Aaron Rodgers have gotten off to a rocky start to their season after a sloppy Week 1
win and an upset loss in Week 2. How will they respond this week?
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Last Week Michael Green went 12-4 in his selections.  How will he do this week?  To ruin the surprise a little, he did pick the Detroit Lions to win this week, so there is a good chance he gets at least one wrong. 
 
Cleveland Browns (0-2) at Baltimore Ravens (2-0)
 
The Cleveland Browns have surrendered 411 yards rushing in their first two games. Enter the Baltimore Ravens: a team that has gained 328 total rush yards in two contests.
 
Willis McGahee and Ray Rice will continue their ground assault in week 3 against a leaky Browns defensive front. With Joe Flacco's emergence at quarterback, Baltimore quietly owns one of the best offenses in the AFC. Surprisingly, it is the Ravens' defense that has been struggling after giving up 24 points in Week 1 and 26 points in Week 2. But there is too much talent on that side of the ball for those point totals to remain consistent throughout the year.
 
Meanwhile, the "Dawg Pound" may look into adopting a new football team if the Browns continue to tank in Cleveland. As usual, most of the finger pointing has been directed at the quarterback - this year it's Brady Quinn. But the Browns' defense looks like it is stuck on "rookie" mode in Madden. The Cleveland defense will need to hold the Ravens to under 21 points if they want any chance in this one.
 
Unfortunately, no signs point to that happening. Baltimore will regain their defensive magic at home and take control of this match-up early.
 
Predicted Winner: Baltimore Ravens
 
Green Bay Packers (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-2)
 
Marc Bulger confirmed last week against the Washington Redskins that he does, in fact, remember how to throw a touchdown pass. Unfortunately, the Rams were too overwhelmed by the excitement of that one play to score anymore points in the second half of their week 2 game.
 
Green Bay has also been disappointing on offense to start the season. A torrid preseason had many fans believing that the Packers would be one of the best offenses in the NFC. But this has not been the case with Aaron Rodgers completing only 56 percent of his passes through two games behind a struggling offensive line.  The Rams can be thrown against, so this will be a good opportunity for the Packers to remedy their aerial woes.
 
St. Louis showed some defensive grit last week holding Washington to three field goals. But that offense is still downright deplorable. It is inexcusable that Steve Spagnuolo does not find more ways to get Steven Jackson the ball. The St. Louis running back averaged 6.2 yards per carry last week, but was only handed the ball 17 times in a close contest. The Rams will need to score more than 7 points to beat the Packers and Jackson is their only shot at hitting that mark.
 
This will be a brown bag game for Rams fans. The Packers should be ashamed of themselves if they do not win this one by double digits.
 
Predicted Winner: Green Bay Packers

Atlanta Falcons (2-0) at New England Patriots (1-1)
 
Many fans are blaming Tom Brady's surgically repaired knee for his recent struggles. I am more inclined to blame it on his recent marriage. How is the man supposed to concentrate on football with a supermodel wondering around the house 24-7?!
 
But sports columnists should not begin writing obituaries for Tom Brady's glory days quite yet. The New York Jets are one of the toughest defenses in football this year and will make most quarterbacks look bad this season. New England's offense will perform better against the Atlanta Falcons, but may need to do so without the services of Wes Welker for a second straight week. With this in mind, Bill Belichick is likely to run the ball more frequently against a Falcons team that lost first-round pick Peria Jerry for the year to a knee injury last Sunday.
 
Through two games, the Falcons have shown why they are so lethal on offense. With Pro Bowl caliber players at all the skill positions, Atlanta forces opposing teams to pick their poison each week. This Sunday will be no different, as New England has shown weakness defending both the run and pass. It will be interesting to see how Matt Ryan handles his first game on the road to start his professional second season. He will need to be in top form for a potential Week 3 shootout.
 
This will be the marquee match-up Sunday. Ultimately, Tom Brady is not going to allow his team to fall to 1-2 in front of a home crowd. The Patriots will expose an inexperienced and depleted Atlanta defense in a narrow victory.
 
