Picking Football Games, Week 2

Wow, the Giants sure know how to turn wins into losses!  It really is kinda impressive how they keep finding different ways to blow last-second leads.  That's also what makes them so frustrating to watch.  Because how many games have they lost like that in the past five seasons?

Anyway, I obviously got my Thursday night pick wrong.  I didn't have a great Week 1, either.  A respectable 10-6, but my record definitely would've been better if not for the finishes of the Raider and Bengal games.

This week seems pretty straightforward.  Virtually every game has a clear favorite.  But those also tend to be the weeks where we see some upsets.  Especially this early in the season, when we still don't really who's good and who isn't yet.

Thursday Night: Giants (Loss)

Bengals (1-0) at Bears (0-1): Chicago-Good news Bears fans, you're tied for first place!  How crazy is it that the entire NFC North lost last week?  One of those losses was to the Bengals, who became the first team in NFL history to tie the game with 0:00 left in regulation, then win it with 0:00 left in overtime.  Fortunately they made that field goal and we didn't get stuck with a Week 1 tie!  They've actually got a decent chance to make it 2-for-2 against the NFC North, but I think the Bears will pull it off in their home opener.

Texans (1-0) at Browns (0-1): Cleveland-I couldn't believe that stat they showed about the Browns last week.  They've only started the season 1-0 once since they rejoined the league in 1999!  Then I started to think about it and it made a little more sense.  They weren't good for a long time, and now that they are, they keep getting scheduled against other good teams so that there's a good TV matchup.  So, in a way, it does make sense.  And the likelihood of them falling to 0-2 doesn't seem very high against a Texans team they're better than.

Rams (1-0) at Colts (0-1): Rams-Matthew Stafford gets his first road test as Rams quarterback after leading them to a win in his team debut.  Which is something Carson Wentz couldn't do in his Colts debut.  Getting back-to-back home games to start the season should make you feel good about your schedule...but not when they're both against two of the better teams in the NFC.  Indy will end up dropping both.

Bills (0-1) at Dolphins (1-0): Buffalo-For some reason, Miami is New England's kryptonite.  Throughout the Patriots' 20-year run of dominance, the Dolphins were the one team that always played them close.  And, they were the only AFC East team to win last week, so they're in sole possession of first place right now!  It won't last for long, though.  Because the Bills will win this one.

Patriots (0-1) at Jets (0-1): New England-They usually play this one at the end of the season, so it's weird to see the Patriots as the opponent for the Jets' home opener.  It's even weirder to see New England with an 0-1 record after Week 1.  They actually didn't look horrible last week, though.  Whereas the Jets...well, they're the Jets.  New England gets its first victory of the year.

49ers (1-0) at Eagles (1-0): Philadelphia-Both of these teams put up a lot of points in Week 1.  Was it a sign that they have really good offenses or that they were playing opponents with really bad defenses?  I guess we'll find out this week.  Although, San Francisco suffered a bunch of injuries against the Lions, which I think will make a difference.  It's also their second straight 1:00 kickoff, which always seems to come into play for West Coast teams.

Raiders (1-0) at Steelers (1-0): Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh and Las Vegas had two of the more impressive Week 1 wins.  The Steelers went into Buffalo and really had their way with the Bills in the second half, while that Raiders comeback was really something else!  But now they have to travel to the Eastern time zone for an early game, which wouldn't be an easy task if they weren't coming off a short(er) week.  So I'm going with the Steelers in their home opener.

Saints (1-0) at Panthers (1-0): New Orleans-Was last week's dominant win over the Packers because of the New Orleans offense or the Green Bay defense?  Or both?  I guess we'll get some answers this week, as they take on a Panthers team that had no trouble with the Jets.  The Saints are not the Jets, however.  Things will be much more difficult this week for Sam Darnold and Co.

Broncos (1-0) at Jaguars (0-1): Denver-Trevor Lawrence wasn't actually that bad in his NFL debut.  Sure, he threw three interceptions, but he wasn't the reason the Jaguars lost.  They lost because they're the Jaguars.  The Broncos, meanwhile, were in control the entire time against the Giants.  And they've got a really good opportunity here to start the season with two wins before facing the Jets in their home opener.  Denver could easily be 3-0 when Baltimore comes to town in Week 4.

Vikings (0-1) at Cardinals (1-0): Arizona-If you can make a statement in Week 1, that's exactly what the Cardinals did against the Titans.  That win could end up proving to be important down the line, especially with how competitive the NFC West figures to be.  As for the Vikings, things could be worse.  That loss to the Bengals was tough, but they're technically in first place since the other three NFC North teams played other NFC teams.  They'll no longer technically be in first place after they fall to 0-2.

Cowboys (0-1) at Chargers (1-0): Chargers-Tough schedule for Dallas.  They start with the season-opening game on one end of the country, then have to go to the complete opposite side for their Week 2 contest.  They'll be rewarded after this with three straight home games, but you know they'd like to get this one so they can start that stretch at 1-1.  Unfortunately, I don't see it happening.  Not with the Chargers finally getting to play in front of their own fans for the first time since they were still in San Diego.  The Cowboys will obviously travel well.  They always do.  But it's nice to see the Chargers finally able to have an actual home field advantage again.

Titans (0-1) at Seahawks (1-0): Seattle-The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL.  There.  I said it.  And Russell Wilson is one of the best QBs in the league.  And now, they get to play in front of the 12th Man for the first time in two years.  Tough sailing for the Titans, who had all kinds of issues with the Cardinals last week and should have plenty more against Seattle.

Chiefs (1-0) at Ravens (0-1): Kansas City-Last year, they put this game on Monday night in Week 3 and the Chiefs came away with a 34-20 victory.  This time, they meet on Sunday night in Week 2, and Baltimore's really hungry for a win after that overtime loss to the Raiders.  The Chiefs typically shine in the national spotlight, though, which I expect them to do again here.  Baltimore will keep it close, but Kansas City is too strong.

Lions (0-1) at Packers (0-1): Green Bay-It's been a week, and I'm still in shock over how bad the Packers were last week.  I'm not shocked they lost to the Saints.  I am shocked about how they were so thoroughly dominated in a 38-3 rout.  They'll get a chance to rebound against a Lions team that gave up 41 points to San Francisco.  So, neither defense was exactly stellar in Week 1.  Which QB will have the better bounce back game?  Rodgers or Goff?  I'm saying Rodgers.

This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 10-7