NFL Week 2 Picks

Football on your phone for the Manning Bowl III

Week 1 was horrible in pretty much every way. I lost or pushed every pick I made against the spread. The Steelers stunk and my fantasy teams all lost. With that being said I'm still really happy football is back.
There are a bunch of interesting games today and a few surprising teams will fall to 0-2 today. Onto the picks...

Overall: 8-7    Spread: 0-3-1

Falcons 24, Rams 21 --- One team that would be a surprising 0-2 would be the Falcons, who lost to the Saints week 1. That's not a bad loss but a home loss to an up and coming Rams team would be. The Rams are a competitive team but if the Falcons want to be playing in January they probably don't want to dig themselves an 0-2 hole.

Bills 20, Panthers 17 --- BUF +3 The Panthers defense did play well against the Seahawks at home last week, allowing only 70 total rushing yards. However on offense Cam Newton only threw for 125 yards and the Panthers only scored seven points. The Bills almost upset the Patriots in week one in EJ Manuel's debut. He looked like he has a chance to make the Bills relevant in the future, a win against the Panthers would be a nice start to prove that.

Bears 31, Vikings 20 --- CHI -6 After one week I have jumped on the Bears bandwagon. I think they are going to challenge the Packers for the division crown. Jay Cutler looks good with Marc Trestman and the defense can still force turnovers, mostly because of Peanut Tillman. The Vikings on the other hand are what I thought they were. A one man team. If teams can shut down Adrian Peterson even a little bit, the Vikings are going to struggle to win games.

Packers 33, Redskins 28 --- WAS +7 One of these two playoff teams from last year will start 0-2. I think it will be the Redskins. Both teams kind of got hit by a buzz saw last week. One being Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers and the other being Chip Kelly's new high paced offense. RGIII did look better late in the game but that could have been the change in the Eagles defense. He didn't look ready for week 1 but if the Packers continue to have problems stopping the pass the Redskins might have a shot in this one.

Dolphins 26, Colts 24 --- I'm not too sure why I'm going with the Dolphins to pull off the upset. They beat the Brownies last week, which isn't as impressive as I thought it would be, but they did force three interceptions and had six sacks. I know Andrew Luck isn't Brandon Weeden but if the Phins can constantly pressure Luck they might force a turnover or two. Also, Mike Wallace only had one catch in week 1, I have a feeling he's due for at least one deep ball today.

Chiefs 27, Cowboys 23 --- The Chiefs played a minor league team in week 1, so I'm not too sure how good they are just yet. The Cowboys also had some good fortune in week 1 with the Giants turning the ball over six times. They held onto the win, which is big for a Cowboys team that normally finds ways to lose. I'll give the Chiefs the edge in their home opener but if the Cowboys win it wouldn't shock me.

Eagles 40, Chargers 30 --- The Chargers blew their game on Monday night against the Texans and now they get the new and improved Eagles on a short week. It could be very tough to slow down Shady McCoy all year long and as long as the rest of the Eagles stay healthy they should be able to win games like today.

Ravens 38, Browns 20 --- If the Ravens don't win this one in a blowout I'd be a little bit surprised. They are the kind of team that doesn't appreciate being disrespected, which has sort of happened because Peyton Manning made them look like a 4-12 team rather than the Super Bowl Champions. They have had a long week to prepare for the Brownies, who looked bad themselves. Ravens get the first win for the AFC North.

Texans 31, Titans 17 --- I'll give the Titans credit, they beat up on the Steelers. Sure everybody is going to be able to sack Big Ben this year and they aren't going to run the ball on anyone either but the Titans still held them to only seven offensive points on the road. Their defense has improved since the 2012 version. The Texans pulled out a win against the Chargers, which is a good sign. I think they win their home opener by two scores.

Cardinals 27, Lions 20 --- I'm not sure what I make of the Lions yet. They did beat the Vikings but they also shot themselves in the foot with penalties like normal. Ndamukong Suh has to be the dirtiest player of this generation but for some reason he doesn't think that he is. I feel like the Cardinals have a shot in this game because of Patrick Peterson and the Honey Badger. The Cards defense should be able to force a key turnover or two to get the win.

Bucs 34, Saints 30 --- Saints looked very good beating the Falcons at home, while the Bucs looked dreadful losing to the Jets. What does that mean? It means the Bucs will win today.

Raiders 28, Jaguars 9 --- Terrelle Pryor might be the real deal, or at least a QB that can make the Raiders competitive. He almost pulled the upset in Indy last week, so you would have to assume he can beat a minor league team in his home debut. Seriously, the Jaguars are horrific. I know they only lost one game but it wouldn't surprise if they went 1-15. I also didn't believe that a college team could compete with an NFL team but if Alabama played the Jaguars at a neutral site, it would be a close one.

Giants 27, Broncos 24 --- NYG +4 There is no way Peyton is throwing seven touchdowns again and I also think there is no way the Giants turn the ball over six times. So in what could be the final Manning Bowl, I think the Giants have a shot a pulling the upset. Don't get me wrong, I think the Broncos are the class of the AFC but I think the Giants are fighters and should have the heart to win today.

Seahawks 30, 49ers 27 --- Similar to the Broncos, I think the 49ers are the class of the NFC but nobody beats the Seahawks in Seattle. Last year they went 8-0, including a 42-13 win over the Niners. The Seahawks pulled out a tough win in Carolina, while Kaepernick looked unstoppable against the Packers. The difference in the first match up of NFC West heavyweights will be the 12th man in Seattle.

Steelers 24, Bengals 23 --- Yep. Nobody and I mean nobody is giving the Steelers a shot to win this game. But Mike Tomlin isn't going to let this team roll over and die after one bad loss and a bunch of key injuries. Monday Night Football in Cincinnati, the team that has been crowned the AFC North champs before playing one game. No way the Steelers don't play with some heart on Monday. James Harrison might kill Big Ben if he gets to him but oh well, Bruce Gradkowski will step in if he has too. I just got myself pumped up. 1-1 here we come.....but what's more likely to happen is the Bengals win by 10 points and the Steelers are tied in the cellar of the North with the Brownies.

P.S. I don't like to bet on Steeler games but +7 looks tempting. The Steelers are 10-1 in their last 11 games at Paul Brown Stadium and that loss was by three points in 2009.

Enjoy the games everybody.