NFL Week 2 score predictions, plus Commanders at Packers picks and 5 upsets that could happen

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

One of the biggest games of Week 2 (Commanders at Packers) is going down tonight, and because I want you to be able to watch it, it's time for my annual reminder that Thursday night games are on Amazon, which means the only way you'll be able to watch the game is if you have an Amazon Prime subscription. An annual subscription costs $139 per year. I have no idea if it's worth it, but my wife tells me it is and I guess I'll take her word for it since there are usually 12 different boxes from Amazon laying around our house at any given time. 

If you don't feel like shelling out $139 for an annual subscription, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial here, which will allow you to watch the game. Amazon did not pay me to get you to sign up, which is my fault, because I definitely should have asked for a cut. 

As always, here's your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. 

1. Thursday night preview: Picks and best bets for Commanders at Packers

The second week of the NFL season is starting off with a showdown in Green Bay where the Packers will be hosting the Commanders in a possible NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW. Is it too early to say that? Probably, but I'm going to say it anyway. 

Jared Dubin put a preview together for this game, and here's how he sees the game playing out:

• Why the Commanders can win: With Jayden Daniels running the show, the Commanders have become one of the best running teams in the NFL. They finished the 2024 season with the third-most rushing yards in the league and opened up 2025 by totaling 220 yards on the ground in Week 1. Including playoff games, the Commanders are 9-0 when they rush for at least 150 yards in Daniels' career, so if they hit that total tonight, they'll almost certainly walk away with the win. Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt had a strong debut for the Commanders last week with 82 yards on just 10 carries, so he'll definitely be someone to watch. 
• Why the Packers can win: The Packers need to do their best to keep this game from turning into a shootout. Including the playoffs, the Commanders are 8-0 in Daniels' career when they score at least 30 points. The Packers showed in Week 1 that they could end up being a defensive force this year. They held the Lions to just 50 rushing yards, and if they can keep the Commanders in check on the ground, this will turn into a very winnable game for Green Bay. The addition of Micah Parsons was obviously big, but it's even bigger when the Packers are playing a team like Washington. Parsons' athleticism comes in handy when you're facing a team as fast as the Commanders. The Packers will likely do their best to keep Daniels in the pocket and make him win the game with his arm. 

You can get a full preview of the game from Dubin by clicking here.

If you're thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props (odds via BetMGM):

• ONE RUSHING PROP I LIKE: Deebo Samuel OVER 58.5 rushing and receiving yards (-115): In his debut with the Commanders last week, Samuel touched the ball eight times for 96 yards. He also got 10 targets from Jayden Daniels, which was the most on the team by far (no other player got more than five). Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is clearly doing his best to get Samuel involved, and it also helps that the former 49ers receiver already seems to have solid chemistry with Daniels. I would probably have taken this number if it was just receiving yards, but the fact I get rushing AND receiving yards gives me some serious confidence it will hit. 
• ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE: Brandon McManus OVER 6.5 points (-140): McManus has been the Packers' kicker for 11 regular-season games so far, and he's gone over 6.5 points in eight of those games. That includes a Week 1 performance where he scored nine points against the Lions. Matt LaFleur is a coach who doesn't hesitate to take the points when he's in field goal range, which is why we'll likely see McManus comfortably go over this number.

And now, it's time for some picks. 

PICKS FOR 'TNF'

Dubin's pick: Packers 26-20 over Commanders
My pick: Packers 30-27 over Commanders
Pete Prisco's pick: Packers 27-20 over Commanders
Tyler Sullivan's pick: Commanders 24-23 over Packers
Jordan Dajani's pick: Packers 30-24 over Commanders

We've got some more picks for tonight over on our CBSSports.com predictions page, and you can check that out here. 

2. NFL Week 2 upset alert: 5 favorites that could go down

One of the best things about the NFL is that it's totally unpredictable. Every week, we see multiple underdogs go out and pull off upsets. The problem is that we never know when those upsets are going to happen. Well, that might not be a problem any more, because Tyler Sullivan decided to try and identify five games most likely to give us an upset this week. 

