A Look At Week 2 In The NFL

Last week: 10-6

Oakland @ Buffalo

One these perennial bottom-feeders will be 2-0 after Week 2. The Raiders fought hard to overcome a below-average Denver team on Monday night, edging the Broncos 23-20. They did it behind a 150 yard rushing effort from Darren McFadden, a flurry of Sebastian Janikowski field goals (including a 63-yarder) and a defensive effort that included three turnovers, and four sacks.

The Bills went on the road and pounded the 2010 AFC West Champion Chiefs 41-7. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four touchdown passes, and the Buffalo defense forced three turnovers, and kept a number of explosive weapons under wraps for the entire game.

It’s hard to imagine the Raiders winning back-to-back games on the road (and on a short week after playing on Monday night) to start the season. The Bills offer a much more explosive offensive threat than Denver, and unless the Raiders can get significantly more from their passing attack (just 105 yards last week), I like the Bills in this game.

Pick: Buffalo

Green Bay @ Carolina

The Panthers came out of the gates strong in Cam Newton’s debut last week in Arizona. In his first start, the rookie put on a dazzling performance, throwing for 422 yards and two touchdowns. His accuracy was incredible, and he was able to put the ball into perfect locations for his receivers all day. While his strong effort wasn’t enough to upset the Cardinals on the road, it was a performance that has brought about plenty of optimism about the rebuilding Panthers.

Green Bay began the defense of their Super Bowl title by taking down the Saints with a very impressive offensive showing. Aaron Rodgers and his deep receiving corp. couldn’t be stopped, and put up 312 yards and three touchdowns on the Saints.

Look for Carolina to come back down to earth a little bit in this game. Not only will they be overwhelmed by Green Bay’s powerful offense (especially after losing star linebacker Jon Beason for the season), but they’ll also face a defense that’s going to have something to prove after giving up over 30 points to the Saints. Oh, and the Packers have also had extra time to prepare for this game after playing on Thursday night last week.

Pick: Green Bay

Kansas City @ Detroit

The season couldn’t have started out much worse for the Chiefs. They came out completely flat at home against the Bills. The explosive weapons (Charles, Bowe, McCluster) were all non-factors, the defensive was shredded by Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson of Buffalo, and they lost safety Eric Berry for the season. They had very little to build off of from that game.

Detroit on the other hand came through with an impressive road victory in Tampa Bay to start the season. Matt Stafford threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns (two to Calvin Johnson), and Javhid Best added 114 total yards to help overwhelm the Bucs. The Lions defense also had a big hand in the win. The Tampa running backs to just 28 yards on 11 carries, and they didn’t give up many big plays in the passing game.

I see the Lions as the overwhelming favorite in this game. The Chiefs are going to have a hard time suppressing all of the dangerous offensive players of Detroit, and while Matt Cassel and the offense will be better than they were a week ago, I don’t see them outscoring the Lions on the road.

Pick: Detroit

Cleveland @ Indianapolis

No team in the league may be feeling more grim about their season after just one week than the Indianapolis Colts. Life without Peyton Manning began with a miserable thrashing at the hands of the division rival Houston Texans. Kerry Collins lost two fumbles in his first 10 snaps, and could only generate a productive drive during garbage time in the fourth quarter. They also didn’t get much of anything from their running game, or defense in the loss.

The Browns offered a lifeless effort at home against the Bengals. Colt McCoy completed just 19 of 40 passes, and Peyton Hillis rushed for only 57 yards. Though the Browns led for much of the game, they made the classic mistake of letting a team hang around for too long, and ultimately seeing a winnable game slip away. It was a game that Browns had to have to start the season, and they couldn’t take care of business.

I have to believe the Colts win this game. Though they’re not the same team without Manning, this is still a team with a number of established veterans that won’t let the slaughter in Houston send this team to the bottom of the barrel just yet.

Pick: Indianapolis

Tampa Bay @ Minnesota

Donovan McNabb’s debut as a Viking was underwhelming to say the least. Throwing for just 39 yards was not Minnesota hoped the former Eagle would begin his career with his new team. Adrian Peterson looked good at times, and ran for 98 yards, but didn’t have much of an impact in the second half, when the Vikings were shut out.

Tampa Bay struggled in their season opener against the Lions. The running game was nonexistent, and Josh Freeman wasn’t able to make enough plays either. They only controlled the game when they led 10-3 due to an Aquib Talib interception returned for a touchdown. Their defense didn’t have any answers for the many weapons in the Detroit offensive arsenal.

I think the Vikings are in a better position to win this game. There’s no way that McNabb won’t be a significant factor in the game for a second week in a row. If he can provide a spark, and make the passing attack at least decent this week, it will make things easier for Peterson to do his damage on the ground. Tampa Bay certainly is scrappy enough to steal the game, but I think it means much more the Vikings at home.

