Wow, week 1 of the 2023 NFL season already in the books. You guys remember how this works right? Well if not let me (Robbie Ackerly) tell you. I’m gonna give you guys a recap of me and Mertz’s predictions from last week, after that Mertz and I are gonna break down week 2. Man, Thursday cannot come any sooner. I am fired up and ready for another week of football, but before James and I break it down for y’all…let us recap.
Last Weeks Locks
Only one of us truly picked a lock last week, it was me. The Baltimore Ravens played one of the ugliest games of football you will probably see from them all year, but lucky for them they faced a Texans team that is simply no good at football…not yet at least. The Ravens escaped 25-9, but not before getting bit by the injury bug. Mertz on the other hand picked Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos as his lock, and things did not go as planned. The Broncos were narrowly defeated 17-16 by the Jimmy Garrapolo led Las Vegas Raiders.
Last Weeks Upsets
It was a rough week for both of our upsets, some rougher than others. My Pittsburgh Steelers prediction could not have been more wrong. Kenny Pickett and crew looked absolutely lost on Sunday, getting whooped by a much better and much more prepared San Francisco 49ers team 30-7. As for Mertz, I mentioned before that the Texans were bested by the Baltimore Ravens in a very ugly game of football. No upset alerts this week.
Total Results
Mertz had an overall record this week at 7-9, while I had a double digit win week at 10-6. With this being the first week of predictions, I am currently in the lead at 10-6.
Week 2
With the recap out of the way let us look onward to week 2. I’m in the lead right now, so I’ll be starting us off.
Ackerly’s Lock Of The Week
To be honest this week’s slate of games in my eyes doesn’t truly have a lock. There are a lot of games that could seriously go either way. With that being said there is a game I think is a mismatch in week 2. Dan Campbell and the Lions made a statement to the league in week 1, beating the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium. The Lions are a team that I think will be serious contenders in the NFC this season, and they face a Seahawks team that couldn’t quite figure it out last week. The Seattle Seahawks had a lot of hype around their “electric offense” going into this season…and against the Rams they looked anything but electric. The Lions should make quick work of Pete Carroll and his men on sunday.
Detroit Lions def. Seattle Seahawks
Ackerly’s Upset Alert!
The Chicago Bears had a pitiful first showing against my Green Bay Packers. All the hype behind the Bears and quarterback Justin Fields has suddenly vanished following the 18 point defeat they suffered last week. Tampa Bay on the other hand had a great showing, upsetting the Minnesota Vikings in a matchup most people expected to be a blowout (in favor of Minnesota). This week I’m swallowing my pride, I am picking the Chicago Bears. Yes, they had a poor first showing…but in no scenario should the odds be in favor of the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Week one tends to be a fluke, I think Chicago recovers in a great way this week.
Chicago Bears def. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Rest Of Ackerly’s Picks
Philadelphia Eagles def. Minnesota Vikings
Baltimore Ravens def. Cincinnati Bengals
Indianapolis Colts def. Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars def. Kansas City Chiefs
Green Bay Packers def. Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills def. Las Vegas Raiders
San Diego Chargers def. Tennessee Titans
San Francisco 49ers def. Los Angeles Rams
New York Giants def. Arizona Cardinals
Dallas Cowboys def. New York Jets
Washington Commanders def. Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins def. New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints def. Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns def. Pittsburgh Steelers
Mertz’ Lock Of The Week!
This week’s lock is an NFC South division battle. Now the NFC South is simply put the worst division in football this year. No team in this division is that good but there is a clear distinction between the Saints and the Panthers. New Orleans started their season off with a win at home vs the Titans last week and they seem to have an offense that will put them at the top of their division. Meanwhile the Panthers struggled in game 1 of the Bryce Young era and even in his home opener this Monday night I don’t expect Young to get his first career win. Derek Carr and the Saints go on the road to handily beat the Panthers.
New Orleans Saints def. Carolina Panthers
Mertz Upset Alert!
New York Jets fans went through a roller coaster of emotions from losing their possible savior for the season four plays in, to winning an OT thriller vs a division rival just hours later. But even without Rodgers the Jets have talent across the board to still have them as a playoff hopeful in the AFC. The one question is, can Zach Wilson be the guy to lead them there? He’ll get his first shot to prove himself against a Dallas Cowboys team that is coming off a 40-0 blowout win last week. It’s gonna be a tough test but I think this Jets team has it in them to prove everyone wrong and it starts with a win against the Cowboys in Jerry World.
New York Jets def. Dallas Cowboys
The Rest of Mertz’ Picks
Philadelphia Eagles def. Minnesota Vikings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers def. Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers def. Atlanta Falcons
Indianapolis Colts def. Houston Texans
Detroit Lions def. Seattle Seahawks
Los Angeles Chargers def. Tennessee Titans
Cincinnati Bengals def. Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills def. Las Vegas Raiders
Jacksonville Jaguars def. Kansas City Chiefs
San Francisco 49ers def. LA Rams
New York Giants def. Arizona Cardinals
Denver Broncos def. Washington Commanders
New England Patriots def. Miami Dolphins
Pittsburgh Steelers def. Cleveland Browns
With that, week 2 of our predictions are complete. What do you think? Leave who you think made better picks in the comments and as always feel free to make your own predictions in the comments as well. See you all next week.
