NFL 2005 Week 2 Predictions

Oh well. I got off to another bad start last week with a miserable 7-9 performance (thanks a lot Philly). Last year started slow too. All I can do is keep plugging away. There were a lot of upsets, with supposedly lousy teams winning against supposedly superior opposition, and supposedly good teams laying eggs. One week should not redefine season expectations. As last year, I remind readers of New England's opening to the 2003 season when they got their butts kicked by the Bills. Since then, the Pats have gone 35-3 with two Super Bowl wins. So, don't get too discouraged if your Super Bowl favorite got whupped.

Onto this week...

Ravens @ Titans
As bad as the Raven offense is, the Titan defense is worse. They got destroyed by Pittsburgh, and the Ravens can run pretty well, too. Prediction: Ravens.

Lions @ Bears
The Bear offense is truly offensive. The Lions can at least move the ball. Prediction: Lions.

Vikings @ Bengals
The Viking Purple Pride showed its true colors last week with the Viking-sized egg laid at home against Tampa. Geesh. I thought they were supposed to be an offensive team. (As in having a good offense, not giving good offense.) Running the ball? A whopping 33 yards last week, next to last in the league. Total offense? 248 yards, 28th in the league. Everyone wants to rave that at least the defense played. They made some big plays, yes. But overall, they gave up 345 yards, 21st in the league. OK, better than the 28th place they had last year, but still not impressive. And this week, they face a much more potent offense in the Bengals. Now, who reading this really believes those offensive numbers are truly indicative of the Viking offense? Not I. The Vikings will step it up this week, in a shootout. This will be a week where having an improved defense, assuming it really is improved, will pay off for Minnesota. If the Bengals could play something of a semblance of defense, I would go with them. But the Viking D will be better than the Bengal D, so I have to go with them. Prediction: Vikings.

49ers @ Eagles
The Eagles were in disarray last week, but a visit from the first place 49ers is just what the doctor (Doc) ordered. Prediction: Eagles.

Bills @ Bucs
Both teams are coming off surprising victories. Both teams feature strong defenses, Buffalo's being the stronger. But the Bucs have the better offense. Their defense will frustrate the daylights out of Losman. Prediction: Bucs.

Jaguars @ Colts
The Jags last year pulled off quite the upset in beating the Colts in Indy, and they are a better team this year. The offense looked much more effective than they were last year. People are already hailing the new and improved Colt defense that nearly shut out the Ravens last week. If it had been just about any other team in the NFL, I might be impressed, but shutting out Baltimore is kind of like celebrating a routine play. For this game, the Colt offense is just too potent. Prediction: Colts.

Patriots @ Panthers
This is the first rematch of a recent Super Bowl between two good teams. (Patriots-Rams last year? Nah. Bucs-Raiders two years ago? Nah, both losing teams.) These teams played a great Super Bowl and I expect another great game this week. Once again the Panthers start the season losing a key player for the season. I can just imagine the groans in Charlotte. One of the prime selling points for Carolina as a Super Bowl favorite is their defensive line, one of the best in the league. Losing Jenkins is obviously a serious hit, as it was last year. But they fought through much worse last year. If any team other than New England can overcome a big injury hit, it's Carolina. For the Patriots, the move last week to a predominately 4-3 front was hailed by commentators as a sign of their flexibility. To me, it's the exact opposite. Last year, they could morph between a 3-4 and 4-3 at will, confusing the opposition and keeping them on their toes. With the loss of Bruschi and Johnson in the linebacker corps, the 3-4 is ineffective so a switch to it in a game is not a necessarily a good idea. Hence, their success last week in the 4-3 is a sign of less flexibility, not more. The Pats need to improve their running game. Last week, they were all about the pass. The Panthers need to eliminate the turnovers that killed them against the Saints. It's a tough game to pick. I think it will be one of the best early season games this year. When in doubt, go with the champs. Prediction: Patriots.

