Week 1 in the NFL sure was something, wasn't it? I've gotta say, the Red Zone channel is awesome! I don't know how I lived without it. It sure was solace to be able to put on Red Zone and flip between every game instead of simply being stuck watching the Jets completely slaughter the Bills. (I also have to admit that I was confused after the Vikings kicked a field goal in overtime, but the game continued. I forgot they have the new overtime rules this season.) As for the picks front, I did awesome there, too. 13-3. Hopefully I'm able to keep it up. Week 2's already off to a good start. I hit with the Packers on Thursday night, bringing me to 14-3 on the season.
Chiefs (0-1) at Bills (0-1): Buffalo-Out of all 32 teams in the league, I'm not sure anybody looked worse in Week 1 than the Bills. I can't even begin to describe how terrible they looked against the Jets, and I highly doubt it's because of the Jets offense. Anyway, the Chiefs are a much better matchup for Buffalo, and the fact that the Bills are playing at home is certainly a plus, too. (For what it's worth, Kansas City didn't look that great against Atlanta, either.) I see both of these teams finishing 6-10. Since the game's in Buffalo, I'm going with the Bills.
Browns (0-1) at Bengals (0-1): Cincinnati-We all knew the Bengals weren't going to beat the Ravens, but they certainly put up a good fight for three quarters. I'm really impressed with the Browns' performance against the Eagles, too. Cleveland almost (and probably should've) won that game. These two teams don't like each other, which adds an element to the game. But the Bengals are better, which I think will be the difference.
Vikings (1-0) at Colts (0-1): Indianapolis-Minnesota's one of the worst teams in the league, yet could very realistically start 2-0. The Colts learned last week that life without Peyton might not necessarily be as wonderful as they think it's going to be. Brian Urlacher and the Bears made that clear. Everything in me tells me that Minnesota should win this game. But I have a feeling that the Colts will.
Raiders (0-1) at Dolphins (0-1): Miami-Another matchup of two bad teams. The Raiders were in the running for the Worst-Looking Team of Week 1 Award, but they didn't give up anywhere near as many touchdowns as the Bills, so the honor went to Buffalo. Miami, meanwhile, actually looked like a real NFL team at times against Houston. That, and the fact that Oakland's flying cross-country on a short week, is enough of a reason for me to take the Dolphins.
Cardinals (1-0) at Patriots (1-0): New England-Arizona at New England. I could get up on a soapbox and give you all the reasons why I think this game might be competitive, but who we kidding? It's the Patriots' home opener. They're not going to lose to the Cardinals.
Buccaneers (1-0) at Giants (0-1): Giants-I had a feeling about Tampa Bay last week and I turned out to be right. Now Greg Schiano returns to New Jersey to face a Giants team that it seems like hasn't played since the Super Bowl. That Wednesday night opener feels so long ago, which is a good thing. I barely remember them losing. (By the way, Wednesday-Sunday-Thursday, most screwed up early-season schedule job in NFL history). The Giants usually lose games like this, but after the loss to Dallas, then a week and a half off, I don't think they will. They'll acutally play like the Super Bowl champs this week, which is more than I can say about their Week 1 performance.
Ravens (1-0) at Eagles (1-0): Baltimore-Without question the game of the week. Philly didn't look great in its opener, but I give the Eagles a lot of credit for finding a way to beat the Browns. The score doesn't matter. All that matters is they're 1-0. The Ravens, however, were very impressive against Cincinnati. They've always been all about the defense, but Baltimore put up 44 points on Monday night! This might be the best team in the AFC. This should be a good one between two good teams. Baltimore's the better team, though. Even though they're on the road, I'm going with the Ravens.
Saints (0-1) at Panthers (0-1): New Orleans-OK, I didn't see the Saints getting pretty thoroughly destroyed by Robert Griffin III coming. That did reveal some of the questions I've been asking about New Orleans all along, though. I really do think the Saints will struggle to just get into the playoffs. Even though it's early, the Panthers probably feel like they need a win after dropping that game in Tampa last week. The Saints, though, have the firepower to outscore anybody. A substandard Carolina defense is a prime candidate to give up 40 to Drew Brees.
