Call me crazy, but I believe this was one of the most interesting week ones ever. I never remember so many newsworthy topics to talk about the day after week 1 ever, as Peyton Manning came back, RG III out-dueled Drew Brees, Joe Flacco lit up the 7th best defense in the league last year, Mark Sánchez stretched out Buffalo’s defense, and Tony Romo out played Eli Manning.
Chicago Bears vs. GreenBay Packers-6:
6 Point Teasing It: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Giants(-7.5) /Houston Texans(-7.5) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Granted, Giants were outplayed by the Cowboys in every facet of the game, but let’s face it: the Buccaneers are not the Cowboys. Even though the Bucs have improved from last year, I do not see the former Superbowl champions going 0-2 because of them. Plus, the Giants have had almost two-weeks to prepare for this year. And, I don’t think anyone could ever dispute that Texans will not win this game. The Texans are one of the most balanced teams in the league, while Jaguars are lacking essentially in every facet of the game. My Picks: Giants 33 (-1.5), Buccaneers 23; Texans 24 (-1.5), Jaguars 6.
Survivor Pick: Arizona Cardinals (+14) vs. New England Patriots: First and foremost, Cardinals impressively pulled off a minor upset over the Seahawks, a team that people actually have in the playoffs this year. The Cardinals have become a tough team to beat at home. The problem with this game is they’re not at home, and oh by the way they’re playing one of the best teams in the league. For the last two years, it felt like Tom Brady was essentially carrying the team on his own. Although it was only one game, the Patriots looked like a balanced team. Everyone stepped up, especially the weak points of this game – the running game and defense. In fact, the defense looked above-average in week 1….and no one can even say the Titans have a bad offense. Instead of playing prevent defense, they were ultra aggressive. They were blitzing to get pressure and their secondary were aggressively playing the ball (unlike last year where they allowed the WRS to catch short and middle passes just so they wouldn’t give up the big play) . It will be interesting to see what this defense does against an elite offense. If they play like they did against the Titans, they will be your Superbowl champions. But yeah, I don’t see the Patriots losing this game. They are almost better than Cardinals in every part of the game. My Pick: New England Patriots 31 (-14), Cardinals 10
Vikings vs. Colts (+1.5): It’s extremely possible that the Vikings will be number one in their division at the end of week 2. Even if it’s early, I don’t think anyone ever them on top at any stage of the year. This game, though, is a coin-flip, but sorry Vikings fans, I’m giving to the Colts at home. Adrian Peterson is one of the best running backs in the league, but the NFL has changed as it’s now a west-coast offense (aka pass heavy) game. To sum up, running back do not win games; quarterbacks do. Andrew Luck had a poor début, but he should be able pick apart this Vikings defense enough to win this game. My Pick: Colts 20 (+1.5), Vikings 17.
New Orléans Saints (-3) vs. Carolina Panthers: I’m not going to call Saints’ lost a fluke, but I don’t see them losing another game to an inferior opponent. Granted, Cam Newton could be a pain in this weak defenses’ side, but Drew Brees will end up out-dueling him in a high-scoring game. My Pick: Saints 40 (-3), Panthers 30.
Kansas City Chiefs+3 vs. Buffalo Bills: Both teams looked awful in week one, but I believe you should take the points here. The Chiefs lost to a quality team, while Bills lost to a team that’s streaky. My Pick: Chiefs 20 (+3), Bills 14
Lock It Up: Baltimore Ravens+2.5 vs. Philadelphia Eagles: This won’t be a total blow out because the Ravens were playing an extremely emotional game at home, while the Eagles were playing on the road. Now, the Eagles will be at home and the Ravens will be on the road – a place where they struggle. That said, the Ravens are a better team. The Eagles offense looks stagnant and the coaches trying to turn Michael Vick into a pocket passer is frankly asinine, especially since his forte is scrambling and running the ball. Yet again, the Dream team looks look like the nightmare team. Meanwhile, the Ravens look hungry and desperate to get to the Superbowl in their arguably last shot in a while. So, the Eagles aren’t as bad as they looked in week 1 and the Ravens aren’t as good as they looked. The Ravens are still the better team, though. My Pick: Baltimore Ravens 24(+2.5), Philadelphia Eagles 17
Raiders vs. Miami Dolphins (+2.5): I almost want to lock this one up. The Dolphins look awful, while the Raiders aren’t as bad as they looked on MNF. Minus their awful special-team performance, they played a pretty solid game versus the Chargers, especially on defense. I think the Raiders will dominate, but the score won’t emphasize the beating. My Pick: Oakland Raiders 20 (-2.5), Miami Dolphins 13
Cleveland Browns+7 vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Browns are just flat out terrible. My Pick:Cincinnati Bengals 21, Cleveland Browns 7.
Dallas Cowboys (-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are a tough team at home, mainly because of their loud, passionate fans. This looks like a trap game to me. My Pick: Dallas Cowboys 21(-3), Seattle Seahawks 20.
Washington Redskins(-3) vs. St Louis Rams: Tough call on this game. I think this might almost be a trap game. Of course, the money is going to be on the Redskins, but the Rams were just as impressive against the Lions. I’ll go with the Redskins here, but I won’t be shocked if the Rams take this one at home . My Pick: Washington Redskins 27 (-3), St Louis Rams 26.
Lock It Up: New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-6): Jets looked way better than expected, but they were playing the Bills. This is going to be a different story. Look for the home team to come off a tough loss and win this game. My Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers 29 (-6), New York Jets 14.
Tennessee Titans (+6) vs. San Diego Chargers: I do believe the Chargers will make the playoffs this year. After all, Norv Turner’s career there depends on it. I saw a lot of improvements against the Raiders, but let’s not kid ourselves, the Raiders shot themselves in the foot several times. The Titans had a rough challenge in week 1 and weren’t ready for the task. I think this week they will be more ready, and Chris Johnson will have a better game. I see this Titans team being exactly where they were last year – which is right on the playoff border. I see Chargers winning, but Titans covering. My Pick: Chargers 24, Titans 21(+6)
Detroit Lions (+6.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers: Even though the Niners were one play away from making the Superbowl, a lot of people had them making the playoffs just because their division is awful. A lot of people had no intentions of putting the 49ers in contention to win it all. I think people quickly have changed their mind as they dominated the team that was favored to make it to the Superbowl from the NFC. This is a great game to teaser if you like playing it safe, but I still believe 49ers will cover. I’m almost 100-percent sure they win this game outright, though. My Pick: San Franciso 49ers 24, Detroit Lions 17
Denver Broncos (+3) vs. Atlanta Falcons: I’m riding the Broncos bandwagon here. Falcons are a great home team, but Manning is great in a dome. It should be a great game, quite possibly the game of the week. I think the Broncos are slightly better than the Falcons, though. My Pick: Broncos 28 (+3), Falcons 27
