A solid 12-4 record in week one had me correctly and dare I say, Brilliantly, picking the Bears, Raiders and my "Upset Special," the Washington Redskins, as victors. Of course, I keep my feet grounded with the humiliation of not only missing on the Browns losing to the lowly Bengals at home, but that game getting me knocked out of my Suicide Pool in the first week of the 2011 NFL regular season!
Let's hope I keep it going this week as if I can string together a few similar weeks like this, perhaps I need to quit my day job and move to Las Vegas! Let's get right to it, and I will pick and pan the Ravens @ Titans game on Sunday morning prior to their 1pm kickoff.
Steelers over Seahawks: Anyone who is predicting the early demise of Pittsburgh is going to be very disappointed as they take out all of last week's frustrations on a Seattle team that is going to take a vicious beating at Heinz Field.
Colts over Browns: Most people think that Indianapolis may not win a game without QB Peyton Manning, but if they should be able to beat one team in one of my two "Upset Specials," it has to be Cleveland, who lost at home to the Bengals. The Bengals!?
Lions over Chiefs: Everyone needs to understand that now Kansas City has had their heads handed to them the last two times they've stepped on the field for real NFL games. The Ravens ended their 2011-11 season with a 30-7 playoff thumping and the Bills embarrassed them in their own crib last week. Meanwhile, Detroit looked solid on the road and now open their home schedule with a still-healthy Matthew Stafford, who is the key to their season.
Bills over Raiders: Buffalo spanked the aforementioned Chiefs and the Raiders continued their dominance over the AFC West with a win in Denver last week. However, the Raiders couldn't win outside of their division and they have to travel east off of a short week, which should translate into a "L."
Jets over Jaguars: New York gets a second straight home game to open the 2011 season and a break from a real tough game when Jacksonville comes in and despite their win over a lackluster Titans team last week, should not prove too tough of an opponent for the strong Jets.
Redskins over Cardinals: Could Washington open the season 2-0 and stay tied atop the NFC East? Yes, they can with Arizona having a tough test against the solid Redskins defense, although I am hoping for a great game from my fantasy team's QB, Kevin Kolb.
Vikings over Buccaneers: Two things are starting to look clear to me and that is that Minnesota is not as bad a people think and Tampa Bay is not as good as people think. Hence, this pick.
Packers over Panthers: Carolina QB Cam Newton couldn't beat Arizona while throwingfor over 400 yards, so no way he will beat a visiting AaronRodgers and his Green Bay teammates.
Saints over Bears: This should be a tough game for New Orleans, but the combination of playing at home and their prolific offense that only lost by less than a yard last week, should be enough to beat a tough Chicago team that looked real good last week.
49ers over Cowboys: My second "Upset Special Pick of the Week" as I like San Francisco to win this game at home as Dallas opens the 2011 season with two straight road games and I just believe QB Tony Romo will find a way to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!"
Broncos over Bengals: As much as I do not think Denver is going anywhere and the chants for Tim Tebow are already (and rightly so, in my opinion) echoing around their stadium, I just can't see Cincinnati opening the 201 season with two straight road victories. But then again, I couldn't see them winning last week either!
Patriots over Chargers: A lot of people think San Diego is a Super Bowl contender and while I always expect them to under-achieve, they are not anywhere near the Patriots' class, much less in New England.
Texans over Dolphins: Wow, didn't Houston take care of business and make a solid statement last week in their lopsided victory over the Colts? Now they go on the road against a strange Miami team that since last year has been a lot better on the road than they have been at home, and unfortunately for Dolphins fans, this trend should continue.
Eagles over Falcons (Sunday Night Football): Philadelphia QB Michael Vick returns "home" to his former team and outplays Atlanta's QB Matt Ryan to further prove the continued ranking of him as a better QB than our Ravens' Joe Flacco is beginning to get and look old, as opening the season 0-2 will not bode well for the Falcons playoff hopes.
Giants over Rams (Monday Night Football): While St. Louis' Sam Bradford will not make it easy for New York, the Giants should be able to control the ball, providing Eli Manning doesn't keep throwing the ball to the defense. New York's pass rush should be able to get to Bradford and the Rams' injury woes could mount up, while the Giants run game should win them the all-important time-of-possession battle as well as the game.
Last week/season total: 12-4