NFL teams on upset alert in Week 2

Week 2 of the 2014 NFL season began last night with Joe Flacco throwing for two touchdowns and posting a 109.3 rating as his Baltimore Ravens downed the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-6 at M&T Bank Stadium.

The rest of the games on the slate this week aren’t easy pickins’, but I’ve set aside three games that I think could result in upsets. I went 1-2 last week, with my lone win being the Minnesota Vikings’ 34-6 blowout of the St. Louis Rams and my two losses coming via a strong performance from the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants not even showing up for their matchup with the Detroit Lions.

So how will this week play out?

Well, I’m going with all road teams this week, so we’ll see how this strategy plays out. Let’s take a look at three potential teams on upset alert in Week 2.

*All spreads via Yahoo.

Sep 7, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) attempts a pass in the first half of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 37-34 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Cincinnati Bengals (-5.0) vs. Atlanta Falcons

I’ll be honest here and tell you that I really like the Cincinnati Bengals in this game–they played extremely well in their 23-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1–but I do think the Atlanta Falcons deserve a shot here.

Both teams come into this game 1-0. Atlanta won a thriller over the rival New Orleans Saints last Sunday, putting up 37 points. Now, we all know it’s not hard to put points on the board against the Saints, but let’s give Matt Ryan and his 448 passing yards and three TDs some credit.

The Bengals’ D allowed Joe Flacco to throw for 345 yards last week, and the Falcons have a much better passing attack with Julio Jones and Roddy White.

On the ground is where I think Cincinnati can hurt Atlanta–the Falcons gave up 139 rushing yards to NO–but I still think this game is going to be won at the quarterback position, and I’m taking Matt Ryan all day.

I don’t usually roll with the Falcons on the road against a solid opponent, but I just got married, so maybe I’m still not thinking clearly.

Sep 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) celebrates his touchdown with teammates during the first quarter against the New York Giants at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

Carolina Panthers (-2.5) vs. Detroit Lions

This Sunday will mark Cam Newton’s first start of the season, and he’ll go up against a tough Detroit Lions defense that hit Eli Manning nine times and sacked him twice in Detroit’s 35-14 Week 1 victory.

Those QB hits don’t bode well for Newton, who’s been hit 467 times in the last three seasons. To put that number into perspective, no other NFL quarterback has been hit more than 230 times during that span, according to ESPN’s David Newton.

Couple that with the fact that Matthew Stafford looked like a future Hall of Famer in Week 1, and that spells trouble for Carolina. Now, of course the Giants aren’t exactly a quality opponent right now, but Stafford looked great. His pocket awareness was exceptional, and he seems to be lighter and more in shape.

The Panthers themselves are coming off a 20-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which they rushed for 113 yards and saw their defense cause three turnovers, which definitely makes for an interesting matchup at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

I like the Lions’ offense here with the cohesion between Stafford and Calvin Johnson, and with Detroit’s defense able to get after the quarterback, I think they’ll disrupt Super Cam enough to come out with a road win.

Sep 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (43) out runs Jacksonville Jaguars free safety Josh Evans (26) on the way to a 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Indianapolis Colts (-3.0) vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Fresh off of a seven-point loss to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, the Indianapolis Colts don’t exactly draw an easy matchup in Week 2 with the Philadelphia Eagles coming to town.

Philly didn’t put up the offense we all expected in the first half of its Week 1 game against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, but it still has a top-three running back in LeSean McCoy and a dynamic weapon in Darren Sproles.

The Colts gave up more than 100 rushing yards to a pass-happy Broncos team last weekend, which definitely isn’t a good sign for their defense. The Eagles will wind up finishing this season with arguably the most comprehensive running game in the league, and I’m sure that will be on display when Monday night rolls around.

On the flip side, I know how dangerous Andrew Luck is at home, and with weapons like Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton and Hakeem Nicks, it’s hard to doubt Indy at home.

Still, the Eagles’ D has the ability to shut down the Colts’ rushing attempts and put their focus on Luck–that strategy worked for Denver, as they forced two Luck interceptions and held Indianapolis rushers to only 54 yards.

I’ll take Philadelphia.

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