Week 2 Predictions

Kansas City @ Detroit

QB Matthew Stafford is looking for a 2-0 start.

After watching Week 1, this might be the easiest pick of the week. The Chiefs, coming off of a division title last season, looked horrible in their home opener against the Buffalo Bills. Losing 41-7 at home was bad, but things got worse when S Eric Berry was injured when Bills' WR Steve Johnson blocked him very low, giving him a season-ending injury. For the Lions, they lived up to expectations with an impressive road victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their home opener should be easy.

Edge: Detroit

Oakland @ Buffalo

Both teams started the season on the road, and both teams took care of business on the road to start off 1-0. There weren't any expectations for either team coming into the season, so their road victories were impressive. After this game, someone will be looking good at 2-0. Who will that be? QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had arguably the best quarterback performance in Week 1 of all. Their defense was impressive too, limiting the Chiefs' offense that looked good last year. The Raiders got a good win against the Broncos, but they committed a lot of penalties in a sloppy game.

Edge: Buffalo

Baltimore @ Tennessee

The Baltimore Ravens had their best performance in years when they stomped the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. QB Joe Flacco was very efficient, and RB Ray Rice was making plays out of the backfield, whether it was running the ball or receiving. The defense was stout, forcing seven turnovers and making QB Ben Roethlisberger look dreadful. The Tennessee Titans, on the other hand, were a disappointment on all levels last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Expect the same this week.

Edge: Baltimore

Jacksonville @ New York Jets

The Jets have a knack for making things look close when they really shouldn't be. Most people thought they would blow out the Dallas Cowboys, yet the Cowboys had the game won if it wasn't for several boneheaded mistakes. The last time the Jaguars played in New Jersey, they came out the victor, during Rex Ryan's first season. So it isn't set in stone that the Jets will win this easily. This is a trap game for them, and hopefully Ryan has put that in his players' heads. Look for the Jets to take advantage of QB Luke McCown behind center, coming with an array of blitz packages.

Edge: New York Jets

Cleveland @ Indianapolis

Both teams were extremely disappointing in Week 1, so it is very hard to determine who will come out as the winner. Most people, including myself, thought the Cleveland Browns would easily handle the Cincinnati Bengals, who were starting a rookie quarterback and rookie receiver. Instead, the Bengals won by 10, and left the Browns searching for answers. The Indianapolis Colts were dreadful, and it makes me wonder whether WR Reggie Wayne was right when he said the Colts were better off going to QB Curtis Painter than QB Kerry Collins. The Colts' defense is still fairly healty, so they should play well at home against the Browns.

Edge: Indianapolis

Arizona @ Washington

Both teams won their season openers at home, but they are completely different. While QB Kevin Kolb passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns, he was helped out by possibly the worst defense in the NFL, which the Redskins are far from this year. The Redskins were very impressive, albeit against a defense with a ton of injuries. QB Rex Grossman looked like a man on a mission to prove that these Redskins will come out as the division winner. Kolb didn't fare well against the Redskins last year when QB Michael Vick got hurt, so he'll look for redemption.

Edge: Washington

Tampa Bay @ Minnesota

Most experts probably didn't see the fact that the Buccaneers are overrated because they played a team in the Detroit Lions who are on the rise. The Buccaneers haven't lost to the Vikings since they both split from the NFC Central division in 2002. However, history is history and the Vikings have QB Donovan McNabb now. That's not saying much, especially after his horrible performance at San Diego. Still, the Vikings defense looked somewhat solid in making the Chargers work for their victory. This may not be as close as you think.

Edge: Minnesota

Green Bay @ Carolina

QB Cam Newton was the story of the week, passing for 422 yards in his NFL debut, an NFL record. He was playing the Cardinals' defense, who are not the Packers' defense. Granted, the Packers defense did give up 34 points to the New Orleans Saints and looked outright bad at times as well. However, an experienced quarterback will be lucky to have half the production he had last week.

