Week 2 NFL predictions

So I figure it would be fun to put my predictions for every NFL game down on here, give a little explanation why and see how I do on the season.

Arizona Cardinals vs Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons did not play like they wanted to last week against the Steelers. Atlanta looked lost on offense, despite the reports that RB Turner was in great shape and ready to play. I expect Atlanta to come out strong in their home opener and beat the Cardinals. Arizona won't be all that good of a team with Derek Anderson starting. Want proof that Kurt Warner is a first ballot Hall of Famer? Lets see how bad Arizona looks without him this year.

My Pick: Falcons over Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals - This game is really important for both teams for multiple reasons. Not only are they divisional rivals, but both teams have a lot to prove. The Bengals looked abysmal against the Patriots last week and need a strong game to get some confidence back. Remember all the talk about how the Bengals were gonna be a great team? Now it is time for them to prove it. The Ravens beat a good Jets team, and looked really good on defense. However on offense the Ravens did not look all that great, Joe Flacco needs a good game to prove that the Ravens are legit this year.

My Pick: Ravens over Bengals

Kansas City Chiefs vs Cleveland Browns - I don't know how many people would actually want to watch this game, but it is important for both teams to try and get a win. KC is a very young team on the rebuild and if they could win a second game in a row it would build their confidence up crazy high. Cleveland needs a win because the rest of their schedule is brutal and could have them looking at a 0-9 start to the season. Sorry Cleveland fans, the sport gods just don't seem to like you.

My pick: Chiefs over Browns


Dallas Cowboys vs Chicago Bears - Cowboys really need a win this week. They played flat against a Redskins team that is decent, but not good. Dallas has tons of talent on the team, but is having a hard time getting it to work as a team. The Bears have a really good defense, especially since they signed Julius Peppers, who is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. The Bears are planning on playing Peppers as a defensive end on both right and left sides. They are doing this to try and create confusion against a shaky Cowboys offensive line. If I were the Bears I would line up Peppers as a left defensive end more than I would a right, for the simple reason that the right tackle for the Cowboys is shaky at beast. He had the holding call that lost the game for Dallas last week. Peppers will rush QB Tony Romo and try and knock him out. However the Bears just are not a good team, and the Cowboys should be able to stifle the Bears offense.

My Pick: Cowboys over Bears

Philadelphia Eagles vs Detroit Lions - The return of Michael Vick is upon us! He will start for the first time since 2006 and expect him to play as hard as he has ever played in his career. Vick knows deep inside that he can still start in the NFL and he has something to prove to all NFL teams that may be looking for a new QB. Plus he has mentioned that the Eagles 'saved' him by signing him last year, now it is Vick's turn to 'save' the Eagles and give them a win. I think he will, he can still throw and run and Detroit is still rebuilding. I expect Vick to amaze us on Sunday and draw interest from some NFL teams for next year. Suddenly I am thinking that the 49ers ought to look at signing him next year, am I the only who doesn't think that Vick would be good in San Fran?

My Pick: Eagles over Detroit

Buffalo Bills vs Green Bay Packers - The Bills just seem to be struggling this year, and last year and the year before that and so on. Green Bay held off Vick and the Eagles last week, and Rodgers should be able to tear apart the Bills defense. Buffalo will be lucky if this isn't a complete blow-out.

My Pick: Packers over Bills

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Tennessee Titans - This game could go either way. The Steelers defense looks like they are back to their Superbowl form, however with Big Ben out, the offense will still be the question mark. Titans seem to play well when Vince Young starts. They started 0-6 last year, then finished 6-2 with Young starting. The Titans have one of the top two running backs in the game in Chris Johnson. He is crazy fast and surprisingly strong for his size. With QB Vince Young being a mobile quarterback as well, the Steelers defense will have to be disciplined if they want to contain the Titans offense. Even though the Steelers D is great, the offense looks pretty bad, and the Titans defense looks pretty good.

