Week 2 NFL Preview: Can Buccaneers, Jaguars Stay Undefeated?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins enter Week 2 under varying circumstances. For the Bucs, Week 1 featured an electric last-second victory. For the Jags, it left questions surrounding wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter. And for the Dolphins, well, they are trying to forget it ever happened.
Riley and Dalton make their picks for Florida teams’ games in Week 2 of the NFL season. Riley is currently in the lead with a record of 2-1, while Dalton is close behind at 1-2.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans (Monday, 7 p.m., ESPN)
The Buccaneers (1-0) are coming off of a nail-biting win over the Atlanta Falcons. Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka put the game away on a 25-yard touchdown reception with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons had a chance to send the contest to overtime, but kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard field goal wide right as time expired. The Bucs closed out the game 24-21 in Atlanta.
Now, Tampa Bay has a new challenge: taking on the Texans in their home opener.
Quarterback and 2023 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud put up a mediocre performance versus the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. The Texans fell to the NFC West squad 14-9 in a field-goal-only performance by Houston. Stroud finished the game with 188 yards and an interception. The team converted on two third downs and committed 11 penalties.
For the Bucs, Mayfield threw for 167 yards and three touchdowns. Egbuka was the star with four receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns in his debut.
Egbuka’s showing answered a prominent question: How will he fit in a Bucs wide receiver room led by Mike Evans? With receiver Chris Godwin out with a dislocated ankle for the foreseeable future, Egbuka could make a name for himself in Tampa Bay.
Riley: Buccaneers 31, Texans 21
Dalton: Buccaneers 28, Texans 24
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS)
The Jaguars enter Sunday coming off of a Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Jacksonville (1-0) faced quarterback Bryce Young, who finished last season 2-1 and averaged over 200 passing yards in that span. The Jaguars defense contained the third-year man, forcing two turnovers and allowing 154 passing yards.
The level of competition takes a step forward this week. The Jacksonville defense’s next test will be containing quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
While Cincinnati picked up the win over the Cleveland Browns, it wasn’t pretty. Burrow, a former Heisman Trophy winner and the 2024 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year, struggled. He completed just 14 passes for 113 yards. Chase finished the game with two receptions, his lowest total dating back to Week 10 of the 2023 season.
Following last week’s disappointing showing, Chase and the Bengals are in need of a bounce-back performance. To do so, they must get past Jacksonville and its defense. The group forced Young into throwing two interceptions; one to linebacker Foyesade Oluokun and the other to cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
While the Jaguars’ secondary showed out, it was the front seven that stalled the Panthers’ run game. Running back Chuba Hubbard had a quiet game, finishing with only 57 yards.
Possibly the most notable storyline was Jacksonville’s first-round pick, Hunter, finishing the game with limited snaps. He only saw the field on defense for six plays, but 42 on offense. This week, Hunter could find himself on defense much more.
If Jacksonville wants to get to 2-0, it will have to put up similar defensive numbers to last week.
Riley: Bengals 24, Jaguars 21
Dalton: Bengals 30, Jaguars 17
Miami Dolphins vs New England Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS)
The Dolphins’ season opener was nothing short of a disaster. The team allowed the Indianapolis Colts to put up 33 points against its injury-ridden defense. While already without cornerback Kader Kohou and right tackle Austin Jackson, cornerback Storm Duck and right guard James Daniels both left the contest with injuries.
The Dolphins only put their first points on the board in the final six minutes. Thanks to running back Devon Achane, the team escaped Indianapolis with eight points.
The Colts sacked quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three times, and he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Partially due to the turnovers, the Dolphins’ offense could not generate any movement. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill led the team with 40 receiving yards on just four catches.
The Dolphins (0-1) must make a number of changes if they want to see a different result against the Patriots. New England is coming off of a 20-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite an unwanted result, there were some bright spots for the Dolphins’ AFC East foe.
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte racked up 103 receiving yards on six receptions. On the other side of the ball, safety Jaylinn Hawkins commanded the defense with a sack and an interception, both his first in a Patriots uniform.
Miami is the only team in Florida favored in its matchup this week. ESPN Bet placed the line at -2.5.
Riley: Dolphins 17, Patriots 14
Dalton: Patriots 21, Dolphins 20
Category: Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
