The first opening week of the 2009 National Football League season is behind us. Feels really great to have the season underway in full swing. Week 2 seems to offer better matchups on the field, but that makes the games harder to pick. Some of these games slated could really go either way. Below is a list of my picks (red) for NFL Week 2 games and comments:
Houston Texans(0-1) at Tennessee Titans(0-1) Sunday 1 ET
-Both teams look to rebound after losses in week 1 in this AFC South Divisional matchup. The Titans missed a lot of opportunities and a chance to open the season with a huge win over the Steelers on opening night, but instead lost 13-10 in OT. Head coach Jeff Fischer (longest tenured coach in the NFL) uses the extra time off to refocus his team and get back on track winning at home.
Arizona Cardinals(0-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars(0-1) Sunday 1 ET
-The Cardinals lost at home to the 49ers in a NFC West divisional battle. Tough loss to open the year as the Cards went 6-0 against the NFC West last year. QB Kurt Warner and has too many weapons in WR Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston to be held in check for consecutive weeks. The Jags are just hoping to be able to fill the seats at home in this game. Cards go on the road and get a much needed win to keep pace in the NFC West which will be more than a one-team race this year.
New Orleans Saints(1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles(1-0) Sunday 1 ET
-Too bad Eagles QB Donovan McNabb will have to sit out the game due to suffering a broken rib in last week’s game, because this would have been a great week 2 matchup. The Eagles Defense looked great last week forcing 5 turnovers against struggling QB Jake Delhomme. However, Saints QB Drew Breese comes to town off a franchise record 6 TD pass performance. Drew Breese and the Saints continue to roll as the Eagles miss their leader in McNabb.
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs(0-1) Sunday 1 ET
-Wow, I may have been one of the few people that actually stayed up for the second game of the MNF Doubleheader to watch the Raiders fall just short of upsetting the Chargers. I have to give it to Head coach Tom Cable he really had his team ready to play. They played with a lot of emotion and intensity. The addition of DL Robert Seymour made an immediate impact as he finished with 2 sacks. On the other side of the ball the Raiders ran the ball well but could not move the ball significantly as QB JaMarcus Russell continues to struggle with accuracy. Some of the throws he was making down the field were not eve close. One major factor that will play a major role in this game is whether Chiefs QB Matt Cassel will be able to play after missing week 1. His status has yet to be determined. If so, the return of QB Matt Cassel will give the Chiefs enough of a boost to beat the Raiders at Arrowhead.
New England Patriots(1-0) at New York Jets(1-0) Sunday 1 ET
- Congratulations to Jets Rookie QB Matt Sanchez leading his team to a win on the road in his first career NFL start. Meanwhile, the Patriots overcame what seemed a disappointing loss at home to the Bills by scoring 2 TDs in the final 2:06 of the game to squeak out an improbable win. There is good reason as to why the Patriots always seem to find themselves on the winning end of these situations. QB Tom Brady shakes off the rust for good in week 2 after playing in a game for the first time in a year. Pats win.
Minnesota Vikings(1-0) at Detroit Lions(0-1) Sunday 1 ET
-What is the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game? The reason I ask is after coming off a 180 yard & 3 TD performance last week against the Browns, RB Adrian Peterson may just have a shot at it against the lowly Lions. The Lions will win at least one game this year an avoid another 0-16 season as they are improved, but not this week as QB Brett Favre also has a 23-9 career record against Lions.
Cincinnati Bengals(0-1) at Green Bay Packers(1-0) Sunday 1 ET
-The Bengals are coming off a devastating and emotional defeat as Denver WR Brandon Stokley caught a tipped pass and ran 87-yards for a TD with :11 seconds to play. A loss like that kills the confidence level of a football team. Their Offense which struggled all day did finish the game on a 91-yard scoring drive on their last possession. The Bengals Defense also played very well the entire game until the final play. However, the Packers Offense led by QB Aaron Rodgers has a lot more weapons than QB Kyle Orton and the Broncos. Even after the Packers had protection problems and underachieved they still produced enough big plays to win. The Packers switch to the 3-4 Defense also seems on track after forcing 4 turnovers in week 1. They seem to be blitzing players from all four corners of the Earth. Well, maybe not. Packers win as the Bengals who have never won at Lambeau mentally struggle to put last week behind them.
St. Louis Rams(0-1) at Washington Redskins(0-1) Sunday 1 ET
-The Redskins fell behind 17-0 to the Giants at halftime on the road and fought back, but fell short as they lost 23-17. In arguably one of the NFL’s toughest Divisions in the NFC East, the Washington Redskins are better than their record will show last year and this year as the season goes on. After being shutout in week 1, St. Louis continues to struggle and loses to the Skins on the road.
