Predictions for Week 2
Alright, so I didn’t do too hot last week when I went 7-9 but there were a lot of upsets so I don’t feel too badly about it. I’m also expecting at least a few of those teams to bounce back from their opening loss to wake up and smell the regular season. So here’s what I’m predicting for week 2:
Steelers @ Titans: This should be a good game. Both teams are coming off a week 1 win, the Titans beating the beating down the Raiders at home and the Steelers hosting the Falcons and beating them by six. The bad news for the Steelers is that it looks like Chris Johnson is already in mid-season form with 150 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. I have the Titans winning 24-17.
Dolphins @ Vikings: The Dolphins scraped out a win against the Bills and the Vikings didn’t look impressive in a severely disappointing game against the Saints. This is a lot of traveling for the Dolphins in back-to-back weeks and barely beating the Bills is less impressive to me than barely losing to the Saints. I think Adrian Peterson redeems himself this week as well. Vikings win it 24-20.
Cardinals @ Falcons: The Cardinals lucked out and beat the Rams. The Falcons were underwhelming in their loss to the Steelers. The Cardinals just seem lost without Kurt Warner though. I believe the Falcons will use this home game as an opportunity to find some sort of rhythm while the Cardinals will struggle to deal with a lack of a leader from the quarterback position and the fatigue of having to travel East in the first two weeks. Falcons win 27-20.
Ravens @ Bengals: Two weeks ago I would have thought this would be one of the best games of the year. After week 1 however my feelings have changed. The Ravens defense looked phenomenal against the Jets and it appears Joe Flaccoand Anquan Boldin wasted no time getting on the same page with one another. The Bengals on the other hand looked flat outside of Chad Ochocinco. Carson Palmer had a good game, but not good enough. It’ll be a close hard fought game but the Ravens win this big matchup in the division 21-20.
Chiefs @ Browns: I’ve been telling people all off season that the Chiefs were going to surprise some people this year. I don’t think they’re necessarily going to be making a push for the playoffs or anything, but they won’t be out of contention early on either. I predicted they would beat the Chargers last week and if they can handle the Chargers then the Browns should be a cake walk. Chiefs win 24-10 and advance to 2-0 for the first time in five years.
Eagles @ Lions: Don’t sleep on the Lions in this game. They beat the Steelers last week, the record doesn’t show it but they did. They get the Eagles at home which will help their cause but I think Michael Vick will give their defense fits. Detroit will keep it close but the Eagles will prove to be too much for them. The Lions will again show promise in loss but will still have a zero in the wins column. Eagles win 24-17.
Bears @ Cowboys: The Cowboys had an extremely disappointing opening loss to the Redskins after having so much talk about being the first team to play in a Super Bowl hosted by their home city. I’m still not ruling that out and the fact that they get the Bears at home this week will provide a good opportunity to rebound. Jay Cutler will put up relatively good numbers for the Bears but the Cowboys will prove to be the much better team. Cowboys win 27-17.
Bills @ Packers: The Packers look extremely impressive in their win over the Eagles in week one and while the Bills showed a bit of promise against the Dolphins the Packers are still definitely the better team. Plus the Packers are at home. Brandon Jackson (Green Bay’s running back) gets his first start since his rookie year of 2007 and will get 100 yards and a touchdown, leading the way for the Packers to win 28-14.
Buccaneers @ Panthers: The Panthers let me down in week 1, losing to the Giants by 13. The Buccaneers beat the visiting Browns by three, but that isn’t saying much. I still think the Bucs are the worst team in the league. Yes, I realize they just beat the Browns, but it was at home and they had less yardage than the Browns. This should be a good chance for the Panthers to reestablish their dominating ground game. Panthers win 21-14.
Seahawks @ Broncos: The Seahawks looked great last week against the 49ers handing out a 31-point smack down. The Broncos had to travel all the way to Jacksonville to lose to the Jaguars by a touchdown. Tim Tebow’s first ever regular season snap was at… wide receiver. Wide receiver? Yes, wide receiver. He also had an impressive two yards rushing on two attempts. The Broncos will benefit from being at home though and will keep it close. Seahawks win 21-20.
Rams @ Raiders: The Rams looked really good last week, losing to the Cardinals by just four points in a game that the Cardinals really didn’t deserve to win. They showed that they’re certainly taking the steps in the right direction to turn that franchise around. The Raiders meanwhile went to Nashville and allowed 38 points. I think Sam Bradford continues to develop and builds an even stronger connection with Mark Clayton while Steven Jackson has a field day. Rams win on the road 21-17.
Patriots @ Jets: The Jets made a horrible mistake last week by trying to ease Darrelle Revis back into his playing time by putting Antonio Cromartie primarily on Anquan Boldin. Rex Ryan has already admitted this was a mistake. I believe the Jets would have won their matchup with the Ravens had Revis been on Boldin. Randy Moss and Revis have already been swapping words via the media and both promise to outplay the other. History support Revis and I believe he will make Moss a non-factor. Tom Brady isn’t near as productive without Moss, nor is Wes Welker. Jets win it 20-17.
Jaguars @ Chargers: The Jaguars beat the visiting Broncos last week but this time they have to make a 2,000 mile trip to the west coast and face an angry Chargers team that is coming off an embarrassing loss to a divisional opponent. I think Philip Rivers will come out firing, putting up two or three touchdowns while Ryan Matthews adds another one in the ground game. The Jaguars struggle to establish a rhythm and the Chargers win it 28-17.
Texans @ Redskins: Both of these teams are coming off of huge wins against the defending champions of their respective divisions. Whichever team wins this one will gain a ton of momentum, the loser may find it tough to recover from stumbling after such an important win. I think Matt Schaub leads the Texans offense this time throwing for two touchdowns while Arian Foster adds one of his own. The Redskins keep it close and it comes down to the wire but theTexans win it 24-23.
Giants @ Colts: The Manning Bowl. This should be a heck of a game. The Colts are trying to bounce back from an unfamiliar week 1 loss while the Giants are trying to build momentum as well as a lead in the division. The Colts o-line will have established more continuity, the receivers will find their hands, the run defense will come out with something to prove and Peyton Manning will keep being the greatest quarterback of all time. The Giants will come out and pound the ball and keep it close but the Colts will pull away in the fourth quarter when Eli Manning has to put up points fast without using as much of a ground game. Colts win it 31-21.
Saints @ 49ers: The Niners had everyone on their bandwagon with most people (including myself) thinking that they were the clear favorites to win the NFC West but then they lost in week one to a division rival by 25 points. The Saints opened up the season hosting the Vikings and though they did win, they weren’t exactly awe-inspiring. San Francisco will try to bounce back at home but the Saints will prove to be too talented for them. Saints win it 27-18, and yes that’s a weird score but I think the 49ers will have a failed two-point conversion attempt. I mean, hey, I gotta make one unfounded, bold prediction, right?
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I am looking forward to the Manning Bowl. I think Big Brother is going to win in this hard fought battle.