The Ninety-Nine Yards team are back with a preview of the second week of the NFL Sunday slate of games which will be showing live at Belushi’s across London & the UK.
Our week 2 preview is brought to you by Owain Jones who has been an Atlanta Falcons fan since 2007. He previews the 3 games you can watch with us on Sky Sports this Sunday!
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Week 1 in the NFL displayed everything there is to love about this crazy sport: Excitement, emotion, loads of touchdowns and some shock results!
If week 2 is even half as good as week 1, then it will be another Box Office week in the NFL. Teams that start the regular season 0-2, statistically only have around a 10% chance of making the playoffs. There is a lot on the line for a lot of teams.
Here are your week 2 previews for the 3 Sunday Night Sky Sports games!
San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles - 6:00pm
Both teams enter week 2 with a win!
The 49ers scored 41 points on the Lions and despite some uncharacteristic mistakes in the 4th quarter, looked like Super Bowl contenders. Meanwhile, the Eagles beat an abject Falcons side who failed to score a touchdown.
The 49ers will be the favourites to win this game, but with impressive rookie performances from both DeVonta Smith and Kenneth Gainwell, the Eagles will fancy their chances to put up points.
There have been questions as to whether Jalen Hurts has what it takes to be the next Eagles franchise QB. He looked exactly that in week 1 and a win at home against the 49ers will only bolster his position.
If Hurts is going to lead the Eagles to a win they are going to have to score heavily, just as they did against Atlanta. San Francisco already had a light cornerback room, but now with an injury to Jason Verrett, they look vulnerable in the secondary.
For the 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo quietened the noise for rookie QB Trey Lance to start with an impressive performance against the Lions.
Garoppolo is now 23-8 as a 49er and with weapons like Deebo Samuel healthy and a productive rookie running back in Elijah Mitchell, they should go 2-0 on the road to start their season.
Dallas Cowboys @ LA Chargers - 9:25pm
The Cowboys lost in week 1, but you could be forgiven for thinking that they had won with all the excitement and furore surrounding their performance.
If the Cowboys are to carry the momentum and win this game, Dak Prescott can not be throwing the ball 58 times as he did in week 1. Dallas needs to find a way of getting star running back Ezekiel Elliott involved in the game. He only averaged 3 yards on 11 carries against the Bucs, but the Cowboys will need better offensive line play to avoid going 0-2.
With the Cowboys patchwork offensive line coming up against Joey Bosa and the Chargers defensive front, it could turn ugly, unless Dallas sees an improvement.
On the other side, the Chargers offensive line has been improved and it showed in week 1. Rookie tackle, Rashawn Slater, held his own against Chase Young and looked impressive. With the Cowboys pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence out indefinitely, after breaking his foot during training, it could be up to another rookie, Micah Parsons, to fill the void.
The Chargers have shown they are the real deal this season. Second season quarterback, Justin Herbert looked just as good as he did in his rookie season and they shone against a Washington defence, which could be the best in the NFL.
The Chargers have won their last 3 games against the Cowboys and will open as favourites to win on Sunday night.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens - 1:20am
In a disappointing overtime loss to the Raiders in week 1, the Ravens will be looking to bounce back against the much-fancied Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs themselves will be looking to improve after narrowly escaping week 1 with a win. The KC offence has been unstoppable since Patrick Mahomes took over at quarterback. With weapons like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, along with an improved offensive line, Baltimore will have to improve defensively to get a result.
One hope for the Ravens, however, is how the Browns bullied the Chiefs on the ground in their opener. The Ravens will need to get their running game going in week 2 if they are to taste success.
It won't be easy. The Ravens have suffered some unfortunate injuries, especially at running back over the offseason.
Baltimore have spent all off-season talking about how they are moving away from the run-heavy offence they have operated. A bit of big running play nostalgia and improved offensive line play won't go a miss for John Harbaugh and his Ravens.
The Ravens are yet to beat the Chiefs since Andy Reid took over as head coach. With both teams having 2 of the most dynamic offences in the NFL, this could be the premier matchup of week 2.
We’ll be showing all of the NFL action at Belushi’s, and we’d love to have you join us. At Belushi’s, we guarantee a good time, whether through its world-class sports screenings, live music, beer pong, and more. Find your nearest bar.
Don’t forget you can follow Owain @Owain_Jones_ and the @NinetyNineYards team on Twitter for the latest in NFL conversation, and of course, keep an eye out on the blog for fresh content from the team.
