Pats Pulpit contributor Bernd Buchmasser lays out a fan-first “Patriots rooting guide Week 2” to help New England supporters decide which non-Patriots games to pull for while the team prepares for its Week 2 meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The guide walks through 15 matchups not involving the Patriots, flags specific games tied to trades or conditional draft picks and offers practical TV/kickoff details so fans can tune in with purpose.
Patriots rooting guide Week 2 — quick take
Short version: Pats Pulpit’s guide by Bernd Buchmasser — the “Patriots rooting guide Week 2” — recommends leaning toward several NFC teams and highlights a few games tied to conditional picks and trades that could, per the guide, touch New England’s draft positioning. The Patriots face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, but this guide helps fans prioritize non-Patriots matchups that matter for draft and strength-of-schedule reasons.
Top Week 2 picks Pats Pulpit recommends
- “Go Lions!”
- “Go good game!”
- “Go Saints!”
- “Go Bears!”
- “Go Texans!”
- “Go Packers!”
- “Go Buccaneers!”
- “Go Eagles!”
- “Go Broncos!”
- “Go Chargers!”
- “Go Seahawks!”
- “Go 49ers!”
- “Go Colts!”
- “Go good game!” (multiple matchups)
- “Go good game!” (NYG at LAR)
Which results actually affect Patriots draft picks and trades
Pats Pulpit ties several Week 2 picks to transactions or conditional selections and emphasizes these links as interpretations of trade language rather than certainties. Below are the items called out by the guide, explained cautiously and attributed to the article.
- Walter Rouse: Per Pats Pulpit, the Vikings losing would be “good news” for the seventh-round selection obtained in the Walter Rouse trade — an outcome the guide notes when weighing Minnesota vs. Chicago.
- Marte Mapu: Pats Pulpit says the pick connected to the Marte Mapu trade could have made Cincinnati the technical preference, but the guide opts for a broader AFC-race argument instead.
- Garrett Bradbury: The article calls out the Bears pick tied to the Garrett Bradbury deal as part of the calculus when choosing between the Vikings and Bears.
- A.J. Brown: Pats Pulpit reminds readers that one of New England’s two fifth-rounders — including the one tied to Chicago — is affected by conditions connected to the A.J. Brown move; for background on that transaction, see Patriots Acquire A.J. Brown.
Each of the above links between single-game results and draft movement is presented by Pats Pulpit as conditional or interpretive. Treat these as reported connections, not guaranteed transfers; the guide repeatedly qualifies trade conditions and notes uncertainty around how one game might ultimately shift draft positioning.
TV times and kickoff info to follow these picks
Below is a compact, source-grounded table pulled from the Pats Pulpit guide. Kickoff and network entries are filled only where the original piece specified a time or broadcast.
How Patriots fans should use this guide
Think of this as a fan-forward cheat sheet: prioritize games where Pats Pulpit ties results to draft-pick movement or where an NFC over AFC pick helps New England’s projected strength of schedule. Watching the Lions at Bills, the Saints at Ravens and the Vikings at Bears gives the clearest, source-reported lines to picks or tiebreaker logic.
Use the TV/network column to plan viewing and set alerts for kickoff times. Remember that single-game outcomes rarely decide a season by themselves; the guide frames these choices as part of a longer picture involving strength of schedule and tiebreakers, not definitive playoff or draft determiners.
Cautions and remaining uncertainties
- Pats Pulpit’s recommendations are opinion-based and designed for fans, not official team strategy.
- Any link between a Week 2 result and a conditional pick or trade is presented as interpretation; these are trade condition readings and should be qualified accordingly.
- Game outcomes, injuries or later clarifications to trade language can change how these picks matter — Pats Pulpit flags that uncertainty throughout the guide.
Source attribution
This recap is grounded in the Pats Pulpit piece “Patriots rooting guide for NFL Week 2” by Bernd Buchmasser. For the original guide, details and phrasing cited above, see: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-england-patriots-opinion/137543/patriots-rooting-guide-nfl-week-2-2026. Pats Pulpit’s recommendations and the draft/tiebreaker links are reported and interpreted from that article.
Short key takeaways: follow the Lions-Bills and Saints-Ravens games if you care about draft-pick implications; lean to NFC teams in many matchups to help Patriots strength of schedule; and treat all trade-draft ties as conditional, per Pats Pulpit.
