Last week’s picks: 10-6
My Week 1 picks were a real “Afternoon Delight.” In other words, during the early games, I got screwed pretty good. After getting off to a good start by correctly picking the Packers in Thursday’s opener, I proceeded to go 3-5 on the early Sunday games. Thankfully, a strong 6-1 finish on the late Sunday and Monday night games brought me back to respectability. All in all, not bad for my first try at this, if I do say so myself (and I’ll have to for now, since nobody commented). To be honest, I was afraid I might completely tank in week 1, because it’s hard to know just how well a team will play until you’ve actually seen them in action. Case in point: I never would have foreseen the Chiefs’ disastrous 34-point drubbing at home at the hands of the Bills. I’d like to think that, like an NFL team, I’ll get better at this as the season progresses, but nothing is ever certain. Any team can beat any other team at any time.
Here are my week 2 picks:
Browns at Colts
In week 1, the Colts, playing without Peyton Manning for the first time in 13 years, were beaten pretty handily by the Texans. This week, they host the Browns, a team that a lot of people were high on before the season started. I don’t think that the Colts are good enough to turn things around and make a run at the playoffs, but they should be good enough and hopefully will play with enough pride this week to squeak out a home win against the Browns, who showed last week that they may not be quite as good as advertised. Because this week’s game is indoors, Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis will have to worry about the possibility of being injured by something falling from the stadium roof. Good luck, Peyton; you stay healthy. Winner: Colts
Bears at Saints
Chicago’s defence looked spectacular in beating Atlanta last week, and their offence performed well also. The Saints defence looked disorganized, but I suspect that we’ll be saying that about a lot of teams this season after they play Green Bay. I think that the Saints will win this one, because they were able to put together 5 scoring drives (3 TDs, 2 FGs) against a very good Packers defence last week, and because I think their defence will make some adjustments in order to get pressure on Jay Cutler. Winner: Saints
Packers at Panthers
Panthers’ rookie QB Cam Newton looked spectacular in his debut last week, breaking the rookie record for passing yards in a first game by throwing for over 400 yards. Unfortunately for Newton, he can’t play against Arizona’s defence every week. This week, he’s in for a rude awakening, courtesy of Green Bay’s excellent pass rush and secondary. The Packers should win big this week, led by an offence that looked to be in mid-season form in its season opener. Winner: Packers
Raiders at Bills
The Raiders looked like a team that will grind it out this year with a solid running game and stout defence. The Bills stunned the Chiefs at Arrowhead in week 1, and looked good doing so, especially QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. With Oakland travelling across the country after a late Monday night game, look for the Bills to hold off the Raiders this week and win a close one at home. Winner: Bills
Jaguars at Jets
The Jags won in unspectacular fashion against a Titans team that played poorly. This week, they travel to New York to face a Jets team that was lucky to win its opener against Dallas. The Jets will be looking to put forth a much better effort this week. Look for New York to load up to stop Maurice Jones-Drew, while the secondary makes life miserable for Luke McCown. Winner: Jets
Ravens at Titans
Chris Johnson should be more involved in Tennessee’s offence this week, but it won’t be nearly enough. The Ravens looked spectacular in all phases of the game last week as they dismantled Pittsburgh. If the Titans fall behind early, Matt Hasselbeck will be in for a nightmarish afternoon against the Ravens’ defence. Winner: Ravens
Cardinals at ‘skins
This is a tough one. Washington looked good last week, and Rex Grossman played well, but against an injury-depleted Giants team. Arizona won, but their defence, particularly the secondary, looked awful against Carolina. Washington is at home, and the Cards are notoriously bad when playing on the road against east-coast teams. It’ll be Washington in a squeaker. Winner: ‘skins
Chiefs at Lions
I’m still not sold on the Lions. They beat Tampa Bay last week, but I don’t think the Bucs are very good. Everyone seems to be talking about what a great connection Matt Stafford has with Calvin Johnson, but what I see is a great WR making an erratic QB look good with spectacular catches. That being said, the Lions should be able to handle the Chiefs easily this week. Kansas City looked awful, disorganized, and unprepared during their week 1 shellacking by Buffalo. Also, they lost their best defensive player, Safety Eric Berry, for the year with a torn ACL. Matt Cassel needs to step up and start making plays in the passing game to open up some running lanes, but I don’t think he’s up to it. The Lions’ defence will shut down the Chiefs. Winner: Lions
Buccaneers at Vikings
When I saw Donovan McNabb’s stats in last week’s game, I thought it was a misprint: 7 for 15, 39 yards. He has to bounce back strong this week in Minnesota’s home-opener, or panic will quickly set in throughout The Land of 10,000 Lakes. I think that with Adrian Peterson’s running, McNabb will do just enough to win against the Bucs. Winner: Vikings