Edge: Green Bay

Chicago @ New Orleans

Many people say the Bears looked good last week in their rout of the Atlanta Falcons. They only reinforced what I expected out of the Falcons, which wasn't much. However, that doesn't mean the Bears are an excellent football team. Going into the Louisiana Superdome will cause problems for QB Jay Cutler, and QB Drew Brees will pick up where he left off from last week.

Edge: New Orleans

Seattle @ Pittsburgh

After starting the season at Baltimore, the Steelers get a relatively easy season opener. The Steelers looked awful against the Ravens in a 35-7 loss, leaving Mike Tomlin speechless as expected. When the Steelers are winning, Tomlin has the answers. When they're losing, he doesn't know. Let's just say he's just a motivational speaker for his ball club. The Seahawks didn't look good against the San Francisco 49ers, and more importantly, QB Tavaris Jackson didn't look good. That's trouble for this franchise.

Edge: Pittsburgh

Dallas @ San Francisco

Even though QB Tony Romo received a lot of criticism for his failures in the fourth quarter, Romo was excellent for the first three quarters. Echoing the sentiments of Skip Bayless, if TE Jason Witten would just become a man and handle small S Jim Leonhard, the Cowboys would be 1-0. Instead, a lot of unfortunate circumstances have them in need of a victory now. The 49ers are 1-0 after an easy victory against the Seahawks, but the Cowboys are much different. This used to be a rich rivalry, but now it's a matchup of pedestrian football teams.

Edge: Dallas

San Diego @ New England

QB Tom Brady is coming off a 517-yard performance.

These two teams are regularly labeled Super Bowl contenders year after year, so this is clearly the best game this weekend. The Chargers didn't look too good in beating the Vikings, but a win is a win. The Patriots, on the other hand, beat the Miami Dolphins into embarrassment. QB Tom Brady was setting records all day, but 500+ yards won't happen against the Chargers. However, Brady and the offense displayed the kind of offense they were thriving in during their record 2007 season. This might be trouble for the NFL.

Edge: New England

Cincinnati @ Denver

Broncos' fans are calling for QB Tim Tebow to take over, but coach John Fox isn't budging. That's a good idea, because you don't want to make a change this early in the season to a quarterback you're unsure of. Simply put, Tebow cannot throw like an NFL quarterback yet, so he's not ready. The Broncos were sloppy in their home loss to the Raiders, and QB Kyle Orton was a part of that. Still, he kept the Broncos close and made them competitive. The Bengals surprisingly won against the Browns, but I'm still very unsure of what I'll see from this team. Makes for an interesting game or season.

Edge: Denver

Houston @ Miami

While the Texans rang up 34 points in the first half against the Colts, they didn't quite look good. QB Matt Schaub still threw a poor interception and his touchdown pass to WR Andre Johnson was tipped before it reached his hands. If the Colts' offense weren't disastrous, they probably have a chance to win the game. The Texans were given good field position all day as a result of QB Kerry Collins' poor play. That's a different outcome if he moves the ball more effectively. The Dolphins defense looked bad, but QB Chad Henne was surpringly good. If he can keep that up, they'll be better than I thought.

Edge: Miami

Philadelphia @ Atlanta

QB Michael Vick starts in Atlanta for the first time.

Most people are pitting this game as the most interesting matchup, only because QB Michael Vick is returning to Atlanta. However, the Falcons aren't all they're made out to be. Until they get consistent quarterback play from QB Matt Ryan, they'll forever be just a decent team. Their schedule is much harder this year, since they have to play the NFC North. The Eagles are a great team, when Vick is on top of his game. As shown in their game against the St. Louis Rams, they're only as good as Vick allows them to be.

Edge: Philadelphia

St. Louis @ New York Giants

Both teams are suffering from a rash of injuries heading into this game, so both teams should be thankful for an extra day to prepare. Rams' coach Steve Spagnuolo will be in the Meadowlands for the first time since the 2007 season, when he led the Giants' defense to a Super Bowl victory. He has done a good job leading the Rams, but they have injuries at real important positions heading into this game. The Giants hope to have DE Justin Tuck and WR Hakeem Nicks playing. Tuck is the most important defensive player and Nicks is the most important offensive player behind QB Eli Manning.

Edge: New York Giants

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