My Pick: Titans over Steelers

Miami Dolphins vs Minnesota Vikings - Miami is in a somewhat rebuilding stage, and the Vikings are going for it all this year, but that doesn't mean an upset can happen. Minnesota looked out of sync on monday against the Saints, and QB Brett Favre did not look like he was in regular season form. For Miami this is a huge game for them, this would build all sorts of confidence for QB Chad Henne

My Pick: Vikings over Dolphins, but its close

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers - This game may not matter a lot this season, but both teams are building for the future and this win could build some confidence as both teams try to become elite. The Bucs barely beat the Browns last week, and the Panthers kind of held up with the Giants last week. I expect the Panthers amazing running game to overwhelm the Bucs defense

My pick: Panthers over Bucs

Seattle Seahawks vs Denver Broncos - Seattle absolutely stunned the 49ers last week in a major upset, and the Broncos fell flat against the Jaguars. The Seahawks, led by by coach Pete Carrol, are out to prove that their week 1 win was not a fluke and that they can compete in the weak NFC West. The Broncos need to prove that they can compete in the NFL and are ready to challenge the Chargers for the AFC West title. If Denver does not give in to temptation and sits QB Tim Tebow, they will have a good shot at beating Seattle. Kyle Orton is really underrated and can help Denver win. However, I don't see Denver coach Josh McDaniels doing that.

My Pick: Seahawks upset the Broncos

St. Louis Rams vs Oakland Raiders - A match of teams that left the city of L.A. It won't be a good game to watch, as both teams are rebuilding, but I see Rams QB Sam Bradford having a hayday against the Raiders defense. Raiders QB Jason Campbell needs to have a good game to make sure the Raiders don't draft a QB in the first round next year.

My Pick: Rams over Raiders

New England Patriots vs New York Jets - The Patriots looked like Superbowl contenders against the Bengals last week, while the Jets looked like a team that is all bark and no bite. The Jets defense played well against a Ravens offense that is suppose to be good this year, but their offense was embarrassing. Sanchez was not good, the Jets could not run the ball or pass it. The Patriots defense isn't as good as the Ravens, but expect them to still give Sanchez some problems. Tom Brady said that he hates the Jets and Randy Moss is looking forward to going against CB Darrell Revis. I'd be surprised if the Jets offense turns on the jets and gets lights up the score board.

My Pick: Patriots over Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars vs San Diego Chargers - The Chargers are looking to rebound after they were embarrassed by the Chiefs in KC. The Jags beat the Broncos and are looking to go 2-0 on the year. Phillip Rivers looked pretty pissed off during mondays game, so expect him to come out firing. The Jags running game will be key in this. Expect Maurice Jones-Drew to play his heart out and try and will his team to a win. San Diego will need to control the ball to win the game, they finished towards the bottom in rushing last season and are using a rookie RB. Will be a tough and close game

My Pick: Jaguars upset the Chargers

Houston Texans vs Washington Redskins - The Redskins D looked great against Dallas, and the Texans running game decimated the Colts defense last week. The key to this game is how the Redskins defense can handle the potent Texans offense. Houston is coming off of a huge win against Indy, and don't expect them to hold anything back.

My Pick: Texans over Redskins

New York Giants vs Indianapolis Colts - The Manning Bowl II....honestly I don't care that the two QB's in this game are brothers, I think it is the media trying to hype up this game to get more people to watch. The Colts are in a must win game on sunday after getting embarrased by the Texans. The Giants want to win and put more pressure on the Cowboys in the divisional race. Expect the Colts running defense should be a lot better than it was last week, but still will be the key to the game for the Giants. The Giants run the ball a lot, and don't expect that to change at all on sunday. If the Giants defense can pressure Peyton Manning the Colts may be looking at their first 0-2 start since 1998(Peyton's rookie year)

My Pick: Giants upset the Colts

New Orleans Saints vs San Fransisco 49ers - The 49ers are coming off of a blow out against a team most people expected to be bad this year. There are also reports of a 'rat' in the 49ers organization, so the 49ers may be in a little bit of internal turmoil. Coach Singletary was lividly pissed after last weeks performance, and rightfully so. The 49ers should play better on Monday Night Football. The Saints did not look all that sharp, but they did manage to get a win. Expect Sean Peyton to get the team psyched up and ready to play. This will be a good game. Expect the Saints defense to blitz QB Alex Smith and force him to make some mistakes.

My Pick: Saints over 49ers.