Jump to a matchupHouston Texans (2–0) at Minnesota Vikings (2–0)Philadelphia (1–1) at New Orleans (2–0)Los Angeles Chargers (2–0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2–0)Baltimore Ravens (0–2) at Dallas Cowboys (1–1)San Francisco 49ers (1–1) at Los Angeles Rams (0–2)
The first two weeks of the NFL season delivered plenty of unexpected chaos. Many were quick to overreact to Week 1 games, leading to several upsets in Week 2. Consider yourself lucky if you’re still alive in your respective survivor pool.
Perhaps Week 3 is when the dust settles on surprising 2–0 teams, possibly displaying whether they’ll be playoff contenders this season.
The undefeated Minnesota Vikings proved doubters wrong in Week 2 after upsetting the San Francisco 49ers in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The Vikings’ stifling defense is now aiming to give the Houston Texans their first loss of the season. These two teams essentially swapped standout edge rushers, with Danielle Hunter leaving Minnesota for the Texans and Jonathan Greenard leaving Houston for the Vikings.
The New Orleans Saints have also surprised many, especially with how dominant they were in the rout of the Dallas Cowboys last week. Derek Carr has gained way-too-early MVP chatter for the chemistry he has displayed with downfield weapons Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. New Orleans’s offense could be a problem for the Philadelphia Eagles’ struggling defense Sunday. Perhaps the Eagles are more pretenders than contenders after beating the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 followed by blowing a late lead to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.
The NFL public will likely learn plenty about the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers in their meeting Sunday in Pittsburgh. These are just three of five matchups we have highlighted for our best games of the week. Below we break down the five games and share all the information you need to know, including Gilberto Manzano’s key matchups, Matt Verderame’s key stats, Michael Fabiano’s who to start and who to sit in fantasy, Jennifer Piacenti’s best bets and Conor Orr’s prediction for each game.
Start ’em/Sit ’em | MMQB Staff Picks | NFL Betting Picks
SundayHouston Texans (2–0) at Minnesota Vikings (2–0)
When/TV: 1 p.m. ET CBS
Spread: Texans -2 (over/under 46)
Matchup to watch: Vikings DE Jonathan Greenard vs. Texans LT Laremy Tunsil. These two know each other well from their four seasons together in Houston. Greenard is off to a fast start in Minnesota, recording a sack in last week’s win against the 49ers. It will be up to Tunsil and his offensive line to protect C.J. Stroud against a Vikings’ defense which has a league-leading 11 sacks. —
Key stat: Under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Minnesota ranks second in pressure rate at 38.7%. Conversely, Houston is allowing the seventh-worst pressure rate at 28.6%. —
Start ’em/sit ’em: Stroud is coming off a down week, scoring 14.3 points. I’d keep the faith in him, however, as he’ll face the Vikings in a game that has a high total of 46. Dating back to last season, Minnesota’s defense has allowed the fourth-most points to visiting quarterbacks. —
Best bet: Sam Darnold over 1.5 passing touchdowns (+140). We played this prop in plus money and it cashed last week, and we are playing it again. Houston has been able to limit the run game, but for plus money, I’ll bet they can’t keep a lid on Justin Jefferson. The Texans allowed two passing TDs to Anthony Richardson in Week 1, and Darnold owns the seventh-highest passer rating this season.
SI’s pick:I took the Vikings and also took note that our editor and supposed Vikings superfan John Pluym did not. I think Flores is on an epic heater right now and he’ll take the Bears game plan from last week thrown down by Matt Eberflus and build it into something that gives Stroud some headaches. Flores just toppled the Godfather of the Shanahan tree and is now coming for a pair of its underbosses running the Texans. —
