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NFL Week 2 Predictions and Projections

Published 09/15/2016, 3:17 PM EDT

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via Imago

Week 1 of the NFL is almost always wild, and this year was no exception. For one thing, not only were a lot of young quarterbacks on display, but most of them impressed, dispelling many negative NFL betting predictions.

More importantly, only one game came close to resembling a blowout, with a number of matchups finishing with scores within one point. There were a lot of notable performances. Jimmy Garoppolo actually represented as Tom Brady’s replacement, while Carson Wentz proved to critics that he was more than worth the No.2 overall pick.

Desperate teams, the kind that require a little more preparation and who will need the extra draft picks to plug the holes in their ranks also came to light.

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When it comes to Week 2, these are what some might call the safest bets:

Carolina Vs San Francisco

Denver brought Carolina to its knees in the first week. A Kick from Carolina’s Graham Gano went wide left at the end, sealing Carolina’s fate. Some analysts have been quick to condemn Carolina, saying that any professional team of note would never put their kicker in a situation where he has to win the game in the final seconds.

Whether or not you think that is fair, the fact that Gano had successfully made an attempt from the same distance moments earlier explains why Coach Gary Kubiak chose to trust him in the final seconds.

Putting Gano’s situation aside, and the fact that he should have never been put into such a situation, the Panthers had every opportunity to attain victory in that match, but events didn’t play out as they might have expected.

Cam Newton took a lot of hits to the head, one of which planted him face-first into the turf. It could be argued that the hits prevented Newton from performing at his peak, though few people are not buying that excuse.

New England Vs Miami

Anyone who thought that the patriots would suffer because of Tom Brady’s absence was resoundingly silenced by the performance of Jimmy Garoppolo, who more than adequately filled Brady’s shoes.

Precluding one or two complications at the start, Jimmy was confident and composed throughout the game, compensating for the absence of Rob Gronkowski, Nate Solder, and Jonathan Cooper.

LeGarrette Blount was a powerful presence on the field, leading a successful ground attack that was complemented by Julian Edelman’s efforts. You couldn’t fault New England’s performance against Arizona, not when you remember that they sacked Carson three times before hitting him another five.

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The Miami Dolphins have good reason to worry, considering that they fell to Seattle at the start of the season. Russell Wilson’s ankle injury in the third quarter likely debilitated the team.

Miami’s offense was also visibly lacking, with their QB failing to deliver a single touchdown pass. The Dolphins need a plan to beat Garoppolo and his team in week 2.

Cardinals Vs Tampa Bay

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The Cardinals lost to the Patriots by two points. That says a lot of about the talent on their side, this including Carson Palmer and David Johnson. Talented as Tampa Bay’s young team might be, they only beat the Falcons because its defense was still struggling to find its legs.

It is easy to see how Arizona could pick them part. The cardinals’ defense will not go easy on the Buccaneers. Keep in mind the fact that they sacked Garoppolo twice.

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Written by:

Kelsey Hartsford

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