Seahawks at Steelers
I feel really bad for the Seahawks, and especially for Tavaris Jackson this week. They have the extreme misfortune of travelling to Pittsburgh to play a Steelers team that should be, oh, shall we say, a wee bit agitated. The Steelers were outplayed and beaten badly by division-rival Baltimore last week, and have had to endure a week of being called old by many in the media. Poor Seattle is bad enough; I shudder to think what will happen to them this week against a fired-up Steelers team. Winner: Steelers
Cowboys at 49ers
The Cowboys looked pretty good last week, at least for three quarters. Their defence played better than expected, and only faltered toward the end of the game due to injuries and exhaustion. Tony Romo played very well in his return to action after last season’s injury, before morphing into a spastic, bumbling, nincompoop, like he always seems to do when the game is on the line. The 49ers eked out a win against a terrible Seattle team. It won’t be that easy for them against Dallas this week. Winner: Cowboys
Bengals at Broncos
Apologies all around, to the Bengals and their fans; they played well against the Browns last week. Rookie QB Andy Dalton gave a decent effort in his pro debut, and gave Bengals fans lots to hope for in the future, before leaving with an injury and being replaced by Bruce Gradkowski. The running game, led by Cedric Benson, looks like it’s ready to keep Cincinnati in some games. The Broncos are a team in turmoil. They have a rash of injuries, including some key ones on an already suspect defence. Meanwhile, their fans are erecting billboards in Denver calling for coach John Fox to replace Kyle Orton with Tim Tebow. I see the Bengals’ running game taking over this game, and Cincinnati running its record to 2-0 with a tough road victory. Winner: Bengals
Texans at Dolphins
I want to believe. I do. I really do. I’ll admit that Chad Henne looked very good in the Monday night game against New England. I’ll have to see more before I buy into it, though. I’d love to pick Miami this week, but I just can’t do it. Their defence got torched by the Pats on Monday. Now, Matt Schaub is no Tom Brady, but Houston has a potent passing attack, and an excellent running game as well. Also, I think that the Texans’ pass rush is a bit better that New England’s, and they will be more likely to pressure Henne into making mistakes. Miami’s running game is not nearly as good as it has been in recent years; Reggie Bush is not the feature back this team needs. Home field has not been much of an advantage for Miami of late. I don’t like how the current ownership seems to be more interested in cultivating a celebrity culture around the team than it is about winning. The Texans will continue their march towards the playoffs, while the Dolphins will fall to 0-2, just before a brutal stretch of the schedule. Sigh. It looks like another long year. Winner: Texans
Chargers at Patriots
Look for loads of points in this one. New England scores more, Brady slips on a pair of Uggs, tosses his hair, and walks off into the sunset. Winner: Patriots
Eagles at Falcons
Atlanta was beaten pretty convincingly by Chicago last week. They’re expected to bounce back this week, but it sounds like collective wishful thinking by members of the media, many of whom made the Falcons their preseason Super Bowl pick. The Eagles are not a good match up for the Falcons right now. Atlanta is thin on the pass rush, due to injuries, and they’ll need to pressure Michael Vick if they are to have any hope. I expect Vick to be anxious in his first trip back to Atlanta as a starter, but if he is allowed to settle in and get comfortable, the Falcons’ defence will be in for a long day. Look for Philadelphia to key on stopping Michael Turner, leaving Matt Ryan to try and make plays against the Eagles’ dangerous secondary. Winner: Eagles
Monday Night
Rams at Giants
The Giants began the season decimated by injuries, and looked bad against Washington in week 1. The Rams began the season with promise, and had a disastrous outing against the Eagles, losing a number of key players to injuries. The Giants are playing at home this week, and have had more time to adjust. The Rams will need more time to figure things out. Winner: Giants
My Week 1 picks were a real “Afternoon Delight.” In other words, during the early games, I got screwed pretty good. After getting off to a good start by correctly picking the Packers in Thursday’s opener, I proceeded to go 3-5 on the early Sunday games. Thankfully, a strong 6-1 finish on the late Sunday and Monday night games brought me back to respectability. All in all, not bad for my first try at this, if I do say so myself (and I’ll have to for now, since nobody commented). To be honest, I was afraid I might completely tank in week 1, because it’s hard to know just how well a team will play until you’ve actually seen them in action. Case in point: I never would have foreseen the Chiefs’ disastrous 34-point drubbing at home at the hands of the Bills. I’d like to think that, like an NFL team, I’ll get better at this as the season progresses, but nothing is ever certain. Any team can beat any other team at any time.
