NFL Week 2 Picks!

Week 2 of the NFL season is upon us, and this week can be very deceiving. Why is that? It is pretty simple: We don't really know for sure who is good and who is bad. Obviously, we know New England is good, but really how good is Baltimore? We know that Green Bay is good, but just how good are Oakland or Buffalo? Is Kansas City that bad? Are the Falcons and Steelers in trouble? There are so many questions in the league right now, and Week 2 won't be able to answer all of them. It will just provide us with some more clues into who is going to be really good this year, and who will be really, really bad. Remember the first three or four weeks of the NFL season can be tricky. Some teams will start off hot, but fizzle down the stretch. You can't win the Super Bowl in September, you can only put yourself in position for November and December. Onto the the picks for Week 2....

Last Week's Record: 9-6-1
Overall Record: 9-6-1
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

NEW ORLEANS (-6) over Chicago: The Bears really shocked me with their blowout win over Atlanta, but they come back down to Earth this week. The Saints have 10 days to prepare for this game, and eventhough they are banged up at wideout, Drew Brees still should be able to carry them to victory. Expect a close game, but the Saints win by a touchdown late.


Kansas City (+8) over DETROIT: The Lions will probably win the game, but I think this line is a little too high. The Chiefs were embarrased last week at home against Buffalo, and the KC is in for a long season, but if they had any spine they will play well enough to keep this game close. The young Lions shouldn't be eight point favorites over anyone at this point. Look for a closer game than many people think.

NY JETS (-9) over Jacksonville: This line can't be high enough. The Jags come into this game at 1-0, but they are in deep trouble. You can't bet on Luke McCown on the road against anyone-especially the Jets. The Jet defense should have a field day on this Jaguar offense. This seems like a 27-3 type of game. The Jets get to 2-0.

Oakland (+3) over BUFFALO: The Bills came out flying on Sunday and buried the Chiefs 41-7 in Arrowhead. The Raiders churned out a 23-20 win over Denver on Monday Night. This easily becomes one of the best Week 2 games featuring two teams at 1-0. I was very impressed with the Raiders defensive line on Monday Night, and their front seven will be the difference as the Raiders get to 2-0.

WASHINGTON (-3) over Arizona: This game could be very entertaining. Mike Shanahan always has his team ready for the start of a season. That was very evident as the Redskins defeated the Giants last week. The Cards come in after a victory over the Panthers, and this looks like a very good game on paper. Take the Skins laying the three points. Look for Rex Grossman to continue his solid play at home.

TENNESSEE (+6) over Baltimore: Are the Ravens as good as they looked on Sunday in their win over the Steelers? In my opinion, I don't think so. Everyone is going to underestimate the Titans after their loss to the Jaguars in Week 1. Don't sleep on the Titans, and this game could be one of those "head scratchers" that you see on the scroll on the bottom the screen during one of the other early games. The Titans come out and play hard, and get the win at home.

Seattle (+14) over PITTSBURGH: Let me make this clear: I am not picking Seattle to win the game. The Steelers will win this game and win it convincingly, but I just can't lay the 14 points. This has a Tavaris Jackson back door cover written all over it, but expect the Steelers to bounce back from last week's loss and play very solid this week. Tarvaris Jackson and that offensive line on the road in Pittsburgh is a pretty ugly matchup.

Green Bay (-9) over CAROLINA: Everyone will be drinking the Cam Newton Kool-Aid this week and for good reason. The kid threw for 422 yards in his first ever start, but I have a feeling Dom Capers will come up with a nice little defensive scheme to contain him. Look for the defending Super Bowl Champions to roll on the road in Carolina.

MINNESOTA (-3) over Tampa Bay: I'm still not sold on the Bucs, and last week's loss at home to Detroit just added fuel to the fire. As bad as Donovan McNabb looked last week, I think he can still play a decent level. Look for a lot of Adrian Peterson, and look for McNabb to play a lot better at home this week. It seems like no one like the Vikings at all, but they played hard last week and almost pulled off the upset in San Diego. They beat the Bucs this week to get to 1-1, while everyone's darling falls to 0-2.

