There were some upsets in Week 1. As a result, I only went 10-6. Not bad, but certainly not as good as I was hoping for, either. And it could've been worse if not for those late field goals by the Patriots and Texans. Besides, 10-6 is still completely respectable while also leaving room for plenty of improvement throughout the season.
My survival league has also gotten a little too close for comfort. My Week 1 pick was Colts over Raiders. Indy only won by four, and that was only after Andrew Luck's late touchdown run. This week I went with Patriots over Jets. That one worked out too, but a three-point game is certainly much closer than anyone was expecting. A win's a win, though. Right? And hey, at least I'm already 1-0 this week. As for the rest of the games...
Rams (1-0) at Falcons (0-1): Atlanta-I've gotta say I'm impressed with the Rams. I think they've got an outside shot at the playoffs. Of course, they were playing Arizona, though. As for the Falcons, yes they lost. But losing to the Saints by just six points in New Orleans isn't a bad result. The Falcons are still one of the best teams in the NFC. Playing on their home turf for the first time since the NFC Championship Game, Atlanta goes back to looking like Atlanta.
Panthers (0-1) at Bills (0-1): Buffalo-Both of these two were heavy underdogs at home against playoff teams last week...and they both almost pulled it out. Considering they were starting a rookie quarterback and how badly the Patriots have owned them over the past decade, Buffalo's effort might've been a little more impressive. Not to take anything away from the Panthers, though. Limiting Seattle to 12 points and holding the lead for most of the game was pretty good, too. So, coming off of those two showings, I think this is going to be a pretty competitive contest between two equally-matched teams. But with the Buffalo weather and that unfamiliar setting to the Panthers, I'm going with the Bills.
Vikings (0-1) at Bears (1-0): Chicago-The Bears brought in Mark Trestman because they wanted the offense to be better. After Week 1, it's so far, so good. Nice win over the Bengals, a playoff team last season, last week. The Vikings played the Lions and got a 76-yard TD run from Adrian Peterson on their first play, then little else, not helping disprove my theory that Minnesota is AP and nothing else. And after this week, the Vikings will be 0-2 with a pair of road division losses.
Redskins (0-1) at Packers (0-1): Green Bay-One of the most anticipated games of the week brings RG3 and Co. into Lambeau in a matchup of division champions from last season. Not exactly the easiest start for the Packers after traveling to San Francisco in the opener. Even though they're coming off a trip to the West Coast, they still had the extra day to prepare. And, as the Redskins showed on Monday night, they're not as good if Griffin isn't capable of doing everything he can do. Aaron Rodgers still has all of his powers, so I'm taking Green Bay.
Dolphins (1-0) at Colts (1-0): Indianapolis-Andrew Luck is certainly establishing a little reputation for himself, isn't he? The Colts are never out of a game that's close in the fourth quarter. I think the Dolphins are in good shape with Ryan Tannehill, too. They looked really impressive in Cleveland last week. However, the Colts are a better team than the Browns and Andrew Luck's a much better quarterback than Brandon Weedon.
Cowboys (1-0) at Chiefs (1-0): Dallas-Before all the Cowboys get all excited about that season-opening win over the Giants, let me provide a reality check. The Giants turned the ball over six times and still almost won (if it had been only five turnovers, they probably would've). And Tony Romo took quite a shot in the second quarter. This week, the Cowboys hit the road to visit their old friend Andy Reid, who got his Chiefs career off to a winning start because he was given the gift of playing Jacksonville in Week 1. It'll be close, but I think Dallas wins this one. Not really sure why.
Chargers (0-1) at Eagles (1-0): Philadelphia-Neither team has the advantage in terms of rest here. They both played on Monday night. Except San Diego's flying cross country and playing a 1:00 game against an offense that's going to try to run about 100 plays. The high-flying Eagles were able to use their pace to tire out Washington. I suspect things won't be any different with an already-fatigued Chargers team.
