2024 NFL Week 2 bold predictions: Baker Mayfield tosses 3 TDs in Bucs upset of Lions; Another Likely outburst

Week 2 of the 2024 season is underway, but it began on a sour note with Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl quarterback Tua Tagovailoa going down with the third NFL concussion of his career.

There was, however, a bold element to the game with running back James Cook becoming the first Bills running back with three first-half touchdowns (one receiving and two rushing) since Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas in 1992 against the Rams. 

So since something wild can happen any NFL game, what does Week 2 have in store? Let’s take a look. Here are five bold predictions for the rest of the league’s slate as we enter the weekend. 

Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely sets career-highs in receptions and receiving yards in consecutive games 

Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely was the breakout star of the 2024 regular season’s first game, hauling in career-highs in both catches (nine) and receiving yards (111). Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson repeatedly looked for him downfield, and he made plenty of big moves after the catch like he did on his 49-yard receiving touchdown. 

Sure, it’s rare for someone to register back-to-back games with career-highs, especially against an Antonio Pierce-coached Raiders defense that is allowing the fewest points in the NFL since he became their head coach (16.6 points per game allowed). That’s the fewest points per game allowed in someone’s first 10 career games as an NFL head coach since Jim Harbaugh with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 (14.5 points per game allowed). That won’t matter for Likely on Sunday when he goes off again.

The Packers, a team that reached the NFC Divisional Round in 2023, are three-point home underdogs against the Colts, per SportsLine consensus odds, a team that hasn’t reached the postseason since 2020. Why would that be? Well, Jordan Love is unlikely to play with a knee sprain. That puts former Tennessee Titans 2022 third-round pick quarterback Malik Willis in the spotlight as the Packers starting quarterback.

This is understandably bold as Willis hasn’t shown he can be a dropback passer. His 40% dropback rate in quarterback starts the last 15 seasons is the lowest in the NFL among those with at least three starts. It could be hard to build an offense around him. However, he looked much more polished as a passer in the 2024 preseason in Tennessee, providing hope for major improvement. Willis showcases that improvement in head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense filled with young weapons against an AFC South team he has seen a lot of film of in his two years with the Titans while leading Green Bay to victory against his old squad. 

Which picks can you make with confidence, and which four A-rated against-the-spread picks should you lock in now? Visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $7,000.

The Detroit Lions won both matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, including the NFC Divisional Round. This game is also being played in Detroit, which is why the Lions are 7.5-point home favorites, per SportsLine consensus odds.  

However, Baker Mayfield is going to do something he didn’t do last season: lead the Buccaneers to victory against Detroit. Yeah, he picked on a bad Washington Commanders defense in Week 1, throwing for an NFL-high four touchdowns last week, but that’s kind of who Mayfield is now. He’s thrown 18 touchdowns to only four interceptions in his last seven games played, including the playoffs. 

Why is Mayfield so on fire? Simple. He is finally on the same page with his top two targets, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. No doubt about it. Last week, Mayfield completed13 of his 14 passes thrown their way for 143 passing yards and three touchdowns against Washington. 

Baker Mayfield career targeting Mike Evans/Chris Godwin

Evans and Godwin are going to torch their former Buccaneers teammate in cornerback Carlton Davis, now with Detroit after an offseason trade, and the Lions’ youth of 2024 first-round corner Terrion Arnold and 2024 second-round cornerback Ennis Rakestraw. That leads to Mayfield throwing for at least three touchdowns and helping a secure a road, upset win over the team that eliminated them last postseason. 

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is 12-2 in the regular season against the Cardinals, which is absolute dominance. However, his squad is walking wounded. The Rams placed Pro Bowl wide receiver Puka Nacua and two offensive line starters, left tackle Joe Noteboom and center Steve Avila, on injured reserve this week. 

Notable one-sided NFL dominance

Los Angeles also got ripped up on the ground against Detroit without three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald in the middle of everything with Lions running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combining to run for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. 

Cardinals running back James Conner is on a heater dating back to last season, averaging 94 rushing yards per game and scoring six rushing touchdowns dating back to his last six games played. Rookie fourth overall pick wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. only had three targets for one catch and four yards last week, so this week quarterback Kyler Murray goes out of his way to get his young gun fully involved. This feels like a trap game for the Rams, and the Cardinals fly through this matchup with the win.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts catches a receiving TD in consecutive weeks 

Atlanta Falcons fourth overall pick tight end Kyle Pitts, the highest-picked player at his position in the Common Draft era (since 1967), lived up to the hype as a rookie, going for 1,026 receiving yards on 68 catches. That made him the second rookie tight end ever and the first in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to have a 1,000-yard receiving season.

Then, injuries hit on top of poor utilization by former head coach Arthur Smith happened, derailing his development.  Thankfully for Atlanta, they hired Sean McVay assistant Zac Robinson off of a staff that always got their core pieces the ball in high volumes whether it was Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua or Kyren Williams. That was evident in Week 1 as 2023 eighth overall pick running back Bijan Robinson registered a career-high 23 touches that went for 105 yards last week.

Pitts begins to receive a similar treatment, and he catches two more touchdowns in Week 2 against the Eagles, a team struggling to solidify their linebacker room. That would match his career-high for receiving touchdowns in a season, something Pitts did last year. Personal history is made for the 23-year-old up in Philly.