I must apologize for not publishing these picks earlier. I know it doesn't count right now, but I absolutely picked New England to beat the Jets. What I DIDN'T anticipate is that they would only beat the Jets by a field goal. With that said, my current predictions record after week 1 is 8-6. My record was hurt by the fact that I picked every single AFC North team to win...and they all lost. It was only Week 1, however, so we all now have a much better idea of the current strength of each team after seeing them in full-speed NFL action. Without further ado, here are the picks for Week 2:
WEEK 2 NFL PICKS
JETS AT PATRIOTS- I realize this prediction means absolutely nothing right now, but I originally decided this pick before realizing Vereen and Amendola definitely weren't playing for the Patriots. I assumed, thus, that the Patriots would blow the Jets out. They did not. My pick was PATRIOTS 31-13.
RAMS AT FALCONS- I simply can't see the Rams pulling this off at Atlanta. The Falcons have one of the best homefield advantages in the NFL, and Atlanta's offense will be using the Rams' former offensive weapon against them. If Matt Ryan heats up, this one could get ugly for St. Louis. FALCONS 28-17.
PANTHERS AT BILLS- Both of these teams suffered tough losses in Week 1 to teams that fans and analysts had only recently regarded as elite powerhouses. It's tough to know if the Bills were really that good or if the Patriots were really that bad. It's also tough to know if the Panthers were really that good or if the Seahawks are simply a poor road team as they were in the last regular season. Homefield advantage must be what decides this is a situations of this nature. BILLS 20-17.
VIKINS AT BEARS- The Vikings don't play defense particularly well on the road, and the Bears consistently scored an impressive defense last week against Cincy. It's a divisional game which makes it tough to predict, but Jay Cutler's consistent late game heroics matched with Brandon Marshall's impressive physicality will be no match for even the greatest running back in the league. BEARS 28-23.
REDSKINS AT PACKERS- I'll give RG3 credit for putting up a fight in the second half against the Eagles, but the Skins simply don't have what it takes to match the Packers offensively in Green Bay. PACKERS 35-27.
DOLPHINS AT COLTS- The Dolphins impressed me with an opening road win, and ordinarily I'd say that Andrew Luck deserves some respect at home against a team with a poor record from last season, but the Colts don't look the same without Bruce Arians as their offensive coordinator, and they just lost their first string running back, Vick Ballard, to an ACL tear. DOLPHINS 23-21.
COWBOYS AT CHIEFS- The Chiefs didn't play an impressive team in Week 1. They did, however, win on the road, and that's something the Chiefs of last season simply didn't do. At home in Arrowhead Stadium the Chiefs will show what they're made of against Tony Romo and his Cowboys. Don't expect the Chiefs to turn the ball over 6 times the way the Giants did and don't expect Romo to have success in one of the loudest stadiums in the U.S. CHIEFS 33-21.
BROWNS AT RAVENS- The Browns have made massive improvements in their coaching staff. They've also improved their defense with players such as Paul Kruger. The Browns, however, still have Brandon Weeden playing quarterback, and that factor kept them from winning at home against the Dolphins. With Michael Oher back and another week to workout defensive issues, the Ravens will be ready to beat the Browns at home. Don't expect this to be a blowout though. RAVENS 26-20.
TITANS AT TEXANS- I rooted excitedly for the Titans as they soundly defeated the Steelers, but I was more impressed with the Texans' come from behind win against the Chargers on the road. I think the Texans are right back in the swing of things, and Brian Cushing has already made his presence felt. Divisional matchups are tough, but the Texans shouldn't have too much trouble with this one. TEXANS 27-17.
CHARGERS AT EAGLES- The Eagles impressed me on the road last week, the Chargers disappointed me at home. Gotta go with the Eagles on this one. EAGLES 35-24.
LIONS AT CARDINALS- I like the Lions this year. Their Week 1 win was at home so it's not a huge indication of how they'll do on the road, but I'm simply not impressed with Arizona yet. LIONS 28-14.
SAINTS AT BUCCANEERS- The Saints don't often perform nearly as well on the road as at home, but they'll still likely beat a Buccaneers team that lost to the Jets last week. SAINTS 31-13.
JAGUARS AT RAIDERS- The Jags are a bad football team. RAIDERS 24-17.
BRONCOS AT GIANTS- I would absolutely love to see Eli beat his brother in the Manning bowl, and maybe he will, but I don't expect him to do so. Brandon Jacobs likely won't prove a major factor at this point, and the Giants don't usually have much of a homefield advantage for some odd reason. Peyton Manning is simply the king of the regular season. BRONCOS 38-27.
49ERS AT SEAHAWKS- The 49ers looked great against the Packers at home, and the Seahawks looked pedestrian against the Panthers on the road, but it's an entirely different story when the Seahawks play at home. I've watched Boldin struggle against the Seattle defensive backs in the past, and the 49ers' defense won't be nearly the same on the road. I'm sure most others will disagree with me on this one, but I gotta go with the home team here. SEAHAWKS 23-20.
STEELERS AT BENGALS- The Steelers can't protect Ben and he has few serious receivers to whom he can throw the ball. The Steelers' running game is poor, and their defense wasn't strong enough at home to shut down even just Jake Locker last week. Maybe the Steelers will surprise me, but I doubt it. BENGALS 31-17.
This is a big week for the Ravens. They need to reestablish what it is that made them great in the past: running the football, shutdown defense, and clutch receiving when necessary. Another week with his new targets should give Flacco more time to turn the 15 dropped passes from week 1 into productive receptions in week 2. If the Ravens put up another 27 points this week, they'll win easily.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
As always,
ReplyDeleteGo Eagles!