September 14, 2005
NFL Week 2 Predictions
September 14, 2005, 7:30 PM | 0 Comments
Note: Predictions for week 2 of the 2008 NFL season can be found here: NFL Week 2 Predictions.
Wow, what a week it was in week one. So many questions. Are the Dolphins really that good, or are the Broncos really that bad? Is Chad Pennington ever going to be as good as he once was? Did the 49ers actually beat the Rams? What happened up in Minnesota? Are the Giants that good? Is Green Bay going to be able to bounce back after a tough loss, and the loss of star wide receiver Javon Walker?
Last week I had 9 correct predictions, which is fairly good for the always unpredictable opening week. I had more correct picks than most of the ESPN Experts, but was still behind Sean Salisbury. Hopefully I’ll rebound this week and get a few more correct predictions. On Sunday, a lot of those questions above will probably be answered. Take a look at this week’s ESPN picks.
On to my predictions for week 2:
Baltimore Ravens (0-1) at Tennessee Titans (0-1) - The Titans really don’t look good this year. That’s really all I’ll I can say about their game against Pittsburgh last week. The Ravens D is every bit as good as it’s ever been. Holding Peyton Manning and the Colts to only 3 points in the first half is quite an accomplishment. The question now is with their offense. Pick: Ravens.
Buffalo Bills (1-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) - So, was anyone else as surprised as I was that the Bucs beat the Vikings last week? Either the Vikings aren’t as good as their hyped up to be this year, or the Buccaneers are better than everyone thinks they’ll be. Buffalo looked quite good last week both on offense and on defense. The Bills really didn’t give Houston much of a chance. If the Bucs are as good as last week, this is a tough game to predict. Pick: Bills.
Detroit Lions (1-0) at Chicago Bears (0-1) - Last week the Lions beat the Packers, which made me mad. However, I will admit that the Lions do in fact look very good this year. With their offensive talent, they should be able to take on the better teams in the NFL. If their defense can do to other teams what they did to Green Bay last week, they’ll be a team to watch in the NFC. Pick: Lions.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (1-0) - I really have to say, the Colts defense looked really good on Sunday night. Dwight Freeney really stuck it to the Ravens. Peyton Manning looked like he usually does… the smartest player in the NFL. If I had to pick a second favourite team, I have said for the last few years that it would be the Colts. I really think the Colts will go that extra mile this year and make it to the big show. Pick: Colts.
Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) - Last week was a disaster for Dante Culpepper. When trying to prove to everyone that Randy Moss wont be missed in Minnesota and that he can carry this offense, it’s really hard to prove that point when you get intercepted 3 times and fumble the ball twice more. Look for Culpepper to make amends this week. The Bengals looked good last week, and what they need to do is get off to a great start to gain momentum for the season. I’m going to go out on a limb for this one. Pick: Bengals.
New England Patriots (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (0-1) - A rematch of the 2004 Superbowl. While I don’t expect a different outcome than Superbowl XXXVIII, I think this will be a very close game, possibly won by a last minute field goal. Last week the Patriots opened off their season with a big win over Oakland. Carolina lost an emotional game against the Saints, but played well. Pick: Patriots.
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Houston Texans (0-1) - Ben Roethlisberger has a perfect record as an NFL Starting QB. Don’t expect his first loss to come against Houston. Willie Parker had an amazing game running for 161 yards and a TD. This guy was their third string running back last year. Houston kind of got smothered by the Bills, and I think they’re a better team than they showed, but don’t expect them to prove it against Pittsburgh. Pick: Steelers.
San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Philladelphia Eagles (0-1) - In what was probably the shock of the week last week, the niners beat the Rams. That’s not a typo. It was a great way for the 49ers to start the season, but I don’t think that kind of success will continue. What’s lost on the fact that they won, is that going into the 4th quarter, the 49ers were up 28-12, and they won the game on a last ditch effort by St. Louis that was intercepted. Good for them for the ‘bend but not break’ victory, but they were up by 16 points with 15 minutes left in the game and almost let it slip away. They got the win, which is the most important statistic, but showed that their defense is vulnerable. Pick: Eagles.
