Eagles hold off Vikings in sloppy TNF contest. Plus, Week 2 game picks and fantasy advice
Welcome to NFL Week 2. Let's see what the NFL has in store after a season-altering Week 1.
About last night: Philadelphia Eagles 34, Minnesota Vikings 28 — It was a typically sloppy "Thursday Night Football" encounter, and the local fans made the defending NFC champions know it, but the Eagles managed to hold off the Vikings and improve to 2-0. The Vikings, meanwhile, fell to 0-2. That is not a good place to be for the 2022 NFC North division winner. Since 1990, 270 teams began a season 0-2; only 31 of those advanced to the postseason (11.5%).
Game of the week: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals — Fresh off of signing the most lucrative contract in NFL history, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow went into Cleveland and absolutely fell flat. Burrow decided to get a fresh haircut and put that miserable performance behind him. Practicing should also help, given Burrow missed most of training camp with a calf injury. The Ravens continue to be riddled by injuries, losing running back J.K. Dobbins for the season with a torn Achilles. The Ravens were defeated by the Bengals in consecutive weeks in Cincinnati to end the season — losing in Week 18 and in a wild-card playoff game — and visit Paycor Stadium for the third time in nine months.
Sneaky-good game of the week: New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys — No Aaron Rodgers? This is still an intriguing game. Are the Cowboys as good as that 40-0 dump trucking of the Giants would suggest? What might the Jets have in store following a thrilling overtime win on Monday night? It's the so-called "America's Team" against "America's Tease," Dallas' new Doomsday defense against supposedly doomed Gang Green. Can the Jets overcome the latest calamitous episode to inflict this franchise?
Survivor Pool Game of the Week: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams — Perhaps the Rams are better than expected, but those preseason expectations were very low. The 49ers feel like another safe pick as we attempt to navigate this survive-and-advance endeavor. The 49ers own this NFC West rivalry, having won eight of the last nine against the Rams, with that one defeat coming in the 2021 NFC championship game. (Full disclosure: Last week's pick was the Ravens ✅.)
Also, if you haven't already signed up for Paste BN Sports' survivor pool, do it now! It'll make the season even more fun.
➤ PHOTOS: Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games
NFL Week 2: Pigskin prognostications
- Week 2 picks: Paste BN Sports' panel of experts has provided fans with the great public service of making prognostications for every game this weekend.
- Lorenzo's Locks: Which point spread has Paste BN Sports' Lorenzo Reyes considering running to his phone to put a play on the game?
- NFL Week 2 betting odds: Which teams are favored this week? If you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. We have tips for beginners on how to place bets online.
- Power rankings: See how all 32 teams stack up heading into Week 2.
NFL news, notes and analysis
- The definitive Jets misery list: So much misfortune has cursed this snake-bitten franchise since its Super Bowl III win.
- 12 QBs Jets could pursue with Aaron Rodgers out: Whether it be by trade for a player such as Jameis Winston or Mitch Trubisky, or attempting to get Tom Brady to consider unretiring (again), the Jets have to consider other options, especially if the season goes south with Zach Wilson behind center.
- Jets' season teetering on brink of collapse: Super Bowl or bust with Aaron Rodgers? Turns out it was too good to be true.
- Don't pass on grass: In the wake of Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury, the director of the NFLPA issued a statement imploring all team owners to make the switch to natural grass.
- NFL's new headache: Now that Aaron Rodgers has been lost for the season, all of those prime-time games featuring the Jets suddenly have lost a lot of luster.
- How one NFL star is boosting his case for massive payday: Brian Burns didn't land the contract extension he sought in the offseason, but the Carolina Panthers standout is bumping up his earning potential with every sack.
- Which college has the most NFL players in 2023? Georgia? Ohio State? LSU? Notre Dame? It's not any of those schools. The actual answer will not surprise you.
Fantasy football: Get your lineup right
If you started your fantasy football season with a win, you want to keep the good times going. If you started it with a loss, you'll want to rectify that. We're here to help.
- Fantasy rankings for Week 2: For your convenience, these position-by-position rankings were updated for this week's games and are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
- Studs, duds and sleepers: Here are some names to know going into Week 2. Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill is on pace for more than 3,500 yards receiving this season. Can he keep that pace up against the Patriots?
Week 2 NFL schedule
(All times Eastern)
Thursday
Sunday
- Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Las Vegas Raiders at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Los Angeles Chargers at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
- San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
- New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., (CBS)
- Washington Commanders at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Monday
- New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers, 7:15 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m. (ABC/ESPN+)
Talkin' football!
- It's a Football Podcast: Paste BN Sports NFL insiders Safid Deen and Tyler Dragon dish on the latest hot topics surrounding the league. This week's podcast addresses the aftermath of Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury and, of course, the Dallas Cowboys' impressive opener.
- NFL Facebook group: Run a post route to The Ruling Off the Field 🏈 to engage in friendly debate and conversation with football fans 🏟.
If you enjoy reading 4th & Monday 📰, encourage your football fan friends to subscribe 📱. Follow the nominally nifty writer of this newsletter on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter @jimreineking ✖ or on Threads @jimreineking.