Pick: Minnesota

Chicago @ New Orleans

New Orleans came out of the gates with a strong effort on Opening Night in Green Bay, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Super Bowl Champion Packers, as they fell on the short end of a shootout. One key thing to note was that the Saints were unable to take advantage of their new running back trio, featuring Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, and Mark Ingram. After falling behind 14-0 early in the game, New Orleans didn’t have much of a chance to establish their ground game. The Saints defense wasn’t able to do a thing to slow down the Packers.

Chicago came out of the gates with a solid victory over the Atlanta Falcons, a team considered to be in the upper echelon of the NFC. The Chicago defense forced three turnovers, and was able to control the Atlanta offense throughout the game. Most important of all, Jay Cutler was able to keep his mistakes to a minimum. He threw for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Whenever Cutler is on his game, the Bears are incredibly hard to beat. Matt Forte may have been the most important piece, compiling 158 total yards and a touchdown.

Cutler’s unpredictability makes this game very interesting. If the good Cutler shows up, the Bears offense could give the Saints defense all kinds of fits and problems. If the bad Cutler shows up, it plays right into the Saints opportunistic style of defense. However, even if Cutler is on his game, I think the game means too much for the Saints to lose.

Pick: New Orleans

Jacksonville @ New York Jets

In Week 1, the Jaguars managed to outlast the Titans by a score of 16-14. Maurice Jones-Drew carried the offense with 97 rushing yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Luke McCown threw for just 175 yards, but did an adequate job of managing the game in his first start.

The Jets took advantage of several late mistakes by Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys to rally in the fourth quarter and come away with a 27-24 victory. While Mark Sanchez put up over 300 yards passing, the Jets running game only produced 43 yards, a number that will need to improve dramatically for them to win consistently.

Maurice Jones-Drew and Luke McCown will be dealing with a much more polished team this week, and the Jets won’t let down this early in the season, they can’t afford to give any easy ground to the Patriots.

Pick: New York

Seattle @ Pittsburgh

While missing several of their key free agent acquisitions, the Seahawks predictably struggled to put up a decent amount of points against the 49ers. New quarterback Tarvaris Jackson threw for just 197 yards on 21 completions, and Marshawn Lynch provided only 33 yards through the ground game. Their defense still kept them in the game, but the special teams unit allowed Tedd Ginn Jr. to return two kicks for scores to put the game out of reach.

The Steelers were humiliated by the Ravens, getting blown away in Baltimore by a count of 35-7. Their miserable effort included a grand total of seven turnovers, five by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger alone.

Expect the Steelers to make amends this week with a blowout performance. The Seahawks will still be without receiver Sidney Rice, but even if he were available it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Seattle will serve as a punching bag for the Steelers and their frustrations on Sunday.

Pick: Pittsburgh

Baltimore @ Tennessee

The Ravens got a giant monkey off of their backs last week, finally defeating the rival Steelers in more than convincing fashion. They forced seven turnovers, and had put the game out of reach by the third quarter.

They’ll now travel to Tennessee to face a Titans team that is trying to get back on their feet after a frustrating Week 1 loss to the Jaguars. Star running back Chris Johnson was completely ineffective last week, and as he goes, so goes the Titans offense. Once he gets into football shape, the Titans could be a dangerous team, but until he regains his form they’ll be mediocre offensively.

Baltimore should win this game without much difficulty.

Pick: Baltimore

Arizona @ Washington

Kevin Kolb enjoyed a strong debut for the Cardinals, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. The former Eagle spread the ball around well, connecting with eight different receivers on the day. He also got some good help from running back Chris Wells, who ran for 90 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Defensively, Arizona was shredded through the air by Cam Newton for over 400 yards, though they held the Panther running back tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to a combined 56 yards.

The Redskins came through with a major upset in Week 1, taking down the Giants 28-14. Quarterback Rex Grossman led the charge with a 305 yard, two touchdown effort. The Redskins defense also sacked Eli Manning four times, and forced him into an interception.

The Washington defense holds the key to this game. Kolb is familiar with the Redskins defense from his time in Philadelphia, but that may not be enough to give him and the Cardinals an edge. The Redskins have a strong pass rush, and if they can get to Kolb early and often, they’ll be able to throw him off of his game and put a dent in Arizona’s vertical attack. If they can suppress Kolb and the Cardinal offense to keep it close, I think Grossman and the offense can do enough damage to get the job done.

Pick: Washington

Dallas @ San Francisco

It looked as though the Cowboys would be on their way to a 1-0 start, but fourth quarter implosion turned a near reality into a fantasy. The game against the Jets showed off the best and worst of Tony Romo and the Cowboys. When they are focused and dialed in, they’re right there with the most potent, dangerous offenses in football. When they aren’t, they can be clumsy and prone to turnovers.