Here are three games that made the list: 

• Commanders (+3.5) over Packers. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders offense should give the Packers' pass rush much harder of a time than the Lions, who were working in a new offensive play-caller. There's more continuity with Washington's coaching staff coming into Year 2 of Daniels, and the second-year signal-caller continues to be one of the more dynamic dual-threats in the NFL.
• Jaguars (+3.5) over Bengals. The Bengals won in Week 1! All is fixed ... right? Wrong. Sorry, but Cincinnati barely escaping Cleveland with a one-point win doesn't exactly instill a ton of confidence that its early-season struggles are actually a thing of the past. 
• Seahawks (+2.5) over Steelers. I remain high on the Seahawks and thought the defense largely played well against the Niners in Week 1. Sam Darnold didn't have a prolific debut -- and mostly zeroed in on Jaxon Smith-Njigba -- but should face much easier sledding against this Pittsburgh defense that was alarmingly soft against New York, surrendering 6.4 yards per play.

If you want to see Sullivan's full list of upsets, we've got them here. 

3. NFL Week 2 picks: Colts, Chiefs and Patriots all pull off upsets

The opening week of the season can be tough to predict, but it wasn't for Pete Prisco, who went 13-3 with his picks in Week 1. I might have to copy his picks this week. Just kidding, I've already seen all of his picks for this week and none of them are good. 

In the past, we handed out our weekly writer picks on Friday, but with no Friday newsletter this year, we're handing them out today. We have four NFL writers -- Pete Prisco, Jordan Dajani, Tyler Sullivan and myself -- handing out picks every week, and we're going to cover those below. 

If you're new here, here's how things work: I'll give you one Week 2 pick from each writer and then direct you to the rest of their picks for the week. That way, if you like their pick, you'll be able to click over and check out all of their Week 2 picks, but if you hate their pick, you can ignore the rest of their picks and move on with your life. 

• Pete Prisco -- Chiefs (+1) 30-28 over Eagles. From Prisco: "This rematch of the last February's Super Bowl will be a fun one to watch. The Chiefs are coming off a tough loss to the Chargers in Brazil, while the Eagles edged the Cowboys in their season opener. Philadelphia's pass rush won the Super Bowl for the Eagles, but the Chiefs are better up front. That will matter as Patrick Mahomes wins it with a late comeback." For the rest of Prisco's Week 2 picks, be sure to click here.
• Tyler Sullivan -- Patriots (+1.5) 24-20 over Dolphins. From Sullivan: "This has more to do with the Dolphins than anything else. The Patriots didn't impress in their season opener, particularly with their second-half dud against Las Vegas. However, this Miami defense presents Drake Maye and Co. with the perfect get-right spot, which I think they take advantage of." For the rest of Sullivan's Week 2 picks, be sure to click here.
• Jordan Dajani -- Steelers (-2.5) 26-16 over Seahawks. From Dajani: "This is the DK Metcalf revenge game, but I don't even really care about that. I thought the Seahawks' loss to the San Francisco 49ers was very disappointing. It occurred in front of their home fans while the 49ers offense lost both George Kittle and Jauan Jennings during the game due to injuries. Jake Moody lost his job by missing two field goals, and the 49ers still won. Darnold has accounted for just one touchdown over his last three starts, including playoffs, and threw for just 150 yards in his Seahawks debut. Yuck." Dajani's full slate of picks will be released Friday, and you'll be able to find them here.
• John Breech -- Colts (+1.5) 19-16 over Broncos. I never thought I would say this, but I think I might believe in Daniel Jones. Am I totally overreacting after one game? Probably. Will I get laughed off the internet if he throws four interceptions this week? Definitely. But I don't care, I believe in Jones and I think he's going to lead the Colts to an upset here. For the rest of my Week 2 picks, be sure to click here. 

For more Week 2 NFL picks, you can check out our CBSSports.com picks page here. 

4. QB power rankings heading into Week 2: Joe Burrow falls out of the top 10

Every week during the NFL season, Cody Benjamin goes through and ranks every quarterback in the league. Last year, Joe Burrow finished the season as the third-best QB in Benjamin's rankings, but after a disastrous start to 2025, Burrow didn't even crack the top 10 this week. 

