It is Week 2 of the NFL season, meaning that the prognosticator himself, Steve Cook, is back with your gambling picks! After going 8-8 the first week, will he find success in Week 2?

Hi, hello & welcome to Week 2 of the National Football League! I’m Steve Cook, and I’m here to tell you the same thing I say every single year in Week 2. I know it’s easy to over-react to what happened in Week 1. It’s the first football we’ve seen in months, and we love jumping to conclusions as soon as possible. Perhaps some of the things we thought before the season were completely wrong due to one result we weren’t expecting.

Trust yourself.

One week isn’t enough to throw out your ideas of what’s going to happen in 2022, unless you were really counting on that Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl run. (Honestly, if you’re one of those people that think that’s going to happen every year, you deserve what you get.) Keep an eye on things, but don’t resort to drastic measures in Week 2.

Let’s jump right into the picks, as there’s a lot to unpack with some of these upcoming games. Odds are provided by Vegas Insider!

Thursday, September 15

LA Chargers at Kansas City (-4)

We're 👏 up 👏 next

The @Chiefs take on the @Chargers on Thursday Night Football at 7 PM ET, only on @PrimeVideo #TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/zTP7R1H5b5

— NFL On Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 13, 2022

One of my goals for this year was to avoid talking about all the sports media nonsense, but this is one of those moments where we need to discuss it. (Another of those moments will be coming later on.) If you want to see the two top teams in the AFC West go at it on a Thursday night, you’ll need to have an Amazon Prime membership or live in one of those media markets. Expect much complaining about this on Thursday night. All I can say for sure is that my Amazon Prime membership is worth it for Christmas/birthday shopping with free shipping. If they want to give me football games too I won’t complain too much.

I will tell you not to over-react based off of Week 1 results, but one thing you can believe in is Patrick Mahomes. People were actually trying to tell us that the lack of Tyreek Hill would hurt his performance…those people are fools and can not be trusted. Mahomes is one of those guys that can make wide receivers. As long as somebody with a pulse can get out there and catch those passes, there’s nothing to worry about. The Chargers had a fine showing last week, but I still see them losing by a touchdown to the Chiefs.

Sunday, September 18

Miami at Baltimore (-3.5)

On the @GoJoShow, Lamar Jackson basically says he liked a tweet of himself in a Dolphins jersey as a joke for everyone who thinks he wants out of Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/kdc6F54CYX

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) September 8, 2022

These two teams had a pretty solid Week 1. Miami had an easy time with New England while Baltimore handled franchise hero Joe Flacco and the Jets. Its shaping up to be one of the more interesting matchups of Week 2, pitting two teams seemingly on their way up the pecking order with newly exciting offenses. Should one of these teams make a push this season, this game could serve as a good launching pad for them.

I’m picking the Ravens to win this game, but wouldn’t be shocked if the Dolphins made things interesting. I think Lamar Jackson & the boys hold Tua off by a touchdown, but this could be one of the more exciting games of the day.

NY Jets at Cleveland (-6.5)

"Joe is our quarterback" Joe Flacco to start again for Jets-Brownshttps://t.co/7OcvIGa8ji pic.twitter.com/1CSZkfMRcu

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 14, 2022

The good news for Jets fans: Joe Flacco has been better against the Cleveland Browns than against any other NFL team. His teams have gone 17-3 against the Browns. He’s thrown more touchdown passes against the Browns than any other team. Granted, he spent most of his career on a team that was constantly in the mix for AFC North supremacy while the Browns were almost always fourth place in the division. Things have changed a bit since then, but perhaps Jets fans can hope that the ol’ gunslinger still has some mojo left?

Eh, probably not. I do think the Jets have enough talent on defense to keep it close against Jacoby Brissett and the Browns, though they’ll need to work on that rushing defense to have a chance of pulling the upset.

Washington at Detroit (-2)

The Lions are favored to beat the Commanders on Sunday. They have not been favored to win in any of their last 24 games, the longest streak in 60 years.

Last time Detroit was a favorite? Nov of 2020 and they lost 20-0.

