We’re just one week into the 2014 NFL season, and yet week two could spell the end for a select few teams. Statistically speaking, of course. The Ravens faced an ugly fate last night, and had they lost, they would have started the year 0-2 inside their own division. Had that happened, they would mathematically had roughly a 12% chance in making the playoffs.

Starting 0-2, just in general, is never good. There are a few teams that might be able to withstand a slow start. Whether it be a weak division, a soft schedule or just that they’re so awesome we could never count them out just yet. The Patriots, Packers and Saints are three that come to mind. They all started 0-1, but even if they lose this week, no one will be calling for their head coach’s head or suggesting they’ll be picking #1 overall in next year’s draft.

But there are some teams that, should they drop to 0-2, have enough problems that a sluggish start could easily turn into a season soon to be forgotten. Let’s see who and why as we make the call for who will win the games those teams are in:

Indianapolis Colts

No one could fault the Colts for losing in Denver in week one, but dropping their week two battle to the Eagles? Well, that could be disastrous. It could be especially bad if the Texans and Titans (both 1-0) stay undefeated. Suddenly Indy would be the third or fourth best team in what was supposed to be a cakewalk division. Andrew Luck and co. would be best served to hold the fort down at home and get to 1-1.

Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City went from awful to awesome last year and if they’re not careful, they could be headed write back to awful in 2014. The Chiefs barely showed up in an embarrassing 26-10 loss to the Titans at home last week, and now they get Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. On the road. It’s a brutal matchup for a team that just doesn’t look nearly as good as they did in 2013. They could be in some serious trouble.

Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo missed most of the summer while recovering from back surgery, and in week one it showed. Losing to a good 49ers team isn’t all that bad, but Dallas got dominated in their own stadium. If Romo and co. can’t get back on track this week against a surprisingly solid Titans team, their 2014 season could very easily be in danger.

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler threw two costly picks and Chicago blew their home opener in a 23-20 loss to the Bills last week. Obviously that shocked everyone, and now Chicago is suddenly tasked with trying to upset the 49ers. That’s just not very likely to happen.

Thursday Night Football set off for the second week in a row, as the Baltimore Ravens took on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore was in dire need of a win heading into this one, as they were already 0-1 and a loss to the Steelers would give them a quick 0-2 record inside the AFC North division. Considering only 12% of teams that start a season that way go on to make the playoffs, the Ravens knew what could be at stake.

Luckily they responded quite well, and despite the firestorm regarding Ray Rice and the NFL’s own litigation, Baltimore blew out the Steelers in a convincing 26-6 win. But we learned more than just a score and that Baltimore has some resolve. Let’s break down the key things we learned from last night’s NFL action:

This Steelers Defense Isn’t Elite

Pittsburgh has long been looked at as one of the league’s best defenses, but they’ve gotten older in some areas and are now too young or inexperienced in others. Fans gave them a break after allowing Cleveland to score 24 points on them last week in just one half, but that was only because they stole the win with a late field goal. Pittsburgh got completely out-played in this one, and now have given up 26+ points in back to back weeks to start the year. They could regroup and get better as the season goes on, but right now this defense has to be a bit of  a question mark.

Le’Veon Bell is the Real Deal

While Pittsburgh has some things to figure out on the defensive end, they seem good to go on offense. They did only manage six points in a pretty big game, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. In fact, they moved the ball quite well and for the second year in a row star running back piled up over 100 total yards. He slimmed down compared to last year and looks fairly spry. He’s going to be a feather in their cap the rest of the year, undoubtedly.

Baltimore Doesn’t Need Ray Rice

Rice was released earlier in the week, and while few want to keep a spouse abuser around, there was some legit concern that the Ravens let their best running back go. We’ve seen in two straight weeks that Baltimore can probably get by without him, though. Justin Forsett showed up in week one and both he and Bernard Pierce showed up again in week two. Pierce is probably going to be the main man going forward, as he bounced back from a fumble in week one to notch over 100 total yards against the Steelers.

The Cleveland Browns signed former Houston Texans running back Ben Tate earlier this off-season, hoping his long history of injuries wouldn’t be an issue once he played for them. They might be regretting that decision.

Just one week into the season, the oft-injured Tate is already banged up with a knee injury and will sit out the second week of the year. Tate was injured early in Cleveland’s week one battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and could not return. While there isn’t much specific information being revealed about the extent of Tate’s knee injury, Tate himself has said that the injury is “not that serious”. Head coach Mike Pettine already ruled him out for week two, though, and suggested it could be a multi-week injury. Others have already speculated that Tate could miss an additional 3-4 weeks, if not longer.

