#1 – Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings
Two teams at 2-0 in this game are projected to have the fastest combined adjusted pace time of 28.5. The Texans are the fastest in the League at 28.1, and the Vikings are 3rd at 28.9, so this one has a track meet all over it! The Texans are 4th in total plays this season (137). The two teams’ Pass Percentage + Pass Rate Over Expected Percentage comes in at 55%. Both Teams are in the Top 12 in EPA (Expected Points Added) Passing, with the Texans coming in at #8 and the Vikings at #11. The Texans appear to be without RB Joe Mixon this week, which would make it necessary to lean more on the pass. The Vikings’ DC Brian Flores loves to blitz, but the Texans’ quarterback CJ Stroud handles pressure very well, and there could be a few big plays from this Texans offense. Two weeks into the season, Vikings QB Sam Darnold has completed 72.0%of his passes (9th) for 9.5 Y/A (3rd). This game is inside in the Minny dome and has a good O/U total at 46.5.
#2 – Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys
The two teams have the 3rd fastest adjusted pace time of 29.5. The Cowboys are 4th fastest in the league at 29.1, and the Ravens are 8th at 29.8. The Ravens come in with the 5th fastest time in seconds/snap at 25.7, while the Cowboys are 8th at 26.1. The Ravens are 4th in total plays run this season (137), while the Cowboys check in at 6th best (126). There will have to be a lot of plays run in this one! The two teams’ Pass Percentage + Pass Rate Over Expected Percentage comes in at 55%, with the Cowboys leading the way at 61%, which is 8th best through the first two weeks of the season. Both QBs Lamar and Dak are getting the ball out quickly thus far this season, averaging 2.3 seconds on average in the pocket. We should get a good amount of back and forth between these two teams in this one, with matchups being pretty good for both sides across skill positions, and it’s another dome game in the comfy controlled elements in Dallas with a very nice O/U of 48.5.
#3 – Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts
The two teams have the 2nd fastest adjusted pace time of 29.4. The Colts are 3rd fastest in the League at 28.9 while the Bears are 9th at 29.9. The Colts come in with the fastest time in seconds/snap at 23.4, while the Bears are 10th at 26.5. The two teams’ Pass Percentage + Pass Rate Over Expected Percentage comes in at 58%, with the Bears at 65%, which is 4th best through the first two weeks of the season. The Bears have the 2nd highest Non-Two Minute No Huddle Percentage at 28.6%, while the Colts are 4th at 21.9%. Rookie QB Caleb Williams has had to get the ball out quickly (average pocket time 2.2 seconds), and the Bears’ offensive line is struggling so badly. The Colts struggle to pressure the quarterback, so this should give Williams a chance to make some plays. The Colts have forced the fifth-lowest pressure rate at just 25.5%. The Bears have good matchups across all their skills positions vs this Colts defense. This game will be on the fast track in the dome in Indy.