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) September 14, 2022

Maybe this is me doing what I’m telling people not to do and over-reacting to something. But take a look at the Commanders’ schedule. Pretty easy starting stretch with Jacksonville, Detroit, hosting Philly and then playing a Cowboys team without its starting quarterback. Things get a little tougher afterward, but there’s a lot of games against teams like the Bears, Texans & Browns where you could see Washington accumulating enough wins to be a threat in the NFC East. Granted, I mis-typed “East” as “Easy” and had a thought for a second not to change it. I’m just saying that if this whole Carson Wentz thing actually works out and Jahan Dotson is the real deal, this team could be a threat in that division.

There were some positives for the Lions to take away from their narrow defeat. Mostly D’Andre Swift. Swift’s performance against the Eagles made those of us who stayed away from drafting him in fantasy because LOL Lions second-guess ourselves. We laugh at the Lions, but they do manage to play teams close and are usually a good team to bet on for that reason. Now that they’re favorites…eh, I’m not sure about that. I’ll roll with the Lions’ typical bad luck in close games and pick the Commanders here.

Indianapolis (-3.5) at Jacksonville

After failing to secure a victory Sunday in Houston, the Colts turn their attention to Jacksonville, where they haven't won since Sept. 21 of 2014. https://t.co/sgYh1eS0dN

— CBS4 Indy (@CBS4Indy) September 13, 2022

It’s somewhat amazing that the Colts haven’t managed to win a game in Jacksonville for this long. The Jaguars have mustered up one winning season in the years since Andrew Luck led the Colts to a 44-17 win over the Jags on September 21, 2014. The Jags haven’t been particularly good in Jacksonville either. Beating them hasn’t been difficult for a decent NFL team for a long time. Yet, Indianapolis can’t seem to get the job done. This came back to bite them at the end of last season, when all they needed to do to clinch a playoff berth was to beat a 2-14 team in Week 17. It didn’t happen. A shame.

Can they make it happen in 2022? I would say maybe they’ll still be PISSED OFF about the loss last season, but Matt Ryan wasn’t there for all that. I’m expecting a close game that’ll be tough to watch, so ride with the Jaguars and those points.

Tampa Bay (-2.5) at New Orleans

Buccaneers are 2.5-point favorites over the #Saints according to @FDSportsbook. Tom Brady is 0-4 with the Bucs in the regular season against New Orleans.

— Garland Gillen (@garlandgillen) September 12, 2022

OK, that might sound daunting to some of you, but this is Tom Brady we’re talking about. Do we really think he’s going to go the entirety of his time in Tampa without defeating the Saints during the regular season? Of course not. Take the Buccaneers and don’t think twice about it.

Carolina at NY Giants (-2)

This happened the last time Daniel Jones played the Panthers. Giants 2-0. #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/Fz0R7NJMzN

— Big Blue Krew (@BiggBlueKrew) September 14, 2022

Saquon Barkley looked like the guy we remember from a few years ago when he was healthy. If he can keep that up, the Giants just might be able to compete in that NFC East we keep making fun of. Their schedule looks just as easy as the Commanders’. The Panthers don’t seem ready to compete for much of anything, so we’ll stick with the Giants at home.

New England (-2) at Pittsburgh

Patriots/Steelers on Sunday is going to set football back to the Stone Age

— Chase (@harvickplswin) September 14, 2022

The Steelers got a big win on Week 1 over the Bengals, but it didn’t seem to impress too many people. Their route to success in 2022 involved a dominant defense, which took a blow when T.J. Watt got hurt. Could be an issue going forward, but I don’t see it hurting too much against a Patriots team that didn’t seem to be awake for their game with the Dolphins. If you give me the Steelers as underdogs at home, I’ll take them every time. I don’t care who the quarterback is.

Atlanta at LA Rams (-10.5)

Jalen Ramsey is always so stout in run support. The last time the Rams played the Falcons he made this big hit for the forced fumble on D. Freeman. After the tough loss to Buffalo, I suspect Jalen will make a big impact this Sunday pic.twitter.com/IjclTJtXyI

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) September 13, 2022

So Week 1 didn’t make me feel great about my pick of the Rams returning to the Super Bowl. They pretty much got their butts handed to them by the Buffalo Bills for four quarters. Not the most impressive showing. Vegas doesn’t seem worried about this, as they still favor the Rams handily in Week 2 against a Falcons team that nobody’s expecting much from this season.

