SPORTS TODAY
Week 2 is already underway in the NFLwith the Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders getting us started on Thursday night. After rather convincingly taking down Washington, Green Bay looks as-advertised as a bona fide Super Bowl contender through two weeks. But what about the rest of the slate? What information do we need to best catch up to speed with all the latest happenings in the NFL before the full Sunday slate unfolds? Allow us to give some assistance.
Below, this cheat sheet will be your one-stop shop for everything you need to know surrounding Week 2, ranging from the top storylines, games of the week, along with some betting and fantasy advice.
SPORTS TODAY Notable Week 2 storylines
Ben Johnson faces former Lions team
One of the more intriguing matchups of Week 2 can be found in Detroit, where the Lions will host the Chicago Bears in an NFC North showdown. While a divisional matchup is always worth checking in on, this matchup does bring with it another layer of spice. Bears head coach Ben Johnson will be facing the Lions for the first time since leaving the organization this offseason after three seasons as the club’s offensive coordinator.
Both teams are coming off losses in the opener, with Detroit enduring its largest loss (a 27-13 defeat to Green Bay) since 2023. Meanwhile, the Bears are looking to rebound after a fourth-quarter collapse against the VIkingsallowing 21 straight points to fall 27-24.
Battle of the No. 1 overall picks
In all, four games will feature former No. 1 overall pick quarterbacks going toe-to-toe with one another. That is the most in a week all-time.
- Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars) vs. Joe Burrow (Bengals)
- Caleb Williams (Bears) vs. Jared Goff (Lions)
- Matthew Stafford (Rams) vs. Cam Ward (Titans)
- Bryce Young (Panthers) vs. Kyler Murray (Cardinals)
Moreover, this week also features quarterback matchups that are rematches from the college football national championship games. Former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will take on LSU legend Joe Burrow in a rematch of the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship game, where Burrow came out victorious, 42-25. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy (formerly of Michigan) will take on Michael Penix Jr. (formerly of Washington) and the Falcons on Sunday Night Football, which is another CFP National Championship rematch from 2024.
Banged-up San Francisco 49ers
One of the early-season storylines developing in the NFC is the injury bug continuing to feast on the Niners. Last year, they were plagued by injury, and it hasn’t slowed down in 2025. The wide receiver room was banged up throughout the summer, and now other pieces of the offense are starting to go down as well. In Week 1, star tight end George Kittle suffered a hamstring injury that has since landed him on injured reserve.
On top of that, starting quarterback Brock Purdy is a long shot to play in Week 2, per head coach Kyle Shanahan, and could miss multiple weeks due to a left shoulder and toe injury. If Purdy is sidelined, Mac Jones — a former first-round pick of the New England Patriots — will get the start on the road against New Orleans.
DK Metcalf vs. Seahawks
One of the bigger trades of the offseason came when the Seattle Seahawks shipped off star wideout D.K. Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers back in March. Upon executing the trade, Pittsburgh also inked Metcalf to a five-year, $150 million contract extension. And Metcalf didn’t have to wait long to face his former team, with whom he spent the first six seasons of his career after being a second-round pick out of Ole Miss in 2019. Seattle will be rolling into Pittsburgh on Sunday, and Metcalf will look to enact some revenge on his old squad. He’ll also be looking to build off his four-catch, 83-yard Steelers debut in the club’s home opener.
Here are some quick-hitter notes about Metcalf’s tenure in Seattle:
- Fourth-most receiving touchdowns (48) in franchise history
- Sixth-most receiving yards (6,324) in franchise history
- Three seasons with 1,000 yards
- Two-time Pro Bowl selection
What do veteran QBs do for an encore?
One of the more surprising aspects of Week 1 was how some veteran quarterbacks shined in their debuts with their new squads.
- Daniel Jones‘ Colts debut: Completed 22 of his 29 passes for 272 yards and one passing touchdown. Also rushed for 26 yards and two touchdowns.
- Aaron Rodgers‘ Steelers debut: Completed 22 of his 30 passes for 244 yards and four passing touchdowns.
