2010 NFL Predictions: Week 2

Well, week 1 is in the bags in this 2010 NFL season and I guess if there's is anything you can say anything about it, is that it was much the two universes on "Fringe." On the show, both universes are actually much similar to one another, but have some notable differences and changes. The same thing can be said about week 1 of the NFL season and the 2009 season. While there were some slight differences from last year to week 1 of this year like the new coaches and players on all of the team, the Texans actually beating the Colts and the Chargers/Chiefs game being the more entertaining MNF game than the Ravens/Jets matchup, almost everything seemed to resemble last season. The Patriots offense looked stellar, the Saints proved to be better than the Vikings, Chris Johnson still had his "running from the cops speed" against Oakland, the Bills, Rams, Raiders, Browns and (controversially) the Lions all lost, the 49ers and Jets proved overrated and games in Florida barely sold out. And that's really all I will say. I hate to be one of those people that overreact to everything based on the week 1 games.

Now, onto the new batch of games that we have in store for week 2. In my predictions last week, I actually started off pretty well, going 11-5 in predictions. Unfortunately, mj50 just had a slightly better week going 12-4 and taking the one game lead to start the season. But, I'm just fine with that. After all, it is a long season. Anyways, the following are my picks of every NFL game for week 2 of the 2010 season. As always, the game times are based on the Central time zone.

Let's begin:

Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons (-6.5): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Atlanta
I'm going to stick with my good ol' system of picking against West Coast teams playing in a 1 p.m. ET game that I used so many times last season in this match-up. After all, if it worked for me many times last year and in years past, why not continue with it this year (especially when it's a team like this year's Arizona Cardinals).
mj50's pick: Arizona

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers (-3.5): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Carolina
The Bucs could barely beat the Browns at home last week in a game that they had four to five months to prepare for, so how can you expect me to pick them against a much better Carolina Panthers team? Besides, Carolina won three of their last four home games against the Bucs, and the Panthers running game should own that Tampa Bay rushing defense.
mj50's pick: Carolina

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cleveland Browns (-2): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Kansas City
Good job by the NFL scheduling people for having some of the teams that were awful last year and are expected to be awful this year face each other early in the season. Last week, you had Detroit vs. Chicago, Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay and Arizona vs. St. Louis. This week, you have this game, Seattle vs. Denver and St. Louis vs. Oakland. Better to have these games earlier in the season in favor of much more intriguing games later on in the year. Also, who would have thought that the San Diego/Kansas City game would be the better game than Baltimore/New York? Whereas the Chiefs game should have been a blowout for San Diego, it ended up being a close game with a great Chiefs crowd and some exciting moments while the Baltimore/New York game ended up being one you would never want to watch as long as you lived. It's funny how things like that happen.
mj50's pick: Cleveland

Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5) vs. Detroit Lions: Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Philadelphia





Couldn't resist posting that video. It's hilarious and it basically summarizes how most Lions fans felt after this game which, let's face it, should have gone to them.
Now, as for this game, I think it will be nothing short of the blowout. Michael Vick will be very motivated to do a great job in order to prove to Andy Reid and the rest of the Eagles squad that he should remain the starting QB once Kolb recovers from his concussion. Speaking of QBs, Shaun Hill will be under center for the Lions now that Matt Stafford is injured again. And if Hill's performance in the Bears game is a precursor to how he will play in this game, then Philly should probably sleep easily the night before the game.
mj50's pick: Philadelphia

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans (-5): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Tennessee
Week 1 was a tale of two completly different ballgames for the Steelers and the Titans. Whereas the Titans had a dominating performance against the Raiders that featured Chris Johnson going wild against that Oakland rushing defense (142 yards for 2 TDs) and the passing offense having one of their finer games you will see all season, the Steelers barely edged out Atlanta in a close overtime game that took them until the game's 63rd minute to score their first and only TD (an exciting 50 yard TD run by Rashad Mendenhall). But, whatever, a win is a win and that is what both teams received. Anyways, I think that because the Steelers were a little bit lucky to edge out the Falcons, I don't think that they do this again this Sunday against a superior Titans team on the road that will try to avenge their OT loss to the Steelers in week 1 of last season, no matter how much they will be motivated by the 2008 Terrible Towel stomping incident. Also, the Titans are 9-2 with Vince Young and Chris Johnson as the starting QB and RB respectively. How can you pick against that winning combination for this game?
mj50's pick: Tennessee

