I had a weak week last...uh...week. I finished 8-8, but hey - at least my Lions won!
Anyway, here are my picks for Week Two:
Week Two NFL Schedule
Sunday, Sep. 18
Baltimore 0-1 at Tennessee 0-1 1:00 p.m.
Tennessee got thoroughly whipped last week by the Steelers. And Baltimore nearly got blanked against the Colts. I expect a tight, boring, and very low-scoring, game. Baltimore 13-3.
Buffalo 1-0 at Tampa Bay 1-0 1:00 p.m.
Both Buffalo and TB won pretty easily last week. I realize the Bucs are playing this one at home, and I may regret it later, but I gotta pick the Bills. Buffalo 24-20.
Detroit 1-0 at Chicago 0-1 1:00 p.m.
My beloved Lions are alone atop the NFC North at 1-0. Chicago lost a close one last week against the 'Skins. I gotta pick Detroit, but I think it'll be close. Lions 21-17.
Jacksonville 1-0 at Indianapolis 1-0 1:00 p.m.
This one is easy for me to pick. Colts 38-13.
Minnesota 0-1 at Cincinnati 1-0 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota only scored 13 points last week, leading some to question whether Culpepper can put points on the board without Randy Moss on the team. I think they can, especially against the Bengals. Vikings 27-17.
New England 1-0 at Carolina 0-1 1:00 p.m.
I had high hopes for Carolina this season, but they are about to start 0-2. Pats 24-10.
Pittsburgh 1-0 at Houston 0-1 1:00 p.m.
The Steelers will stumble this season, I am sure. But not this week. Pittsburgh 23-17.
San Francisco 1-0 at Philadelphia 0-1 1:00 p.m.
San Fran's victory last week came as a shock to me. But they cannot hope to start the season 2-0 by beating the defending NFC champs in Philly. Eagles 27-9.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Lono
my pick this week, the Pats. Don't even know who they are playing... but they seem the only lock these days after that painful week 1
2 - RJ
Pats are on the road against Carolina...
3 - visualsimplicity
I wouldn't be too keen on GB bouncing back with Javon Walker out for the season, but they do have a better chance playing at home I suppose.
As for Minny and Cincy, if anything, I think Cincy will light it up against Minny as opposed to the opposite (especially if TB, which is a team not really known for offense lit it up against them). Palmer and the 2 Johnsons will prove they're for real.
By the way, I think Carolina will pull off an upset.
4 - MCH
"The Steelers will stumble this season, I'm sure."
Bobby (RJ) Elliott
Look, Elliott, the Steelers are going to win more games than the Lions, and you can take that to the bank!!
5 - RJ
By "stumble" I simply mean that they cannot win 15 games this year.
Ten? Maybe. Playoffs? Maybe. Better record than the Lions? Maybe.
But will they go 15-1 again? No way!
14-2? Nope.
13-3? No chance.
12-4? Highly unlikely.
11-5? Possible, but I doubt it.
10-6 or 9-7 seems more realistic to me...
6 - Jewels
Tom Brady is HOT!!! I think I might have to start a blog about him next. hubba hubba!!! Grrrrrr.
7 - Bob A. Booey
But is he hotter than Bo Bice and the Bobba stud, Jewels?
I'm not doing scores, because that'll only add to the humiliation.
Here are my picks for winners -- I mostly agreed with RJ, which is probably bad news for me :)
Baltimore
Buffalo
Detroit
Indy
Minnesota
New England
Pitt
Philly
Atlanta
Arizona
Cleveland
Jets
San Diego
Oakland
New Orleans
Washington
That is all.
8 - Temple Stark
Good round up RJ.
I shall spend the usual two seconds making my picks. No, really, I do put some thought into this - a statemtn which will backfire after I do well in week one and tank in week 2.
Is McNabb playing for sure?
9 - RJ
"Is McNabb playing for sure?"
Does it matter? They're playing the friggin' 49er at home! ;-P
Seriously though, read this:
"Donovan McNabb returned to the practice field on Thursday afternoon, and while he remains on the team's injury report, there appears to be little doubt that he'll start at quarterback on Sunday when the Eagles open their home season against the 49ers."
10 - Temple Stark
After picking some underdogs last week because new coaches and new teams can surprise even the best, I'm going to play it a little closer to the chest this time around.
I was 10-6 last week and led the pack of y'all Hooters groupie wannabes.
So doing as well this week will be my goal. Having now put such a goal in writing I will fail miserably.
Sunday, Sep. 18
--- Baltimore 0-1 at Tennessee 0-1 1:00 p.m.
McNair plays for a little pride and they eke out the win 14-10. Both teams played better teams last week - Steelers / Colts - and this time they are better matched. Also Belichick blows up at the refs some point during the game. Tennessee 14-10.
--- Buffalo 1-0 at Tampa Bay 1-0 1:00 p.m.
Buffalo was hot last week. They'll continue to smoke despite expectations. Buffalo 10-6.
--- Detroit 1-0 at Chicago 0-1 1:00 p.m.
