NFL Week 2: What to watch for in Sunday’s games

Arizona Cardinals (1-0) vs. New York Giants (0-1)

Even without Darnell Dockett, the Cards held San Diego to just 52 yards rushing -- bad news for a struggling Giants offensive line that couldn't free up any room on the ground last week. The lack of a rushing attack will swing the pressure to Eli Manning, who started his 2014 season with two picks in the ugly loss to Detroit. Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson will be licking his lips, and there's a chance he could be joined by safety Tyrann Mathieu, who Bruce Arians said earlier this week was "close" to returning from last year's ACL injury.

Miami Dolphins (1-0) vs. Buffalo Bills (1-0)

Somebody in the AFC East is going to be a surprise 2-0 after this weekend. The Dolphins tallied 23 second-half points to shock the Patriots last week, while the Bills limited the Bears' powerful offense to just 20 points in their opener. Clearly, neither team can overlook the other, but at the end of the day Miami's victory looks a little more impressive. It also helps that Miami's opponent was an AFC East rival, giving them an early leg up over the Bills and an even better one in the event they win this game.

Putting up 191 rushing yards against the Patriots gives us a clue as to where the Dolphins will be looking to go, but the Bills managed to limit the Bears to 86 rushing yards while allowing 341 passing yards. The Dolphins may want to give Ryan Tannehill more opportunities to throw the ball. SB Nation's experts are going with the Dolphins, as five of the seven went in that direction, with Joel Thorman and David Fucillo picking the Bills.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) vs. Washington (0-1)

And it's not like Washington, Jacksonville's Week 2 opponent, had an impressive outing. They fell to the Houston Texans, the worst team in the NFL a season ago, by the score of 17-6. Robert Griffin III had a so-so game, completing 29 of his 37 passes for 267 yards with no scores and no interceptions. The Texans always held firm, and two lost fumbles by the Washington offense certainly didn't help. SB Nation's experts are actually split when it comes to this game, with three going with Jacksonville, three with Washington and one, the infamous PFT Commenter, going with "tie." Of course.

Dallas Cowboys (0-1) vs. Tennessee Titans (1-0)

On the other hand, Tennessee handled the Kansas City Chiefs, holding firm defensively against both the pass and the run. It was a dominant effort throughout, and that's exactly what quarterback Jake Locker needed at this point. The Titans will go into this one favored against the Cowboys, but it's worth noting that Romo has a history of bouncing back from terrible outings. Still, that didn't stop six of the seven SB Nation experts from picking the Titans to win this one on Sunday.

The New England Patriots haven't had an 0-2 start since 2001, before Tom Brady took over as the starting quarterback. The Vikings looked good in their season opener, and dominated their opponent -- but it was St. Louis. The Rams don't have a whole lot of offensive firepower to speak of at the moment, so the Vikings defense holding firm wasn't exactly a surprise.

The Patriots, meanwhile, have one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL, especially given that tight end Rob Gronkowski had another week to rest. Gronkowski saw the most targets of any Patriots receiver in Week 1, but still saw limited snaps. He's expected to get more playing time against the Vikings this week. Minnesota will be without Adrian Peterson, which hurts its chances even more. Needless to say, the Patriots are favored in this one -- Matt Ufford was the only one of SB Nation's seven experts to pick Minnesota to win.

New Orleans Saints (0-1) vs. Cleveland Browns (0-1)

The Cleveland Browns were expected to be a better team this year, but a loss to the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers wasn't surprising. The New Orleans Saints were definitely expected to best the Atlanta Falcons, but failed to do so when Atlanta managed a 37-34 overtime win. The game was further proof that the Saints have serious, serious issues on the defensive side of the ball.

Fortunately for the Saints, Brian Hoyer isn't likely to match Drew Brees pass for pass. Matt Ryan was one of the league's best quarterbacks in Week 1, but Hoyer only managed 230 yards against the Steelers. Still, it wasn't all bad for the Browns, as they picked up a total of 183 yards on the ground. The Saints' pass defense is worse than the run, but picking up those yards on the ground will likely be the Browns' avenue to an upset on Sunday. But SB Nation's experts are still unanimously going with New Orleans to win this one, outside of PFT Commenter's pick of Cleveland.

Atlanta Falcons (1-0) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)

While the Falcons coming through in the end to beat the Saints was impressive, Matt Ryan shredding the Cincinnati Bengals defense would be even more so. Trying to win consecutive games -- something the Falcons didn't do all of last year -- will be a tough task. Fortunately, Atlanta can look to Cincinnati's defensive struggles against the pass in Week 1; the Bengals allowed 329 passing yards to the Baltimore Ravens, but ultimately won.