Buffalo Bills vs. Green Bay Packers (-13): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Green Bay
So, the Packers are supposed to be a Super Bowl contender, right? And...the Bills are terrible, right? I think we're done here.
mj50's pick: Green Bay

Baltimore Ravens (-2.5) vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Cincinnati
Yes, the Ravens defense looked impressive. Yes, the Bengals were dissapointing. But if there's one thing that I have learned over my time watching NFL games is to never pick Baltimore when they play a game at Paul Brown stadium, as they are 1-4 in their last five games against Cincinnati. Also, it's not like Cincinnati is terrible! For all we know, they could have a similar start to the one they had last year in which they lost their first game and then went on to win the next four or five. I haven't given up on them.
mj50's pick: Baltimore

HALFTIME! And now, here's some Louis C.K.



Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys (-7.5): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Dallas
I've said it before and I said it again: the Bears were lucky to get by the Lions. The offense was sub-par and they would have lost had it not been for Calvin Johnson putting the ball on the ground a bit too early. And with that being said, I don't see how they could get another win, this time against a much more superior Cowboys team, especially with Tony Romo facing that putrid Bears secondary that almost made Shaun Hill look like Brett Favre in that final drive. As much as it pains me to say this since I'm a Bears fan, I see the Cowboys winning, and winning big.
mj15's pick: Dallas

Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings (-5.5): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Minnesota
The Vikings are undefeated in the Metrodome during the Brett Favre era (and that includes the '09 postseason and the last two preseasons) and Greg Camarillo could have a potential eff-you game against his former team that traded him in the preseason. That being said, I do see this game being close throughout. Miami's new look defense with Karlos Dansby at linebacker and that solid rushing defense led by Cameron Wake and Koa Misi has impressed me in both the preseason and Buffalo game from last week. Plus, with Brown and Williams at RB for Miami, there's always a chance.
mj50's pick: Minnesota

St. Louis Rams vs. Oakland Raiders (-3.5): Sunday- 3:05 p.m.
mj15's pick: Oakland
Just like in last week's Cleveland/Tampa Bay game, I'm gonna go with Oakland just because they have slightly better players and the homefield advantage. Otherwise, it's like choosing between a trash collector and a janitor.
mj50's pick: Oakland

Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos (-3.5): Sunday- 3:05 p.m.
mj15's pick: Seattle
The Seahawks really impressed me in their beatdown of the 49ers last week to the point where I am not only picking the to win this game, but also am considering to make them my new favorite in the NFC West. Of course, the big key here (for me at least) is QB Matt Hasselback, whose performance lat week really reminded me of his old self. If he can at least perform 85% like he back back in '05-'07 and remain healthy (and that is a BIG if), then I do believe that the Seahawks will give the 49ers a run for the division crown.
mj50's pick: Denver

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Diego Chargers (-7): Sunday- 3:15 p.m.
mj15's pick: San Diego
A very tough pick, only because of the Norv Turner factor. Let's face it, the guy just can't seem to motivate his team in September games as coach. Still, the Chargers have a much better offense, a slightly better defense, and the homefield advantage, so I'm going to stick with the Bolts.
mj50's pick: Jacksonville

