Last week we saw the typical week 1 rust, and a lot of defense looked better than they will as the season goes on. Hopefully the offense picks up, though I don’t think anything can save the NFC West.
Arizona at Atlanta (Falcons -7)- The Cardinals looked just about as bad as could be expected against the Rams. Derek Anderson isn’t a good quarterback, and you can’t be playing that close a game with the Rams when you get five interceptions. Meanwhile, the Falcons lost in overtime to the Steelers, and I think this week they get the offense going. Playing at home, against a weak team, Falcons will roll.
Baltimore at Cincinnati (Bengals -1)-{Note- Ravens quickly became favorites, currently +1.5, I’d still take the Ravens} The Ravens are so much fun to watch on defense. Here we are, 15 years into his career, and Ray Lewis is still the best linebacker in football. The Bengals took last weekend off, and I don’t see how they get their offense going this week either. Meanwhile, Anquan Boldin looked really good in his first game as a Raven, and he makes them dangerous on offense as well.
Kansas City at Cleveland (Browns -2.5)- I’m one more win away from jumping full on to the Chiefs bandwagon. They aren’t that good of a team offensively, but in the AFC West they can get away with it. Their defense looked good last night, with that defensive line full of high draft picks finally performing. Plus we have the QB double whammy this week for the Browns. If Jake Delhomme starts, he will throw the game losing interception that he always does. If Seneca Wallace is the starter, you get to beat up on an average at best backup.
Chicago at Dallas (Cowboys -8.5)- The Cowboys are angry, at home, and have their offensive line healthy. DeMarcus Ware is expected to play as well, which means Jay Cutler will be running for his life all game anyway. Even if the Bears score some points, not a given, the Cowboys offense is way more potent. I’d expect the Cowboys to win this by at least 10 points.
Philadelphia at Detroit (Lions +3)- Mike Vick will get the start, which will help counteract the Lions’ pass rush, and the Lions don’t have a QB they trust. Had Stafford been healthy, I would take Detroit, but they don’t seem to trust Shaun Hill at all. The Eagles showed they were a different team with Vick at QB, and the Eagles track team should get to go off in the dome.
Buffalo at Green Bay (Packers -13.5)- The biggest line of the week, and understandably so. The loss of Ryan Grant shouldn’t show up this week, Aaron Rodgers should get to bomb away, and the Packers’ pass rush should have fun with the Bills offensive line. The Packers are prone to overlooking a game like this, but it’s probably too early in the season for that to happen.
Pittsburgh at Tennessee (Titans -6)- I thought the Titans sent a message against the Raiders, and I think they are a really good team, but I can’t take six against the Steelers defense. The Titans will win this game, hopefully Chris Johnson has another long run, but the Steelers won’t lose by a touchdown.
Miami at Minnesota (Vikings -5.5)- I was tempted to take the Dolphins straight up, but the Vikings will probably be angry this week. If Favre finds just one wideout he likes in practice this week, the Vikings offense will get going again. Plus, I don’t see the Dolphins’ running game dominating a game featuring the Williams duo. If they can’t dominate the clock, and the ground game from the start, they have trouble.
Tampa Bay at Carolina– No line right now, they had to take it off the board when Matt Moore’s injury popped up. I think the Panthers win though.
Seattle at Denver (Broncos -3)- The more I think about it, the more I was impressed with the Seahawks effort. Hasselbeck is still a good QB as long as he’s healthy, and the Broncos aren’t that good. Orton is terrible, his backup is worse, and they don’t have a ton of weapons. I think the Broncos thing gets real ugly real soon, and the inevitable move to making Tebow the starting QB will do nothing but make them worse.
St. Louis at Oakland (Raiders -3.5)- I know everyone was “impressed” with Sam Bradford’s debut, but spare me. 5 interceptions is never good, and he never should have been allowed to throw 55 passes. Use Steven Jackson. Jason Campbell looked like JaMarcus Russell last week, and the Raiders appear to still be the Raiders. I think the Rams wake up, ride Jackson, and keep this close at the very least.
New England at Jets (Jets -1.5)- Revis Island is going to be key to this game. If the Patriots are afraid to throw at him, like the Ravens were, then the Jets can probably slow down Tom Brady. If they choose to attack Revis, that could open up the rest of the field, and lead to a lot of problems for the Jets. The Jets’ offense is horrible, and they need to ditch the six audibles before each play, but they can’t be as bad as they looked on Monday. I think the Jets’ offense does just enough to support their defense.
Jacksonville at San Diego (Chargers -8)- Do Phillip River’s teammates like him very much? He was acting like a whiny baby for most of the Monday game, I know he’s a good QB, but he should cut down on the antics. The Jags weren’t great, but I just wasn’t impressed with the Chargers, who are missing some key weapons. While I do think San Diego wins, I don’t think they win by more than a touchdown.
Houston at Washington (Redskins +3)- Everybody loves the Texans, but they have to prove it on the road. The Redskins did not look good on Sunday, so the Texans should use this as another “here we are” game. Winning this game would send another message to the NFL. One thing that will be fun to watch- Mario Williams against Redskins’ rookie LT Trent Williams, both looked great last week.
Giants at Indianapolis (Colts -5.5)- Peyton Manning, at home, after a loss, on Sunday night. The Colts are winning by at least 10.
New Orleans at San Francisco (49ers +4.5)- Sadly, I’ve decided Mike Singletary is just not a good NFL head coach. He yells and screams, he wears his little cross, but that team underachieves every year. It could all be Alex Smith’s fault though. Either way, the 49ers aren’t going to do much against the Saints, not after the stink bomb they had last week.
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