Week 2 NFL Picks

Tweet I initially planned to do these sometime on Saturday, but that plan fell through and I am making the picks for week 2 of the NFL season on Sunday morning. On Thursday, my last-second pick of the Packers over the Bears turned out to be golden. Hopefully that carries over.

Arizona (+14) At New England

The Patriots open their season at home against a team with a weak secondary, a mediocre QB, and not much talent. Expect Tom Brady to put up huge numbers in this one in a blow out.

The pick: Patriots

Game of the week: Baltimore (+3) At Philadelphia

It might be a really bad sign for the Eagles that every person in North America is taking the Ravens in this game (with confidence). To be honest, I have no idea how they came up with this line. The Ravens routed a descent team, while the Eagles barely beat the Browns... the Browns! Perhaps Vegas thinks that the Eagles will actually run the ball more today and be effective doing it, or they are afraid of Vick having one of those games where he just beats a team by himself. Regardless, this week the Ravens send a message to the rest of the NFL.

The pick: Ravens

Cleveland (+7) At Cincinnati

The two teams that lost to the Eagles and Ravens last week! We get a chance to see if Cleveland is actually better than we think, and the Bengals worse. Don't count on it though.

The pick: Cincy

Houston (-6.5) At Jacksonville

AFC contender vs. AFC doormat. Houston has been making noise the past few seasons, and if they want people to take them seriously as contenders they need to brush teams like the Jaguars away convincingly. I think they are contenders and I think they show it by beating up on a much weaker team.

The pick: Houston

Kansas City (+3) At Buffalo

Neither team wants to start 0-2 (well, I don't think anyone actually wants to start off without a win in their first two games) but both teams will look at this as an opportunity to get a W.

The pick: Kansas City

Minnesota (-2.5) At Indianapolis

Andrew Luck should fare much better against a defense that isn't the Bears, but Adrian Peterson should run this Colts team ragged.

The pick: Vikings

Upset Special: New Orleans (-3) At Carolina

This game reminds us of how important coaching is in the NFL and we are treated to a variety of "Whats wrong with the Saints" stories all of next week. Cam Newton wins a fantasy football match-up by himself

The pick: Panthers

Oakland (-1.5) At Miami

A West-coast team travelling East to play a 1pm game in the blistering Miami conditions after having a shorter week to prepare? And Carson Palmer is involved? Take the Dolphins and the money.

The pick: Dolphins

Tampa Bay (+7.5) At New York Giants

Before the season started, I jumped on 16-1 odds on Tampa to win the division. Those odds are now down to 8-1 and I am picking Tampa to win outright today! Of course this means that Eli will tear them apart and make me regret ever typing this.

The pick: Tampa

Dallas (-3.5) At Seattle

Am I the only one who thought the Cowboys defense was really impressive in their season opening win over the Giants? This team might be a sleeper and we just don't see it yet. The Seattle home-field advantage is offset by virtue of the Cowboys getting an extra 3 days to prepare, having played their week 1 game on a Wednesday night.

The pick: Dallas

Washington (-3.5) At St. Louis

The RG3 Band-wagon really takes off after this game once everyone realizes that the Redskins are somehow 2-0.

The pick: Redskins

New York Jets (+4.5) At Pittsburgh Steelers

The team Tebow beat in the playoffs! But that will be about the only good thing going for the Jets this game. Expect a tough, defensive battle, with Pittsburgh shaking off the stink Peyton Manning put on them last week.

The pick: Steelers

Tennessee (+6.5) At San Diego

When you are not sure, take the points.

The pick: Titans

Detroit At San Francisco

Being a 49ers fan, I will abstain from picking their games as I will clearly be biased.

Monday Night Football: Denver (+3) At Atlanta

Peyton Manning gets to play in a dome. Conditions that he has dominated over the course of his career. The Broncos come up against a Falcons team that absolutely trashed the Chiefs in week 1 (on the road no less) and will be looking to establish a lead in their division. Personally, I am torn. I don't think that this Falcons team is legit, but I also have not seen Manning take a big hit yet. But then again, its a Monday night game on prime-time television, and we know Manning will deliver.

The pick: Broncos

Thursday night: 1-0

Overall Record: 1-0*

*Picks feature started in Week 2

Enjoy your football everyone!