Predicted Winner: New England Patriots
 
Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
 
Heee's baaack! That's right Eagles fans, Kevin Kolb will actually be given another chance to start at quarterback if Donovan McNabb is still too injured to return this Sunday...Oh, and Michael Vick will also be eligible to play for the first time since he was arrested on dog fighting charges in 2007.
 
The Eagles are a gimpy mess right now with Donovan McNabb (rib), Brian Westbrook (ankle), and DeSean Jackson (groin) all dealing with injuries. Philadelphia will need to lean heavily on their defense against the Kansas City Chiefs if any of these three players are out. But the defense is also on shaky ground after surrendering 48 points to the New Orleans Saints last Sunday. They will have to rebound in a big way Week 3.
 
Luckily for the Eagles, good defensive efforts are not hard to come by against the Chiefs. They are to offense what William Hung is to singing. Matt Cassel's return to the field in Week 2 did not help matters. He will need to improve on his 1 touchdown, 2 interception performance to keep his team afloat. Running back Larry Johnson is also going to be a critical component of any plans to move the offense past mid-field.
 
If Philadelphia can ignore the PETA signs surrounding Lincoln Financial Field, they will beat the Chiefs - even with a second string offense. But they may have to do so by putting Michael Vick in the wildcat for 3 quarters.
 
Predicted Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
 
Tennessee Titans (0-2) at New York Jets (2-0)
 
Please note that the above records for the Jets and Titans are not typos. Tennessee has experienced two tough losses in as many weeks, while New York is quickly becoming an AFC darling after upsetting the New England Patriots.
 
Coach Jeff Fisher will have to find a way to navigate around an imposing Jets defense if his team's fortunes are to reverse. In order to do so, incendiary running back Chris Johnson will be asked to build on the 284 yards from scrimmage that his accumulated last week. On the other side of the ball, the defense will be looking to make Mark Sanchez look like a rookie for the first time in his NFL career.
 
The New York Jets feature a defense that will pose match-up problems for Tennessee.  Kris Jenkins leads a unit that is presently limiting teams to 241 totals yards per game, tops in the NFL. Offensively, Mark Sanchez and his 60.4 completion percentage are forcing defenses to respect the passing game in New York. Rex Ryan will once again institute a game plan that calls for efficient offense combined with vicious defense.
 
The Jets and Titans are two teams that rely on efficient quarterbacks, tough defense, and a solid running game. But New York is simply doing it better at this point in the season. The Titans will fight for their first win, but the Jets' defense will once again have the final say.
 
Predicted Winner: New York Jets
 
San Francisco 49ers (2-0) at Minnesota Vikings (2-0)
 
Two great run defenses going up against two elite runners. The Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers are both off to great starts because of their workhorse running backs. Adrian Peterson leads the NFL with 272 rushing yards, and Frank Gore is not too far behind with 237.
 
When the 49ers have the ball, Frank Gore versus the Williams Wall will be a key match-up. Given Minnesota's proficiency against the run, Shaun Hill will be asked to keep the defense honest by throwing down field more often than usual. Defensively, the 49ers enter this contest allowing an average of just 53.0 yards rushing over the last 2 weeks.
 
Containing Adrian Peterson will be a challenge for San Francisco's defense. The premier match-up when the Vikings have the ball will be Patrick Willis against Peterson. Willis will have the unenviable task of babysitting No. 28 while keeping an eye on Brett Favre. Favre has been able to get away with not testing his 39-year-old arm through two weeks, butt this will be the week that he grab the Bengay and lets loose.
 
Both Brad Childress and Mike Singletary will try to pound their opponents into the ground via the running game in this one. But Childress has Brett Favre as his ace in the hole. The game will be an old-fashioned slugfest with Minnesota emerging in the end.
 
Predicted Winner: Minnesota Vikings
 
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) at Houston Texans (1-1)
 
Houston managed to resurrect their offense last week in a big win over the Tennessee Titans. Contrastingly, Jacksonville barely managed to muster 2 touchdowns against a generous Arizona Cardinals defense.
 