Steelers @ Texans
The last time these two teams met, Pittsburgh moved the ball up and down the field and the Texans could do next to nothing. I don't think they managed to muster 100 yards of offense, which I believe is a record for fewest yards in a win. Oh yeah, the Texans won. That shouldn't happen again. It was a fluke the first time. The Steeler offense looks great after some pre-season worries. The Texan defense will struggle to slow them down, and the offense will struggle against the always tough Steeler defense. Prediction: Steelers.

Rams @ Cardinals
Week 2 in the Warner nostalgia tour. The Cards did a lot of things well against the Giants, but they blew a lot of things too. Kick coverage, uh, the less said the better. (They played it like the less covered, the better.) The running game got nowhere. Warner did well, especially considering that without a running game, the Giant defense could play pass every down. The Ram defense will not cause so many problems for the Cards. The Rams, of course, are capable of putting up quite a bit of offense in any given week. But the Cardinal defense is better than commonly acknowledged. They played better last week than some will admit. Prediction: Cardinals.

Falcons @ Seahawks
Everyone is raving about the Falcons again. What I saw Monday is what I saw last year. They have a good defense and a good running game, but Vick is not much of a passer. He was throwing the ball all over the place, even when receivers were open, which they weren't often last year. But the defense was impressive, both up front with constant pressure on McNabb, and in the secondary. (Ed Donatell was the coordinator who took the blame for the Packer's infamous 4th and 26 play against the Eagles in the 2003 playoffs. Amazing what he do when he has a good roster of players to work with.) Seahawk QB Hasslebeck's big problem last week was interceptions, so facing a strong secondary cannot be very reassuring. Expect more of the same. Prediction: Falcons.

Dolphins @ Jets
Despite what I wrote at the beginning, about not reading too much into one game, I will say the Dolphin win was a wake-up call. They could be much better than people thought. (I said better. 7-9 would be better.) Not too many paid much attention to the acquisition of Frerotte and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan from the Vikings, but those could shape up to be big moves. Facing an already tough and now rejuvenated Miami defense that no longer has to totally carry the team, the struggling Jet offense will have problems. Prediction: Dolphins.

Browns @ Packers
Oh, this one should be exciting. As bad as the Packers are, the Browns are worse. Prediction: Packers.

Chargers @ Broncos
Antonio Gates will be back for the Chargers this week. That will open up the passing game, and in turn the Charger running game. The Broncos have a good history against Tomlinson, but that was with a different defensive front. Denver could do nothing offensively against the Dolphins (in fairness, a very good defense to face) in their worst opening day loss since before I was born. The Broncos don't have the defense to overcome so many Plummer mistakes. Prediction: Chargers.

Chiefs @ Raiders
What impressed me the most about the Raiders last week was their run defense. After being miserable the last two years, the defensive line held strong. I don't know if it's because they switched to a 4-3, to better utilize Warren Sapp, or because the defensive coordinator and half the starting line were with New England in 2003. But they played well. The secondary got ripped, though. The Chief offense looks as potent as ever, so Green should have a field day against that secondary. Combine that with an improved KC defense, and this becomes an easy pick. Prediction: Chiefs.

Giants @ Saints (@ Giants)
The Giants will play this away game in their home stadium. Both teams surprised last week, particularly the Saints in overcoming all the distractions to beat the heavily favored Panthers. But the emotions have to be taking a toll, so I do not expect anywhere near as good a performance this week. The Giants were inconsistent in their game against the Cardinals, though the score indicates a rout. They got big plays, particularly the two-fer in kick returns for touchdowns. Manning had big plays and threw for two TDs, but also two interceptions and had a completion percentage of less than 50%. He should have a better day against a weaker Saint defense. Prediction: Giants.

Redskins @ Cowboys
Remember, my prediction of a division title for Washington was predicated on the assumption that Ramsey would be the starter at QB. If Brunell takes over permanently, all bets are off. I still do not get Gibbs on this. Even in last week's game, Ramsey had better numbers than Brunell. Yes Brunell led the team to points whereas Ramsey did not, but field goals are not the thing to excite a coach. Well, he's the Hall of Famer, and I'm just me. Dallas looked good on both sides of the ball last week. Bledsoe throwing for 3 touchdowns? Wow. Prediction: Cowboys.

Last Week: 7-9
Season: 7-9