Here are my picks for the second week of the 2014 NFL Season.
Thursday, September 11th
(1-0) Pittsburgh Steelers vs (0-1) Baltimore Ravens: One of the good rivalries in the league will kick off the week with a divisional matchup. In the wake of the Ray Rice release, Baltimore is trying to rally it's troops together and out this behind them. I personally do not see this Rice drama going away anytime soon and it will derail Baltimore's play badly (see: Miami bullying scandal last season). I'm picking Pittsburgh not only because of Baltimore's issues, but because Pittsburgh looked decent last week against Cleveland despite blowing a big lead. Prediction: Pittsburgh 24, Baltimore 17.
Sunday, September 14th
(1-0) Miami Dolphins vs (1-0) Buffalo Bills: Two of the leagues biggest surprises of last weekend- Miami and Buffalo face off in a crucial division game. This is a tough call to pick since they both beat two contenders last week in New England and Chicago, respectively. I'm going to go with Miami and their revamped offensive line and a good defense to force Buffalo quarterback EJ Manuel into making mistakes. Prediction: Miami 26, Buffalo 20.
(0-1) Jacksonville Jaguars vs (0-1) Washington Redskins: Both of these teams did not look good in their week one performances, despite Jacksonville having a 17 point lead on Philadelphia at the half. Again, another tough call here, so I am going with Washington, but don't be surprised if Jacksonville pulls the upset off. Prediction: Washington 23, Jacksonville 20.
(0-1) Dallas Cowboys vs (1-0) Tennessee Titans: Tennessee won last week against a mediocre Kansas City team and meanwhile Dallas looked horrendous against San Francisco, who was missing some key players. I'm picking Tennessee because I though quarterback Jake Locker looked decent, while Dallas quarterback Tony Romo looked out of sync. Prediction: Tennessee 27, Dallas 20.
(1-0) Arizona Cardinals vs (0-1) New York Giants: Both teams did not look good offensively last week, but Arizona's defense is what earned them their week one win over San Diego. Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson made the Giants defense look horrendous, but you cannot blame the Giants because Johnson is the leagues best receiver. This was a tough call, but I'm taking Arizona because of their outstanding defense and the Giants offense is still a work in progress. Prediction: Arizona 21, NY Giants 17.
(0-1) New England Patriots vs (1-0) Minnesota Vikings: New England had a disastrous second half against Miami and Minnesota dominated St. Louis, who was missing quarterback Sam Bradford. I have a feeling that New England quarterback Tom Brady has some tricks up his sleeve to avoid a disastrous 0-2 start. Prediction: New England 27, Minnesota 21.
(0-1) New Orleans Saints vs (0-1) Cleveland Browns: New Orleans suffered a tough road overtime loss in Atlanta and Cleveland made a nice comeback in Pittsburgh but ultimately lost on a field goal as time expired. Expect New Orleans to bounce back for a nice road win. Prediction: New Orleans 30, Cleveland 17.
(1-0) Atlanta Falcons vs (1-0) Cincinnati Bengals: This is the best game of the early afternoon Sunday games and it might not be close. Atlanta is coming off a great overtime win against New Orleans and Cincinnati is coming off a nice road win in Baltimore. This is another tough call, but give me the home team in a shoutout. Prediction: Cincinnati 34, Atlanta 30.
(1-0) Detroit Lions vs (1-0) Carolina Panthers: Carolina surprisingly won in Tampa without quarterback Cam Newton and Detroit is coming off an impressive win over the Giants. I think Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford and Johnson will exploit a weak Carolina secondary to win this game while Cam Newton works his way back. Prediction: Detroit 30, Carolina 20.
(0-1) St. Louis Rams vs (0-1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Both teams were awful week one, St. Louis more so than Tampa Bay. This is probably the least entertaining game in a standpoint of that both teams weren't good last week. I'll take Tampa Bay for this one since they don't have an injured quarterback like St. Louis does. Prediction: Tampa Bay 23, St. Louis 10.
(1-0) Seattle Seahawks vs (0-1) San Diego Chargers: The defending champs looked like champs in their season opening win over Green Bay meanwhile San Diego looked sluggish against Arizona. I won't be surprised if San Diego pulls this off at home, but I'm going with Seattle and their amazing defense. Prediction: Seattle 27, San Diego 23.
(1-0) Houston Texans vs (0-1) Oakland Raiders: Houston, despite a bad offensive game, won last week against with their great defense against a sluggish Washington team. Oakland lost a close game to the Jets, who also looked sluggish on offense. I have a strange feeling that Oakland pulls this upset off at home. Prediction: Oakland 21, Houston 20.
(1-0) New York Jets vs (0-1) Green Bay Packers: The Jets won a close game over Oakland with stellar defense and a flat offense and Green Bay looked horrendous in Seattle. I expect Green Bay to bounce back in a big way and for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to exploit a weak Jets secondary. Green Bay is my lock of the week. Prediction: Green Bay 40, NY Jets 20.
(0-1) Kansas City Chiefs vs (1-0) Denver Broncos: Denver looked like the AFC's best team in week one, while Kansas City looked horrendous. Expect Denver to take care of business yet again and to take advantage of Kansas City's defensive injury problems. Prediction: Denver 38, Kansas City 23.
(0-1) Chicago Bears vs (1-0) San Francisco 49ers: Chicago is coming off a disappointing loss in overtime against Buffalo and San Francisco is coming off a nice road win in Dallas. This is San Francisco's first regular season at their new stadium and I expect them to win behind an electric home crowd. Prediction: San Francisco 28, Chicago 23.
(1-0) Philadelphia Eagles vs (0-1) Indianapolis Colts: Philadelphia and Indianapolis did not look good in their first halves of their games but looked significantly better in their second halves. This matchup has the potential to be one of the best games of this season, and I believe this game lives up to its high expectations. Prediction: Indianapolis 34, Philadelphia 31.
No comments:
Post a Comment