The 49ers enjoyed a solid victory over the Seahawks to start their season. The San Francisco special teams unit was critical to their victory, former Eagle David Akers kicked four field goals, and Tedd Ginn Jr. returned a punt and a kick for touchdowns. Defensively, the 49ers held up well through most of the game, forcing three turnovers and allowing just 17 points. Offensively is where the team had its biggest issues. Alex Smith completed 15 of 20 passes, but for just 124 yards. Running back Frank Gore ran for only 59 yards.

I believe Dallas will win this game, but it might not be easy. It’s always difficult to go to the west coast and perform well, and the 49ers have the defensive tools they need to keep the game close. However, I don’t think the San Francisco offensive unit has nearly enough firepower to outscore the Cowboys.

Pick: Dallas

Cincinnati @ Denver

The Bengals were unimpressive most of the day on Sunday, but managed to pull off a late victory against the Browns. Rookie Andy Dalton may miss the game due to injury, if he can’t go veteran Bruce Gradkowski will start in his place. Cedric Benson ran over 120 yards last week, expect him to continue to get a heavy workload.

Denver lost a hard fought game with the Raiders to start to their season. Kyle Orton threw for over 300 yards, however it wasn’t enough. Denver gave only 12 carries to their running backs in Week 1, while they had Orton attempt 46 passes.

Neither team is particularly impressive, but I give the edge to Denver at home. They’ll be able to have much more success moving the ball against the Bengals than the Browns did in Week 1, and the Bengals should struggle offensively no matter who is playing quarterback.

Pick: Denver

Houston @ Miami

The Texans took the first step towards a playoff birth with sound thrashing of the Colts in Houston. Kerry Collins provided the Texans with several early turnovers to put the game out of reach early. Third string running back Ben Tate ran for over 100 yards and scored a touchdown.

The Dolphins put forth their best effort to upset the Patriots on Monday night, but it wasn’t enough. Chad Henne played one of the best games of his career, throwing for over 400 yards and two scores through the air, and adding 59 yards and another touchdown on the ground. The problem was that Tom Brady threw for over 500 yards and four touchdowns. New running back Reggie Bush only gave the Dolphins 38 rushing yards in his debut.

Arian Foster expects to play for the Texans, which should certainly help their cause. Chad Henne is very similar to Chicago’s Jay Cutler in the sense that he can look brilliant one week, and then be a turnover machine the next. I don’t think Henne sustains his level of play from Week 1, I think the Wade Phillips-led Houston defense will come up with a good gameplan to shut the Miami offense down, and move the Texans to 2-0

Pick: Houston

San Diego @ New England

For a little while, it looked as though the Chargers were going to suffer yet another let down to start a season, they were down by 10 against Minnesota after the first half. However, San Diego was able to turn things around, and Phillip Rivers and running back Mike Tolbert helped rally the Bolts to 24-17 win.

Tom Brady and the Patriots received a strong early challenge from the Miami Dolphins, but ultimately it was Brady and his 500-yard, four touchdown performance that won the game for New England.

This is the premier game in the AFC this week. The Chargers will come ready to play, but if Monday night is any indication, Brady and his offense may be close to the nearly unstoppable level that they had back in 2007.

Pick: New England

Philadelphia @ Atlanta

Michael Vick faces his old team for the first time the Eagles’ starting quarterback. The Eagles will face a desperate team that has difficult schedule in front of them, and can’t afford to fall to 0-2. They were beat up and embarrassed by the Bears last week in Chicago.

However, the Falcons under Mike Smith haven’t fared well against the Eagles. The Eagles have won all three meetings since 2008, including a blowout victory in Philadelphia last season with Kevin Kolb at quarterback. The Eagles receivers are bad matchups for the Atlanta secondary, and the offense has always been able to put up points on them.

The Falcons are expected to give the Eagles a heavy dose of Michael Turner, but the Eagles have always contained him well.

Even though Atlanta will be desperate, I think the Eagles present too many matchup problems for them to overcome.

Pick: Philadelphia

St. Louis @ New York Giants

The Rams not only lost their season opener to the Eagles, but they also lost a number of key players to injury including Sam Bradford, Steven Jackson, Danny Amendola, and Ron Bartell. Bradford is hopeful to play, but he may still be without some of his key supporting pieces.

The Giants come off of a bad loss to the Redskins, and are dealing with a number of injury problems themselves. In addition to their previous losses, they may also be without wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, who suffered a knee injury.

An 0-2 start for the Giants would be a disaster. The Rams don’t have enough talent to go on the road and upset a desperate team.

Pick: New York