- Geno Smith’s Raiders debut: Completed 24 of his 34 passes for 362 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
Each of those signal-callers came out of Week 1 victorious, but were those mere flashes in the pan, or were they a sign of more to come? For the likes of Jones, who led Indy on a scoring drive on every single possession, it’ll be fascinating to see what his encore is against a stouter Denver Broncos defense.
How do some second-year QBs rebound?
In a similar vein, albeit on the opposite side of the coin to the veteran quarterbacks, we saw a lot of second-year quarterbacks in Week 1 not have the best showing out of the gate.
- Drake Maye (Patriots): Completed 30 of his 46 passes for 287 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
- Caleb Williams (Bears): Completed 21 of his 35 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. Also added 58 yards rushing and one rushing score.
- BO Nix (Broncos): Completed 25 of his 40 passes for 176 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, and a fumble.
Nix was the lone quarterback to come out of Week 1 with a win despite the lackluster performance. Meanwhile, Maye and Williams both put up fine statistical numbers, but the underlying metrics — along with the eye test — showed that the two 2024 first-rounders have much to improve on.
SPORTS TODAY Teams looking to avoid going 0-2
Since 1990, teams that go 0-2 to begin the season have just a 12.2% chance of making the playoffs. Here are the teams looking to avoid that uphill climb:
- New York Jets (vs. Bills)
- Miami Dolphins (vs. Patriots)
- New England Patriots (at Dolphins)
- Baltimore Ravens (vs. Browns)
- Cleveland Browns (at Ravens)
- Tennessee Titans (vs. Rams)
- Houston Texans (vs. Buccaneers)
- Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Eagles)
- Dallas Cowboys (vs. Giants)
- New York Giants (at Cowboys)
- Chicago Bears (at Lions)
- Detroit Lions (vs. Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons (at Vikings)
- New Orleans Saints (vs. 49ers)
- Carolina Panthers (at Cardinals)
- Seattle Seahawks (at Steelers)
SPORTS TODAY Teams looking to go 2-0
Since 1990, teams that go 2-0 to begin the season have a 64.3% chance of making the playoffs. Here’s a look at those teams looking to get one step closer to the postseason:
- Buffalo Bills (at Jets)
- Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Jaguars)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Seahawks)
- Indianapolis Colts (vs. Broncos)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (at Bengals)
- Los Angeles Chargers (at Raiders)
- Denver Broncos (at Colts)
- Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Chargers)
- Philadelphia Eagles (at Chiefs)
- Minnesota Vikings (vs. Falcons)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Texans)
- San Francisco 49ers (at Saints)
- Arizona Cardinals (vs. Panthers)
- Los Angeles Rams (at Titans)
SPORTS TODAY Fantasy footballwindow
- NFL Week 2 PPR Flex Rankings
- NFL Week 2 Non-PPR Flex Rankings
- NFL Week 2 QB rankings
- Jamey Eisenberg’s Week 2 Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em
SPORTS TODAY Gambling window
- Pete Prisco’s Week 2 picks
- Tyler Sullivan’s Week 2 picks
- John Breech’s Week 2 picks
- Best bet player props
SPORTS TODAY Game of the Week: Eagles vs. Chiefs
We get a Super Bowl LIX rematch in Week 2 when the Philadelphia Eagles head into Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, Philly toppled the K.C. back in February, 40-22, to give the franchise its second Super Bowl title in team history. While the stakes aren’t as massive, it’s without question the marquee game on the Week 2 slate.
For Kansas City, the team is looking to avoid a 0-2 start to the season, and will have to do so a bit depleted at receiver. With Rashee Rice still suspended, the wideout room may have taken another hit with Xavier Worthy’s status in doubt due to a shoulder injury. That would leave Hollywood Brown as the top receiver on the depth chart for this head-to-head. If the Chiefs fall to 0-2, it’ll be the first time since 2014, which coincides with the last time they missed the playoffs. The good news for Kansas City, however, is that this game will be played at Arrowhead, where they’ve won 12 straight games (including playoffs) dating back to 2023.
As for the Eagles, they let the Cowboys hang around in the season opener, but the defense should be much better with star defensive tackle Jalen Carter back in the fold. Carter was ejected before the first offensive snap in Week 1 after spitting on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. On offense, it will be interesting to see how the passing game develops for Philadelphia after A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith combined for four catches for 24 yards in Week 1.