Da Bears feed of success. In other words they're very very hungry. Offense wasn't all there last week; but they know they're better than that. Bears 17-14.
--- Jacksonville 1-0 at Indianapolis 1-0 1:00 p.m.
Colts are good, but they falter a tad in today's game due to overconfidence. 24-21.
--- Minnesota 0-1 at Cincinnati 1-0 1:00 p.m.
A cold, ill wind will continue to blow for the Vikings. Minnesota only scored 13 points last week, leading some to question whether Culpepper can put points on the board without Randy Moss on the team. I think they can, especially against the Bengals. Vikings 27-17.
--- New England 1-0 at Carolina 0-1 1:00 p.m.
NE's good. Patriots 39-13.
--- Pittsburgh 1-0 at Houston 0-1 1:00 p.m.
Steelers good, though defense is lacklustre. 24-20
--- San Francisco 1-0 at Philadelphia 0-1 1:00 p.m.
Without Jeremiah Trotter, the Eagles took a nose dive last week they couldn't halt. This week the motivation is all Eagles with Terrell Owens back against his former hapless team, the 49ers. McNabb is questionable as of today, though my guess is he will likely play the first half and the second only if needed. 49ers will try and make it interesting, but it's IN Philly, so they won't. Eagles 24-17
--- Atlanta 1-0 at Seattle 0-1 4:05 p.m.
Seatte has a home field advantage big time on this one. Vick didn't look too sharp last week and against the noise of the crowd and the Seattle D, the battle of the birds of prey will result in a Seattle win. Seattle 24-13.
--- St. Louis 0-1 at Arizona 0-1 4:05 p.m.
Conversely, the Cardinals have no particular strong home advantage. They're still playing at ASU Sun Devil stadium and they willl go down against the Rams. As someone who wants to see the Cardinals do well, I'd like to see Kurt "No sack, but I got sacked" Warner do better than his - and his pocket protector defense's - stumbling performance and embarrassment they were last week. But they won't. Add to that, Warner was the Cardinals leading rusher last game - with 11 yards. Burn. Rams 35-14. (This despite witless Rams exec management and threatening newspaper columnists)
--- Cleveland 0-1 at Green Bay 0-1 4:15 p.m.
Favre is the new Kurt Warner. God, but he looked like a POS last week. Still they'd have to try real hard to lose this one. Packers 27-9.
--- Miami 1-0 at N.Y. Jets 0-1 4:15 p.m.
Miami will win again when Ricky Williams returns. Nothing special about this game. Jets 13-6.
--- San Diego 0-1 at Denver 0-1 4:15 p.m.
While SD's, RB LaDainian Tomlinson was a marvel last week, we can only 50-50 expect him to do as well in week two. And he's about all the team had. Denver at home, at altitude, will do fine and stop the bleeding. 27-17
-- Kansas City 1-0 at Oakland 0-1 8:30 p.m.
A rolling defense gathers no Moss. Chiefs played well last week and will be one of those "how did they do that teams this season. They'll be pumped but, at home, the Raiders will rage in a satisfying 38-31 overtime win. Oakland 38-31.
Monday, Sep. 19
Money-raising time for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. You've had a paycheck or two since you gave last. Chip in a little more somehow.
--- N.Y. Giants 1-0 at New Orleans 1-0 7:30 p.m.
The Giants are the away team in their own stadium. That's got to hurt, even if they are used to the experience. I anticpate very effective trash-talking from the Saints thought the pain will be eased by fans and a victory. Giants 17-14.
--- Washington 1-0 at Dallas 1-0 9:00 p.m.
Whew. A tough call. The rivalry and the legacy continue. Both teams surprised in different ways last week. Bledsoe was NFL player of the week with three TD passes and a resurgence. Maybe it's the heat. But the Skins have to prove they can score. If they couldn't do it against the Bears, they won't be able to here. Dallas 25-10.
(Also RJ you forgot to add this as a regualr series at BC, so i'll go ahead and do)
11 - RJ
"(Also RJ you forgot to add this as a regualr series at BC, so i'll go ahead and do)"
Oh, thanks TS. I don't even know how to do that... :-/
12 - visualsimplicity
--- Baltimore 0-1 at Tennessee 0-1 1:00 p.m.
McNair plays for a little pride and they eke out the win 14-10. Both teams played better teams last week - Steelers / Colts - and this time they are better matched. Also Belichick blows up at the refs some point during the game. Tennessee 14-10.
Wow, I know Belichick manages to get his defense to fly around everywhere on the field, but I didn't know that he would start showing up everywhere himself (at a Ravens/Titans game no less).
13 - RJ
Heh...I'm pretty sure he meant Brian Billick...
14 - visualsimplicity
Yeah I figured that, but it's more fun to poke fun.
Anyway, I'll throw in my picks and a bit of commentary too. I'm lazy to figure out scores though.
Baltimore at Tennessee
-The Titans got whooped last week, and even though Baltimore lost, I think the Colts had to fight for every point. Baltimore.
