NFL 2012: Week 2 Picks
Brandon Weeden, Michael Vick, Ryan Tannehill, Chris Johnson, the Saints defense and the Cincinnati Bengals. What is the one thing that all these players/teams have in common with my picks from last week, you ask? They all stunk.
There were a lot of impressive performances in the first week of the NFL season, like Peyton Manning picking apart the Steelers, RG3 and the Redskins dominating the Saints, the Ravens blowing out the Bengals, the Jets offensive explosion after a pitiful preseason, and much more...but man there were a lot of bad performances including my picks. 9-7 isn't the worst week of picks I've ever had, but not the start I was hoping for. My picks along with some other no so great performances deserve a, "C'mon Man!" Here are a few of them.
Quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and Michael Vick combined for eight interceptions in one of the worst displays of quarterback play you will ever see. Weeden was so bad in his first NFL game that his QBR, which is ESPN's quarterback rating system which rates quarterbacks on a scale of 1-100, was 1.2. Vick managed to get a 25.4, which is better than Weeden's, but still terrible. Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill didn't fare much better in his NFL debut either. Three interceptions resulted in a QBR of 3.1 for Tannehill. C'mon guys.
Titans' RB Chris Johnson had 11 carries for 4 yards, which is a whopping 0.4 yards per carry against the Patriots. Really? The Saints defense made Robert Griffin III look like Steve Young by giving up 40 points and 464-yds of offense to the rookie quarterback and the Redskins. And then we have the Bengals, this week's "C'mon Man" performance of the week.
Good thing the Bengals didn't embarrass themselves on national television again. Sarcasm. I don't know what it is with the professional sports teams in Cincinnati, but whenever they are on national television, it's an almost guaranteed debacle. Before getting to the negatives though, let's talk about a few positives.
First of all, it's only the first game of the season, so it's not time to push the panic button just yet. Second, I thought the offense played well at times in the first half and right after halftime getting the Bengals within four at 17-13. WR Andrew Hawkins was impressive setting career highs with eight receptions for 86-yds and RB BenJarvis Green-Ellis looked good in his first game in a Bengals uniform with 91-yds rushing and a touchdown.
However, the defense never got off the plane apparently and they had their clocks cleaned by Joe Flacco and the Baltimore offense. The only defensive lineman to get any pressure on Flacco whatsoever was Geno Atkins. LB Rey Maualuga spent more time on the ground than he did making tackles and the secondary had more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese. I knew the Bengals would be in for a tough game, but I never thought they would lose by 31 points. "C'mon Man!"
Good news is, the Cleveland Browns come to Paul Brown Stadium this week and I think the Bengals will rebound. Thoughts on that game and the rest of the week two matchups are next.
Week 2 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
GREEN BAY over Chicago: The Bears were very impressive in their season opener against the Colts, while the Packers were anything but impressive in their loss to the 49ers. As much as I liked what the Bears did last week, I don't see Green Bay losing back-to-back home games to start the season.
BUFFALO over Kansas City: I'll circle the wagon and take the Bills at home.
INDIANAPOLIS over Minnesota: Andrew Luck gets his first win as a starting quarterback in the NFL with a victory over the Vikings.
New Orleans over CAROLINA: Both teams had tough week one losses, but I think both Carolina and New Orleans will rebound and contend for the playoffs come December. Saints get back to .500 with a close win in Carolina against Cam Newton and the Panthers.
Houston over JACKSONVILLE: Houston won't have any problems this week against division rival Jacksonville.
Oakland over MIAMI: Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill struggled last week and his struggles will continue as the Raiders bring their talents to South Beach.
NEW ENGLAND over Arizona: A broken nose won't stop Tom Brady from lighting up the Cardinals in the Patriots home opener.
NY GIANTS over Tampa Bay: The defending Super Bowl champions turn things around after losing last week with a win over the Buccaneers.
Baltimore over PHILADELPHIA: Michael Vick and the Eagles have to play better than they did last week or they might suffer the same fate as the Bengals did on Monday night against the Ravens.