I’m not expecting much from the Falcons either, except to keep this game closer than expected. I’ll need to see more out of Matthew Stafford before I can trust the Rams to put up a ton of points. The Falcons might blow another big lead, but they’ll still get you the money here.

Seattle at San Francisco (-9)

Love the bounce-back potential for Brandon Aiyuk this week at home against Seahawks secondary with two starting outside corners that are each former fifth-round picks and have played a combined six NFL games. Led the 49ers in routes in Week 1 and remains good at football.

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 14, 2022

Vegas is not overreacting to the problems San Francisco had Week 1. They still believe that the 49ers will be Super Bowl contenders & easily handle teams like the Seahawks. I do think the 49ers will win, but we’re stuck with another point spread that I think is a little too high. I’ll go with the Seahawks and the points.

Cincinnati (-7.5) at Dallas

Before Week 1, the Cowboys were a 1-point favorite at home against the Bengals

They are now a 7-point home underdog

— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) September 12, 2022

The Bengals & Cowboys couldn’t have had worse Week 1 results. Even though Joe Burrow had a game where he looked like somebody that hadn’t played in months and recently had his appendix removed, he managed to turn things around in the second half and almost led the Bengals to victory over the hated Steelers. Ja’Marr Chase did Ja’Marr Chase things. It was almost enough to overcome a Steelers team that was great on defense and pedestrian on offense…but then the long snapper got hurt and Money McPherson’s exchange rate sunk like a rock. Pretty much everything that could go wrong for the Bengals in Week 1 did…and they still took the darn game to overtime. Frustrating, but one can see the silver lining.

Tougher to see it for the Cowboys. Dak Prescott got his thumb injured during Dallas’s humbling defeat against Tampa Bay and underwent surgery afterward. Dr. Jerry Jones assures us that Dak will be good to go in a couple of weeks and doesn’t need to be put on IR, but we can at least count on him missing this game. The Bengals can make backup QBs look good, but Cooper Rush will be a tough task.

Houston at Denver (-10)

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett addressed the attempted game-winning field goal at the end of Monday's game vs. Seattle. pic.twitter.com/caepbBSB9f

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 13, 2022

I’ve never claimed to be the best football analyst of all time. After all, if I was, I’d actually have done something in the sport during my lifetime. I try to cut coaches some slack due to this fact. However, I have to say that everything that happened at the end of the Broncos/Seahawks game completely befuddled me. What comes to mind for me in the aftermath is an old quote from Jerry Glanville that just might apply to Nathaniel Hackett:

“You know what NFL stands for? Not For Long, with calls like that!”

Hackett is a new coach, so I’m willing to cut the guy more slack than the average coach. That said, if he keeps making calls like he did on Monday night, Not For Long will describe his head coaching career. It might also describe the Broncos’ anointed status as AFC contenders.

We don’t overreact to Week 1 here. It might be tempting to get cute and pick the Texans here. They played the Colts to a tie and seemed generally competent except for the part where they chose to punt rather than try to win. Going to Denver’s a horse of a different color. If Russell Wilson & the Broncos are going to live up to the hype, it’ll happen this week.

Arizona at Las Vegas (-5.5)

Chiefs dominated the Cardinals all game last week and still only decided to hand the ball to an RB 11 times all game, despite averaging almost 6 yards per carry on those 11

I expect Derek Carr to look much better next week

— The Mad Raider (@RaiderLoot) September 13, 2022

The Cardinals are typically a first-half of the season kind of team, so their performance against Kansas City last week really doesn’t bode well for them. If this is them now, how will they look in the second half of the season when they typically stink? Won’t be good!

Feels like six points is a lot to trust the Raiders with, even though I think they’ll be in the mix in the AFC wild card. We’ll give the Cardinals a chance to do their usual thing here and quell the doubters.

