NFL 2011 Week 2 Predictions

Here are the Week 2 picks. Good luck!

Cards +3.5 over Skins, 21-20

-Yeah, I don’t trust Rex. Neither should you. The only reason it is close is because it is a West Coast team coming east for a 1am East Coast game.

Ravens -5.5 over Titans, 24-10

-Won’t be close. Ravens are just much better. This line is at least 2 points off, maybe 4.5. I think Chris Johnson is still held back a bit, and that just makes it worse. Ravens have a good track record against the Titans too. Ray Rice goes off again here.

Saints -6.5 over Bears, 34-21

-Bears played well but this is a home game for NO. The Bears don’t have Roy or Marion back, and Urlacher may not be all there emotionally. The Saints won’t start 0-2, and can outscore the Bears. They also are more efficient. Saints defense isn’t great but puts a decent game together.

Browns -1.5 over Colts, 24-10

-This will look worse on the field. Colts firmly established as the worst team in the league until proven otherwise. They don’t have much depth, and three of their four stars without Manning (Clark, Mathis, Freeney) don’t have much effect without him there. They can’t get leads and cannot exploit matchups. If the Browns don’t show up here all their backers should just give up. “Triple cover Reggie Wayne” is pretty much the game plan.

Packers -10.5 over Panthers, 37-13

-Also a game where the score will be bad but in actuality will be even worse. Cam Newton meets a real defense with a great secondary, and gets picked 3 times. Without Beason, it is even harder for the Panthers to contain the Pack, and they score early and often. Plus, Lambeau.

Jags +9.5 over Jets, 16-17

-Again, I am predicting a Jet win but opponent cover. Got that right last week, let’s see if it works out again. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jags win. Luke McCown was better than I expected, and the Jets do NOT look good. If they continue to think they are a throwing team, they will fail. The Jets can totally be a 10-6 team again, but they need to pound the run. I am not sure that they will.

Lions -9.5 over Chiefs, 27-14

-Lions are favored by 9 in a game?! The end of the world is coming soon my friends. But in all seriousness, the Lions looked good, the Chiefs didn’t. The Lions have their injured playmaker (Calvin) playing and the Chiefs (Eric Berry) have theirs getting an ACL repair surgery. This game is in Detroit, the Lions have a better QB, and the Detroit D-Line may destroy KC’s O-Line. Jamaal Charles can only do so much.

Buffalo -3 over Raiders, 31-10

-Raiders cannot score, and are a West Coast team coming East to play a 1pm game AFTER having just played a Monday Night game. Thus, it is also a short week for them. In addition, the Raiders still have Jason Campbell. This game screams: A. Bills drive for a quick TD. B. Campbell does something stupid and throws a pick 6. C. There is some weird fumble recovery/punt return mess up by the Raiders special team leading to another score. D. Al Davis fires Hue on the field for not stopping Jim Kelly from marching down the field on them.

-Eliminator pick!

Seattle +14.5 over Pittsburgh, 14-20

-Pittsburgh is winning this game, don’t get me wrong. The NFL schedule makers did them a huge favor here, as getting Seattle at Heinz is the best game to have after the Ravens fiasco. But, I think Seattle plays them tough, and Pittsburgh’s injury concerns start to add up. I would NOT take this as my Eliminator Pick. Could Pittsburgh win big? Yes. But odds are with the injuries and bad play, they should be happy with picking up a win.

Bucs +3.5 over Vikings, 21-17

-Getting points here is just awesome, and I see a Bucs victory anyways. The Viks offense cannot do anything. The Bucs actually played awesome after halftime last week, it just took them a while to wake up. The Vikings’ defense got old. Christian Ponder before or after week 8?

Cowboys -3 over San Fran, 31-13

-Yeah, this is called “overreaction to week 1 results”. I know it is in SF, but this isn’t 1989. Look at the rosters and tell me this isn’t a 6.5 line game masquerading as a 3 point one. Alex Smith. Tony Romo. Despite last week, the comparison here isn’t hard. Dallas needs this. If Dez doesn’t play, make it 27 points instead of 31 but still a clear win.

Houston -3 over Dolphins, 27-17

-Yeah, 3 points is not enough. The Dolphins treated last week like their Super Bowl and I think they used most of their new tricks up then. Houston has an improved defense and has now seen the new Chad Henne. Who covers Andre Johnson? Plus, Arian Foster is back. Texans should do well here, and all the worried Owen Daniels owners (raises hand) should celebrate because we all saw what the Pats TEs did last week….

Patriots -6.5 over Chargers, 38-31

-Reason 1. West Coast team coming to NE, even if it isn’t a 1pm game and also isn’t that cold yet.

-Reason 2. The Chargers mess up in September, taxes are collected, bad things happen after 2am, these are just truths in life.

-Reason 3. Because I want it to go over and man would 38-31 be an entertaining game.

-Reason 4. The Chargers have Norv Turner, the Patriots have Bill Belichick.

Not touching Cincy at Denver, that could get ugly. I smell a stupefying 10-6 game there.

The same with Philly-ATL. It might even go under too.

Ditto Giants and Rams, too many injured players, just stay away. If Bradford seems 100% and the line creeps over 7, grab the points. But otherwise, this is a no fly zone.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 7-5

Against the Spread: 7-5

Record this year:

Straight Up: 7-5

Against the Spread: 7-5

Record last year:

Straight Up: 138-55

Against the Spread: 112-92

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 263-138
Against the Spread: 219-183

BLISS