The Jaguars surrendered 383 yards to the Arizona Cardinals last week. Tougher sledding lies ahead in Houston, where the Texans will look to make amends for their Week 1 debacle. Jacksonville will assign Maurice Jones-Drew with the task of shredding a Texans defense that gave up nearly 300 combined yards to Chris Johnson last week. On defense, Rashean Mathis will likely be the pour soul assigned to cover Andre Johnson at cornerback. He will have to keep the big plays to a minimum for the Jaguars.
 
Houston may have won their game last week, but they still have a lot of questions to answer. Mario Williams and the run defense need to take stock and figure out a plan for keeping rushers under 200 yards going forward. Also, coach Gary Kubiak is currently calling out Steve Slaton with good reason. The second year running back is averaging just 2.0 yards per carry and fumbling the ball to boot. On the plus side, Andre Johnson managed to light up Week 2 with 149 yards receiving and 2 touchdown catches. He will have similar success against a Jaguars defense giving up an average of 279.5 passing yards in two games.
 
Look for Houston to roll in this match-up as they face their softest defense to date. The combination of Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton will be too much for Jacksonville to stomach in the end.
 
Predicted Winner: Houston Texans
 
Washington Redskins (1-1) at Detroit Lions (0-2)
 
Predicting the winner of Detroit and Washington is like guessing who will emerge victorious on the new season of Rock of Love. Ultimately, there are no real winners and you feel like a horrible person for even watching the proceedings.
 
The Detroit Lions are going through a more awkward maturation process than that kid from Two and a Half Men. But they are getting better. Most fans will glaze over the fact that the Lions carried a 10-7 lead into halftime against Minnesota last week. With Julian Peterson and Larry Foote, the defense is much improved. On offense, Matthew Stafford needs to start getting the ball to Calvin "Megatron" Johnson by any means necessary. Doing so will be paramount to Detroit winning some time before the end of this decade.
 
It is becoming painfully apparent why Daniel Snyder desperately tried acquire Jay Cutler this past off season. Jason Campbell simply is not generating any offense for this team. In two games he has one touchdown pass and one interception. Due to Campbell's ineffectiveness, the Washington offense will lean on Clinton Portis to run against a porous Lions defensive front. But if the team falls behind early, the passing game will need to step it up.
 
Grab your airsickness bags Redskins fans, because this is a trap game. The Lions are desperate to squash any talk of another 0-16 season. Look for them to accomplish this against a struggling Washington Redskins team.
 
Predicted Winner: Detroit Lions
 
 
New York Giants (2-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2)
 
Fresh of a shellacking in Buffalo, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still reeling. But now they must face a New York team that recently enjoyed a big road win in Dallas.
 
The New York Giants managed to ruin homecoming for the Cowboys last week behind 330 yards passing from Eli Manning. Despite rushing for an uncharacteristically low 97 yards, the Giants left Dallas with a huge divisional victory. They will look to continue building momentum against a Bucs defense that is surrendering an average of 282 passing yards through two weeks. Steve Smith (not the one who punches his teammates in the face) is 3rd in the league with 214 receiving yards. He and Eli Manning will aim to connect early and often in this affair.
 
Tampa Bay needs to find consistency on both sides of the ball in order to compete with the Giants. With Justin Tuck likely to miss this week's game, Byron Leftwich and his cement feet will be able to relax a little more while throwing in the pocket. Leftwich will hope that starting receiver Antonio Bryant is able to comeback from a knee injury to help the cause this week. The Buccaneers will also seek a better stat line from Cadillac Williams, who only rushed for 9 yards against Buffalo in Week 2.
 
After an emotional win in Dallas, there is potential for a letdown with the New York Giants. But Tom Coughlin will make sure that the team does not go on vacation in Tampa Bay. The Giants will win handily against an over-matched Buccaneers squad.
 
Predicted Winner: New York Giants
 
Chicago Bears (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
 
Jay Cutler managed to bounce back from a nauseating season opener to defeat the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers last week. The similar fortunes were not to be had for the normal starting quarterback of the team Cutler faces this week.
 