Texans (1-0) at Jaguars (0-1): Houston-I'll give the Jaguars credit. They almost won last week. Houston's the class of the AFC South, if not among the best teams among the entire AFC. They certainly showed why against the Dolphins in Week 1. In front of 20,000 fans against a bad Jacksonville team, I'd expect the Texans to again display why they're among the AFC's elite.
Redskins (1-0) at Rams (0-1): Washington-It's weird and I know it's only been one week, but I'm actually excited to watch the Redskins play now. As much as it pains me to say, Robert Griffin III certainly looks like the real deal. The Rams are also significantly better with Jeff Fisher as their coach. Suddenly, this matchup is no longer unwatchable. I'm going with Washington for one reason. The Rams play in a dome, just like New Orleans. We saw what he did in a dome against the Saints, so there's no reason to believe he won't do the same thing against St. Louis.
Cowboys (1-0) at Seahawks (0-1): Dallas-Again, it seems like forever since that Giants-Cowboys season opener. So, how much momentum can Dallas actually be carrying from a game that was 10 days ago? Especially since they have to make that difficult trip to the Pacific Northwest. Seattle gives off that impression that they'll scare, and probably even beat, a good team or two. Dallas won't be one of them.
Jets (1-0) at Steelers (0-1): Pittsburgh-The second part of the CBS doubleheader is just as yummy as Part I (Eagles-Ravens). I don't think the Jets are as good as the Bills made them look last week. Just like I don't believe the Steelers are as bad as Peyton Manning made them look. That was a difficult Week 1 assignment for the Steelers. This one is a lot more favorable for a Steelers team that needs to win in order to keep pace with Baltimore. (I know it sounds crazy to say that in Week 2, but you've gotta think Baltimore wins the AFC North if they start 2-0 and the Steelers start 0-2.) The last time the Jets visited Pittsburgh, they won. That's not going to happen this time. The Jets are welcomed back to reality with a Steelers victory.
Titans (0-1) at Chargers (1-0): San Diego-Even though they came away with a victory on Monday night, you know the Chargers have to be disappointed with their inability to get the ball in the end zone. Against teams that are better than the Raiders, that will be problematic. I still don't know what to make of the Titans. They didn't show me anything against the Patriots, but that might've only been because they were playing the Patriots. Regardless, this matchup's in San Diego, which gives the edge to the Chargers no matter how you slice it.
Lions (1-0) at 49ers (1-0): San Francisco-Detroit vs. San Francisco. If I'd told you three years ago that this would be a Week 2 Sunday night game, there's no way in hell you would've believed me. Yet here we are, with a matchup between two 2011 playoff teams. Who wasn't impressed with San Franicsco after they went into Green Bay and left with a victory? That Week 1 game might play a hand in who gets NFC home field in January. As for the Lions, they didn't play their best, but still pulled it out against the Rams, which is the mark of a good team. Of course, it was the 49ers that ended Detroit's undefeated run last season, and that game also had the infamous Jim Harbaugh-Jim Schwartz handshake, which I think the media cares more about than either coach. The Lions would love revenge for last season. I highly doubt they get it in the 49ers' home opener.
Broncos (1-0) at Falcons (1-0): Denver-Peyton hits the road for the first time as a Bronco after looking like the Peyton of old last week against Pittsburgh. (Memo to John Fox: don't screw around with huddles, let Peyton make it up as he goes along.) Fox used to coach against Atlanta twice a year when he was with the Panthers. The Falcons are very good, but I don't know if they can handle that combination. And lest we forget, Denver's also actually good now. This should be a fun game to watch, but, in the end, I'll take Peyton over Matt Ryan any day.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 13-3
Season: 14-3
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