Washington over ST. LOUIS: RG3 continues to impress the rest of the league as the Redskins win back-to-back road games to start the season.
Dallas over SEATTLE: This has trap game written all over it for Dallas, as Seattle is a very tough place to play. However, I'll take the Cowboys up in the Pacific Northwest.
PITTSBURGH over NY Jets: Don't expect the Jets to put up 48 points again this week. The Steelers defense was picked apart by Peyton Manning in Denver and I would be surprised if Mark Sanchez does the same. Steelers get the win and shut down whatever wildcat plays Tim Tebow comes in to run as well.
SAN DIEGO over Tennessee: Titans QB Jake Locker is expected to play despite dislocating his non-throwing shoulder in last week's loss to the Patriots, but I'll still take Philip Rivers and the Chargers at home.
SAN FRANCISCO over Detroit: The final score of 30-22 was not indicative of just how dominating the 49ers were at Lambeau Field last week. San Francisco's defense shut down Rodgers and the Packers last week and they will do the same this week to Stafford, Megatron and the Lions offense out by the Bay.
Denver over ATLANTA: The Falcons looked really good last week, but how can you pick against the Broncos after what Peyton Manning did last week? I sure can't, that's for sure.
BENGALS over Browns: As bad as the Browns may have looked on offense last week, don't count them out in this one. The Bengals have a tendency to make no name players or rookies look like Hall of Famers, so if Browns QB Brandon Weeden comes out and looks like Dan Marino, I won't be terribly surprised.
However, I doubt this will happen for two reasons. First, Brandon Weeden and the Browns offense were abysmal last week against the Eagles. That was some of the worst football I've seen in quite some time and it's going to take longer than a week for Weeden and that offensive unit to figure it out. Second, the Bengals still have a lot of talent on their team and on paper they should beat the Browns.
Andy Dalton and the offense should have a lot more success against a good, but not great Browns defense. As for the defense, I'm sure it was a rough week in the film room and I look for a much improved performance from Mike Zimmer's guys on Sunday in the Battle of Ohio. Bengals 24, Browns 16.
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 9-7
There were a lot of impressive performances in the first week of the NFL season, like Peyton Manning picking apart the Steelers, RG3 and the Redskins dominating the Saints, the Ravens blowing out the Bengals, the Jets offensive explosion after a pitiful preseason, and much more...but man there were a lot of bad performances including my picks. 9-7 isn't the worst week of picks I've ever had, but not the start I was hoping for. My picks along with some other no so great performances deserve a, "C'mon Man!" Here are a few of them.
Quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and Michael Vick combined for eight interceptions in one of the worst displays of quarterback play you will ever see. Weeden was so bad in his first NFL game that his QBR, which is ESPN's quarterback rating system which rates quarterbacks on a scale of 1-100, was 1.2. Vick managed to get a 25.4, which is better than Weeden's, but still terrible. Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill didn't fare much better in his NFL debut either. Three interceptions resulted in a QBR of 3.1 for Tannehill. C'mon guys.
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| Andy Dalton and the Bengals had a rough go of it Monday night against the Ravens. (Rob Carr/Getty Images) |
Titans' RB Chris Johnson had 11 carries for 4 yards, which is a whopping 0.4 yards per carry against the Patriots. Really? The Saints defense made Robert Griffin III look like Steve Young by giving up 40 points and 464-yds of offense to the rookie quarterback and the Redskins. And then we have the Bengals, this week's "C'mon Man" performance of the week.
Good thing the Bengals didn't embarrass themselves on national television again. Sarcasm. I don't know what it is with the professional sports teams in Cincinnati, but whenever they are on national television, it's an almost guaranteed debacle. Before getting to the negatives though, let's talk about a few positives.
First of all, it's only the first game of the season, so it's not time to push the panic button just yet. Second, I thought the offense played well at times in the first half and right after halftime getting the Bengals within four at 17-13. WR Andrew Hawkins was impressive setting career highs with eight receptions for 86-yds and RB BenJarvis Green-Ellis looked good in his first game in a Bengals uniform with 91-yds rushing and a touchdown.
However, the defense never got off the plane apparently and they had their clocks cleaned by Joe Flacco and the Baltimore offense. The only defensive lineman to get any pressure on Flacco whatsoever was Geno Atkins. LB Rey Maualuga spent more time on the ground than he did making tackles and the secondary had more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese. I knew the Bengals would be in for a tough game, but I never thought they would lose by 31 points. "C'mon Man!"
Good news is, the Cleveland Browns come to Paul Brown Stadium this week and I think the Bengals will rebound. Thoughts on that game and the rest of the week two matchups are next.
Week 2 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
GREEN BAY over Chicago: The Bears were very impressive in their season opener against the Colts, while the Packers were anything but impressive in their loss to the 49ers. As much as I liked what the Bears did last week, I don't see Green Bay losing back-to-back home games to start the season.
BUFFALO over Kansas City: I'll circle the wagon and take the Bills at home.
INDIANAPOLIS over Minnesota: Andrew Luck gets his first win as a starting quarterback in the NFL with a victory over the Vikings.
New Orleans over CAROLINA: Both teams had tough week one losses, but I think both Carolina and New Orleans will rebound and contend for the playoffs come December. Saints get back to .500 with a close win in Carolina against Cam Newton and the Panthers.
Houston over JACKSONVILLE: Houston won't have any problems this week against division rival Jacksonville.
Oakland over MIAMI: Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill struggled last week and his struggles will continue as the Raiders bring their talents to South Beach.
NEW ENGLAND over Arizona: A broken nose won't stop Tom Brady from lighting up the Cardinals in the Patriots home opener.
NY GIANTS over Tampa Bay: The defending Super Bowl champions turn things around after losing last week with a win over the Buccaneers.
Baltimore over PHILADELPHIA: Michael Vick and the Eagles have to play better than they did last week or they might suffer the same fate as the Bengals did on Monday night against the Ravens.
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| RG3 sure didn't look like a rookie in his first NFL game. Can he and the Redskins keep in going in St. Louis? (US Presswire) |
Washington over ST. LOUIS: RG3 continues to impress the rest of the league as the Redskins win back-to-back road games to start the season.
Dallas over SEATTLE: This has trap game written all over it for Dallas, as Seattle is a very tough place to play. However, I'll take the Cowboys up in the Pacific Northwest.
PITTSBURGH over NY Jets: Don't expect the Jets to put up 48 points again this week. The Steelers defense was picked apart by Peyton Manning in Denver and I would be surprised if Mark Sanchez does the same. Steelers get the win and shut down whatever wildcat plays Tim Tebow comes in to run as well.
SAN DIEGO over Tennessee: Titans QB Jake Locker is expected to play despite dislocating his non-throwing shoulder in last week's loss to the Patriots, but I'll still take Philip Rivers and the Chargers at home.
SAN FRANCISCO over Detroit: The final score of 30-22 was not indicative of just how dominating the 49ers were at Lambeau Field last week. San Francisco's defense shut down Rodgers and the Packers last week and they will do the same this week to Stafford, Megatron and the Lions offense out by the Bay.
Denver over ATLANTA: The Falcons looked really good last week, but how can you pick against the Broncos after what Peyton Manning did last week? I sure can't, that's for sure.
BENGALS over Browns: As bad as the Browns may have looked on offense last week, don't count them out in this one. The Bengals have a tendency to make no name players or rookies look like Hall of Famers, so if Browns QB Brandon Weeden comes out and looks like Dan Marino, I won't be terribly surprised.
However, I doubt this will happen for two reasons. First, Brandon Weeden and the Browns offense were abysmal last week against the Eagles. That was some of the worst football I've seen in quite some time and it's going to take longer than a week for Weeden and that offensive unit to figure it out. Second, the Bengals still have a lot of talent on their team and on paper they should beat the Browns.
Andy Dalton and the offense should have a lot more success against a good, but not great Browns defense. As for the defense, I'm sure it was a rough week in the film room and I look for a much improved performance from Mike Zimmer's guys on Sunday in the Battle of Ohio. Bengals 24, Browns 16.
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 9-7
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