Week 2 NFL Picks

I’ll forget the numerous e-mails reminding me of my atrocious week one record (although I did warn readers not to bet on opening weekend games because of the large number of upsets that usually occur) but now it’s on to the real stuff for week two.

So, without further adieu, here goes nothing (unless you’ve got money on the line that is).

Oakland +8 At Baltimore
There is absolutely no way I’m going against the Ravens after their opening week demolition of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Besides, the Raiders couldn’t beat Ohio State at this point – and that is not, repeat, not, a joke. I feel bad for Art Shell, but it’s going to be a long season by the Bay.
Ravens 31 Raiders 3

Houston +13 At Indianapolis
The Texans could have had Reggie Bush running all over the field but instead they have Mario Williams who will not, repeat, not, lay one hand, on Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning. Take the Colts to roll big time.
Colts 35 Texans 14

Cleveland +10.5 at Cincinnati
Well, the Bengals rolled all over the Chiefs in week one and the Browns fell to the upstart New Orleans Saints, which tells me that the Browns may struggle to put points on the board, at least in the early going. The Bengals have one of the league’s best offenses and can seemingly score at will. So why am I wary of this line? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I know the fact that division rivalries can sometimes supercede the fact that one team is heads and shoulders above another. However, I’ll take Cincy to cover this big spread. The Bengals are going to score points all season long and if the Browns can’t match them, this game could be over in a hurry.
Bengals 31 Browns 14

Buffalo +7 At Miami
Let’s see, the Dolphins lost a game they had in their grasp at Pittsburgh and the Bills fought valiantly before falling to the Patriots. If last week had never happened, I’d say take the Fish easily, but this is a line the Bills could actually cover. Personally, this is a game I’d avoid with my own money like the Bubonic Plague. However, when push comes to shove, I say take Miami to rebound big time.
Dolphins 28 Bills 17

Detroit +8 At Chicago
The Bears are definitely the better team here. The question is, ‘are they eight points better?’ Hmmmm. Hell yeah!
Bears 31 Lions 10

Carolina -3 At Minnesota
This may be the most interesting game of the week. The Vikings are playing their home opener and are coming off a thrilling win over the Washington Redskins on Monday night while the Panthers are coming off a horrific loss to the Falcons in which they were thoroughly outplayed the entire contest. If I were betting money on this one, I’d bet the farm on the Vikings to cover, if not win outright.
Vikings 24 Panthers 14

NY Giants +3 At Philadelphia
I really like the Giants and the improvements they’ve made under head coach Tom Coughlin. It’s a shame they’re going to be leaving Philadelphia with an 0-2 record.
Eagles 24 Giants 17

Tampa Bay +6 At Atlanta
This is going to be another interesting game. The Falcons are coming off of a huge road win and will be playing in front of their home crowd and the Bucs looked god awful last week against the Baltimore Ravens. However, I don’t think they are as bad as they looked last week and will definitely cover the spread, if not win outright.
Falcons 21 Bucs 17

New Orleans PK At Green Bay
I hate to say it, but the Packers don’t look like they could beat the Sisters of the Blind at this point. It’s an unfortunate way for Brett Favre to end his stellar career, but it’s the reality nonetheless. Look for the Saints to move to 2-0 under Sean Payton.
Saints 28 Packers 24

St. Louis-3 At San Francisco
I honestly don’t know what to make of this game. I do know that if the same Rams defense that pulverized Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer last week, makes another appearance, the Niners Alex Smith could be in trouble. You know what they say about defense don’t you? Take the Rams minus the points for the outright win.
Rams 24 Niners 17

Arizona +7 At Seattle
Seattle’s offense should get a lot better this week against the Cardinals’ porous defense. However, I think the Cardinals have more than enough firepower to keep it close. I like the “new and improved” Cards to cover.
Seahawks 31 Cardinals 28

New England -6 At NY Jets
I don’t like this game a whole lot. The Patriots struggled big time last week against Buffalo, while the Jets may be better than advertised. I’ve got a feeling the Pats offense may really get it in gear this week, however, I wouldn’t be that surprised to see the Jets cover in this one. Cautiously take the Pats if you must, but be warned.
Patriots 27 Jets 17

Tennessee +11 At San Diego
If there Raiders weren’t so atrocious, I’d have a better gauge on exactly how good the Chargers really are. No matter. Although the Titans are certainly better than Oakland, I’m not sure if they can keep this game inside of two touchdowns – especially with Kerry Collins at quarterback. I’m taking the Chargers and their voracious defense to cover the high spread in this one.
Chargers 28 Titans 10

Kansas City +7 At Denver
The Chiefs’ defense is atrocious and their offense may not be much better this season, because of the loss of Al Saunders and the tinkering of new head coach, Herman Edwards. The only thing that makes me think they could possibly cover in this one is the fact that Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer is always prone to a performance like last week’s 3-pick, 2-fumble performance against the Rams.
However, I am going to take the Broncos to cover at home and if you saw K.C. backup quarterback Damon Huard last week, you’d know why. Huard looked like he belongs in a Pop Warner league somewhere.
Broncos 27 Chiefs 10

Washington +5.5 At Dallas
Both of these teams looked totally lackluster in losing their season openers last week. The Cowboys gave the Jags a win and Minnesota manhandled the Skins at home, which leads me to the conclusion that this will be another close divisional game that the home team should be able to pull out, unless Santana Moss goes wild again in the last two minutes like he did last season. Take the Skins to cover, but not win this one.
Cowboys 21 Redskins 17

Pittsburgh +3 At Jacksonville
This should be one of the best defensive games on the docket this week. However, I’ve got to take the Steelers because they just don’t beat themselves. If Jags quarterback Byron Leftwich doesn’t get rid of the ball quicker in this game, he could end up picking himself up off the ground a lot when the Steelers unleash their awesome blitz package.
Take Pittsburgh for the outright win – with the points. Whoopee!
Steelers 21 Jags 14