NFL Week 2 Picks And Preview
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Every week, Neon Tommy NFL analyst Mike Green predicts winners and breaks down the weekend's biggest games. Last week he was 9-7.
Here are his picks for Week 2.
The Big Three:
New England Patriots (1-0) at New York Jets (0-1)
After taking a series of “hard knocks” from the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, the Jets could be facing some additional turbulence when division rival New England comes to town.
The Jets’ 10-9 loss to Baltimore was more lopsided than the score indicated. Baltimore smacked New York in the mouth en route to gaining 106 more total yards on offense and not allowing the Jets into the end zone.
What is most worrisome for New York is that quarterback Mark Sanchez appears to have taken a step backward in his second year under center. The Ravens' secondary - without safety Ed Reed - was considered an area of weakness going into the primetime matchup but only surrendered 74 yards passing to Sanchez.
It’s time to hit the panic button if the former University of Southern California star cannot throw past the century mark against a New England secondary that would struggle to cover Timmy from South Park. New England surrendered 345 yards passing to Carson Palmer and the Bengals in Week 1 and did not receive much help from a defensive line that managed just one sack.
Fortunately for the Pats, Tom Brady appears to be back to MVP form in his second season removed from a serious knee injury. The offensive line also will not have to contend with Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee against Baltimore.
The Verdict: There is some HBO-worthy drama in East Rutherford right now with the Jets looking at a potential 0-2 start to the season. But look for the Jets’ defense to step up and prevent the Bronx from burning.
Predicted Winner: New York Jets
Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
The quality of Ray Lewis’ play at the age of 35 is almost as impressive as his ability to talk to bears. Ray Ray and the Ravens quickly asserted themselves as one of the top teams to beat in the AFC with a punishing win over the Jets last week.
The team enters a critical inter-division matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals that will test Baltimore’s pass defense. Receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco (a.k.a. Batman and Robin) proved to be quite the dynamic duo last week as they combined for over 200 receiving yards in a losing effort against New England.
Baltimore will certainly give Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer less time to throw in the pocket than the Patriots did in Week 1, when he was not sacked. But rookies Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham should combine with Gotham’s finest to provide the Ravens with some matchup problems.
When Baltimore has the ball, they will look to expose a Cincinnati rush defense that allowed the archaic Fred Taylor 5.1 yards per carry. That means Ray Rice should be a busy man in the Ravens backfield.
The Verdict: The Bengals will be able to expose Baltimore’s secondary for a couple of big plays in this one. But ultimately it will be Ray Day in Cincinnati as Lewis and the Ravens defense batter the Bengals into submission.
Predicted Winner: Baltimore Ravens
New York Giants (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Sibling rivalry takes center stage on Sunday night when the Manning brothers square off.
Little brother earned the Oreos last week when Eli Manning led the Giants to a 31-18 win over the Carolina Panthers. And although Peyton Manning led the league in passing yards for Week 1, the Colts’ defense didn’t give him a chance in a 34-24 loss to the Houston Texans.
Indianapolis almost let Arian Foster reach his 2009 season total of 257 yards in one game as he trampled the Colts for 231 yards rushing. As a unit, the Colts rush defense put up about as much resistance as Reggie Bush in the face of an NCAA bribe.
The Colts will need to shore things up against the Giants' backfield of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs -- the two combined for 120 yards rushing to open the season. Indianapolis will also have to adjust their secondary after losing brittle safety Bob Sanders for an indefinite period of time due to a torn biceps tendon.
For the Giants, limiting the mistakes that plagued them last Sunday will be key. New York cannot afford to turn the ball over four times again if the team hopes to hang with the Colts’ offense.
The Verdict: The elder Manning will walk away with noogie rights in this matchup. After a difficult opener, the Colts will make the necessary adjustments on defense and take advantage of a suspect Giants secondary.
Predicted Winner: Indianapolis Colts
S.H.I.T. (Super Horrible Infinitely Terrible) Game of the Week:
St. Louis Rams (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-1)
It is rare that the McAfee Coliseum gets to host a game that is a bigger abomination than the stadium itself. Al Davis’ bedpan is filled with higher quality substance than this matchup.
