Last week, I stated that I was hoping to start off the season with a good prediction record. I ended up going 7-9 last week, and I am actually pleased. Usually there are maybe one or two games that catch me by complete surprise each week. You can imagine how surprised I was, as well as many other football fans across the nation, when there were four big upsets.
First, we had the Dolphins absolutely hammer what appeared to be a pathetic Denver Broncos team. Then, the San Francisco 49ers, the worst team in football, beat the explosive offense of the St. Louis Rams without even using their future quarterback. The Carolina Panthers, projected to go to the Super Bowl by many, let the New Orleans Saints hang around and defeat them, losing Kris Jenkins in the process. Finally, the "new" Minnesota Vikings did not look impressive, mainly due to the poor play of Daunte Culpepper.
There were other surprises in Week 1, including the poor play from the New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals. Week 2 well help people realize which teams in the league are going to be contenders this year. A team like the Cleveland Browns were the talk of the league last year after beating Baltimore in Week 1, and were still the talk of the league later in the season - for the wrong reasons though. The same may happen for teams this year, and it all starts with a large amount of huge games this week.
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Red = Prediction).
Manning's Legacy Part 2Jacksonville Jaguars vs.
Indianapolis ColtsLast year, Manning threw for the most touchdowns in the history of the NFL. Manning only threw for two of them last week against the Baltimore Ravens, but he played smart football. The Jaguars may not be known as much as the Ravens are defensively, but they always play opposing offenses tough. That's one of the reasons the Jaguars were able to beat the Colts once last year.
Although you can't get too excited about the Colt's defensive performance against the Ravens, they looked solid. The Jaguars were able to showcase better offensive production last week than they had in 2004, but still aren't the type of team to get involved in a shootout. Manning will continue his domination over the league, whether he throws for one touchdown or five of them. Colts win at home, blowing it open near the end.
Promising RivalryKansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders
It always seems to be a good game when the Chiefs battle the Raiders. It hasn't been as exciting the past two years though since the Raiders have not had a lot of spark on their team. The Chiefs defensive struggles over the past two years showed signs of hopes last week when they dominated the New York Jets. Although the Raiders picked up a loss week one, they were heavy underdogs in facing a team that hadn't lost at Foxboro in a long time.
Kerry Collins already completely one big play to Randy Moss last week, and he'll be looking for more this week. A great match-up this week will be how the Raiders run defense does against Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes. Holmes and Johnson allowed the Chiefs to put the game away early last week, while the Raiders defense held Corey Dillon in check for most of the game. This should be a great game throughout, but the Chiefs running attack will get the better of the Raiders.
Super Bowl 38 All Over AgainNew England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers
This is the game that I'm looking forward to the most this week. Super Bowl 38 turned out to be a back and forth shootout between two highly defensive teams. This time, I expect this to be a low scoring game between two highly defensive teams. I would love to take the Panthers this week, but the Patriots don't lose often enough to go against them. It'll be a shame if the Panthers begin the season at 0-2, but they have the talent to rebound.
The loss of Kris Jenkins will hurt the Panthers, but they were able to work with the situation last year and will deal with it. Tom Brady just does not make a whole lot of mistakes on offense though, and will make precision passes at the right time. For Corey Dillon, it looks like he may have a second week with a low yards-per-carry average since the Panthers thrive in stopping rushers. Patriots win by a clutch field goal down the stretch.
Heading in Opposite DirectionsMinnesota Vikings vs.
Cincinnati BengalsUsually at the start of the season, the Bengals start off really slow while the Vikings look like the best team in football. That wasn't the story this year - at least in Week 1. Culpepper did not look good against the Buccaneers last week, but will be facing a less dangerous defense this week in the Bengals. Cincinnati's offense looked very sharp last week and will be another good test for the Vikings' defense that failed last week.
Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, and Rudi Johnson will have another impressive showing for their fans. I see the Vikings looking good in this game at first, but they will never establish a commanding lead. The Bengals trio of weapons will come through and win the game near the end.
And now, the rest of the week...
Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans
I actually thought that the Titans may be able to compete with Pittsburgh last week if their defense held Roethlisberger. Well, they couldn't hold Roethlisberger and they definitely couldn't stop Willie Parker in the running game. Jamal Lewis will run like crazy against the Titans this week, and Anthony Wright can throw as many passes as Big Ben did last week and have a good game. McNair wasn't able to move the offense effectively against Pittsburgh, and it doesn't get the slightest bit easier against Baltimore.
Detroit Lions vs.