Seattle may have lost Matt Hasselbeck for this game after Patrick Willis kindly delivered him a broken rib last Sunday. If Hasselbeck can't go, Seneca Wallace will take his place at the position. Wallace has 12 career starts and is a dual threat as both a runner and passer. But it will be the defense that needs to come up big if Seattle is going to fend off the Chicago Bears. Lofa Tatupu and rookie Aaron Curry will be counted on to apply pressure from the linebacker position. They will need to account for Jay Cutler's arm and Matt Forte's legs all game.
 
Despite his solid performance last week, Jay Cutler will still be out to prove that he can win on the road in a hostile environment at Seattle. The Bears will also count on running back Matt Forte to breakout of his early slump against a defense that gave up over 200 yards rushing last week. On defense, Chicago is still adjusting to life after Brian Urlacher. In his absence, linebacker Lance Briggs will be responsible for stepping up as a field general.
 
Even if Matt Hasselbeck plays, he will be far from 100 percent. Assuming the Bears can continue their offensive success on the road, they will be able to outscore the Seahawks in week 3.
 
Predicted Winner: Chicago Bears
 
New Orleans Saints (2-0) at Buffalo Bills (1-1)
 
At what point in this contest do you think Terrell Owens will march over to Saints' general manager Mickey Loomis and try to negotiate a trade for Drew Brees?
 
Brees is currently second in the NFL with 669 passing yards. That number figures to go up against a Bills pass defense that is currently ranked 31st in the NFL. With running back Mike Bell nursing a sprained MCL, the Saints will give a heavier workload to Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas this week. On defense, the Saints will have to clamp down in the secondary after surrendering 391 passing yards to Philadelphia last Sunday.
 
Buffalo's offense was in top form Week 2 in route to accumulating 438 yards of total offense. Similar numbers are possible against a weak Saints defense. Terrell Owens and Lee Evans will be active down the field, with running back Fred Jackson catching passes out of the backfield. Against New Orleans, it is always a war of offensive attrition. Quarterback Trent Edwards will be forced to keep up with Drew Brees if the Bills hope to win that battle.
 
The Bills will put up their share of points in this contest, but one missed offensive opportunity will be one too many against the high-powered Saints. New Orleans will take the victory as Drew Brees continues to mount another run at Dan Marino's single-season touchdown record.
 
Predicted Winner: New Orleans Saints
 
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)
 
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati enter this match-up more even than anticipated.
 
The Steelers showed how much the absence of Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu hurt last week as their defense was repeatedly burned over the top by Chicago. On offense, the Steelers are making a living through the air. Ben Roethlisberger has 584 yards passing through two games, while Santonio Holmes is 2nd in the NFL in receiving yardage. But Big Ben will feel some enormous pressure from a Cincinnati defense that leads the NFL in sacks with nine.
 
Cincinnati looked solid on their way to upsetting the Green Bay Packers last week. However, Carson Palmer's final numbers (185 yards and 2 interceptions) were unimpressive. Pittsburgh will not allow Cedric Benson to run over them like Green Bay did in Week 2. So Palmer will need to come up big in this game. The Bengals will also count on Antwan Odom, and his league-high 7 sacks, to pester Ben Roethlisberger all game.
 
Cincinnati's improved defense is going to give the Steelers trouble. But Pittsburgh will manage to pull this one out behind a balanced rushing attack and sturdy defense...Along with moral support from Troy Polamalu's hair.
 
Predicted Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
 
Miami Dolphins (0-2) at San Diego Chargers (1-1)
 
Both San Diego and Miami are coming off close losses and looking to rebound in week 3.
 
Miami is presently a league worst -5 in turnover differential. Ball control will be key as the Dolphins try to keep a dangerous Chargers offense off the field. Ronnie Brown rushed for 136 yards against Indianapolis last week. He and Ricky Williams will have similar success against a San Diego defense that recently lost star defensive tackle Jamal Williams for the season. On defense, Jason Taylor will need to use some of the moves he learned on Dancing with The Stars to keep Philip Rivers dancing in the pocket on Sunday.
 