Chicago at Green Bay (-10)

Live look at Aaron Rodgers postgame press conference pic.twitter.com/cGpzhUxmWr

— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) September 11, 2022

Week 2 and we already have to deal with the Bears in prime time? I’m sorry, I know a lot of Bears fans due to my status as a pro wrestling fan. Apparently most pro wrestling fans live in Chicago these days. I should be walking on eggshells around these people considering the general state of things in AEW, where their hometown guy seems to have blown up the locker room of the wrestling promotion that grew up in their backyard and runs many, many shows there. There’s also the fact that the Bears did win in Week 1, and since we overreact to everything in Week 1, we should take the Bears seriously as a Super Bowl contender.

Then I remember that Aaron Rodgers still owns the Bears. So we R-E-L-A-X and don’t get all off-kilter just because the Bears won and the Packers got run over by the Vikings. Until proven otherwise, I will trust in Aaron Rodgers & the Packers in Green Bay against the Bears. Sorry.

Monday, September 19

Tennessee at Buffalo (-10)

Would be extremely on-brand for the Titans to lose the opener to the Giants and then beat the Bills the following week

— Nick Lombardi (@NF_Lombardi) September 9, 2022

That’s the thing about the Titans. Just when you think you know the answers, they change the questions. You think they’re good, they lose at home to a lowly regarded team. You think they’re bad, they go out on the road and stomp one of the top teams in the league. They’ve been doing this for years now, it’s nothing new.

It might be different this week. The Bills went out in the first game of Week 1 and showed us why everybody was hyping them up so much. Maybe they will win the next five or six Super Bowls. who knows? They can put up some points on the Titans and probably end up winning this one, but 10 points is too high a line for my blood. I’ll roll with those road dogg Titans.

Minnesota at Philadelphia (-2)

EAGLES: Tell us ALL the secrets of the #Vikings offense.

Janarius Robinson: ……..They're going to throw the ball to Jefferson and there's nothing you can do about it.

EAGLES: For real?

J-Rob: pic.twitter.com/tKUhG7Dmnc

— Purple FTW! Podcast (@PurpleForTheWin) September 14, 2022

So let’s talk about Monday Night Football. Along with the critically-acclaimed ManningCast, ESPN decided to hire Joe Buck & Troy Aikman away from Fox to call the Monday night games. Then there’s some Monday doubleheaders like this week, where Joe & Troy will be on ABC while the early game will be on ESPN with Steve Levy, Louis Riddick & Dan Orlovsky. Peyton & Eli are taking this week off.

See, when I heard that “Awful Announcing” was a thing, I assumed they were talking abour Joe Buck. This dude was born on third and thought he hit a triple, since his father was a legendary announcer and Fox decided that Jack Buck’s son needed to call every sport they aired except NASCAR. As far as I can tell, the only difference between Joe Buck & Thom Brennaman is that Joe’s most embarrassing TV moment was over-reacting to Randy Moss acting like he mooned fans, while Thom’s was using a homosexual slur and apologizing to his bosses about it. Other than that, basically the same type of announcer. Instead, we’ve got that website and their disciples trying to tell me that Joe Buck is an amazing announcer, which anybody that actually tried to watch a baseball game on Fox over the past 25 years would know is a lie. Buck & Tim McCarver made the World Series unlistenable for two decades, and John Smoltz didn’t make it an upgrade. Buck’s co-hort on NFL games is a guy that had to retire due to concussion issues. This, somehow, is allegedly one of the best NFL announce teams of the 21st century.

I feel like the same people telling me about the greatness of Joe Buck would also tell me that Michael Cole is a great wrestling announcer. Maybe I’m just too old. I remember the likes of Pat Summerall, Dick Enberg, Gordon Solie & Lance Russell while these kids grew up on lesser folks and accept them as the GOATs. I’d try to tell them better, but they won’t listen. Just like the old folks won’t listen. Not listening is no longer a generational issue.

As for this game, I’m liking the Vikings. Not just because it rhymes, but I like what I saw out of their offense in Week 1 and they should be able to keep it up against a team that gave up 35 points to the Lions.

Last Week’s Results: 8-8