Week 2 Picks

Not the best start for my picks this year.  I'd like to point out that I predicted the Bills to upset the Chiefs, and ignore the fact that four of my playoff picks are starting 0-1.  Last week didn't give us the best football we've seen, as more than one-third of the games were blowouts.  However, this week should be interesting, as it's the first since the 1970 merger to not have a divisional game on its schedule.

Season Record - 9-7

Record Against The Spread (ATS) - 6-7-3

Bears at Saints - You can't say enough about Chicago's domination of the Falcons last week.  They surprised me and most others who picked them to fall from the playoffs this year.  However, I think the Saints aggressive defense will overwhelm their offensive line, and 10 days is a long time to give Sean Payton to gameplan for an opponent.

Pick - Saints

ATS - Saints (-6.5 points)

Chiefs at Lions - Apparently the preseason might mean something after all.  The Lions were dominant and the Chiefs were doormats in August, and that didn't change in Week One.

Pick - Lions

ATS - Lions (-7.5)

Jaguars at Jets - Yes, this is a Super Bowl contender vs. Josh McCown.  But Mark Sanchez's inconsistency puts his team at risk against even the lesser teams in the league.  Last year, the Jets had to pull out late victories against the Broncos, Lions, Browns and Texans.  The Jets will win, but it will be closer than they'd like.

Pick - Jets

ATS - Jaguars (+8.5)

Raiders at Bills - Giddy Bills fans take heed: in 2008, Buffalo beat Seattle by 24 points and started 4-0, but lost 9 of it's last 12 games.  Still, if their run defense holds Darren McFadden like it did Jamaal Charles, Buffalo will win their home opener.

Pick - Bills

ATS - Bills (-3)

Cardinals at Redskins -Washington took advantage of a depleted Giants secondary last week, and they face another one this week against the Cardinals.  Tim Hightower gets some revenge against the team that traded him, and Arizona will be in for yet another disappointing trek to the East Coast.

Pick - Redskins

ATS - Redskins (-3)

Ravens at Titans - No team had a more impressive Week 1 than the Ravens, as they embarrassed the arch-rival Steelers (although I refuse to call it redemption until it happens in January).  Matt Hasselbeck is still learning a new offense, and the Baltimore defense will make him pay for it.

Pick - Ravens

ATS - Ravens (-5.5)

Seahawks at Steelers - Seattle is not a good team, as they were done in by Ted Ginn Jr. and the 49ers last week.  But the Steelers could not have looked worse against the Ravens.  I think Pittsburgh will win, but I'm wary of betting big on a team who got blown out by 28 points in their only game of the season.

Pick - Steelers

ATS - Seahawks (+14)

Packers at Panthers - I was as impressed as anyone by Cam Newton's 422 yard passing effort, but there's no way the rookie will figure out Dom Capers' zone blitz.  I'd be shocked if Newton throws for more than half of what he did last week.

Pick - Packers

ATS - Packers (-9.5)

Buccaneers at Vikings - I'm surprised the Vikings are favored in this game.  Donovan McNabb threw for 39 yards against the Chargers, with a pathetic 2.6 yard per attempt.  Tampa will right it's ship against Minnesota this week.

Pick - Buccaneers

ATS - Buccaneers (+3)

Browns at Colts - Last week, I thought the Colt veterans had enough experience and pride to at least give the Texans a scare.  I won't make the same mistake twice.

Pick - Browns

ATS - Browns (-2)

Cowboys at 49ers - If not for Tony Romo pulling a Tony Romo, the Cowboys would have had a quality win on the road.  Ted Ginn's two return touchdowns hid the fact that the 49ers offense had 209 total yards last week.

Pick - Cowboys

ATS - Cowboys (-3)

Texans at Dolphins - Is Houston really that good, or did they just catch the Colts at their moment of greatest weakness?  I think Chad Henne continues his strong performance over the past five weeks and brings the Texans back to earth.

Pick - Dolphins

ATS - Dolphins (+3)

Chargers at Patriots - If New England's offensive line plays as well as it did last week, the Patriots will be tough to beat.  It worries me that the Chargers had the same turnover and special teams woes against the Vikings that did them in last season.

Pick - Patriots

ATS - Patriots (-6.5)

Bengals at Broncos -  Did I really pick the Broncos to be my surprise wild card team? Their offensive line got beat up by Oakland, but the Bengals pass rushers aren't as strong.  Cincinnati needed a sneaky touchdown against a napping Browns defense to win last week.

Pick - Broncos

ATS - Broncos (-3.5)

Eagles at Falcons - The Eagles whipped the Falcons last year without Michael Vick.  I'd say the Atlanta pass rushers can exploit a weak Philadelphia offensive line, but they had that advantage against Chicago last week and still lost badly.

Pick - Eagles

ATS - Eagles (-1.5)

Rams at Giants - Back in 1990, Buddy Ryan’s Eagles knocked eight Redskins out of a Monday Night Football game in what came to be known as The Body Bag Game. This primetime showdown might be dubbed The Crutches Game, for how many injuries these two teams are coming in with. I think Justin Tuck's return will bring the Giants their first win and stave off widespread panic in New York for at least one week.

Pick - Giants

ATS - Giants (-6)

Odds taken from USA Today.