Let's check out the top three names on Benjamin's list: 

1. Josh Allen, Bills. Pitted against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Week 1, Allen finished stronger than anyone, showing no fear and all the right touch to outlast a fellow AFC power. He's a one-man wrecking crew in the clutch.
2. Lamar Jackson, Ravens. Josh Allen got the last laugh in their prime-time opener, but Jackson was darn near unstoppable on the move. He and Derrick Henry remain the NFL's most fearsome tandem with the ball in their hands. 
3. Jalen Hurts, Eagles. The biggest reason the Eagles survived Dallas after Jalen Carter's untimely ejection? Hurts was calm, controlled and efficient as the captain. He's still got the shiftiness to carry Philly's all-star offense.

If you're wondering where Burrow is, he's ranked all the way down at 11th. If you want to see who's in front of him or if you just want to see Cody's full rankings, you can do that here. 

5. Agent's Take: Building the ultimate 53-man roster

Anyone can build an ultimate 53-man roster for the NFL, but not everyone can do it like Joel Corry. As a former NFL agent, Corry thought it would be fun to build a 53-player all-star team with one rule: He has to stay under the salary cap. 

Basically, what he came up with is the best team you could possibly buy using the NFL's own rules. The salary cap this year is $279.2 million, so Corry built the best team he could while also staying under that number. 

Here's a list of the offensive players on his list, along with their 2025 cap number: 

QB: Jayden Daniels, Commanders ($8.59 million)
RB: Saquon Barkley, Eagles ($6.61 million)
WR: Justin Jefferson, Vikings ($15.17 million)
WR: Nico Collins, Texans ($8.59 million)
WR: Puka Nacua, Rams ($1.1 million)
TE: Trey McBride ($9.57 million)
LT: Jordan Mailata, Eagles ($15.23 million)
LG: Joe Thuney, Bears ($8.00 million)
C: Creed Humphrey, Chiefs ($10.79 million)
RG: Quinn Meinerz, Broncos ($5.53 million)
RT: Lane Johnson, Eagles ($18.41 million)

That's the entire offense, and Corry has spent just $107.59 million, which is less than 40% of his budget. If you want to know how he spent the rest of his money and how much he spent on defensive players, then be sure to click here. 

6. Extra points: Brock Purdy could be out for multiple weeks

It was a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• 49ers likely turning to Mac Jones in Week 2. Brock Purdy is dealing with multiple injuries this week (toe, shoulder) and is unlikely to play, according to Kyle Shanahan. If Purdy can't go, Mac Jones will be the starter on Sunday in New Orleans. The 49ers' next three games are against the Saints, Cardinals and Jaguars, so they might be able to survive without Purdy during that stretch, but they'll likely be hoping he's healthy enough to play in Week 5 when they face the Rams. Due to his injuries, Purdy is expected to miss between two and five weeks, and we have all the details here. 
• Cowboys starter could miss multiple weeks. DaRon Bland injured his foot in practice on Monday, and it's an injury that could sideline him for multiple weeks. The Cowboys starting corner missed 10 games last season due to a different foot injury, and now, there's a chance he could once again miss some time. You can read more about Bland's situation here. 
• Travis Hunter likely to play more defensive snaps this week. After only playing six snaps of defense in Week 1, the Jaguars are planning to give Hunter more playing time on that side of the ball in Week 2. The Jags are playing a Bengals team that has one of the top receiving duos in the NFL, so it makes sense that they want Hunter helping them on that side of the ball against Cincinnati. For more on Hunter, we've got the full story here. 
• Lamar Jackson apologizes to Bills fan. The Ravens QB has apologized for shoving a Bills fan during Baltimore's 41-40 loss to Buffalo in Week 1. The fan hit DeAndre Hopkins on the helmet in the second half and then proceeded to do the same thing to Jackson, which the QB did not appreciate. Jackson retaliated to the hit by shoving the fan. We've got the full details of the apology here.