NFL Week 2 Predictions

Well, I went 11-5 my first week. Not too bad, not fantastic. There were some real surprises to me in the early games on Sunday, not to mention the (pleasant) surprise seeing Green Bay manhandle Carolina. Before fans get too excited or depressed about opening weekend, let me remind you of one game in last year's opening: Buffalo 31, New England 0. The Bills looked fantastic and New England was pathetic. For the rest of the season, including post-season, New England went 17-1 and Buffalo went 4-11, including a 31-0 loss to New England to close the season.

Onto this week.

Rams @ Falcons
The Falcon defense struggled to stop the 49er offense last week. The Falcon offense struggled against an average defense. The Rams are much more potent on offense than the 49ers, though they didn't score too many points against the lowly Cardinals. The low score was the result of turnovers in the red zone. Atlanta is looking to break a 7 game losing streak to St. Louis, but it won't happen this week. Prediction: Rams.

Steelers @ Ravens
The Raven offense did next to nothing last week against the Browns, with their usually dominant running game completely stifled. More surprisingly, their usually dominant defense couldn't stop the underwhelming Brown offense. The Steelers showed life in their running game, against the presumably improved Raider run defense. Most importantly, the Steeler defense played a reasonable game, pressuring Gannon and getting sacks and interceptions. Prediction: Steelers.

Texans @ Lions
Houston's loss was one of those surprises I endured last week. I still don't really understand what happened. The Texans put up decent numbers passing and running. But they struggled to finish off drives, settling for field goals early on. Clearly their defense did not perform well. Detroit, even during the long road losing streak, played reasonably well at home. This game will be dominated by offense. Both offensive units appear decent and balanced. Given the Lion ability to play well at home and the Texan difficulty in finishing off drives, I will take the Lions. Prediction: Lions.

Bears @ Packers
We all know the Packers are tough at home. The Packers are tough period. Beating the Panthers is impressive, but the question marks I had about the team before the season are still there. The defense attacked the rebuilt Carolina line relentlessly, forcing the capable but still relatively inexperienced Delhomme to make bad throws. When the Packers didn't attack, the Panthers moved the ball effectively. So the Packer defense must still be viewed skeptically. Favre had a nondescript performance, so he still should be viewed as a legend in decline. Having said all that, they are facing the Bears. Prediction: Packers.

Broncos @ Jaquars
The Jags were expected to be a surprise team this year, but their offense struggled for 58 minutes against the Bills last week. The Jag defense did little against Buffalo's offense. Denver clicked on both sides of the ball. This one's easy. Prediction: Broncos.

Panthers @ Chiefs
We all know that KC has one of the top offenses in the NFL. The Panther defense just didn't look good against Green Bay, and it will be much harder to stop the Chiefs. The Panthers were especially vulnerable to Ahman Green's runs against the right side of the defensive line, a flaw I guarantee Priest Holmes will look to exploit. But, as mentioned above, the Panthers were able to muster decent offense when the Packer defense laid off the blitzes, and the Chief defense is still best described as "existent." So, in the end, this will be another offensive game, and it comes down to who has the better offense. Prediction: Chiefs.

49ers @ Saints
San Fran is just outmatched in this one. Their defense struggled against the Falcons. They will get shredded by the Saints superior offense. In the virgin hands of Ken Dorsey, the 49er offense will struggle just to get first downs. Prediction: Saints.

Redskins @ Giants
Washington looked pretty good in its opener, and the Giants looked pretty bad. The Skins were prepared, the Giants befuddled. The Skins played defense, the Giants did not. Prediction: Redskins.

Colts @ Titans
The game of the weekend. These are the teams likely to compete for the AFC South title again, and features a matchup of last year's co-MVPs. The Colts beat the Titans in both meetings last year, accounting for half of Tennessee's 4 losses. Both teams feature prolific offenses. Only Tennessee fields a quality defense. Based on that, one would expect the Titans to win. But Chris Brown, the new Titan running back, sprained his ankle last week. And, though he topped 100 yards rushing in the first half, half that total came on just one 52 yard run. Given that the Colts appear to have the Titans number lately, I'll go with them. Prediction: Colts.

Seahawks @ Bucs
A matchup between one of the top teams in the NFC, and the declining Bucs. Tampa's defense is a shadow of its former self and will have a very hard time slowing down the Seattle offense. Seattle's defense will have little trouble slowing down Tampa's offense. Prediction: Seahawks.

Browns @ Cowboys
Cleveland's win last week over Baltimore was the upset of the week, to me. OK, San Diego won, but they beat a team coming off a losing season. The Browns beat a playoff team. This week, they face another playoff team in Dallas. I was quite surprised at the efficiency of Dallas' offense last week. Who is the leading passer in the NFL so far, in terms of yardage? Vinny Testaverde! I think Cleveland was pumped last week to regain a little self-respect against the team that scorched them for 500 yards of rushing last season, and they did that. This week they come back to earth with a resounding thud. Prediction: Cowboys.

Patriots @ Cardinals
This week, the Pats go for consecutive win #17, and face one of the worst teams in the league. The Cards play well at home. Last season, they beat Green Bay and Minnesota in the desert. The Pats would do well to not take the game lightly. I doubt Bellichick would allow such a thing (these guys aren't the Vikings). Prediction: Patriots.

Bills @ Raiders
I expected much more from the Bills last week. Their defense played as expected, quite well. But their offense, with all the tools at their disposal, did nothing. I still think they have a shot at being a top tier team in the AFC, and the Raiders don't. The weak Oakland defense will give Buffalo offense the chance to get back on track. Prediction: Bills.

Jets @ Chargers
These are two teams I picked to lose last week, only to find myself in error. This looks like it could be a good offensive matchup. At running back, the great LaDainian Tomlinson against future Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, he of the 196 yards rushing last week. At QB, highly regarded Chad Pennington against the surprising Drew Brees, who is trying to salvage his career. Both defenses gave up a fairly high number of points. The Chargers will find a much more difficult opponent in the Jets than in the Texans, who have the maturity and experience to win. Prediction: Jets.

Dolphins @ Bengals
The Dolphins were as pathetic as expected last week. Though the Bengals lost last week, the Carson Palmer era got off to a fine start with the new QB going 18 of 27 for 248 yards, two touchdowns, and a QB rating of 105.2. Hats off to Palmer, who I expected to struggle early on. The Bengal running game got off to a strong start too. Their weakness is on defense, a surprise given Coach Lewis' background as a defensive coordinator. (Of course, Lewis got his start on the defense minded Ravens under Brian Billick, a former star offensive coordinator.) Against a pathetic (there's that word again) offense, it won't matter too much. Prediction: Bengals.

Vikings @ Eagles
Another good matchup for Monday night. Two teams with Super Bowl dreams, two teams with big, mobile quarterbacks (9 touchdowns last week between them) and an elite receiver. Two teams with questionable defense. This game will be a mega-shootout, with the win going to the team with the better offense. The Vikings just have too many weapons. Prediction: Vikings.

Last Week: 11-5
Season: 11-5