Carolina Panthers(0-1) at Atlanta Falcons(1-0) Sunday 1 ET
-The Falcons won a huge game last week in a matchup against two 11-5 playoff teams from last year as they beat the Dolphins. QB Matt Ryan picked up right where he left off after last year’s Offensive ROY performance. The Panthers, who arguably had the most lackluster preseason in the NFL got blown out at home as QB Jake Delhomme threw 4 INT and was benched after being booed off the field. The Defense did not look much better. QB Matt Ryan and the Falcons win to move to 2-0.
TampaBay Bucaneers(0-1) at Buffalo Bills(0-1) Sunday 4:05 ET
-Both teams enter the second week of the season coming off losses. However, they were suffered in different ways. The Bucs were outplayed at home in what seemed as Cowboys QB Tony Romo coming out party as he is free from the shackles of WR T.O. while the Bills blew the opener of the MNF Doubleheader. I believe there is no such thing as a moral victory in this league, but Bills QB Trent Edwards and the no-huddle offense played surprisingly well in the loss. Bills bounce back after a tough loss to even their record at 1-1.
Seattle Seahawks(1-0) at San Francisco 49ers(1-0) Sunday 4:05 ET
-This is a huge early game in the NFC West Divisional race. Both teams coming off divisional wins last week look to make the statement as the team to beat. The 49ers looked much improved in week 1 from last year after a huge win on the road against the Cards, but I believe a healthy QB Matt Hasselback and newly acquired off season addition of RB Julius Jones establishes the Seahawks as the team to beat and will go on to win the division. However, I love 49ers Head coach, Mike Singletary as he has his team prepared to play week in and week out.
Baltimore Ravens(1-0) at San Diego Chargers(1-0) Sunday 4:15 ET
-Week 1 is always the toughest in the NFL. The Charges may have played poorly against the Raiders, but a win is a win. The Charges also suffered multiple injuries in the game and enter week 2 banged up. The Ravens Defense, always their strength gave up 28 points to the QB Matt Cassel-less Chiefs. Has the Ravens Defense been exposed with the departure of Def. Cord. Rex Ryan? So, it was only fitting that the Ravens who traditionally struggle on Offense racked up a franchise-record 501 yards. The chances of that happening again? Not very good. I want to take the Ravens, but QB Phillip Rivers and the Charges offense will get rolling after a hard fought win in the second game of the MNF Doubleheader and manage to put up more points than the Ravens.
Cleveland Browns(0-1) at Denver Broncos(1-0) Sunday 4:15 ET
-How many Broncos fans would have believed you if you told them a week ago that QB Kyle Orton would end up throwing the game-winning TD pass in week 1 and traded QB Jay Cutler would throw 4 INT in a loss? Things suddenly look up for the Broncos. This game is pretty much a tossup. Both teams looked subpar in week 1. However, I do like the Broncos Defense at the second level after watching their game against the Bengals. LBs Wesley Woodyard and Adra Davis along with newly acquired S Brian Dawkins were all over the field last week. Broncos win at Mile High and move to what seemed like an improbable 2-0.
Pittsburgh Steelers(1-0) at Chicago Bears(0-1) Sunday 4:15 ET
-Both teams will be missing their leaders on Defense as LB Brian Urlacher and S Troy Polamalu will be sidelined. Urlacher is out for the season after having season-ending surgery on a dislocated wrist, while Polamalu is expected back sooner as it turns out he will avoid any surgery at all. The loss is devastating for the Bears on Defense. Since Urlacher has been with the Bears, they are 0-7 in games that he has not played in. Coming off his worst performance of his career the pressure will be too much for Bears QB Jay Cutler and I believe he will fold before the home crowd at Soldier Field. The Steelers thrive in these kind of big games with their experience. Defending champs move to 2-0 as the Bears drop to 0-2. Panic in Chicago?
New York Giants(1-0) at Dallas Cowboys(1-0) Sunday 8:20 ET
-Dallas QB Tony Romo looked great in the opening week as he posted his career-best 347 yards passing performance along with 3 TD passes. QB Tony Romo also completed passes to six different WR in the game. Who needs T.O.? The Giants meanwhile got up early at home against the Redskin and held on for the win. After sitting out all of last year Giants DE Osi Umenyiora scored on a 37 yard fumble return on Defense. The game is not the only storyline in this game as Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones will show the world the new 80,000 seat Cowboys Stadium as the game is on primetime. I wonder what the over/under is on how many times the scoreboard will be hit? Cowboys win a very close game and grab an early hold of the NFC East.
Indianapolis Colts(1-0) at Miami Dolphins(0-1) Monday 8:30 ET
-The Defense stepped up last week to help QB Peyton Manning and the Colts hang on to beat the Jags. You can only think the Colts Offense will have a better performance and improve in week 2. The Fins lost a tough game to a very good football team in the Falcons on the road. The Dolphins can not afford to drop to 0-2 and I do not believe that the Colts Defense will be able to put in back to back solid performances as they face QB Chad Pennington and the Dolphins “wildcat” offense. Fins win on MNF at home.