Tate looked solid during his short time on the field in week one, as he put up 41 yards on just six carries against a solid Steelers front line.

The Browns may also simply be exercising caution with Tate, as he remains their best, most complete running back. Making sure he can get back to 100% is key, and Cleveland could just be playing it safe for now. The fact that backups Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell both performed admirably in their week one comeback loss could have played into the decision to let Tate rest.

Odds are, however, that it’s merely a combination of both notions. Tate has a legit (though nondescript) knee issue, but he also has two competent and talented guys behind him that the Browns don’t mind rolling with for as long as they have to. Just how long they have to do that remains to be seen, but for now it looks like West will start and Crowell will rotate in to help Cleveland’s rushing attack remain a big piece of the offensive game plan.

The Baltimore Ravens released veteran running back Ray Rice yesterday, following the release of a video showing him hit his now wife back in February. It was a disturbing video, but it’s worth noting that Rice was already handed a suspension and was going through the domestic abuse protocol. Despite that, the Ravens cut him loose and the NFL expanded his former two-game ban to an “indefinite” suspension.

The league and Ravens both claim they had never seen the footage of Rice’s actions and came away disgusted. Regardless of your stance, it’s obvious to anyone that Rice is still in the prime of his career and with so many NFL players getting off on various offenses, it’s not crazy to think Rice could be back on the field in less than a year. While it might be unlikely (and probably shouldn’t happen) it’s at least interesting to think who (is stupid enough) could take a chance on the guy.

Let’s take a look at four places Rice could potentially continue his career in:

New England Patriots

Not that Bill Belichick and co. are stupid, but they have a history of taking on reclamation projects. They’ve had success in the past, while they also have a bit of a need at running back. Rookie James White hasn’t impressed, Stevan Ridley fumbles too much and Shane Vereen has a shaky injury history. Bad PR or not, adding Rice could give the RB spot some real stability.

Oakland Raiders

You can never rule out the Raiders. This is a team that trade for Matt Flynn, after all. They already have two seemingly washed up running backs, but the third is the charm, right?

Dallas Cowboys

You never can predict what Jerry Jones will do next. Dallas doesn’t have a real need for a running back or the PR headache, but it’s Jones’ team/world and we’re just along for the ride.

Indianapolis Colts

Trent Richardson is abysmal enough to force Indy to consider bringing on a woman beat. It’s true. Ahmad Bradshaw is solid, but he had a neck issue a year ago and has had foot problems for years. Completely depending on him to pick up the slack might be a bit foolish. Rice could quietly sit as the third stringer until the music dies down.

Ultimately, Ray Rice has probably played his last down. That’s how it should be, anyways, but with so many players doing awful acts and still getting a second chance (Michael Vick, anyone?), it wouldn’t be all that shocking to see someone kick his tires once (if) he’s reinstated by the league.

Week one of the 2014 NFL season continues on with the only installment of two games on Monday Night Football for the year. NFL seasons have been kicking off with two prime time games on Monday night’s for a few years now, and that trend continues as the New York Giants, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals are all set to grace your television screen.

The week of exciting NFL action is almost over, but two more games might make it feel like it will never end. That’s sort of the plan (and really the hope). With more NFL action coming our way, let’s take a second to break down both matchups and note the top keys to each game:

New York Giants @ Detroit Lions

Eli Manning and the G-Men’s pitiful offense will try to avoid a second year of 0-6 awfulness to get things going, but to keep the first part of the hole going to 0-1, they’ll need to beat a decent Lions team on the road. Detroit has a good pass rush, but otherwise isn’t all that scary on defense. That leaves the door open for Manning to bounce back and put his new system and solid supporting cast to good use.

On the flip-side, the Lions are stacked on offense and despite the Giants being better on defense (on paper, at least), they shouldn’t have much trouble hanging some points on Big Blue on their own turf. The only question will be whether the Giants crumble in a blowout or make this an interesting shootout.

Key to the game: Rashad Jennings beasting out. The G-Men badly need an effective rushing attack in this one (and likely all future games) or Eli will crack under the pressure and force the issue. Doing so will at a minimum keep Detroit honest and help set up a hopefully improved passing attack. If that happens, we just might have a classic shootout on our hands.

San Diego Chargers @ Arizona Cardinals

Arizona has a banged up defense across the board, as safety Tyrann Mathieu (knee) might not play and Darnell Dockett (injury) and Daryl Washington (suspension) are both out for the year. With just one effective pass rusher on the outside of their 3-4, the Cardinals could plummet in the defensive ranks. That’s good news for the Chargers, who are a pretty talented and balanced offense.

