Week 2 NFL Picks

Last week: 9-7.

Baltimore (-2.5) at Cincinnati: I started off this week totally on the Baltimore train on this one. The line has crept from -1 to -2.5 and something is nagging at me telling me to pick Cincinnati. I'm going to side with recent history, the home crowd and the fact that I think Carson Palmer is smart enough to exploit a weak Ravens secondary. Pick: Cincinnati

Miami (+5.5) at Minnesota - This just in... Brett Favre looks old. We already knew he was old, but he'd never really looked it until the Saints battered him last week. A tough Miami defense coming in should knock him around too. A little leery here as the Vikings have had 11 days to prepare, but still.. Pick: Miami

Chicago (+7) at Dallas: Dallas moved the ball pretty well against a decent Redskins defense, but just kept finding ways to not score points. They make up for that problem here. Chicago is BAD, and a fluke win over Detroit doesn't change that. Pick: Dallas.

Philadelphia (-6.5) at Detroit - Michael Vick gets a chance to run the show for a whole game. However, he hasn't played a whole game in 4 years. Detroit has also had a full week to prepare for Vick, something the Packers didn't. I know it's Shaun Hill, but the Lions should be able to keep this one close at home. Pick: Detroit

Arizona (+6.5) at Atlanta - West Coast teams typically don't fare well with an early start time, and the Cardinals are terrible. It might be time to petition for Larry Fitzgerald to be traded. Pick: Atlanta.

Kansas City (+3) at Cleveland: My Chiefs looked terrible last week on offense, but some great special teams and timely defense got them the upset win over the Chargers. Cleveland might be going with the immortal Seneca Wallace at QB in this one. This one could go either way, so when in doubt, take the points. Pick: Kansas City

Buffalo (+13) at Green Bay - The Packers played a pretty weak game on offense last week and still put up 27 on a pretty decent Philly team. The Bills don't present that kind of threat. If Green Bay wants to be called a Super Bowl contender, these are the games they need to own. Pick: Green Bay

Pittsburgh (+5) at Tennessee - While I can see the Steeler defense keeping this one close, I can't see them winning this game with Dennis Dixon. Tennessee rolled last week and looks like them might be a legitimate contender now. Pick: Tennessee

Tampa Bay (+3) at Carolina - I called Carolina my playoff sleeper this season and they held their own until the Giants' pass rush wore them down last week. With Matt Moore available, a shrewd coach in John Fox and a superior running game... Pick: Carolina

Rams (+3.5) at Oakland - The Rams are a bad team if they can't get it done at home against Arizona. We'll learn more about Jason Campbell and Oakland this week as they're not playing a team that totally outclasses them. Pick: Oakland

Seattle (+3.5) at Denver - The more I think about it, the more I think Denver is one of the worst teams in the league. A 2-6 finish last season, combined with no Brandon Marshall and no Elvis Dumervil leaves the Broncos with a big lack of impact players. Seattle has a frisky enough defense and a QB who can make just enough plays that I think they steal this one. Pick: Seattle

Houston (-2.5) at Washington - Can we expect Arian Foster to go for 200+ yards every week? No, and they're not playing the Colts either. But until the Redskins show they are capable of scoring at least one offensive touchdown, I'm going to go with the team that's showing they are getting it done right now. Pick: Houston

Jacksonville (+7) at San Diego - San Diego isn't playing in a monsoon this week, but the body language of Philip Rivers towards his offensive line last week makes me think they might pull what the Miami Sharks did to Willie Beamen on a play or two. Jacksonville with a decent running attack and a hot QB in David Garrard. Pick: Jacksonville

New England (-2.5) at New York Jets - Probably the toughest game to pick this week. New England looked like the '99 Rams for the first half against Cincinnati but now plays a much tougher defense. My head says the Patriots, but something in my heart is telling me different..
Pick: Jets

New York Giants (+5) at Indianapolis - This matchup is about as bad for the Colts as they could get. Good pass rush for the Giants against a weak offensive line and a bad rushing defense for the Colts against a good rushing attack for the Giants. Peyton Manning might pull out some late magic, but the Giants keep it close here. Pick: Giants.

New Orleans (-5.5) at San Francisco - You know Mike Singletary went off on his team for their anemic performance up in Seattle. They'll be playing in front of a fired up home crowd on Monday night, but they're going to have to put up 30 points to keep up with Drew Brees who has had 11 days to get ready for this one. Pick: New Orleans.