Monday Night Pick'ems: Predicting the final Week 2 NFL contests
- AlexMonfreda
- Sep 15
- 3 min read
Did the half-year break from NFL action make you forget just how exciting Sundays are? If it did, that's okay; yesterday served as an excellent reminder.
In fact, if you're anything like me, you're still feeling the thrills from last-second endings such as the New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos vs Indianapolis Colts matchups. It doesn't get much more exciting than what those battles turned out to be.
We're onto Monday, however–a double-header that features Tampa Bay traveling to Houston and an AFC West showdown that pins the Chargers against Sin City's football team. Two contests that can go either way as three squads look to advance to 2-0 on the season.
Monfreda's picks for the night are in.
Monfreda's Picks: Predicting the final Week 2 NFL contests
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Houston Texans
Like many others, the Buccaneers are my choice to win the NFC South division. Tampa Bay took one step closer to achieving that goal in Week 1 by defeating Atlanta on the heels of a three touchdown game from Baker Mayfield, who tossed a pair of scores to first-round rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Houston, on the other hand, is the lone 0-1 team that suits up on Monday. But make no mistake; Pro Bowl signal caller C.J. Stroud and his arsenal of weaponry make the Texans a formidable opponent regardless of their record. To say nothing of their star-studded defense that features Will Anderson, Derek Stingley and Danielle Hunter. There's a lot to like about the Texans. Similar to the Buccaneers with the NFC South, Houston is a fan-favorite to win the AFC South. And while I personally believe the Indianapolis Colts will instead claim the division title, it would be of no surprise if DeMeco Ryans' squad did instead. For my money, that journey will start for the Texans in Week 3 after a hard-fought loss to Tampa Bay. Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas Raiders
Justin Herbert was in Week 1 what some have been pretending he has been all along; a sure-fired All-Pro-caliber signal caller. Per our 'True' QB stats/efficiency, Herbert was a perfect 9/9 on passes that traveled 5+ yards through the air last weekend, with a 71.43% efficiency rate in the pocket. The Chargers' QB1 proved efficient on 8-of-9 passing downs in clutch time; the best mark among all players in Week 1 with at least eight downs recorded during the clutch window.
On the other side, Geno Smith is coming off of a 362 yard passing game during his debut with the Raiders. Las Vegas' passing offense was as efficient as its been in quite some time, totaling nine plays of 20-plus yardage through the air. That ties the most any Raiders team has had in a singular game since at least 1991.
Perhaps the story of this contest is Ashton Jeanty vs Omarion Hampton, the running backs that their respective team spent a first-round draft pick on back in April. But as a whole, the story should be about two potent offenses hoping their defense can make a stop or two throughout the day. That's what the Raiders' defense did better than that of the Chargers in Week 1–granted, Los Angeles was tasked with stopping the terrifying duo of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Still, Las Vegas' defense is the difference to me; a sentence I did not think I'd be able to muster up at any point during this season. Winner: Las Vegas Raiders
CC: The Sporting Tribune
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