in passing yards than he did on Monday night when he had three interceptions), but the Raiders need more contributions from the rookies and for the offensive line to be better in front of Ashton Jeanty. With the Commanders having a few extra days to prepare and Las Vegas having question marks at cornerback to defend a quiet Terry McLaurin, I like Washington.
Winner: Washington Commanders
DEN (1-1) @ LAC (2-0)
Sunday, September 21 | 4:05 PM ET | CBS
The Broncos will be just fine offensively with Bo Nix at quarterback and Sean Payton as head coach, but for as great as the defense has been since last year, there have been too many games like last week where they couldn’t get off the field—particularly dating back to December when Denver allowed 30+ points three times across their final four games (excluding Week 18 when the Chiefs rested their starters). One of those outings came in a loss to the Chargers, so Vance Joseph’s group needs to prove they are a championship defense and not just elite versus lesser opponents. Last week might have been in the bag if not for an unlucky deflection leading to a late Nix interception, but either way, Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss both struggled against the Colts, and Los Angeles has three wideouts who can hurt the Broncos with Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Keenan Allen. The run defense needs to be better, too, but first-round pick Omarion Hampton not yet finding his footing could be a break for the Broncos this week. The winner here will be the early favorite in the AFC West, and I expect Nix will be focused on avoiding turnovers with three interceptions this season, and Khalil Mack (elbow) being out is a blow to the pass rush for LA.
Winner: Denver Broncos
NO (0-2) @ SEA (1-1)
Sunday, September 21 | 4:05 PM ET | CBS
Seattle earned a needed road win last week in Pittsburgh to keep pace in the NFC West with the Rams, 49ers, and Cardinals all at 2-0—and the offense operated close to how they would have liked with Kenneth Walker III (13 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (eight receptions for 103 yards), and Cooper Kupp (seven receptions for 90 yards) all having big days. On defense, the Seahawks have done a tremendous job limiting wide receivers (11 receptions allowed through two games), and holding the Steelers to 17 points last week came with Devon Witherspoon (knee) and Nick Emmanwori (ankle) out of the lineup. The Saints will be an interesting matchup based on how fast and aggressive they’ve played under Kellen Moore, but the pace might need to slow down for the first road game of the year—especially with it coming in Seattle. Alvin Kamara must be contained after Jaylen Warren stung the Seahawks last week as a runner and receiver with 134 total yards, but the talent edge leans heavily towards the home team.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks
DAL (1-1) @ CHI (0-2)
Sunday, September 21 | 4:25 PM ET | FOX
Dallas being without star cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) last week caused the defense to completely fall apart, but they were lucky to escape with a win over the Giants thanks to the powerful leg of Brandon Aubrey—and now face a Chicago team that is dealing with secondary injuries of their own with Jaylon Johnson (groin) out and Kyler Gordon (hamstring) looking highly questionable again. The result could be another high-scoring game where the pass-catchers put on a show between CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and others; but Dallas is operating at a much higher level with Dak Prescott at the controls compared to Caleb Williams in his first year of a new system, and Ben Johnson questioning the practice habits of his team this week might not get immediate returns. As was the case last week for the Giants when they allowed 100-yard game to both Lamb and Pickens, it’s difficult to imagine the Bears slowing down the star duo, and this is already feeling like an evaluation year in Chicago as Johnson finds out which players fit his desired identity for the roster.
Winner: Dallas Cowboys
ARI (2-0) @ SF (2-0)
Sunday, September 21 | 4:25 PM ET | FOX
Depending on what the Rams do earlier in the day, Cardinals-49ers could be for first place in the NFC West—and it sounds like Brock Purdy (shoulder/toe) could be back after a limited practice to begin the week. If not, San Francisco will still arguably have the quarterback advantage based on how Mac Jones looked last week (26-of-39 for 279 yards and three touchdowns), and Christian McCaffrey will be the offensive centerpiece after shredding Jonathan Gannon’s defense a couple of years ago with 177 total yards and four total touchdowns in the first meeting and 187 total yards and three total touchdowns in the rematch. If Arizona can do a better job containing McCaffrey than they did a couple of years ago, the deep group at cornerback might be able to lead another win with their depth paying off as rookie Denzel Burke (one reception for 10 yards allowed on six targets through two games) and Kei’Trel Clark (who made plays off the bench last week) both shining. I’d be more worried about the offense holding the Cardinals back, so Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. getting on the same page would go a long way towards believing Arizona is a legitimate contender.
Winner: San Francisco 49ers
KC (0-2) @ NYG (0-2)
Sunday, September 21 | 8:20 PM ET | NBC
Russell Wilson turning back the clock seemed like the only way for the Giants to have a chance last week in Dallas, but even that wasn’t enough in a 40-37 loss with soft defense at the end of regulation basically dooming New York. Now, all the Giants must do to avoid the 2.4% playoff odds for 0-3 teams since 1990 is beat the most successful franchise of the last several years—and at their most desperate at 0-2 themselves. Part of me believes the magic (some would say “dark magic”) of the Chiefs has finally worn out, but the group still has a championship mentality, and so far, the difference from previous seasons is that Kansas City has come out on the wrong side of two close games (against a contending Chargers team and the defending champion Eagles) to begin 2025. I fully expect a passionate effort by New York in their home opener and the hopeful return of star left tackle Andrew Thomas (foot) would help, but the running game might get going for the Chiefs—setting up opportunities for Patrick Mahomes to hit Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Travis Kelce, and others to get back in the win column.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
DET (1-1) @ BAL (1-1)
Monday, September 22 | 8:15 PM ET | ESPN/ABC
Lions-Ravens was the consensus Wolf Sports pick for Super Bowl LX, so we will get a potential preview on Monday Night Football with each side both coming off a blowout win on the heels of a disappointing loss in Week 1. It seems everyone couldn’t wait to jump off the Detroit bandwagon for whatever reason, and a loss this week—against a Baltimore team they were destroyed by, 38-6, a couple of years ago—will likely lead to more claims about their Super Bowl window being closed. However, I would caution against putting too much weight on a game in September (just look at the Eagles last year when they started 2-2), and the Lions should be better by the end of the year with the offense more comfortable without Ben Johnson and the defense being healthier (unless more injuries hit). For this week, not having Alim McNeill (knee) might be the difference in trying to stop Derrick Henry, and the heavy man coverage could lead to Lamar Jackson running wild if Aidan Hutchinson and the pass rush doesn’t get to him quick enough.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens