NFL: Week 2

The first weekend of the NFL, post-lockout, did not disappoint and why should week two be any different. I will miss the Bengals game and almost the entire day of football because of work, which may be the death of me, but nonetheless my predictions for week two in the NFL.

 
Week 2 Picks (Home team in CAPS)

BUFFALO over Oakland: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills were very impressive last week and the Raiders fly cross-country for a 1 o'clock kick, never ends well. Buffalo gets off to a surprising 2-0 start.

NEW ORLEANS over Chicago: The Bears will be playing with heavy hearts this Sunday. LB Brain Urlacher lost his mother this week and it's uncertain if he will play for not against New Orleans. Urlacher is not only their best defensive player, but the heart and soul of the team. If Urlacher plays, expect nothing but the best from him, but I still don't think it will be enough for the Bears to beat the Saints.

Cleveland over INDIANAPOLIS: Neither team looked very good last week. Cleveland was overcome by penalties and mental lapses, especially on defense, while Indianapolis looked lost without Peyton Manning. It's going to take more than two weeks to get use to life without number 18 and the Browns win on the road.

DETROIT over Kansas City: If the Lions are going to make the playoffs, this is the kind of game they need to win. Kansas City was awful last week against Buffalo and their woes continue in the Motor City.

Green Bay over CAROLINA: Cam Newton had a stellar first game as a pro, but it will be a different story this week with the defending Super Bowl champions coming to town. I like Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense to have a big day.

Baltimore over TENNESSEE: How can you pick against Baltimore after what they did to Pittsburgh last week? Good luck to Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans is all I have to say.

Tampa Bay over MINNESOTA: Donovon McNabb will hopefully pass for more than 39-yards this week, but still don't think it will be enough. The young Buccaneers, led by QB Josh Freeman, win a close one on the road.

NY JETS over Jacksonville: The Jets looked pretty good against the Cowboys, but some Tony Romo miscues did help them get the win. Either way, New York gets back to what won them football games last year, running the football and playing solid defense.

WASHINGTON over Arizona: Redskins QB Rex Grossman passed his first test against the NY Giants and he leads Washington to their second straight victory over QB Kevin Kolb and the Cardinals.

PITTSBURGH over Seattle: Pigs have a better chance of flying and hell has a better chance of freezing over, than the Steelers repeating their poor performance against the Ravens. Pittsburgh wins big at the "Big Ketchup Bottle."

Dallas over SAN FRANCISCO: Tough week one loss for Romo and the Cowboys against the Jets, but I think they rebound against an old rival in the 49ers.

Houston over MIAMI: If you have Matt Schaub and/or Andre Johnson are on your fantasy football team, you would be foolish not to start them this week. Tom Brady and the Patriots put up over 600-yards of offense against Miami, so the Texans should have no problem on offense either. Texans RB Arian Foster also returns after missing last week with a hamstring injury.

NEW ENGLAND over San Diego: After what the Patriots did Monday night, hard to pick against them, no matter who they are playing. This could be the first of two meeting between these two teams, as San Diego and New England could meet again in the playoffs.

Philadelphia over ATLANTA: QB Michael Vick returns to Atlanta for the first time as a starter Sunday. Vick was the man while he was a Falcon and I think he will receive a warm welcome from the Atlanta crowd. Vick wants to win this game, but you will never hear him say that. I look for Vick to feed off the energy at the Georgia Dome and lead the Eagles pass his old team.

NY GIANTS over St. Louis: Rams QB Sam Bradford and RB Steven Jackson both left with injures last week and Jackson may not play against the Giants. The Giants are also fighting injuries, with WR Hakeem Nicks questionable with a knee injury, and the defense still banged up after an injury filled preseason. I don't see the Giants starting the season 0-2 and Eli plays well enough to give New York the win on Monday night.

Cincinnati over DENVER: Believe it or not, but the Cincinnati Bengals could start the season 2-0. The only thing that stands in their way, a tough road test at Mile High in Denver. QB Andy Dalton was knocked out of last week's game, but he will start against the Broncos. RB Cedric Benson rushed for 121-yards last week in Cleveland and look for offensive coordinator Jay Gruden to run him a lot against a banned up Denver defense.

The Cincinnati defense played very well last week against Cleveland, holding power RB Peyton Hillis to just 57-yards on 17 carries and limiting the Browns to just 83-yards rushing for the game. Denver will be relying heavily on QB Kyle Orton and the passing game on Sunday as, RB Knowshon Moreno had just 22-yards on 8 carries last week and he is one of many Broncos questionable for this week's game.

WR Brandon Lloyd, CB Champ Bailey and LB Elvis Dumervil are all listed as questionable for Sunday's game with numerous injuries. Dumervil has the best chance to play, but Denver will be hard pressed to win without some of their best players suiting up. If the Bengals continue to run Cedric Benson and put Andy Dalton in good passing situations, the offense will put up points on a banged up and poor Denver defense. The Raiders were able to get to QB Kyle Orton last week with five sacks, and look for defensive ends Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson to be in the backfield a lot.

The Bengals haven't won in Denver since 1975, but that changes on Sunday. The Broncos have too many injuries up and with fans booing Kyle Orton and chanting for Tim Tebow, and putting up billboards in his support, things are could get a lot worse before they get better in Denver. Bengals 24-17.

Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 10-6