NFL Picks, Week 2

Week 2 in the National Football League brings another round of unpredictability. Teams are still sorting themselves out, and teams once known as pretenders attempt to become contenders. Of course, just the opposite is possible, as well. We’ll hope for no catastrophic injuries this week, and we’ll also hope that no one crosses the boundaries of fair play.

Last week was a good week for this blog, as 75 percent of the predictions were correct.

Last week: 12-4
Season: 12-4

Now, another round of predictions and projections for the National Football League:

Dallas at Miami: Cowboys won a shootout last week against the Giants, as Tony Romo accounted for five touchdowns. Dolphins lost an overtime heartbreaker to the Redskins, and now return home to sunny South Florida. Dolphins are still rebuilding. They simply aren’t as good as the Cowboys. Give me the Romo Empire. Pick: Dallas
San Diego at New England: Rematch of last year’s playoff game won by New England, after which Marty Schottenheimer lost his job as coach of the Chargers. Patriots whipped the Jets last week, but were caught videotaping the Jets’ coaches during the game, and were quickly fined and punished. That’s too bad, because the Patriots are good enough not to cheat. That’s a distraction, but not too much of one. Bill Belichick is an evil genius. Pats have the Chargers’ number. Pick: New England
Buffalo at Pittsburgh: Bills lost a heartbreaker to Denver last week, and also dealt with the catastrophic spinal cord injury to backup tight end Kevin Everett. Pittsburgh went to Cleveland and thumped the Browns. Look for more of the same this week on the banks of the Monongahela River. Pick: Pittsburgh
Indianapolis at Tennessee: Interesting game as the Colts visit the Fighting Vince Youngs. I’m not going to pick against the Colts unless I have to. Pick: Indy
Green Bay at New York Giants: Giants were hit by the injury bug last week in Dallas, losing QB Peyton Manning and RB Brandon Jacobs. Packers sneaked by the Eagles last week. It shapes up to be a long year for the G-men if they can’t get healthy. Pick: Green Bay
Houston at Carolina: The NFL’s newest juggernaut goes on the road to take on the Panthers. Panthers were impressive in last week’s win over the Rams. Houston will be competitive, but the Panthers are a little better. Pick: Carolina
San Francisco at St. Louis: 49ers won the late night game on Monday night. The Rams’ offense was lethargic against the Panthers, as RB Steven Jackson only gained 58 yards rushing and lost two fumbles. These teams are pretty comparable. Rams won’t lose two in a row. Pick: St. Louis
Cincinnati at Cleveland: Bengals were impressive in their win over the Ravens. The Browns are possibly the worst team in the league, and traded last week’s starting QB Charlie Frye to Seattle for a blocking sled and a tackling dummy. Bengals win bragging rights to Interstate 71 and everything on it. Pick: Cincy
New Orleans at Tampa Bay: Bucs aren’t as bad as Cleveland or Oakland, but they’re not that good, either. Saints are still favored to win the NFC South, in spite of the thrashing they took last week in Indianapolis. Even on the road, the Saints should win this one. Pick: New Orleans
Atlanta at Jacksonville: These teams are playing for the rights to some swampland and peanut farms in south Georgia. To be honest, the people in south Georgia are more concerned with the Georgia Bulldogs. The Falcons opened the Joey Harrington era by scoring a whopping 3 points last week in Minnesota. The Jags lost a winnable game to the Titans. That won’t happen two weeks in a row. Pick: Jacksonville
Minnesota at Detroit: Both teams are undefeated after one game. Vikes rode the legs of Adrian (Oklahoma) Peterson to a big win over Atlanta last week. Lions beat the sorry Raiders, and return home. Lions have a lot of weapons, as they have spent their first round draft pick in every draft for the last 39 years on wide receivers. Well, not that many drafts, but Calvin Johnson and Roy (Texas) Williams are good receivers. Pick: Detroit
Seattle at Arizona: The annual Arizona disappointment continues, as the Cardinals come off a close loss in San Francisco. The misery continues, as the Seahawks ruin the Cardinal home opener. Pick: Seattle
Kansas City at Chicago: The question here is: Will the Chiefs score? Pick: Chicago
New York Jets at Baltimore: Jets got thumped by the Patriots last week, with or without extra help. Ravens struggled in Cincinnati, but return home. Ravens’ defense helps get them on the right track. Pick: Balmer
Oakland at Denver: Yuck. Raiders are the worst team in football until Cleveland outsucks them. Denver is head and shoulders above the Raiders. Pick: Broncos
Washington at Philadelphia: They like the Redskins a lot in Philadelphia. Not really. The Eagles have enough to handle Washington. Pick: Philly