Browns (0-1) at Ravens (0-1): Baltimore-The bad news for Baltimore: Peyton Manning was treating their defense like he was still at Tennessee and playing Eastern Kentucky, they've had 10 days to think about it, and they got the worst beatdown a defending Super Bowl champion has ever gotten in its opener to fall below .500 for the first time in John Harbaugh's tenure. Now for the good news: things probably can't get any worse, they're on extra rest going into their home opener, and said home opener is against Cleveland. Oh yeah, they get to raise a banner, too.
Titans (1-0) at Texans (1-0): Houston-Did anybody see that Titans win in Pittsburgh coming? Tennessee wins the award for most pleasant surprise of Week 1. The Texans, meanwhile, escaped in San Diego on Monday night. They didn't play well, on the road, were down the entire game, yet still found a way to win. Even though it was just Week 1, that's the type of character-building win that Houston will be able to look back on later in the season. Since the Texans are much better than the Steelers, I don't see the Titans pulling off another road win this week.
Lions (1-0) at Cardinals (0-1): Arizona-When is Ndamukong Suh going to realize that he can't play the game like that? Whether or not he's actually a dirty player is irrelevant. The perception is that he is, and it's on him to either make adjustments or continue getting fined/suspended. Now that I've got that off my chest, Suh and his defensive buddies did a nice job stopping the Vikings' offense last week. Arizona lost in St. Louis, but already looks much more formidable than last year. And Bruce Arians' home debut should be a successful one.
Saints (1-0) at Buccaneers (0-1): New Orleans-How did the Bucs lose to the Jets last week? I saw the end of the game, so I know exactly how. I just still can't believe it. Talk about a stupid penalty! The Saints want to own the NFC South this year. While I'm not sure about that, a 2-0 start with a pair of division wins, including one over Atlanta, will go a long way towards at least a playoff berth.
Jaguars (0-1) at Raiders (0-1): Oakland-Thanks, NFL. Fortunately for everyone in the nation that doesn't live in the Bay Area or Northeastern Florida, the rest of the country gets the Manning Bowl. The loser gets the inside track in the Jadaveon Clowney Sweepstakes. And seeing as Jacksonville managed only a measly safety in Week 1, I'm not overly optimistic about what the Jaguars' offense will be able to do on the road.
Broncos (1-0) at Giants (0-1): Denver-Manning Bowl III. Peyton had a pretty good game last week, huh? Eli? Not so much. The Giants can ill-afford an 0-2 start, but that's what they're staring at after losing last week. And the running game is a mess. That's why Brandon Jacobs, who immediately steps back into the starting role, was brought back during the week. Despite six turnovers and that Dallas pass rush, Eli almost won last week. Except Denver's defense is better than Dallas's. And they're on extra rest. And Big Brother isn't Tony Romo. Not to mention the fact that the Broncos' confidence is, pardon the pun, a mile high right now. Peyton's 2-0 all-time against Eli. Make that 3-0.
49ers (1-0) at Seahawks (1-0): Seattle-Undercover cops are dressing as 49ers fans and sitting in the stands to hopefully keep the crowd from getting too crazy. So it is with the NFL's new big rivalry. You've got two of the best teams in the league playing a Week 2 game that could have major implications on the division race. We all know what happened when they played on a Sunday night in Seattle last season. The Seahawks, in fact, went 8-0 at home in 2012, the only team in the NFL to do so. Seattle's a tough place to play, and an even tougher place to win. Until the Seahawks actually lose at Century Link Field, you'd have to be a fool to think they will.
Steelers (0-1) at Bengals (0-1): Pittsburgh-Was any team more disappointing last weekend than Pittsburgh? Did the Steelers offense think it was still the preseason? I'm much more willing to give the Bengals a pass for their loss because they played well against a good Bears team in Chicago. Common sense and logic both dictate that I should go with Cincinnati. Yet I'm taking the Steelers. Maybe it's because I've got Pirates fever.
Last Week: 10-6
This Week: 1-0
Season: 11-6
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