How the Chargers attack the Dolphins in this match-up will depend on the health of LaDainian Tomlinson. If Tomlinson's ankle is healthy enough to play, the Chargers will feature a more balanced running and passing attack on offense. However, Tomlinson's absence would put Philip Rivers in a position to build on his league leading 688 passing yards. Either way, speedy backup running back Darren Sproles will be used frequently against a slower Miami defense.
 
The Chargers are primed to take this contest with or without LaDainian Tomlinson. The Dolphins' defense is shaky versus the passing attack and will be victimized by Philip Rivers as the Chargers dominate at home.
 
Predicted Winner: San Diego Chargers
 
Denver Broncos (2-0) at Oakland Raiders (1-1)
 
The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders are presently both ranked top 10 in points allowed through Week 2. My sources also confirm that hell has not frozen over as previously feared.
 
Denver's defensive resurgence is being led by newly acquired safety Brian Dawkins, whose six tackles and one recovered fumble helped spur a victory over Cleveland last week. Rookie running back Knowshon Moreno also made his first significant contribution in week 2, rushing for 75 yards and averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Moreno's role will continue to expand against the Raiders and he should be in for a big day. There is also no reason to believe the defense will falter against an anemic Raiders offense.
 
Another big off season acquisition, Richard Seymour, is paying enormous dividends for the Raiders' defense. Seymour will look to stymie a Denver rushing attack that has amassed 261 yards through two games. But the defense will need help from JaMarcus Russell and the offense this week. Russell still does not look worthy of the number one pick that the Raiders used on him in 2007. If Russell can force the defense to play back, running backs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush will find holes against the Broncos.
 
Both the Broncos and Raiders are overachieving at the moment. But the Broncos have the edge of both sides of the ball coming into this contest. They will play efficient offense with Kyle Orton under center and ride out of Oakland with a win.
 
Predicted Winner: Denver Broncos
 
Indianapolis Colts (2-0) at Arizona Cardinals (1-1)
 
There will be fireworks in the desert Sunday night when Indianapolis visits Arizona.
 
Peyton Manning is fresh off of a 303-yard passing performance against the Miami Dolphins. He will be targeting Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne against a defense that has given up over 200 yards passing to the likes of Shaun Hill and David Garrard. The Colts' defense has allowed the fewest passing yards in the league after two games, but will need to contend with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin in Arizona. The final outcome will be dependent on keeping those receivers at bay.
 
Arizona's offense found its stride in Week 2, gaining 383 yards of total offense. The team will be wise to use running backs Tim Hightower and Chris Wells more against a Colts defense that let Ronnie Brown eclipse the century mark for the Dolphins last week. Defensively, Arizona's aggressive pass rush will try to force Peyton Manning out of the same rhythm that helped him and his brother admirably compete against the Williams sister in the Oreo DSRL.
 
Turn your TV off if you like defensive slugfests, because this is going to be an exhibition of offense. Give the Colts the nod on the road because they have a secondary capable of slowing down the Cardinals' pass attack.
 
Predicted Winner: Indianapolis Colts
 
Carolina Panthers (0-2) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
 
The Cowboys get a second chance to win in their new home stadium while the Panthers are looking for any chance to regain their playoff form from last season.
 
Jake Delhomme managed to be more Dr. Jekyll than Mr. Hyde last week, throwing for over 300 yards in a losing effort. While the Panthers' offense seems to be on the right track, their defense has looked deplorable for the second straight week. Julius Peppers managed only two tackles in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. As a whole, the defense is surrendering 168.0 yards rushing a game.
 
The Cowboys are eyeballing that number after running for over 250 yards against the New York Giants last week. But Tony Romo caught a case of the Jake Delhomme blues and threw 3 interceptions against the Giants while Dallas sputtered in their home opener. Dallas will try to rebound this week by taking better care of the football. Hopefully they can accomplish this without Flozell Adams tripping anybody.
 
Jerry Jones may insight a fan riot if his team loses a second straight game in their new billion-dollar stadium. Frankly, Wade Phillips is way too scared of that crazy old man to let this happen.
 
Predicted Winner: Dallas Cowboys