Buffalo at Tampa Bay
-This one is tough, TB showed that they are a better team than they were last year, but so is Buffalo. Plus, I never and still won't believe in Griese. Buffalo.
Detroit at Chicago
-Chicago has heart, but Detroit has talent. Detroit.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
-The Colts are a team of speed and at home, they're fast. Indianapolis.
Minnesota at Cincinnati
-Cincy's big 3 will be too much for Minny, especially since they no longer have a big 3 themselves. Cincinnati.
New England at Carolina
-I'll probably regret this, but I'm picking this as the upset of the week. Carolina.
Pittsburgh at Houston
-This is supposed to be a proving year for Carr, but he'll stumble here. Pittsburgh.
San Francisco at Philadelphia
-Too easy. PHiladelphia.
Atlanta at Seattle
-Vick proved to be too much for a superior team in the Eagles, it shouldn't be any different against a lesser team in the Seahawks. Atlanta.
St. Louis at Arizona
-The Greatest Show on Turf is just A Mediocre Show on Earth, and this one is in Arizona. Arizona.
Cleveland at Green Bay
-Losing Javon Walker has to hurt, but I can't go against Green Bay at home (although this hasn't really been true lately) when they have something to prove. Green Bay.
Miami at N.Y. Jets
-Miami had their big game already, they'll be brought back down to earth. N.Y. Jets.
San Diego at Denver
-Like Green Bay, I can't go against Denver at home when they have something to prove. Denver.
Kansas City at Oakland
-This will be a shoot out and Kansas City has the edge with the 2 headed monster at the RB position. Kansas City.
N.Y. Giants at New Orleans (although it's at NY)
-In the national spotlight in NY after a tragedy? I believe in storybook endings. New Orleans.
Washington at Dallas
-Dallas looks surprisingly good. Washington's defense looks good too though. If this weren't in Dallas, I'd go Washington, but it is. Dallas.
15 - MCH
"...Steelers...
Better record than the Lions? Maybe.
...13-3? No chance.
12-4? Highly unlikely.
11-5? Possible, but I doubt it..."
Bobby (RJ) Elliott
Better stick to mocking Max Cleland's dismemberments and making up excuses why you won't enlist, Bobby.
The Steelers are going to go 12-4 this year, while the Lions will finish at 8-8.
16 - pg
My picks you can count on them as i went 14-2 last week.
Baltimore
Tampa Bay
Chicago
Indianapolis
Minnesota
New England
Pittsburgh
Seattle
St. Louis
Green Bay
N.Y. Jets
San Diego
Kansas City
New Orleans
Washington
17 - Temple Stark
whhops. never really picked my vikings pic. I left it as RJ's.
Also, to be clear, I picked the Colts above.
My Minnesota at Cincinnati pick is Bengals 24-17
18 - rj
Some interesting scores early on...
The Bengals are crushing Minnesota 27-0 at halftime...
Jacksonville has shut down Indy's offense, and they are tied 0-0 at halftime...
The Steelers are destroying Houston 20-0 at halftime...
Philly is humiliating the 49ers 28-0 at halftime...
Tampa Bay leads the Bills 9-3 at halftime...
Tennessee is blanking the Ravens 13-0 at halftime...
Carolina leads New England 17-7 at halftime...
And Chicago is completely dismantling Detroit 31-6 at halftime...
Oy...
19 - rj
Final scores for the eight early games:
Chicago 38, Detroit 6
Carolina 27, NE 17
Indy 10, Jacksonville 3
Bengals 37, Vikings 8
Tampa Bay 19, Bills 3
Philly 42, 49ers 3
Steelers 27, Houston 7
Tennessee 25, Baltimore 10
So, I'm a weak 3-5 right now, with eight more games to go... :-/
20 - rj
Some quick thoughts on the early games:
- Only one of the eight games was close (8 points or less seperating the winning and losing teams)
- Only two of the eight losing teams managed to score 10 or more points
- The QBs played incredibly poorly for four of the eight losing teams (Det, Minn, Buff, SF)
21 - RJ
Five more final scores:
Seattle 21, Atlanta 18
Rams 17, Arizona 12
Denver 20, SD 17
Cleveland 26, GB 24
Jets 17, Dolphins 7
I am now officially 4-9, with three more games to go...
At least last week I was .500 ... this week I am certain to be UNDER .500 ...
:-/
22 - Matthew T. Sussman
I'm 5-8 this week but I still have a chance to pull even on the week.
11-18 on the season.
Just call me the Chris Berman of Blogcritics.
23 - RJ
Yeah, why is it that people who actually know a thing or two about the game end up looking like assholes with their picks...but some chick will come by without the slightest knowledge of the game and pick every winner? :-/
24 - RJ
I was taunted today - TAUNTED - by some 19-year old girl (who I work with) over my picks (which I had printed out and shown to her).
She doesn't know the difference between offsides and pass interference, and yet she picked more winners than me (or you)...
WTF? :-/
25 - Matthew T. Sussman
The "girl," in a fantasy league w/ me and my friends, has Daunte Culpepper starting this week.
If that's any consolation.