Here are Derrick Gunn's five matchups to watch for Week 2 of the NFL season.
Vikings at Packers (Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX)
Key early-season showdown between these NFC North rivals. The Vikes used a ground-and-pound attack to roll over the Falcons with 38 rushes for 172 yards. Kirk Cousins only threw an unheard of 10 passing attempts. Meanwhile, looks like the money the Packers spent this past offseason in free agency and the draft to fix their porous defense paid off. They held the Bears to three points and 254 yards of total offense. The Packers' offense struggled in head coach Matt LaFleur's debut. You never know what could happen when these two are on the same field. They actually tied in their first meeting in 2018. There will be no tie this time around. The Packers' offense shows enough improvement to slip by the Vikings.
Seahawks at Steelers (Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX)
The bad part of trying to figure teams out early in a new season is you don't know if a team is as good or bad as their initial outing showed. The Steelers were the last team to beat New England in 2018 - Week 15 to be exact - but they were no match for the defending Super Bowl champs last Sunday and got embarrassed. The Seahawks, hoping their defense can recapture some of that past dominance, got to Cincy QB Andy Dalton five times. The Steelers' run game (just 32 yards vs Cincinnati) is a vital part of their offense. Mike Tomlin's crew will be focused this week. Two physical teams. Only one can be victorious. I like the 'Burgh at home.
Cowboys at Redskins (Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX)
Philadelphia Eagles
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Jerry Jones handed out big money to his big-time players this offseason. While Dak Prescott is waiting to get paid, he's just going about his business. He really gave the Giants' defense the business last Sunday, throwing for 405 yards and 4 TDs. The Redskins' offense, with a new QB in Case Keenum and new WRs, is still trying to find its identity. It started fast and finished slow against the Eagles. Now their young RB Derrius Guice, who missed all of last year with an ACL injury, is out 6-8 weeks after having surgery this week to repair a torn meniscus. Dallas has won five of their last six meetings with the 'Skins. They'll improve that to six out of the last seven this Sunday.
Cardinals at Ravens (Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX)
Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson square off for the first time in their young careers. Murray in his NFL debut wasn't bad throwing for 308 yards and 2 TDs helping the Cards come back to tie Detroit. The negative is he threw 54 passes, which you don't want him doing against this Ravens defense. Baltimore's offense put on a show against a young Dolphins defense racking up 643 yards, which included 265 yards rushing and five Jackson TD strikes. Murray will need his track shoes in this one, but the Cards won't be able to outrun a beatdown in Baltimore.
Saints at Rams (Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX)
Just six days after surviving a thriller against Houston, the Saints now have to travel west. Drew Brees and Jared Goff are the headliners, but Alvin Kamara and Todd Gurley are headline grabbers in their own right. Both teams, while known for passing, also take pride in their run games. The Saints rushed for 148 yards and the Rams 166 yards in season-opening wins. Last year in New Orleans these two met and put up a combined 80 points in a Saints 10-point decision. The Rams want some payback and should get it in another close, high-scoring affair.
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