Generally speaking, things were tame on the NFL Survivor front in Week 1.
While there was a smattering of upsets, the major cannonballs never fired. Moving forward, we know this will start to change. The goal, of course, is to avoid said cannonballs at all costs.
Week 2 is a far more complicated slate in terms of options. Simply put, there are an abundance of games with spreads hovering around a field goal. Chaos is coming, and it’s coming quickly.
We plan to navigate that chaos accordingly.
Here is our breakdown of the Week 2 slate when it comes to Survivor selections.
Survivor Week 2 Best Picks
Buffalo Bills vs Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Allen can’t stop turning the ball over, and that’s certainly a concern heading into this game. Against the Jets, Allen was reckless with the ball and it ultimately cost the Bills.
A little less than a week later, however, I am at peace with this selection. The Raiders don’t have nearly the same defense that the Jets do, and Buffalo also heads home for some much-needed relief.
Maybe Allen turns the ball over four more times and the Bills fall once again. And maybe the Raiders’ offense finds itself on the road against a defense overflowing with great players. I just don’t see it happening.
In fact, Allen is likely to play a superb game against a team that won’t have a proper counter.
Bills win this by a bunch. Let’s not overreact to one bad result. Find more best bets in our Raiders vs Bills predictions.
Use our NFL Eliminator tips to place bets with the NFL odds:
Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings
Thursday night should provide us with a wonderful NFL Survivor spot. The Eagles head home, and the Vikings just don’t have the proper pieces to counter.
Give Philly credit for winning ugly-ish in New England. It wasn’t a perfect game for the Eagles by any means, although there were a lot of positive takeaways. Even though Jalen Hurts and the offense weren’t superb, the defense stepped up. Rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter looks like a future superstar in the making.
The Vikings, meanwhile, are coming off a gutting loss at home to Tampa Bay. The offensive line struggled to protect Kirk Cousins, who is ranked QB17 in our Week 2 fantasy football rankings, and that could be an issue here. I’ll do one better; that will be an issue here.
On the road in a primetime spot, Minnesota simply feels outmatched.
Survivor Week 2 Rankings Grid
| Rk | Team | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys | @ Washington Commanders | A+ |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | @ Carolina Panthers | A |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | @ Tennessee Titans | A |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns | A- |
| 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | @ New York Giants | A- |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | @ Baltimore Ravens | B+ |
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | Atlanta Falcons | B+ |
| 8 | Detroit Lions | Minnesota Vikings | B+ |
| 9 | Los Angeles Chargers | Kansas City Chiefs | B |
| 10 | Buffalo Bills | @ Miami Dolphins | B |
| 11 | Green Bay Packers | Chicago Bears | B |
| 12 | Seattle Seahawks | @ Arizona Cardinals | B |
| 13 | San Francisco 49ers | Los Angeles Rams | B |
| 14 | Denver Broncos | @ Las Vegas Raiders | B_ |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Houston Texans | B- |
| 16 | New England Patriots | New York Jets | B- |
| 17 | New York Jets | @ New England Patriots | B- |
| 18 | Houston Texans | @ Indianapolis Colts | B- |
| 19 | Las Vegas Raiders | Denver Broncos | |
| 20 | Los Angeles Rams | @ San Francisco 49ers | C+ |
| 21 | Arizona Cardinals | Seattle Seahawks | C+ |
| 22 | Chicago Bears | @ Green Bay Packers | C+ |
| 23 | Miami Dolphins | Buffalo Bills | C+ |
| 24 | Kansas City Chiefs | @ Los Angeles Chargers | C |
| 25 | Minnesota Vikings | @ Detroit Lions | C |
| 26 | Atlanta Falcons | @ New Orleans Saints | C- |
| 27 | Baltimore Ravens | Pittsburgh Steelers | D+ |
| 28 | New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles | D |
| 29 | Cleveland Browns | @ Cincinnati Bengals | D |
| 30 | Tennessee Titans | Jacksonville Jaguars | D- |
| 31 | Carolina Panthers | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | D- |
| 32 | Washington Commanders | Dallas Cowboys | F |
Survivor Week 2 Sleeper
New York Giants vs Arizona Cardinals
The team that lost by 40 points is indeed a viable sleeper.
Why? Well, because they’re playing the Cardinals.
In some ways, any team that plays Arizona this year will be a viable selection, especially if that game is being played on the road. For as bad as Daniel Jones and the Giants were, the weather and the challenge at hand should be much more conducive this time around.
Jones was tormented by the Dallas pass rush a week ago, although that won’t be the case this week. While Arizona put forth a quality effort against Washington, the Giants are a much better group with much better weapons.
New York eases into its season with a double-digit win over a team far more concerned about the draft.
Survivor Week 2 Team To Save For Future
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons
If Week 1 is any indication, the Packers should be a viable Survivor play at some point. Heading to a dome to take on a feisty team with an active defense, however, doesn’t feel like the proper time to fire.
Yes, Green Bay was awfully impressive in an opening win against the Bears. Jordan Love played a clean game, Aaron Jones finally got moving in the second half and the Packers’ defense was excellent.
But it still feels like we have a lot to figure out when it comes to this team’s trajectory, and we should take time for those impressions to settle in.
Home games against the Vikings and Rams in October are worth potentially targeting. Let’s sit this one out for a bit, process it, and regroup in a few weeks.
Read more about this NFC matchup in our Packers vs Falcons predictions.
Survivor Week 2 Chalk Team That Could Lose
New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers
The spread is only three points in the next Monday Night Football matchup, which seems a little light.
New Orleans is coming off an ugly win against the Titans; the Panthers are coming off a two-touchdown loss to the Falcons. Although the Saints will play this game on the road against a quarterback making his second regular-season start, this one feels, well, off.
I still don’t trust New Orleans’ offense. Derek Carr, while a good fit with good weapons, still needs more reps. And although Carolina is likely to struggle offensively again, this feels like an extremely ugly football game in the making.
Don’t just pick against the Panthers because of one loss and a rookie QB. Winning on the road is tough in the NFL, and New Orleans backers are poised to learn this the hard way.
