Anything can change in an instant in the NFL — a truth on full display when the previously winless Atlanta Falcons shocked the Green Bay Packers 35-14 on Thursday Night Football. Atlanta improved to 5-0 as an underdog in primetime over the past two seasons and notched its first victory at Lambeau Field since 2008. Bijan Robinson ran for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, while Drake London hauled in nine catches for 194 yards; together they became just the third pair of teammates in NFL history to post at least 175 rushing yards and 175 receiving yards in the same game, according to CBS Sports Research.
With Week 3 approaching, here are five bold predictions for what might happen next.
Kenneth Walker III rushes for 200 yards
– Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III has been a revelation for the Chiefs, leading the NFL with 290 rushing yards — the fifth-most any player has had in his first two games with a new team. He’s also eluded 25 tackle attempts in 2026, the most through two games by any player in the last decade, per CBS Sports Research.
– This week he draws a Miami Dolphins unit that has been crippled financially: $183 million in dead cap versus $104 million committed to current players, meaning 60.7% of their cap is dead money. Spotrac-era tracking (since 2011) shows no team has topped 45% before, and Miami ranks last in active cap spending on offense ($52M) and defense ($44M).
– Expect Walker to run right through Miami’s young front and eclipse the 200-yard mark on Sunday.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba posts 150+ yards and multiple TDs again
– Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba has started 2026 hot: 17 catches for an NFL-high 277 yards and four receiving touchdowns through two games. That pace makes him the first player since Jimmy Smith in 2000 to have 275-plus yards and four-plus receiving TDs in a season’s first two games.
– In Week 3 he faces a Washington defense that was torched by Dak Prescott (279 yards, four TDs) and CeeDee Lamb (153 yards, two TDs on eight catches) in Week 2. Even though back-to-back monster games by a receiver are uncommon, Smith-Njigba looks poised to top 150 yards and find the end zone multiple times again on Sunday.
Steelers blitz Joe Burrow into multiple turnovers
– Joe Burrow followed a strong road outing at Houston (207 yards, two TDs, no interceptions, 20-of-31) with a matchup against one of the league’s tougher defenses there. Now he meets the Steelers, who could be without top corner Joey Porter Jr.
– Pittsburgh’s offense has been anemic through two games — bottom-three in scoring (11.5 PPG, 31st), total offense (249.5 YPG, 30th) and third-down conversion rate (20%, 31st) — marks that are the worst two-game starts in the careers of coach Mike McCarthy and QB Aaron Rodgers.
– The way Pittsburgh can create turnovers is by sending heavy blitzes, a strategy that takes advantage of some concerning Burrow trends. He’s been blitzed on 37% of dropbacks this year (10th-highest rate in the league and a career high), has the quickest time-to-throw of his career (2.67 sec), but is getting hit on 20.5% of dropbacks (also a career high) and averaging a career-low 6.4 air yards per attempt. Against the blitz his EPA per dropback this season is -0.58 (third-worst in the NFL and a personal low), with only Aaron Rodgers and Cooper Rush posting worse numbers in that split. If Pittsburgh turns into “Blitzburgh,” the Steelers could force Burrow into at least a couple of turnovers.
Colts pick off C.J. Stroud for his first INT of 2026
– C.J. Stroud’s first two games of 2026 mirror his strong 2023 start: through two weeks this year he’s completed 56 of 93 passes for 627 yards, two TDs and no interceptions — and his 56 completions are the most in the league through two games.
– But he meets the Indianapolis Colts, who currently rank as the NFL’s worst defense by points allowed (37.0 per game) and total yards (514.5 per game). Per Next Gen Stats, Indianapolis has surrendered 1,029 total yards through two games — the second-most ever through a season’s first two weeks.
– The Colts will likely be the first defense to pick off Stroud in 2026. Houston’s interior line has struggled in pass protection — PFF grades of 60.7 for Wyatt Teller and 25.9 for Ed Ingram — and they’ll go up against three-time Pro Bowler DeForest Buckner, who already has 1.5 sacks and eight QB pressures through two games. Expect Buckner to wreck the middle and pressure Stroud into his first interception of the year despite Houston’s overall early-season play.
Patriots limit Parker Washington to under 80 receiving yards
– Parker Washington has been rolling for Jacksonville, racking up 635 receiving yards across his last six games (including the playoffs) and producing a streak of six straight games with 80-plus yards — the longest such run in Jaguars history. He’s totaled 528 receiving yards in his last five regular-season games (since Week 16), trailing only Chris Olave (535) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (529) in that span.
– Still, New England has a shutdown option in All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who leads the NFL in completion percentage allowed (33%, 5-of-15 on a minimum 10 targets), allows just 1.6 yards per pass attempt to targets he covers, and co-leads the league in forced incompletions with 10. After not shadowing JSN consistently in Week 1, expect the Patriots to stick Gonzalez on Washington this week and hold him under 80 receiving yards.
Fan Take: These storylines matter because they highlight how quickly fortunes shift in the NFL — individual breakout games, savvy scheming and roster construction can change narratives from week to week. For fans, the outcomes could reshape playoff outlooks, influence coaching decisions and underscore how small margins and strategic matchups keep the league unpredictable and compelling.
Source: www.cbssports.com