The Bengals simply out-gunned the Ravens and held their running game back when they needed to. Andy Dalton threw for 301 yards and a touchdown, and didn't commit a turnover on top of that. Both teams figure to be in the playoff picture when it's all said and done, but the Falcons have a lot more to prove after a terrible 2013 campaign. Five of SB Nation's six experts are picking the Bengals to hold, with Joel Thorman and PFT Commenter picking the Falcons.

Detroit Lions (1-0) vs. Carolina Panthers (1-0)

The Panthers were impressive in Week 1, managing a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without quarterback Cam Newton. Carolina would have been heavily favored had Newton been under center, but injuries forced him out of the game and Derek Anderson had to start. Anderson wound up throwing a pair of touchdown passes and should be confident heading into Week 2. His opponent, the Detroit Lions, are a much better team than the Buccaneers, though.

St. Louis Rams (0-1) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

The Rams and Buccaneers both fell in Week 1, and both are in divisions where they can ill afford to lose games. The Rams fell to the Minnesota Vikings, a team they were expected to be able to handle even with Shaun Hill starting at quarterback in place of Sam Bradford. But they were dominated, falling 34-6, and now trail in the toughest division in the NFL.

The Buccaneers weren't expected to beat the Carolina Panthers, though some felt they had a chance when it was learned that Cam Newton wouldn't be starting. But Carolina's defense stifled them well enough to earn a 20-14 victory. The Buccaneers have some serious issues on the offensive side of the ball, starting with the weak quarterback position manned by Josh McCown as well as injury-prone running back Doug Martin. SB Nation's experts are going with the Buccaneers to win, though -- there's obviously not much confidence in Hill. Six of the seven experts went with Tampa Bay.

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) vs. San Diego Chargers (0-1)

The Seahawks looked about as good as advertised coming off a Super Bowl victory. There were a few issues early on, but they eventually ironed them out and dominated the Green Bay Packers, 36-16. The defense was strong, holding Aaron Rodgers to 189 yards and a touchdown, while the offense was good enough to consistently put points on the board.

San Diego also looked solid, but the Chargers fell to the Arizona Cardinals when John Brown caught a 13-yard touchdown with just over two minutes left in the game. The Chargers scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to take the lead but the defense faltered in the fourth, allowing the aforementioned game-winner and another TD at the start of the quarter. They'll need to do better than 52 rushing yards and Philip Rivers will have to be on-point if they have any hope of taking down the Seahawks. SB Nation's experts are unanimous in picking Seattle, outside of PFT Commenter.

Houston Texans (1-0) vs. Oakland Raiders (0-1)

Oakland, on the other hand, looked lost. The Raiders kept it close against the New York Jets, but they're not any better than Washington. Oakland is now 32nd in the NFL in passing yards, rushing yards and rushing yards allowed, at least after one week. The pass defense only allowed 190 yards, for what it's worth. But Arian Foster has to be salivating at the thought of 212 yards, the total Oakland allowed on the ground in Week 1. Only one of SB Nation's seven experts picked Oakland to win on Sunday.

New York Jets (1-0) vs. Green Bay Packers (0-1)

Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) vs. Denver Broncos (1-0)

The question on everyone's mind: were the Chiefs a fluke? Alex Smith led Kansas City to one of the best records in the NFL last season and looked good doing it, but many have wondered if it was just lightning in a bottle. It certainly looked that way in Week 1, when Smith couldn't get anything going and the Chiefs fell to the Titans. Meanwhile, the AFC West rival Broncos were beating the tough Indianapolis Colts.

Denver doesn't have a great defense, but Kansas City doesn't have a quarterback who is particularly great at exploiting bad defenses. If the Chiefs hope to compete, Smith will need to do just that as Peyton Manning will certainly find ways to score against Kansas City's defense. SB Nation is convinced that the Broncos will come out victorious, with all seven experts going that way.

Chicago Bears (0-1) vs. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

San Francisco 49ers fans were worried about the cornerback position throughout the offseason, yet the team managed three interceptions in a dominant win over the Dallas Cowboys ... after the top two cornerbacks went down with injuries early in the game. Tramaine Brock and Chris Culliver got hurt, meaning Perrish Cox and rookie Dontae Johnson became the starters, with fellow rookie Jimmie Ward in the nickel slot.

Their strong performance will have them confident in their home opener against the Bears, a team that's built very similarly to the Cowboys, at least when it comes to offense. Jay Cutler has struggled against the 49ers in the past, but he threw for 349 yards in Week 1 -- if he manages another performance like that one, then San Francisco's secondary could really be tested. Four of SB Nation's seven experts are picking the 49ers to win.

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) vs. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

The Eagles are probably just hoping that nobody saw the first half of their Week 1 game against the Jaguars. They were down 17 points at halftime, but ultimately remembered that they were playing the Jaguars and pulled out what ended up being a dominant win. Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles was shaky in the first half, but he righted the ship in the second, throwing a pair of touchdowns to go along with four other scores.