Cleveland (-2) over INDY: How are the Browns not favored by a touchdown in this game? Doesn't anyone see how bad the Colts are without Peyton Manning? The Browns struggled last week, but look for them to play better and get more out of Colt McCoy. The Colts will probably play better too, but it won't be enough as the Browns take them down in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Dallas (-3) over SAN FRANCISCO: Remember when these two teams were the two best and most popular teams in the NFL? This was the matchup to watch back in the 90s. Now, it is a game with Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick calling it for FOX instead of Pat Summeral and John Madden. The Niners are getting better and Jim Harbaugh will get it turned around. I was really impressed with the Cowboys last week. Eventhough they lost, their offense and pass rush impressed me enough to think that they could definitley be a playoff team. The Cowboys win this one late in SF.

Houston (-3) over MIAMI: This game seems so obvious on paper but in reality it might be a lot more difficult to figure out. Just how good are the Texans after they destroyed the Colts without Manning? Is the Dolphin defense that bad after it got scorched for over 600 yards of total offense to Tom Brady and the Pats? This game looks like it will be all Texans, but I'm not so sure. This one could end up being a lot closer, but in the end look for the Texans to pull it out late and avoid the upset.

San Diego (+6) over NEW ENGLAND: Great matchup in the late window on Sunday afternoon. The Chargers special teams gave away so many games last year that you would expect them to really tighten things up in that area going into the 2011 season. The result of all that hard work on special teams: The Chargers give up the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Minnesota to start their season. You have to like how SD bounced back and regrouped from that and being down 17-7. They ripped off 17 unanswered points, and defeated Minnesota 24-17 at home. The Patriots looked like the Patriots. Brady throws for over 55 yards, including a back-breaking 99 yard throw to Wes Welker, and the Patriot offense looks in midseason form in a 38-24 win over Miami last Monday Night. The Chargers always have trouble in New England, but this week just feels different. Look for San Diego to put the ball in Philip Rivers' hands and make him go after the New England defense. This could be a shootout, but I'll take Rivers and the Chargers in an upset in Foxborough.

Philadelphia (-2) over ATLANTA: The Sunday Night game is a real good one too. Mike Vick goes back to Atlanta as the Eagles starting QB. The real storyline in this game though is the Falcons. What happened to Atlanta in Week 1? Are they okay and ready to rebound? Well, we will find out this week. It is a tough game for the Falcons, but now they are banged up on the defensive side of the ball. It is hard to see the Falcons being able to stop the Eagles consistently in this game. Look for it to be close, but the Eagles will make the plays when they have to in order to win the game.

NY GIANTS (-6) over St. Louis: This game would have some serious upset potential, but the Rams are just too banged up.The Giants are 0-1 and have had a dark cloud hovering over them since the lockout ended. Last week's loss didn't help to appease the critics. The Giants always seem to play well when their backs are against the wall. It seems like they like the "Us Against the World" mentality. They get a break this week at home on Monday Night because the Rams are battered and bruised. The Giants need a win, and they get it done this week.

DENVER (-3) over Cincinnati: Speaking of dark clouds, the Broncos host the Bengals in Week 2. The Bengals come in at 1-0 on the heels of their victory over the Browns on the road last week. It looks like Andy Dalton will start for Cincy on Sunday. The Broncos have had one hell of a week. If one more national NFL analyst questions why Broncos fans booed Kyle Orton and want him out of there, then I am going to seriously jump through my television and punch one of these guys? They make it like Orton is a top 10 QB. You know why Bronco fans want Orton out? Because he is not the answer to our QB situation!!!! Can someone stop looking at stats and watch a game with Orton as the Broncos starting QB? Did anyone mention that he is 5-19 in his last 24 starts as a Bronco? Bronco fans just want something different that's all! Stop making it out like Orton is the next Joe Montana. Also, Denver lost Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil, Knowshon Moreno, and Brandon Lloyd to various injuries. It looks like Bailey and Moreno won't play this week, Dumervil will not play and might not be back until next week, and Lloyd might indeed play. The deck looks pretty stacked against Denver and they are playing a team that is really underrated. The Bengals defense is pretty good, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them give Denver's offense some problems. The Broncos are going to get a heavy dose of Cedric Benson after their run defense got gashed by Oakland. This looks like one of those games where Denver goes out and lays an egg to Cincy. That could happen, but I'm going to go out and say that Denver shows some guts this week. If Denver were to lose this week, then the Broncos are 0-2 and staring at games at Tennessee, at Green Bay and home to San Diego. 0-5 might not be very far behind. I think the Broncos put enough together to get the job done this week. Even with all the injuries, the Broncos will find a way to get this game home. I could see the Bengals jumping out to a 10-0 lead, but then the Broncos settle down and play well enough to pull this one out. Denver wins a tough one at home.

Final Score: Denver-19 Cincy-13