On the other side, San Diego had one of the worst pass defenses a year ago, but drafted Jason Verrett and added veteran corner Brandon Flowers. On paper, they could take a pretty big leap in that department.

Key to the game: Mathieu’s availability. Mathieu is necessary for preventing big plays over the top, as well as helping against the run. Without all three of those stud defenders, Arizona won’t be able to shut down Ryan Mathews and San Diego’s rushing attack. If that happens, that’s an ugly can of worms that opens up for the Bolts to go nuts offensively. If Mathieu plays, he could help keep the Chargers in check to a certain degree.

Thursday Night Football was a disaster for fantasy football gamers if they didn’t use Marshawn Lynch, Percy Harvin, Russell Wilson or Randall Cobb. In fact, Harvin didn’t score and despite two scores, Wilson wasn’t all that amazing, either. Cobb would have been spare without the touchdown, while Lynch was the only truly dominant fantasy player on a night where dominance was the key word in a Seattle victory.

But this was just the first game of what should still be a glorious week of NFL and fantasy football action. With two more full days between us and another slew of meaningful NFL games, let’s scour the fantasy realm for some sneaky fantasy sleepers that could put up some solid numbers in week one:

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Romo isn’t normally a sleeper in any sense of the word, but people take one look at his matchup (49ers) and sit him immediately. However, it’s better than it looks, as Romo has tons of weapons, is at home and this normally stout Niners group is missing both Navorro Bowman and Aldon Smith. Romo should air it out and get solid numbers.

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Oakland Raiders

MJD actually faces a tough Jets run defense, but their secondary is so banged up I think there’s a good chance things even out. He also has a rookie QB throwing passes, so he should get 4-5 dump off passes, at a minimum. Seen as an over the hill back on a terrible team, MJD could surprise a bit in week one.

Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans Saints

Kenny Stills is banged up and may not play, potentially putting the rookie receiver in a big role in his pro debut. Atlanta is far from a scary matchup, too, so the versatile Cooks could be active in his first game ever.

Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee Titans

Hunter isn’t an official starter, but KC’s secondary is a bit shaky and he can crush it in the red-zone or take it the distance on a slant. As long as he gets a few chances, he’ll make an impact.

Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

Same here for Kelce, and in the same game. The Chiefs are playing without Dwayne Bowe and their normal starting tight end isn’t very good. Kelce killed it in the preseason and absolutely needs to be on the field at least half the time in week one. Tennessee’s defense isn’t great, either, giving Kelce a chance to put up numbers in week one.

Detroit Lions Team Defense

We won’t give you a kicker (ha!), but how about a solid defense worth using? The Lions already can sniff out the run and put pressure on the quarterback, but the icing on the cake is facing Eli Manning the a pathetic Giants offense. Things could get ugly in a good way for this Lions defense.

The Green Bay Packers probably needed to be perfect to come into Seattle in week one and upend the Seahawks. Being the defending champs with their home opener on Thursday Night Football in front of the nation, Seattle would have had to drop quite the egg to let the Packers come in and push them around. It just wasn’t going to happen.

On a night where the Seahawks dropped down their Super Bowl banner, they made sure Aaron Rodgers and co. weren’t going to put them in a corner. They allowed it to remain interesting for the first half, only holding a 17-10 lead mid-way through the third quarter, but dominated the rest of the way to send the Packers to 0-1 to start the year. There’s more to this one than the final score (36-16) or who won or lost. Let’s break down the four main things we can take away from last night:

The Packers Were Just Too Predictable

Green Bay came out and initially looked like they were going to try jamming the ball down Seattle’s throat with the powerful running of Eddie Lacy. It worked at first, but the Packers were far too conservative and failed to stretch Seattle’s defense at all. They even refrained from testing Richard Sherman’s side of the field even once (zero targets on him), which literally took away half of the field for the entire night. That turned out to be a horrible strategy, as it made the offense predictable and ultimately weak.

The Packers should have passed more to set up the run and kept Seattle guessing with some plays in Sherman’s direction. Instead, they came out way too conservative and way too predictable. For a Seahawks defense that can shut you down even when you come in with a killer game plan, that seemed to be about the worst approach you could have.

