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Last week, we kicked off the regular season with our debut game selections here at Baltimore Beatdown. Nine writers participated in predicting the winners of all 16 games last weekend, and we’ll keep it rolling again for Week 2 and beyond.
Here’s a look at the standings after Week 1. Each member of our staff, and the readers who voted, were given a “win” for the Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions matchup, which ended in a tie. Standings will updated weekly and as usual, be sure to vote on the polls below.
1) Jake and Taylor (13-3)
2) Kyle, Vasilis, Frank, Dustin, BB Readers (12-4)
3) Eric (11-5)
4) Adrian (10-6)
5) Spencer (8-8)
Now, here’s a breakdown of where the team stands heading into Week 2.
Analysis of Baltimore Beatdown’s staff picks
Consensus Selections
Our staff was a bit more in-line on picks this week, as there were unanimous projected winners in six matchups, including tonight’s TNF action:
- Carolina Panthers > Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Baltimore Ravens > Arizona Cardinals
- Dallas Cowboys > Washington Redskins
- Houston Texans > Jacksonville Jaguars
- New England Patriots > Miami Dolphins
- Kansas City Chiefs > Oakland Raiders
After a record-breaking performance against the Dolphins, our participators are clearly confident in the Ravens’ putting together another strong performance in Week 2. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals air raid offensive attack should pose a more difficult challenge, though. Nobody believes this Miami squad is good enough to challenge the Patriots this year, and our writers got a first-hand look at just how bad the Dolphins may be this year.
Elsewhere, the BB team likes the Chiefs to handle their division rival at home, even without Tyreek Hill in the lineup. They also like the Texans to bounce back against a Jaguars team starting Gardner Minshew at quarterback, and the Cowboys to defeat Washington on the road.
“Lone Wolf”
There were surprisingly no lonesome selections this week. Talk about boring.
“Flip a coin”
The following matchup had the most even split in terms of predictions:
- Vikings (5) vs. Packers (4)
- Browns (6) vs. Jets (3)
- Titans (6) vs. Colts (3)
- Bills (6) vs. Giants (3)
Not as much parity as the selections in Week 1, but the big toss-up here is the NFC North showdown between the Packers and Vikings. Minnesota and Green Bay had two competitive battles last year; one ending in a tie, the other in a Vikings’ victory by one possession. Green Bay is coming off a dominant defensive showing against Chicago, while the Vikings pounded Atlanta with a strong rushing attack led by Dalvin Cook.
More than half of our team likes the Browns to bounce back on Monday Night Football, and envision the Titans and Bills improving to 2-0 on the season.
Baltimore Beatdown’s Week 2 Game Picks
| Games | Kyle B. | Vasilis | Frank | Dustin | Jake | Spencer | Adrian | Taylor | Eric | BB Readers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Kyle B. | Vasilis | Frank | Dustin | Jake | Spencer | Adrian | Taylor | Eric | BB Readers |
| Buccaneers @ Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | VOTE |
| Cardinals @ Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | VOTE |
| Cowboys @ Redskins | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | VOTE |
| Colts @ Titans | Titans | Titans | Colts | Titans | Titans | Titans | Colts | Colts | Titans | VOTE |
| Seahawks @ Steelers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Seahawks | Steelers | VOTE |
| Bills @ Giants | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Giants | Giants | Giants | VOTE |
| 49ers @ Bengals | Bengals | 49ers | Bengals | Bengals | Bengals | 49ers | Bengals | 49ers | Bengals | VOTE |
| Chargers @ Lions | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Lions | Chargers | Lions | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | VOTE |
| Vikings @ Packers | Packers | Packers | Vikings | Packers | Packers | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | VOTE |
| Jaguars @ Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | VOTE |
| Patriots @ Dolphins | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | VOTE |
| Chiefs @ Raiders | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | VOTE |
| Saints @ Rams | Saints | Saints | Rams | Saints | Rams | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | VOTE |
| Bears @ Broncos | Bears | Bears | Broncos | Bears | Broncos | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | VOTE |
| Eagles @ Falcons | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Falcons | Eagles | Eagles | Falcons | VOTE |
| Browns @ Jets | Jets | Browns | Browns | Browns | Jets | Jets | Browns | Browns | Browns | VOTE |
| Week 1 Record: | 12-4 | 12-4 | 12-4 | 12-4 | 13-3 | 8-8 | 10-6 | 13-3 | 11-5 | 12-4 |