My 2022 NFL Picks (Week 2)

Well, last week was...not good!  I guess that's what happens when you forget about your picks until 12:30 in the morning when you're watching a tennis match!  Or maybe I can just blame it on Week 1 being Week 1, when you don't actually know who's good yet.  And at least I'm off to a good start in Week 2, getting the Chiefs-Chargers game right.  Now on to the rest of Week 2...

Thursday Night: Kansas City (Win)

Jets (0-1) at Browns (1-0): Cleveland-Of all the games I picked incorrectly last week, I was most disappointed to see Cleveland win.  As you know, I just have an uncomfortable feeling about the Browns and how everything went down with Baker Mayfield and DeShaun Watson, and I was sooo looking forward to Mayfield getting his revenge!  It didn't happen, obviously, and now Cleveland has a very realistic shot at starting 2-0.

Commanders (1-0) at Lions (0-1): Washington-Detroit is the favorite for the first time since Week 11 of 2020.  So clearly enough people were encouraged by their performance last week against Philadelphia.  Either that or they were left uninspired by the Commanders' win over Jacksonville.  Or maybe both.  Regardless, I think Washington is a better team than Detroit.  Thus, the Commanders are the pick.

Buccaneers (1-0) at Saints (1-0): New Orleans-As much as Tom Brady may own the Dallas Cowboys, the New Orleans Saints seem to be the one team that has his number.  Does that mean Tampa still won't win the NFC South?  Not necessarily.  But playing early in the season is certainly another thing working in the Saints' favor here.  I think they get this one.

Panthers (0-1) at Giants (1-0): Giants-How about that Brian Daboll!  He goes for the win, the Giants get the two-point conversion, and they start the season with a win for the first time in forever.  Now they play the Panthers, who I think they're better than.  Can the 1-0 Giants actually become the 2-0 Giants?  I'd actually be surprised if they don't.

Patriots (0-1) at Steelers (1-0): Pittsburgh-Mark my words, the Pittsburgh Steelers are gonna be a force to be reckoned with this season.  People aren't expecting a lot out of them, and I think that's the reason why they'll be formidable every week against whoever they play.  Tough start for the Patriots to have back-to-back road games in Weeks 1 & 2.  The good news is they finally get to play in Foxboro next week.  The bad news is they'll be 0-2 when they do.

Colts (0-0-1) at Jaguars (0-1): Jacksonville-For some reason, the Colts cannot beat the Jaguars.  Last season, they went into Jacksonville in Week 18 needing just a tie to make the playoffs...and lost!  It was something like their fifth straight loss in Jacksonville.  So why should I think this year would be any different?

Dolphins (1-0) at Ravens (1-0): Baltimore-Beating the Jets isn't exactly an indication of how good a team actually is.  Especially early in the season.  But I did like what I saw from the Ravens last week.  I also liked what I saw from the Dolphins, but how much of that can be attributed to their propensity to beat the Patriots in Miami?  I guess we'll find out this week.  About both teams.

Falcons (0-1) at Rams (0-1): Rams-The Rams are a better team than that opening night performance against Buffalo.  And they've been sitting on that loss for a looooonnnnng time.  So you know they really want to put on a good show in Week 2.  Playing the Falcons will certainly help with that.  Atlanta's not a good team.

Seahawks (1-0) at 49ers (0-1): San Francisco-Who had the Seahawks in sole possession of first place at any point this season?  Yet that's exactly where they are after being the only NFC West team to win last week.  Frankly, I expected San Francisco to be the one coming into this game with a 1-0 record, but they didn't look good at all against the Bears.  Maybe being at home will be the recipe for success.

Bengals (0-1) at Cowboys (0-1): Cincinnati-I know it was only one game, but I'm not feeling so good about my Cowboys Super Bowl pick right now.  They had absolutely no offense against Tampa Bay WITH Dak, so I really wonder how bad it's gonna be without him.  Sorry, but they're gonna have to show me.  That's why I'm going with the Bengals.

Texans (0-0-1) at Broncos (0-1): Denver-Your team spends all this money on Russell Wilson, has a makeable 4th-and-5 and, instead of going for it, you decide to attempt a 64-yard field goal?!  Sorry, Nathaniel Hackett, but being a rookie coach doesn't give you a pass for making such a rookie move.  It was dumb.  Plain and simple.  And the Broncos deserved to lose because of it.  Hopefully he actually tries to win the game this week.

Cardinals (0-1) at Raiders (0-1): Las Vegas-Arizona's performance was perhaps the most disappointing of anybody's last week.  They got blown out so badly, CBS switched off the game and went to Raiders-Chargers.  That game was only marginally better, but at least it was close.  Now the two of them meet each other.  Since the Cardinals need to show me something, especially on the road, I'm going Raiders.

Bears (1-0) at Packers (0-1): Green Bay-Maybe Aaron Rodgers should consider actually playing in the preseason.  Because the Packers keep treating Week 1 like it's a preseason game.  Of course, last year's Week 1 blowout loss to New Orleans didn't really seem to faze them on the way to their annual playoff loss.  And I doubt this year's Week 1 loss to Minnesota will have much of an effect either.

Titans (0-1) at Bills (1-0): Buffalo-There was perhaps no team more impressive in Week 1 than the Bills, who looked every bit like the Super Bowl favorite many say they are.  And that was against a really good Rams team!  Now it's their home opener against the Titans, who lost at home to the Giants.  Tennessee's still probably the favorite in the AFC South (where nobody won last week), but they're staring at an 0-2 start to the season.

Vikings (1-0) at Eagles (1-0): Philadelphia-Part II of the Monday night "doubleheader" (that isn't actually a doubleheader) sees Joe and Troy headed to Philadelphia.  That was a really solid performance by the Vikings last week.  Some might even argue it was one of the most impressive showings by anybody this side of Buffalo and Kansas City.  Unfortunately, I don't think it carries over against the Eagles.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 6-9-1 (I know...bad!)
Season: 7-9-1