Atlanta Falcons (0-0) at Seattle Seahawks (0-1) - Seattle got owned by the Jaguars. Rough day for Matt Hasselbeck. Atlanta came out of the starting gate strong, easily going up 14-0 on the Eagles in the 1st quarter. That was enough to win. This week, they’re facing a defense that isn’t nearly as strong as the Eagles. Watch out. Pick: Falcons.
St. Louis Rams (0-1) at Arizona Cardinals (0-1) - Not a terrible day for Warner last week. Larry Fitzgerald had 155 receiving yards and a TD (currently leads the league in receiving yards). The lone blemish on Warner’s game was that one interception. Arizona’s defense is the question, they allowed 42 points. Ouch. St. Louis losing to San Francisco was surprising, but maybe showed they’re not as good as I thought they’d be, we’ll see this week. I expect a close game. Pick: Cardinals.
Cleaveland Browns (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (0-1) - Losing Javon Walker for the season with a torn ACL is a huge loss for the Packers. They’re deep at wide receiver, but Walker was definately their star. Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson will really have to step up to account for Walker’s absence. A few bright spots from the game though. The Packers suspect defense held Detroit’s talented high-powered offense better than I expected they would. I think they showed a lot of potential and kept the Packers in the game until late in the 4th quarter. They’ve got to stop taking penalties though, it’s hard to win a game when you’re penalty yardage is greater than your rushing yardage. This week’s home opener will be an emotional affair, as the Packers are set to retire Reggie White’s #92 on Sunday. I think they’ll come out hungry and with a lot of last week’s miscues corrected. Pick: Packers.
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at New York Jets (0-1) - Last week, the Dolphins surprised everyone by beating the Broncos. If they pull off another upset this week by beating the Jets, I’m sure people will start looking at the Dolphins as a serious contender. The Jets looked awful last week, so I expect that they’ll come back strong. Pick: Jets.
San Diego Chargers (0-1) at Denver Broncos (0-1) - The Broncos really didn’t look good against the Dolphins last week. This is supposed to be a top 10 offense. The Chargers looked good in their loss to Dallas, and I think they’ll rebound this week. Pick: Chargers.
Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) at Oakland Raiders (0-1) - Wow. The Chiefs really stepped up their defense last week. Their offense is still amazing. The Raiders played really well against New England and I think they’ve got a great chance to make the playoffs this year. This game is going to be an offensive showcase, I think. Tough one to pick though, so I’ll take the home team, who don’t forget, had 3 extra days of rest this week because of last week’s early Thursday game. Pick: Raiders.
New Orleans Saints (1-0) at New York Giants (1-0) - What a game last week for both teams. This is actually a ‘home game’ for the saints that was moved to New York. If the giants can run the ball well again this week, expect them to pull out the victory. The Saints will still be riding high off last week’s win. Pick: Giants.
Washington Redskins (1-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-0) - Rivalry games are so much fun. Dallas played very well last week and shut down the Chargers in the dying moments of the game on 1st and Goal, 2nd and Goal, 3rd and Goal and yes… 4th and Goal. Washington’s defense stopped Chicago, which is good, but not overly impressive because Chicago’s 2nd stringer, Kyle Orton, was leading the offense. This guy has really just been thrown into the fire, and it’ll take a while for him to get acclimated. Pick: Cowboys.
Picks Summary
AWAY - HOME - PREDICTION - RESULT
Ravens - Titans - Ravens - Titans Χ
Bills - Buccaneers - Bills - Buccaneers Χ
Lions - Bears - Lions - Bears Χ
Jaguars - Colts - Colts - Colts √
Vikings - Bengals - Bengals - Bengals √
Patriots - Panthers - Patriots - Panthers Χ
Steelers - Texans - Steelers - Steelers √
49ers - Eagels - Eagles - Eagles √
Falcons - Seahawks - Falcons - Seahawks Χ
Rams - Cardinals - Cardinals - Rams Χ
Browns - Packers - Packers - Browns Χ
Dolphins - Jets - Jets - Jets √
Chargers - Broncos - Chargers - Broncos Χ
Chiefs - Raiders - Raiders - Chiefs Χ
Saints - Giants - Giants - Giants √
Redskins - Cowboys - Cowboys - Redskins Χ
UPDATE: Ouch, bad week for my picks. 6-10 is not good, Hopefully I’ll do better next week.
Running total: 15-17.
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