Here are my week 2 picks:
Browns at Colts
In week 1, the Colts, playing without Peyton Manning for the first time in 13 years, were beaten pretty handily by the Texans. This week, they host the Browns, a team that a lot of people were high on before the season started. I don’t think that the Colts are good enough to turn things around and make a run at the playoffs, but they should be good enough and hopefully will play with enough pride this week to squeak out a home win against the Browns, who showed last week that they may not be quite as good as advertised. Because this week’s game is indoors, Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis will have to worry about the possibility of being injured by something falling from the stadium roof. Good luck, Peyton; you stay healthy. Winner: Colts
Bears at Saints
Chicago’s defence looked spectacular in beating Atlanta last week, and their offence performed well also. The Saints defence looked disorganized, but I suspect that we’ll be saying that about a lot of teams this season after they play Green Bay. I think that the Saints will win this one, because they were able to put together 5 scoring drives (3 TDs, 2 FGs) against a very good Packers defence last week, and because I think their defence will make some adjustments in order to get pressure on Jay Cutler. Winner: Saints
Packers at Panthers
Panthers’ rookie QB Cam Newton looked spectacular in his debut last week, breaking the rookie record for passing yards in a first game by throwing for over 400 yards. Unfortunately for Newton, he can’t play against Arizona’s defence every week. This week, he’s in for a rude awakening, courtesy of Green Bay’s excellent pass rush and secondary. The Packers should win big this week, led by an offence that looked to be in mid-season form in its season opener. Winner: Packers
Raiders at Bills
The Raiders looked like a team that will grind it out this year with a solid running game and stout defence. The Bills stunned the Chiefs at Arrowhead in week 1, and looked good doing so, especially QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. With Oakland travelling across the country after a late Monday night game, look for the Bills to hold off the Raiders this week and win a close one at home. Winner: Bills
Jaguars at Jets
The Jags won in unspectacular fashion against a Titans team that played poorly. This week, they travel to New York to face a Jets team that was lucky to win its opener against Dallas. The Jets will be looking to put forth a much better effort this week. Look for New York to load up to stop Maurice Jones-Drew, while the secondary makes life miserable for Luke McCown. Winner: Jets
Ravens at Titans
Chris Johnson should be more involved in Tennessee’s offence this week, but it won’t be nearly enough. The Ravens looked spectacular in all phases of the game last week as they dismantled Pittsburgh. If the Titans fall behind early, Matt Hasselbeck will be in for a nightmarish afternoon against the Ravens’ defence. Winner: Ravens
Cardinals at ‘skins
This is a tough one. Washington looked good last week, and Rex Grossman played well, but against an injury-depleted Giants team. Arizona won, but their defence, particularly the secondary, looked awful against Carolina. Washington is at home, and the Cards are notoriously bad when playing on the road against east-coast teams. It’ll be Washington in a squeaker. Winner: ‘skins
Chiefs at Lions
I’m still not sold on the Lions. They beat Tampa Bay last week, but I don’t think the Bucs are very good. Everyone seems to be talking about what a great connection Matt Stafford has with Calvin Johnson, but what I see is a great WR making an erratic QB look good with spectacular catches. That being said, the Lions should be able to handle the Chiefs easily this week. Kansas City looked awful, disorganized, and unprepared during their week 1 shellacking by Buffalo. Also, they lost their best defensive player, Safety Eric Berry, for the year with a torn ACL. Matt Cassel needs to step up and start making plays in the passing game to open up some running lanes, but I don’t think he’s up to it. The Lions’ defence will shut down the Chiefs. Winner: Lions
Buccaneers at Vikings
When I saw Donovan McNabb’s stats in last week’s game, I thought it was a misprint: 7 for 15, 39 yards. He has to bounce back strong this week in Minnesota’s home-opener, or panic will quickly set in throughout The Land of 10,000 Lakes. I think that with Adrian Peterson’s running, McNabb will do just enough to win against the Bucs. Winner: Vikings
