September 12, 2006
NFL Week 2 Predictions
September 12, 2006, 9:01 PM | 2 Comments
Note: Predictions for week 2 of the 2008 NFL season can be found here: NFL Week 2 Predictions.
Well, last week was definitely an exciting week of action, but I wasn’t too pleased by going 9-7 in my first week’s predictions. Week 1 of every season is always tough to predict, but this week I’m hoping to fare a little better.
Last week I was really surprised by a lot of teams, the Ravens and Jets in particular. Their strong performances may set the pace for a good season, or they may just be a flash in the pan. Week 2 may give us some sort of answer to those questions.
The Packers were humiliated on home turf last week, which really makes me worry about their chances for the rest of the season. If they lose this week, it would be a huge loss and incredibly demoralizing to their team. I hate to say it this early in the season, but if the Packers want to have a better season than last year, this Sunday’s game at Lambeau against the Saints is a ‘must’ win.
Anyways, on to my predictions for week 2. Also, here are this week’s ESPN Expert Picks.
| Away | Home | Comments | Pick | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bills(1-1) |  Dolphins(0-2) | The Dolphins lost a tough one in Pittsburgh last week, but I think will bounce back this week with a win after a 10 day rest. Surprisingly, the Bills made it close against the Patriots. | | |
 Panthers(0-2) |  Vikings(2-0) | The Vikings looked very solid against the Redskins on Monday. The acquisition of Steve Hutchinson has got to make Brad Johnson quite happy, as he had lots of time to find open receivers. | | |
 Browns(0-2) |  Bengals(2-0) | The Battle of Ohio should probably go to Cincinnati without too much trouble. | | |
 Lions(0-2) |  Bears(2-0) | The Bears showed me last week that they do in fact have the offense to compliment their stellar defense. | | |
 Texans(0-2) |  Colts(2-0) | The Colts can finally focus on playing football after putting the much hyped ‘Manning Bowl’ behind them. I don’t think the Texans have nearly enough offensive firepower to match the Colts. | | |
 Saints(2-0) |  Packers(0-2) | Last week was a solid debut for Reggie Bush and the 2006 Saints and a horrible debut for the Packers. If this game was in New Orleans and the Packers hadn’t been completely embarrassed last week, I’d pick the Saints for this game but I expect the Packers to come back with a win this week. If they don’t, they could be some good competition for Oakland for next year’s #1 draft pick. | | |
 Giants(1-1) |  Eagles(1-1) | Donte Stallworth looks to be an excellent last minute pick-up for the Eagles… interesting that his number (18) is the exact reverse of T.O.’s (81). The Giants hung in with the Colts pretty well on Sunday night, so I’ll take them to get the win in Philly. | | |
 Raiders(0-2) |  Ravens(2-0) | Wow. Who would’ve thought the Ravens would be that strong in week 1? Obviously their Defense did its job, but I wasn’t expecting the offense that Baltimore put up last week. This week they should have a fairly easy win over the Raiders. | | |
 Buccaneers(0-2) |  Falcons(2-0) | The Buccaneers were terrible last week. That’s all I can say. Atlanta got a big division win against the Panthers and Michael Vick looked pretty good. | | |
 Cardinals(1-1) |  Seahawks(2-0) | The addition of Deion Branch will be huge for Seattle. I’m expecting this game to be fairly close, but I’ll take the Seahawks in their home opener. | | |
 Rams(1-1) |  49ers(1-1) | Last week I was impressed by both of these teams who I picked to lose. San Francisco made it pretty tough for Arizona to get their win, and St. Louis really surprised me with their decisive win over Denver. | | |
 Chiefs(0-2) |  Broncos(1-1) | First off, hopefully Trent Green is OK, but losing him for any length of time is a huge blow to the Chiefs. Denver looked pretty bad against St. Louis last week, but they’re always tough at home and should be able to grab a win against K.C. | | |
 Patriots(2-0) |  Jets(1-1) | The Bills exposed a lot of holes in the Patriots last week, but the Pats proved again that they’re never out of it until it’s over. The Jets got a pretty good win, but let’s face it; Tennessee has a lot of work to do and the Patriots will be a much bigger challenge. | | |
 Titans(0-2) |  Chargers(2-0) | Last week the Chargers dominated the Raiders in Oakland. Once again, LT carried most of the load rushing for 131 yards and 4.23 yards per carry. Expect more of the same this week in San Diego. Note to the Titans: Play Vince Young. | | |
 Redskins(0-2) |  Cowboys(1-1) | On Monday night, the Redskins demonstrated why it’s important to have a solid kicking game and what can happen when you don’t have a good one. Dallas may have Mike Vanderjagt back this week, so they shouldn’t have any worries in that department. | | |
 Steelers(1-1) |  Jaguars(2-0) | Good job by Charlie Batch last week filling in for Ben Roethlisberger, but it was really the Steelers defense who stole the show making big plays at the right time. If they can keep playing like that, they’ll be tough to beat. | | |
Again, hopefully I’ll have a better week than last week. Check back after the games for updates.
Update: Well, I went 11-5 with my picks this week, which is better than last week’s 9-7, but not by much. Hopefully next week I’ll do even better. Running total so far: 20-12. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger looked really bad this week on Monday Night Football - more on that tomorrow.
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