New England Patriots (-3) vs. New York Jets: Sunday- 3:15 p.m.
mj15's pick: New England
Was there any surprise that the Jets offense would be that bad against Baltimore? You could just tell from the very beginning, from all the clips from "Hard Knocks" and from the preseason games that this Jets team was not going to be that good, especially now that they lost Alan Faneca on the the offensive line and reliable workhorse Thomas Jones at RB. And that is what will be the Jets' identity all season long: a team with a good defense and an awesome/wildly entertaining head coahc but not a team with the kind of offense that will make you say "Wow!" The Patriots, meanwhile, showed the exact opposite offensively, piling up 38 points on that Bengals defense including two TDs by Tom Brady to Wes Welker, who showed that no injury can stop his Pro-Bowl self.
Look, I'm not saying that this game will be a Patriots blowout. The Jets have too good of a defense to make that happen, especially at home. But I do think that because of the subpar Jets offense and the Patriots offense being much better, New England should be the victor in this one.
mj50's pick: New York

Houston Texans (-3) vs. Washington Redskins: Sunday- 3:15 p.m.
mj15's pick: Houston
All Hail the Arian Nation! In his first game of his career, Arian Foster made all of the people that took him in the 6th-9th round in their drafts feel like geniuses, getting 238 total yards with 3 TDs, almost single handily winning the Colts game for the Houston Texans with Matt Schaub playing and the Houston defense player substandard. How this guy lost to Matt Forte for Offensive Player of the Week is something that I do not understand. Now, for the Redskins is a different. Yes, they won but they did it in an ugly low scoring ballgame that ended on a dumb penalty from the Cowboys. So now these two teams will meet to try to start off their seasons 2-0 for the first time in a while. I think this should be the game where we will see that Houston passing attack bounce back, especially now since they have Foster as a nice diversion. Washigton's passing defense should prove no match. Therefore, I am going with Houston in this one.
mj50's pick: Washington

New York Giants vs. Indianapolis Colts (-5.5): Sunday- 7:20 p.m.
mj15's pick: Indianapolis
It's the Manning Bowl II: Eli's Try at Revenge. Both teams obviously stack up well, but which team with a Manning as QB will get the victory? My guess is that it will be the older brother Peyton coming out of it 2-0 all-time against Eli. Indy is 16-2 in their last 18 games at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Giants passing defense hasn't shown me any signs that they will stop Peyton and,um... oh yeah, Peyton is better than Eli overall as a QB. Especially in the night games. Now, let's talk about week 1 overreactions.
It's one of the most common things you see at this time of the year is people, mostly writers and commenters, pronouncing a team to be overrated, underrated, etc. after just one game. You want to see it stopped, but it is too tantalizing for some people to do. Take the Colts losing to the Texans last week as an example. One loss to an opponent they have only lost once all time, and some people are starting to say that this is the start of the downfall. Here quickly now are three reasons why no one should worry about the Colts (for now at least):

1. The Texans were desperate to try to beat the Colts after going 1-15 historically against them before, including some pretty close ones in years past. So whereas the Colts just practiced for it like another early regular season game, the Texans were treating this one as their Super Bowl, practicing harder and trying their hardest to finally win a second game against them. In other words, the Texans just wanted it more

2. The Colts have made it to the playoffs every year since 2002 and have won at least 12 games every year since 2003.

3. It's week 1 of the NFL season people! Call me when they're either 0-3 or 1-4 and then we will talk.

mj50's pick: Indianapolis

New Orleans Saints (-5.5) vs. San Fransisco 49ers: Monday- 7:30 p.m.
mj15's pick: New Orleans
This was too easy, especially after seeing San Fransico's game against Seattle and the Saints defense limiting the Vikings offense to just 9 points last week. The only way I see the 49ers can win this game is if the Saints play like the Cowboys against the Redskins last week. But with Drew Brees and that explosive Saints offense against a defense that gave up 31 points an offense that only had 6 against one of the worst defenses from last year, I don't see that happening.
mj50's pick: New Orleans

RECAP
The Undertaker at "WrestleMania" Lock of the Week:
Green Bay over Buffalo
The James Madison over Virginia Tech Upset of the Week:
Cincinnati over Baltimore
The "Star Wars:Episode I" vs. "Star Wars: Episode II" "I'm Not Sure" Pick:
Jacksonville over San Diego

The week 3 column should come around the same time next week. Until then, enjoy this upcoming week of football!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15




If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or
tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are
greatly appreciated.