Seahawks at Steelers
I feel really bad for the Seahawks, and especially for Tavaris Jackson this week. They have the extreme misfortune of travelling to Pittsburgh to play a Steelers team that should be, oh, shall we say, a wee bit agitated. The Steelers were outplayed and beaten badly by division-rival Baltimore last week, and have had to endure a week of being called old by many in the media. Poor Seattle is bad enough; I shudder to think what will happen to them this week against a fired-up Steelers team. Winner: Steelers
Cowboys at 49ers
The Cowboys looked pretty good last week, at least for three quarters. Their defence played better than expected, and only faltered toward the end of the game due to injuries and exhaustion. Tony Romo played very well in his return to action after last season’s injury, before morphing into a spastic, bumbling, nincompoop, like he always seems to do when the game is on the line. The 49ers eked out a win against a terrible Seattle team. It won’t be that easy for them against Dallas this week. Winner: Cowboys
Bengals at Broncos
Apologies all around, to the Bengals and their fans; they played well against the Browns last week. Rookie QB Andy Dalton gave a decent effort in his pro debut, and gave Bengals fans lots to hope for in the future, before leaving with an injury and being replaced by Bruce Gradkowski. The running game, led by Cedric Benson, looks like it’s ready to keep Cincinnati in some games. The Broncos are a team in turmoil. They have a rash of injuries, including some key ones on an already suspect defence. Meanwhile, their fans are erecting billboards in Denver calling for coach John Fox to replace Kyle Orton with Tim Tebow. I see the Bengals’ running game taking over this game, and Cincinnati running its record to 2-0 with a tough road victory. Winner: Bengals
Texans at Dolphins
I want to believe. I do. I really do. I’ll admit that Chad Henne looked very good in the Monday night game against New England. I’ll have to see more before I buy into it, though. I’d love to pick Miami this week, but I just can’t do it. Their defence got torched by the Pats on Monday. Now, Matt Schaub is no Tom Brady, but Houston has a potent passing attack, and an excellent running game as well. Also, I think that the Texans’ pass rush is a bit better that New England’s, and they will be more likely to pressure Henne into making mistakes. Miami’s running game is not nearly as good as it has been in recent years; Reggie Bush is not the feature back this team needs. Home field has not been much of an advantage for Miami of late. I don’t like how the current ownership seems to be more interested in cultivating a celebrity culture around the team than it is about winning. The Texans will continue their march towards the playoffs, while the Dolphins will fall to 0-2, just before a brutal stretch of the schedule. Sigh. It looks like another long year. Winner: Texans
Chargers at Patriots
Look for loads of points in this one. New England scores more, Brady slips on a pair of Uggs, tosses his hair, and walks off into the sunset. Winner: Patriots
Eagles at Falcons
Atlanta was beaten pretty convincingly by Chicago last week. They’re expected to bounce back this week, but it sounds like collective wishful thinking by members of the media, many of whom made the Falcons their preseason Super Bowl pick. The Eagles are not a good match up for the Falcons right now. Atlanta is thin on the pass rush, due to injuries, and they’ll need to pressure Michael Vick if they are to have any hope. I expect Vick to be anxious in his first trip back to Atlanta as a starter, but if he is allowed to settle in and get comfortable, the Falcons’ defence will be in for a long day. Look for Philadelphia to key on stopping Michael Turner, leaving Matt Ryan to try and make plays against the Eagles’ dangerous secondary. Winner: Eagles
Monday Night
Rams at Giants
The Giants began the season decimated by injuries, and looked bad against Washington in week 1. The Rams began the season with promise, and had a disastrous outing against the Eagles, losing a number of key players to injuries. The Giants are playing at home this week, and have had more time to adjust. The Rams will need more time to figure things out. Winner: Giants
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