Week 2 Picks for Every NFL Game

It will be hard to top the thrills, chills and safeties of Week 1.  In fact, we’ve got quite a bell curve distribution of Top Shelf, Well Drink and House Punch games this time around.  Without further adieu, here are my picks for Week 2:

Top Shelf Games: Talent-rich, highly competitive and aged in oak barrels... spiritually speaking

Denver Broncos (-4.5) at New York Giants - We’ve got ourselves a classic sibling rivalry for the Lady Blitz Game of the Week, and it should be a lot more fun than the upcoming Rob/Rex Ryan square off in the Meadowlands.  The Giants would love nothing more than to get the bad taste of a 6-turnover disaster out of their mouths this week, but Big Brother Peyton owns this series and has an extra three days to rest and prepare after a historic 7-TD opener.

Washington Redskins at Green Bay Packers (-7.5) - The Packers could well crack the no-huddle whip after seeing the Redskins get punished by Chip Kelly’s lightning speed offense last week.  I’m hopeful this one is a bit more neck and neck than the spread would suggest, but RG3 still looks a far cry from 100% and the Packers’ defense looked more competitive in San Francisco last week than they’ll probably get credit for... until this week.

Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs (-3) - It’s hard to say which of these two teams is for real going into this week.  The Chiefs had their way with the Jaguars last Sunday, but that was the Jaguars.  The Cowboys came out on top against the Giants but it took all six of those turnovers to put the game away.  Considering how stout the Chiefs’ pass rush is and how Tony Romo’s ribs are probably still screaming from that New York DE sandwich, I like Kansas City proving the turnaround is real at home.

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (-3) - On a neutral field, I’d definitely consider switching my vote to the Niners and likely will when these juggernauts face off again at Candlestick.  But the Twelfth Man is going to be in record-breaking crowd noise form on Sunday night, and if keeping Cam Newton to 125 yards last week is any indicator, the Seahawks won’t be skipping a beat on defense when Colin Kaepernick comes to visit.

Well Drink Games: They may surprise you from time to time without all the high expectations

San Diego Chargers at Philadelphia Eagles (-7.5) - Talk about two surprisingly enjoyable teams to watch so far this year.  Chip Kelly and Mike McCoy have already given their new teams the look of contenders in a few short weeks.  But considering how impossible it continues to be for the Chargers to hang on to a significant lead, I can’t imagine they’ll have any success slowing down the Eagles enough to compete this week in Eastern Time.

Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) - These two teams were mighty fortunate to walk away with wins in Week 1, so this game should be a great lesson in adjustment for two pretty evenly matched teams.  If anyone has an edge though, clearly Andrew Luck hasn’t lost a step in bringing the Colts back from the dead in the fourth quarter.  He's just too hard to topple at Lucas Oil.

Carolina Panthers (-3) at Buffalo Bills - Man, my crystal ball is cloudy on this one.  On paper, the Panthers should have this one in the bag, but the Bills surprised everyone with a close loss to the Patriots.  Call me crazy, but I'm going to roll the dice on Buffalo getting it done after a heartbreaker last week - the Panthers offense has to prove it can fly on its own without Rob Chudzinski before I'm a believer.

St. Louis Rams at Atlanta Falcons (-6.5) - Falcons fans should be a little more wary about this game than it would appear at the outset.  Atlanta’s offensive line really struggled throughout the preseason and against New Orleans’ less than enviable defensive personnel last week.  St. Louis has a much more talented front seven to contend with, anyhow.  Even so, the Falcons are the kind of team I almost never expect to drop two games in a row, and Sam Bradford will have to have a career kind of game to keep up with Matt Ryan.

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (-6) - Lovie who?  For all of my languishing over the ex-coach’s controversial exit from the Bears organization, the Chicago defense is doing just fine these days when it comes to generating QB pressure and turnovers.  That’s bad news if Christian Ponder has a Christian Ponder kind of outing at Soldier Field, and I’m betting he will.

New Orleans Saints (-3.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The seats are getting a bit steamy already for Greg Schiano and Josh Freeman in Tampa this season, and things aren't looking good in the locker room, to make matters worse. Every now and then, controversies like Tampa's can whip a downtrodden team into shape, but it sure is a lot harder to do when you don't have any faith in your coach.  Luckily for the Saints, they don't have that problem and should continue to improve on offense with Sean Payton back in the groove.

Detroit Lions (-1.5) at Arizona Cardinals - What's not to love about a Honey Badger vs. Megatron matchup on Sunday?  This may be the best untapped title for a Godzilla sequel I've ever heard, by the way.  Anyhow, I'm siding largely with Vegas this week, but I like the fight these Cardinals showed against the Rams last week on offense and defense.  I think they can give the high-flying Lions a run for their money with Bruce Arians calling the shots.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (-7) - If the entire Pittsburgh game plan on Monday night doesn't consist of hot read screen passes, I'll be shocked.  Somehow the Steelers managed to get the short end of the stick yet again with devastating injuries to the offensive line, which won't serve them well against a ferocious Bengals pass rush.  Cincy ought to take the divisional reins pretty easily at home this week.

House Punch Games: Most likely to be lop-sided, sloppy and/or otherwise painful to digest

New York Jets at New England Patriots (-12) - Even though this doesn’t look like that exciting of a game, as can be said for most Thursday night revenue generators, I’m surprised that the point spread is so high.  The Pats struggled mightily against Buffalo last Sunday, even on offense, and now Danny Amendola’s injury gives Tom Brady even less to work with.  Still, Bill Belichick won’t let New England gift wrap a game for the Jets the way the Bucs did last week.

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans (-9) - Good for that Tennessee defense last week in shutting down the favored Pittsburgh Steelers.  Of course, the Steelers' offensive line couldn't be in worse shape, which won't be the case for a Pro Bowl-filled Texans line.  Houston has no reason to be intimidated for the home opener.

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-6.5) - I think the Cleveland Browns have plenty of potential to improve this season, but the Ravens will be all too eager to avenge a rough outing in Denver and soak it up in the home opener that should have happened last week.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders (-5.5) - This is one of those games that you’re sort of happy exists simply because it assures one of these groups of fans an early win.  I probably still would have picked the Raiders if Matt Flynn was starting, but Terrelle Pryor makes it a whole lot easier to cheer for Oakland while the Jaguars start looking for condos in L.A.

So How's My Pickin'?
Last Week's Record: 11 - 5
Season Record: 11 - 5