The highlight of last week for the Rams had to be quarterback Sam Bradford’s arm not falling off after throwing the ball 55 times in his regular season debut. Coach Steve Spagnuolo could ruin the promising rookie’s career before the season is over if he keeps up the brilliant play calling.
That burning sensation the Raiders felt Monday morning was a direct result of Tennessee running back Chris Johnson torching them for 142 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The downside of not having JaMarcus Russell around anymore is that he tackles better than half of Oakland's defense.
Predicted Loser: St. Louis Rams
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Tennessee Titans (1-0)
Pittsburgh won a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons last week that was about as exciting as a Golden Girls reunion. After a big game last week, Chris Johnson appears on track for reaching his goal of 2,500 rushing yards for the season.
Predicted Winner: Tennessee Titans
Philadelphia Eagles (0-1) at Detroit Lions (0-1)
The Eagles are letting the dog off the leash this week, starting quarterback Michael Vick for the first time since he joined the team. Fans in Detroit are used to the threat of getting robbed on a frequent basis, just not in the way they were on Sunday (on an obscure officiating rule).
Predicted Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
Arizona Cardinals (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
Arizona quarterback Derek Anderson actually managed to play like a respectable NFL quarterback to open the season. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Atlanta has a player who could score points outside of kicker Matt Bryant.
Predicted Winner: Atlanta Falcons
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
Brett Favre looked more winded than James Gandolfini staring at a cheesecake by the end of last Thursday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints. After only putting up 15 points against the Buffalo Bills, Miami has to be worried about being able to score against a respectable defense.
Predicted Winner: Minnesota Vikings
Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-1)
Kansas City looked like they were being featured in a game of Madden with the number of big plays they made on Monday Night Football. The Browns, however, looked like they should have been featured in a USFL game when they took the field against Tampa Bay.
Predicted Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (0-1)
Josh Freeman looks to continue his promising play against another suspect defense in Carolina. His counterpart – Matt Moore – will simply be looking to dismiss the Jake Delhomme circa 2009 comparisons.
Predicted Winner: Carolina Panthers
Buffalo Bills (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (1-0)
Let’s see…the Bills can’t play defense and can’t score points. So basically Buffalo fans will be counting on the opposing team to come down with a nasty case of food poisoning each week. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Aaron Rodgers reportedly has an ironclad stomach.
Predicted Winner: Green Bay Packers
Chicago Bears (1-0) at Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
Jay Cutler and Matt Forte are off to promising starts but the Bears were barely able to pull off a win against a Lions team that won just two games last season. The Cowboys' offense looked like Frank the Tank after he took a tranquilizer dart to the neck in Old School when they played the Washington Redskins last week. The Bears' defense should offer more room for the Cowboys passing game.
Predicted Winner: Dallas Cowboys
Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at Denver Broncos (0-1)
Coach Pete Carroll led the Seahawks to an impressive 31-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in his coaching debut. The Broncos' offense appears to be missing Brandon Marshall. Some home cooking should help them this week.
Predicted Winner: Denver Broncos
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) at San Diego Chargers (0-1)
The San Diego Chargers are struggling to push the ball down field without the services of suspended/disgruntled receiver Vincent Jackson. Fortunately for the Chargers, they will face a Jacksonville defense that stops just short of offering valet service to the end zone for opposing offenses.
Predicted Winner: San Diego Chargers
Houston Texans (1-0) at Washington Redskins (1-0)
Arian Foster turned into Attila the Hun on the way to absolutely conquering the Indianapolis Colts' rush defense in Week 1. The Texans are going to be awfully tough to handle if the running game continues to roll against Washington.
Predicted Winner: Houston Texans
New Orleans Saints (1-0) at San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
We learned two things about the San Francisco 49ers last week: 1) Coach Mike Singletary is scared of rats, and 2) Alex Smith should never be asked to throw the ball 45 times in a game. The Saints tend to struggle on the road against physical teams like San Francisco but New Orleans' passing game will be too much for the 49ers to handle.
Predicted Winner: New Orleans Saints
To reach staff writer Michael Green, click here.
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