Green Bay’s O-Line is in a Bad Way

Bryan Bulaga went down with a knee injury (hopefully it’s minor) and both tackles were very subpar for the Pack. Derek Sherrod, who stepped up in place of Bulaga, was downright pitiful. The o-line didn’t move the piles after the first quarter in the ground game and the pass protection was spotty all night long. Shaky protection lead to three sacks and a safety. One sack killed a drive on a seemingly ill timed fourth down play, while another led to a fumble that ended as a safety. That’s at minimum a five-point swing potentially. In a game where the Green Bay offense truly only generate nine points on their own good will, they needed every point they could get.

Missed Opportunities and Mistakes

As bad as the o-line and game plan were last night, the mental errors were just as bad for the Packers. Brad Jones allowed a sure interception to be knocked out of his grasp early in the game, Green Bay missed tackle after tackle and at least two times the defense committed a back-breaking penalty that extended a drive. The first time was on a punt when a player ran into the punter and granted Seattle a first time, while another came with the game still in doubt with eight minutes left. Mental errors were a sign of a team ill prepared to take on the defending champs.

Marshawn Lynch is a Bad, Bad Man

In the end, the Seahawks simply weren’t going to lose this game. Even if the Packers came out firing on all cylinders on offense, Lynch was destined to set the pace of this game. He shed arm tackles galore and looked as quick and powerful as ever en route to 100+ rushing yards and two touchdowns. He was without a doubt the game’s MVP and has the Seahawks looking even better than they did a year ago. That’s scary for the rest of the league.

The 2014 NFL season arrives on Thursday night, which means it’s time to get our picks in for the first week of the regular season. Odds and lines aside, we’ve got the call on the overall winner in each matchup.

Read on as we pick each winner along with some brief analysis:

Packers @ Seahawks

The upsets start here. Seattle is the champ, but Aaron Rodgers and co. have as good a chance as anyone to go in and get the job done against the 12th Man and Legion of Boom.

Pick: Packers 23, Seahawks 16

Saints @ Falcons

The Saints and Falcons are almost always good for an explosive showdown, and usually in the opener. This is a real toss up, but ATL is tough to beat at home.

Pick: Falcons 27, Saints 24

Vikings @ Rams

The Rams might have had the edge at home with Sam Bradford, but he’s done for the year. Expect a lot of Adrian Peterson and Cordarrelle Patterson on the turf.

Pick: Vikings 27, Rams 14

Browns @ Steelers

Brian Hoyer is entering Pittsburgh without Josh Gordon. The Steelers won’t have to be on top of their A game to win this one.

Pick: Steelers 26, Browns 13

Jaguars @ Eagles

Jacksonville might be a team on the rise, but that probably waits for when Blake Bortles takes the field. That won’t be in week one, so Eagles should triumph.

Pick: Eagles 30, Jaguars 17

Raiders @ Jets

Derek Carr gets his first ever start against a nasty front line in New York. Rex Ryan could have a field day against the rookie.

Pick: Jets 23, Raiders 9

Bengals @ Ravens

Andy Dalton doesn’t normally play great inside the AFC North and he’s on the road against a hungry Ravens squad. It could get ugly in week one.

Pick: Ravens 20, Bengals 10

Bills @ Bears

E.J. Manuel is dreadful and the Bills’ only strength – their defense – enters this one without Kiko Alonso. Expect a big day for the Bears on offense.

Pick: Bears 34, Bills 16

Redskins @ Texans

Robert Griffin III is just slightly less horrible than Ryan Fitzpatrick right now, for whatever it’s worth.

Pick: Redskins 16, Texans 13

Titans @ Chiefs

Can Jake Locker make it happen against a nasty Chiefs pass rush? Better yet, can a shaky Titans defense hold Jamaal Charles in check? No and no.

Pick: Chiefs 27, Titans 10

Patriots @ Dolphins

Miami could be better and split last year’s series with the Pats, but if Rob Gronkowski is healthy New England is a whole different machine than they were a year ago.

Pick: Patriots 31, Dolphins 20

Panthers @ Buccaneers

Carolina has taken some hits on offense, but their D is still too nasty to fall to a Buccaneers team full of new faces.

Pick: Panthers 24, Buccaneers 13

49ers @ Cowboys

San Francisco isn’t going to be elite on defense to start the year, but the difference here is how much worse the ‘Boys will be with their own defense.

Pick: 49ers 23, Cowboys 17

Colts @ Broncos

The rematch between Peyton Manning and his former team is so on, it’s not even funny. It’s hard to see Manning going 0-2 against the team that left him for dead, though. A shootout can be expected, however.

Pick: Broncos 37, Colts 34

Giants @ Lions

Eli Manning has been awful and the Giants fresh-faced secondary has yet to be tested. They’ll get a heavy dose of Calvin Johnson on the road to get 2014 going.

