Here are my picks for Week 2 in the NFL. I stole the Sports Gerbil's idea and posted some music for you to enjoy while reading the picks. I am hoping to make this a weekly post throughout the season.
TEXANS @ TITANS
After a lackluster performance against the New York Jets in Week 1, the Texans look to notch their first victory of 2009. Tennessee also comes off a loss, but it could have gone either way against Pittsburgh. Many had high expectations for Houston this season, but last week didn't show us much. Yes, the Jets were dominant but the Texans still didn't look impressive. I expect Tennessee's defense to come up big this week and Kerry Collins should have a decent game behind center. For the Texans to have a chance, Andre Johnson will have to start getting involved in their offense. He was completely shut down by Jets' cornerback Darrelle Revis last week and was a non-factor. Houston needs to get him the ball. However, I don't think they will get him the ball enough. My Prediction: Titans 17 Texans 13.
SAINTS @ EAGLES
The story of Donavan McNabb has changed quite a few times this week, but it appears as if he will not suit up for the Eagles this Sunday against the Saints. Kevin Kolb will be his replacement and we will have to wait until next week to see if Michael Vick will be at the helm for Philadelphia. As a result of McNabb's absence, that makes Brian Westbrook even more of a factor. This game will still be all about offense, but without McNabb, I don't see the Eagles keeping up with the high-powered offense of New Orleans. Drew Brees is coming off a six-touchdown performance and even though the Eagles defense is solid, they won't be able to contain the Saints passing attack. My Prediction: Saints 45 Eagles 31
CARDINALS @ JAGUARS
That high-powered Arizona offense that propelled them to a Super Bowl appearnace last season was obsolete in week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. Their have been concerns ever since the start of preseason and it appears to be for good reason. The Jaguars have a defense that contained Peyton Manning and the Colts last Sunday and have a good chance of repeating a similar performance this weekend. I won't feel comfortable about the Cardinals offense until I see an impressive perofmance from Kurt Warner and company. However, I don't think the Jaguars will put up many points either, which means this game could be very similar to Jacksonville's 14-12 loss to the Colts. My Prediction: Cardinals 17 Jaguars 10
The Raiders impressed a lot of people even though they were defeated by the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night. Their defense played very well and contained what was supposed to be one of the best offenses in the league. This team still has a long way to go, but I don't see why they couldn't pull out a win in Kansas City. Arrowhead Stadium is known to be one of the hardest places to win, but Kansas City hasn't been that good in awhile so that factor might not play as big a role anymore. The Chiefs played a pretty decent game against Baltimore in which the teams combined for a total of 62 points. Even though they came out on the losing end, it was still a better performance than most probably anticipated. This week I believe the Raiders' defense steps up again and leads Oakland to the victory. My Prediction: Raiders 23 Chiefs 13
BENGALS @ PACKERS
After watching how the Bengals lost against the Broncos, I don't give them a chance this weekend. The tipped ball to Brandon Stokely will still be in their heads when they take the field and the Packers will roll over Cincinnati. This team has been in disarray ever since Carson Palmer went down with a knee injury in their playoff loss to the Steelers a few years ago. This week, they take on a Packer team that I believe might win 11 games this season with their up and coming quarterback Aaron Rogers. He didn't play too well against the Chicago Bears, but did lead his team to a game winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining. I could see Rogers connecting with Greg Jennings quite a bit this weekend and the Packers coming out on top by a large margin. My Prediction: Packers 31 Bengals 7
PANTHERS @ FALCONS
Both of these teams looked like polar opposites during Week 1 of the season. The Panthers were embarrassed by the Eagles, much in large part to Jake Delhomme and his six turnovers. The Falcons dominated their game against the Miami Dolphins and only allowed a late meaningless touchdown. It's very easy to say here that the Falcons will handle the Panthers, but not so fast. I have a feeling Delhomme bounces back and Steve Smith has a big game. That's how it has been with this offense for quite awhile now. Delhomme is hit or miss, but if he can have a nice game this weekend, the Panthers will be victorious. My Prediction: Panthers 27 Falcons 21
RAMS @ REDSKINS
The Rams might be heading for another dismal 2-3 win season. They barely showed up in their shutout loss to Seattle and now they visit FedEx Field in Week 2. The Redskins were beaten last week by the Giants 27-21, but the game wasn't as close as the score might indicate. This season is Jason Campbell's last chance to prove to the fans and organization that he can be the leader of this team. He has a rocket for an arm, but hasn't been able to put it all together. This week he and the Redskins take the field for their home opener and should be successful against a terrible defensive team in St. Louis. Look for a lot of Clinton Portis early with Campbell not having to do to much to lead them to victory.My Prediction: Redskins 24 Rams 10
PATRIOTS @ JETS
I consider this to be the game of the week. Maybe it is because I am a Jets fan, but the drama has already begun this week with plenty of trash talking stirring this rivalry. The Jets are confident and rightfully so after their dominant performance against the Texans in Week 1. I have never seen a Jets defense play as well as they did last Sunday, and they must bring that effort again if they are going to beat the Patriots. I do believe the Patriots will put up some points, but Mark Sanchez and the Jets should be able score as well against a New England defense that was exploited by the Buffalo Bills. My Prediction: Jets 24 Patriots 21
VIKINGS @ LIONS
I can't imagine this game being close at all. Adrian Peterson will run all over the hapless Lions defense just like he did last week against the Cleveland Browns. The Lions put up some points in Week 1, but it was against the Saints and they do not have an impressive defense either. Even though they scored 27 points, rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford still didn't look great. It will be the Peterson show again and Brett Favre will barely have to do anything for a second straight game. My Prediction: Vikings 38 Lions 13
BUCCANEERS @ BILLS
The Bills were very impressive against the Patriots until about four minutes remaining in the game. From then on, they looked like the team that hasn't had much success the last several seasons. It will be interesting to see how they respond against a Buccaneers team that isn't expected to win many games this season. I thought Tampa Bay played Dallas pretty tough for a good portion of their Week 1 matchup, but eventually faded later in the game. Both of these teams need a win desperately and I figure this to be a very close contest. Tampa Bay gave up too many big plays and blew a lot of coverage against the Cowboys. This is something the Bills should exploit, which means getting Terrell Owens and Lee Evans more involved in the offense. Owens made it clear this week that Trent Edwards needs to throw the ball down the field more. If he does that successfully, the Bills should come out on top.
