NFL Week 2 Preview

Published: Tuesday, September 9, 2025

by Matthew Nazario

Potential Playoff Preview? Commanders at Packers (Thursday Night Football)

The new-look Green Bay Packers planted their flag in the race for the NFC crown last Sunday with a dominant 27-13 thrashing of the Detroit Lions, a game even more one-sided than the scoreboard suggests. 

At least for the time being, Jordan Love was able to silence his critics with a solid 188 yard, two touchdown game, while Micah Parsons and the Green Bay defense left Detroit frustrated all afternoon. 

As for Washington, they head into Thursday off of a dominant win of their own, completely shutting down the Giants in their 21-6 victory. Jayden Daniels does not seem to be slowing down his upward trajectory anytime soon, dazzling with a 233 passing yard performance paired with a touchdown and 68 rushing yards.

It will be a highly entertaining matchup between two teams hoping to not only return to the playoffs, but to progress further through them than they have previously. 

A VERY Early Battle for the AFC East: Bills at Jets 

In what was an early game of the year contender, Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a miraculous comeback over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Despite being down 40-25 late into the 4th quarter, the reigning MVP showed the NFL world exactly why he received said honor. Having won the AFC East five times in a row, Buffalo looks to keep its stronghold on the division.

Despite the loss, the Jets surpassed the expectations many had going into their matchup with the Steelers, particularly on the offensive side. 32 points is a total that is mostly unheard of for the modern day Jets, led by a spectacular performance by new QB Justin Fields and RB Breece Hall. 

Hall shined behind great offensive line play despite the injury to star lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker. The defense however left much to be desired which will be a major point of improvement going forward.

Especially seeing the disastrous Week 1 performances from their other division rivals, the Patriots and Dolphins, the Bills and Jets both have an opportunity to stake their claim at the top of the AFC East.

Star-Studded Super Bowl Rematch: Eagles at Chiefs

The Chiefs will finally get their chance to avenge their embarrassing Super Bowl defeat at the hands of the Eagles, as they will host Philadelphia at GEHA Field in Week 2. 

Kansas City is coming off a tough opening loss to the Chargers in which their slow start proved to be fatal as their comeback effort fell short in the 4th quarter. While we are accustomed to seeing Kansas City dominate the early goings of their season in recent years, there is a mild yet alarming sense of urgency looming. 

Their first loss to the Chargers since 2021, mixed with the injury to Xavier Worthy as well as Rashee Rice’s suspension, makes this Super Bowl rematch even more intense.

What made the Eagles Week 1 win all the more impressive was despite the theatrics, distractions, weather delay, and underwhelming performances from some of their offensive superstars, Philadelphia still found a way to win. Jalen Hurts was the star of the show, with two touchdowns on the ground that ultimately lifted the Eagles to victory.

The Eagles have the opportunity for a statement win on their quest to defend their Super Bowl crown, while the Chiefs look to prevent an early season slump. 

An Early and Impactful Monday Night Football Doubleheader: Buccaneers at Texans and Chargers at Raiders

Tampa Bay with Baker Mayfield at the helm has established themselves as one of the premier offensive units in the NFL, which was on full display in their Week 1 win against the Falcons. Mayfield’s three passing touchdowns, with two to rookie Emeka Egbuka, powered the Bucs to their win.

Houston finds themselves in quite the awkward spot to start 2025. Despite their defensive unit’s best attempts to keep the game close, the offense fell victim to the Rams’ elite pass rush leaving QB CJ Stroud under fire all game long in their 14-9 loss. 

They look to bounce back in hopes of finding their groove again as well as not letting their division rivals, the Colts and Jaguars, build upon their current leads in the AFC South.

The Chargers had themselves a statement Week 1 victory against the Chiefs, a team they had not defeated since 2021. Justin Herbert was stellar with 318 yards and three touchdowns, two of them going to Quentin Johnston who seems to finally have gotten over his early career struggles.

The Raiders long-running quarterback carousel seems to have finally reached its end, as Geno Smith had quite the debut for the Raiders. Maximizing his new receiving core, Smith went for 362 passing yards which was the most in a QB’s debut in Raiders history. 

The defense limited the Patriots to only 13 points, an offensive unit for New England which had lofty expectations heading into the contest.

Tampa Bay and Houston will be an intriguing matchup given the team’s opposite trends, while Las Vegas and Los Angeles look to establish themselves as primetime players within the AFC West.

Matthew Nazario can be reached at matthew.nazario@student.shu.edu.

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