Pick: Lions 31, Giants 24

Chargers @ Cardinals

The best part of Arizona has been their aggressive defense and they’ll start 2014 without at least two key impact defenders. San Diego does a great job at setting the tempo and playing to their opponent’s weaknesses. They get the win on the road.

Pick: Chargers 27, Cardinals 20

The Houston Texans probably aren’t going very far in the future without a top level quarterback. While they still don’t have one, they also know they probably won’t go very far if they ever let stud defensive lineman J.J. Watt go. That’s why they extended him on Monday night.

Per reports, Watt and the Texans have agreed to a massive six-year, $100 million extension, making the 25-year old the highest paid defender in league history. Watt’s new deal bests former Texans defensive end Mario Williams, who secured a six-year, $96 million deal when he signed with the Buffalo Bills two years ago.

Easily one of the game’s elite performers on the defensive side of the football, Watt is absolutely deserving of the massive pay raise and extension, as he was arguably grossly over paid at just over $4 million per year on the final two years of his rookie deal. Now handsomely rewarded for his services, Watt can focus solely on being even better than he has been and getting the Texans (who were 2-14 a year ago) back into the playoff hunt.

That isn’t impossible in a weak AFC South division, where the Indianapolis Colts appear to be the only real competitor for the crown. Watt will probably need to get back closer to his 2012 form, however, when he nearly broke the single season record for quarterback sacks. Watt was still a consistent threat in 2013 despite a dip from the gaudy 21.5 sacks, as he topped 10 sacks for the second year in a row.

While quite an impressive pass rusher from the 3-4 defensive end spot, Watt has also made a positive impact against the pass as a disruptor, thanks to 27 deflected passes in his first three seasons. Watt has also developed into a very good run defender and has amassed a fairly remarkable 80+ tackles in back to back seasons.

With Brian Cushing back in the middle of the defense and rookie stud Jadeveon Clowney added to the mix with the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Houston could be back on the rise. Keeping Watt around for the next six years only ensures it.

The 2014 NFL preseason is finally over. All 32 teams took the field on Thursday night, giving fans a nice capper to a surprisingly entertaining month of otherwise meaningless football.

There were some things to take away from last night’s action, too, despite a lot of starters resting. Let’s narrow it down to the top six as we try to calm our excitement down for week one – which is now less than a full week away:

Derek Carr is Ready to Start

Matt Schaub has been terrible this preseason and a convenient elbow issue had him sitting out last night’s contest. Carr started instead, and proceeded to fire in three passing touchdowns, while helping the Raiders to another drive that led to a score. He’ll have his ups and downs as a rookie, but he looks ready to start over the incompetent Schaub.

So is Blake Bortles

Ditto for Bortles, who started Thursday night and quickly fired a 57-yard touchdown pass. He didn’t play much, but he didn’t have to. We already know he’s a vastly superior talent compared to Chad Henne. He probably won’t start right away, but he should.

Johnny Was Being Johnny

Johnny Manziel had one more chance to show his stuff on Thursday night before he reverted to Johnny Clipboard on the bench behind Brian Hoyer. He only completed six of 17 passes, but he was fairly electrifying and even had three of his passes dropped. Part of his issues have to do with being a rookie and simply needing to learn reads and progressions, while he looked a little excited at times, as well. He put 55 yards on the ground with his legs and tossed a touchdown, while leading the Browns to 13 points. Overall, it was a successful outing and possibly a sign of good things to come.

The Giants Might Be Terrible

Eli Manning took the field again and was dreadful, completing just one of four passes for zero yards. Manning and the G-Men have been horrific on offense this preseason, and while some of it has to do with a vanilla scheme in games that don’t matter, everything we’ve seen suggests nothing has changed for the better.

Aaron Dobson is Ready to Rock

Dobson made his preseason debut last night and promptly pulled in a nice touchdown grab. Dobson added another reception and looked pretty sharp in limited action. With his bothersome foot issue behind him, he could quickly get his starting job back and develop into a problem for opposing defenses thanks to a nice size/speed combo.

Michael Sam Deserves a Roster Spot

Sam didn’t get a sack for the third straight game (he had two last week), but he looked hungry and balanced on Thursday night, en route to five solo tackles and one assisted tackle. Sam isn’t the biggest or fastest guy, but his work ethic is impressive and he’s shown an ability to be able to both put pressure on the quarterback and help against the run. He might not make the Rams due to their deep defensive line, but he should be playing in the league somewhere. He’s proven he belongs.