Chicago BearsThe Lions were the only team that didn't lose last week, and they played like the best team in their division. The sad thing is, they didn't really play that well. While there defense did good, I blame Green Bay's lack of production more so on Green Bay rather than Detroit. Joey Harrington did not impress me, except for the fact that he didn't lose the game with a poor decision. This week, I'm taking the Bears in sort of an "upset" because I feel Harrington will lose the game - whether it be via an interception or a fumble.
San Francisco 49ers vs.
Philadelphia EaglesI expect the Eagles to make mince meat out of the 49ers this week. I hope too many 49ers fans didn't get their hopes up, because this could get downright embarrassing for them this week. McNabb will rebound from his lackluster performance against the Falcons and find Terrell Owens twice in the end zone, who will be happy to shove it in the face of his former team. The Eagles defense won't even give the 49ers offense a chance to get started. Eagles win convincingly.
Buffalo Bills vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I should have realized that the Buccaneers had a legitimate chance at contending this year. After all, they showed some positive flashes last year late in the season. I'm not so sure how the Bills will do on the road, but they have the tools to be a near complete football team. Defensively they are already set, and they do enough on offense. This could be another low scoring game this week, with Losman making one throw that counts to get a key touchdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans
It doesn't matter what the Steelers do in this game. They can play Roethlisberger for one play, the whole game, or not at all and still pick up the victory. The Steelers defense will continue to make plays, and will complete their second consecutive blowout. Willie Parker could be in line for another big game. I'd actually like to see Tommy Maddox play in this one, just to re-live some of the good moments he had a few years ago. Although against the Texans, he did get picked three times and lose the game last time.
St. Louis Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals
Mike Martz is going to take risks early in this game to jump on the board early in an attempt to avoid a poor start to the game like last week. For Kurt Warner on the Cardinals, this will be the second straight week where he faces his former team. While he didn't blow it last week, he didn't get the offensive production that he would've liked. The Rams may struggle again since they are on the road, but you'd have to believe they can get things going early.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks
Atlanta looked really good early on last week, but their offense didn't do anything for the rest of the game. Their defense will frustrate Seattle this week but Hasselbeck and his offense usually plays well at home. The Seahawks will stay competitive during this game, but Vick will find a way to get it done via his legs.
Miami Dolphins vs.
New York JetsLast week, the Dolphins looked like a dominating team when they beat the Broncos while the Jets looked sloppy against the Chiefs. Miami is a better team than they were last year, but will not beat the Jets this week. The Jets are basically the same team that made the playoffs last year and were simply caught off guard last week. Pennington will not fumble in this game, Coles will not drop two touchdowns, and Mike Nugent will make his first NFL field goal. All of that will lead to a Jets victory this time.
Cleveland Browns vs. Green Bay Packers
I still have faith in the Packers, but not his supporting cast. The loss of Javon Walker will be a huge one for the Packers offense. Green Bay's defense looked good last week, but let's get things straight. Green Bay is not a dominating defense in the least. The Browns showed last week that they can't come from behind with Trent Dilfer, but they can stay in the game if Favre can't find any help himself. Favre will throw a touchdown this week, but his heave-like passing will cost him later in the game.
San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
The Broncos will play better than they did last week, but it won't be enough to overcome the Chargers offense. With Antonio Gates returning, the Chargers will be able to take a commanding lead early on. Expect the Bronco fans to start booing as soon as Plummer and the rest of the team continue their struggles from last week.
New York Giants vs.
New Orleans Saints I'm not picking the Saints because they're playing at home, since this is really an extra home game for the Giants. The Saints began to erase their inconsistency at the end of last year and it carried over to Week 1 with a huge win over the Panthers. The Giants scored a ton of points last week and looked ok under Eli Manning. The Saints will be able to surprise everybody get better production from Deuce McAllister for the victory.
Washington Redskins vs.
Dallas CowboysThe Redskins defense was strong against the Bears and will play the Cowboys tough. Bledsoe's outstanding performance against the Chargers last week brings high hopes to the Cowboys' this year who will win a huge Monday Night game. Mark Brunell will play better for the Redskins than Patrick Ramsey did, but it won't be enough to win.
That's it for the predictions this week. Last week, I was stunned after my survivor pick of the week lost. It's better that it happened early on though, so that I can hopefully recuperate and build a new streak.
This week, I'm taking the Pittsburgh Steelers to defeat the Houston Texans. I know there is still a question mark at the quarterback position for Pittsburgh, but I think they can throw Randle El in there and get the win.
[b]Predictions Record to Date:[/b] 7-9
[b]Survivor Streak:[/b] Lost 1
Week 1 was full of surprises, maybe Week 2 will be full of consistency.
-Chris Pokorny