Hello, everyone. And happy Wednesday! John Breech is taking a day off to advocate for Andy Dalton’s relocation to New York, where he might be able to help the Jets recover from their loss of Aaron Rodgers. In the meantime, you’ve got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver all the latest from around the NFL.
This is the Pick Six newsletter. Now let’s get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you’re signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don’t want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)
We’ve got Prisco’s Week 2 picks, a Thursday night prediction, a look at the cursed Jets and more:
1. Today’s show: Ranking top five teams in NFL entering Week 2
Pete Prisco, Ryan Wilson and John Breech joined Will Brinson on the latest “Pick Six NFL Podcast” to identify the league’s top five teams now that a full week of regular-season action is in the books. Some highlights:
- Brinson feels Prisco was “a little aggressive” moving the Jaguars ahead of the Chiefs in his weekly Power Rankings, arguing that too many people have overreacted to Kansas City falling to the Lions in Week 1.
- Wilson likes the Lions more than the Jaguars, suggesting Jacksonville belongs closer to the edge of the top 10 than the top five, also mentioning the Packers as a candidate to keep rising after Jordan Love’s strong debut as the full-time QB1.
- Breech is higher on the Browns than most after their strong defensive showing in Week 1, while Brinson isn’t ready to crown the Dolphins a top five team, instead buying into Dallas’ defense by crowning the Cowboys a clear top five contender.
Catch the full episode (and subscribe for all kinds of daily NFL talk) right here.
2. Prisco’s Week 2 picks: Jaguars edge Chiefs, Patriots stun Dolphins
Pete Prisco went 10-6 in Week 1 picks against the spread. Now he’s back with predictions for every single Week 2 matchup. Here are some of his spiciest forecasts for the second week of action:
- Jaguars 31, Chiefs 30: This is a tough road game for Kansas City. They will have Chris Jones back, and that matters. The Jaguars had problems on the interior of the offensive line last week, which is big against Jones. But I think Trevor Lawrence and the offense will play much better than a week ago. This is a shootout. Jaguars win a close one.
- Patriots 24, Dolphins 23: Miami is coming off a high-flying offensive victory against the Chargers. Tua Tagovailoa was outstanding in that game. The Patriots lost to the Eagles, but the defense played well. That defense will keep them in this game as they slow down the high-flying Dolphins to win it late. Upset special.
- Browns 23, Steelers 17: The Browns are playing on the road for a second straight week, while the Steelers are trying to shed the horrible showing against the 49ers last week. They were dominated. The Browns defense was impressive in the victory over the Bengals, while the Steelers offense really struggled last week. That carries over as the Browns get to 2-0.
3. Aaron Rodgers fallout: Jets cursed? Plus next steps at QB
Jets fans’ title dreams all but died on Monday night, when Rodgers tore his Achilles on just his fourth snap in New York. But don’t tell that to the team, which says it has “a lot of faith” in Zach Wilson to take over under center. In truth, the Jets are busy narrowing options for QB insurance, ruling out future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, who retired for a second time this offseason, and former 49ers veteran Colin Kaepernick, who had reportedly reached out to the team in the wake of Rodgers’ injury.
No matter what they do next, plenty of people in New York will maintain that the franchise is simply cursed. We looked at eight different reasons the Jets have remained in a funk ever since winning Super Bowl III back in 1968. Here’s a sampling:
- AFC Championship collapses: The Jets went scoreless in 1982 and surrendered 23 unanswered points in 1998
- First-round QB misses: The team spent high picks on Mark Sanchez, Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson
- Vinny Testaverde goes down in Week 1: Like Rodgers, the MVP candidate hurt his Achilles back in 1999
- Bill Belichick resigns: The Patriots legend infamously walked out on the Jets’ job after just one day
4. ‘Thursday Night Football’ preview: Predicting Eagles vs. Vikings
Week 2 is upon us. And so is prime-time action on Thursday night. The reigning NFC champions will host the Vikings for their home opener to kick off the next round of football, and the history between these two sides is storied as of late.
Besides setting the stage for Jalen Hurts’ 2022 MVP bid with a 24-7 Monday night defeat last September, the Vikings have given the Eagles lots of reasons to celebrate over the last half-decade or so: In both 2021 and 2018, their end-of-season losses helped Philly clinch a playoff berth, in 2017, they fell victim to Nick Foles and Co. in a 38-7 NFC title-game defeat, which allowed the Eagles to advance to — and win — Super Bowl LII in Minnesota. In 2016, their trade for Eagles QB Sam Bradford helped kick off the Carson Wentz era, which indirectly led to a title run.
Who do we like in their next matchup, on Thursday night? And what are the keys to the game? Check out our full preview of Eagles vs. Vikings, complete with odds, information on how to watch and a final score prediction right here.
5. QB Power Rankings: Lawrence into top five, Love approaches top 10
Every week throughout the season, we’re taking stock of all 32 starting QBs. After the opening week of action, here’s a look at the signal-callers who made the most drastic moves — up or down — as we enter Week 2, and find the full 1-32 rundown right here.
- No. 4 — Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (+2)
- No. 13 — Jordan Love, Packers (+7)
- No. 14 — Matthew Stafford, Rams (+4)
- No. 20 — Jimmy Garoppolo, Raiders (+4)
- No. 21 — Daniel Jones, Giants (-5)
6. Extra points: Seahawks add OL help, Rookie of the Year race, more
Hungry for more headlines? We’ve got you covered:
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Author: Cody Benjamin
September 13, 2023 | 1:35 pm