My Prediction: Bills 20 Buccaneers 14SEAHAWKS @ 49ERS
Both of these teams couldn't have asked for a better Week 1 result. Even though it was St. Louis, the Seahawks still dominated and Julius Jones had one of his best games as a professional. The 49ers pulled off the upset with a win against the reigning NFC champion Arizona Cardinals. Mike Singletary had his team ready to play and maybe he will have more success this season as opposed to last. Seattle was awful last season, but many expect them to be improved this year and I happen to agree. San Francisco is coming off a high from last Sunday's win and I could see them having a letdown against the Seahawks. My Prediction: Seahawks 27 49ers 16
STEELERS @ BEARS
The Steelers showcased their top-notch defense last week against the Tennessee Titans, but suffered a big blow as Troy Polamalu was injured and will miss 3-6 weeks. However, I do not see this hampering the defense too much this weekend. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is coming off what might be his worst performance as a professional and he needs to rebound or he might never get the fans off his back. Acquired from the Broncos in the offseason, he is expected to do great things for this organization. If Week 1 is any indication of the rest of the season, it will be a long year for Cutler and the Bears. This game will be decided in the trenches as both teams have solid defenses, with the Steelers having the edge in that department.
My Prediction: Steelers 16 Bears 9BROWNS @ BRONCOS
The Eric Mangini era has begun in Cleveland and it didn't get off to the start he had hoped for. After getting manhandled by Adrian Peterson and the Vikings in Week 1, the Browns look to bounce back against a team that was lucky to even win last Sunday. A crazy tipped ball that happened to land in the arms of Brandon Stokely resulted in the game-winning touchdown for Denver. They should have lost to the Bengals and their offense was obsolete up until that play. Brady Quinn will lead the Browns to their first victory of the season.
My Prediction: Browns 23 Broncos 14RAVENS @ CHARGERS
This is going to be a great game. The Chargers offense didn't look too good against the Raiders Monday night, and the Ravens defense gave up 24 points to the Kansas City Chiefs. Without former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, it will be interesting to see if the defense that has always been a strong point for the Ravens will be the same this season. The Chargers might have the worst coach in the NFL in Norv Turner, which makes me a little suspect about this team as well. Ladainian Tomlinson is banged up, so look for Darren Sproles to handle a bulk of the load this Sunday. This is a tough game to choose and it could go either way. Will the Chargers offense or the Baltimore defense play a bigger role? Whichever one does will determine the winner. My Prediction: Ravens 24 Chargers 17
GIANTS @ COWBOYS
The Sunday night game this week features two teams from what many people consider to be the toughest division in football. The last time these two met was also on a Sunday night and the Cowboys got the best of the Giants that night. I really have no idea how good of a team the Cowboys really are. They do not have to deal with the drama of Terrell Owens anymore, which makes it easier for Tony Romo to do his job. He looked good in their win against the Buccanners, but this will be a real test against one of the best defensive units in the league. The Giants beat up on the Reskins last Sunday and led throughout the entire game. The defense forced turnovers and even had a touchdown of their own by Osi Umenyiora. The Giants defense will be up for the task again, but might give up a touchdown late similar to last week. Manning and the rest of the offensive side of the ball should have their way this Sunday.
My Prediction: Giants 30 Cowboys 20COLTS @ DOLPHINS
The Dolphins are going to have a rough season. They won 11 games in 2008 and much of it was due to a very easy schedule. Three of the teams in the AFC East had winning records, which had a lot to do with the teams they had to play outside of their division. The Dolphins turned the ball over four times against the Falcons in Week 1 and that is something they rarely did last season. I could see this team only winning six or seven games this season. Also, the wildcat will not have as much of an effect this season for Miami. The Colts will be ready for that and whatever else the Dolphins have to offer. The offense for Indianapolis only managed 14 points against the Jaguars last Sunday, but Jacksonville always plays tough against Peyton Manning and the Colts. I look for Manning to be spot on this Monday night and the addition of wide receiver Hank Baskett should be a plus, considering they needed someone to fill the spot left by the injured Anthony Gonzalez. My Prediction: Colts 31 Dolphins 14
Enjoy the games!
Shawn Marosek
8 comments:
Will anyone stop the Saints if they score 45 in Philly? Last I checked, McNabb doesn't play defense.
First score that popped in my head. I've thought about it since and it seems outlandish. But I can't go back and change it.
and I thought my post was long!
Hahaha. I guess it sort of makes up for my lack of posts.
well good luck to the jets tomorrow... only one out of 2 times ill say that!
you were close for the bills game in the sense that at one time it was 20-14.
Haha, you under scored the Saints by 3!
Your question was will anybody stop them if they put up 45 points on Philly. Jets have them in a couple weeks!!
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