NFL Picks: Week 2

Holy shit.  I know I goof around about how awesome I am at picks, and then it's hilarious when I get a bunch wrong, but 5 correct picks?  Man.  As penance, I will try to restrict myself from getting too wordy this week and let the picks speak for themselves.  The home team is in CAPS, the lines are Danny Sheridan's, and the picks are most certainly not 100% correct.



LAST WEEK: 5-10-1
OVERALL: 5-10-1

NEW ORLEANS (-6.5) over Chicago
The combination of no Brian Urlacher and being away from Soldier's Field will prove to be too much for the Bears' defense to overcome in their attempts to prevent Drew Brees from throwing for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns.

DENVER (-3.5) over Cincinnati
Despite Kyle Orton's shaky performance Monday night, and the non-existent Bronco run game, I simply cannot take the Bengals on the road two weeks in a row.

Houston (-3) over MIAMI
Houston should move the ball just as easily as the Patriots did against the Dolphins defense, and I don't see Chad Henne putting avoiding a back-breaking mistake two weeks in a row.

Dallas (-3) over SAN FRANCISCO
Fortunately for Tony Romo, the 49ers inept offense should keep them from being able to capitalize when the Cowboys' QB starts turning the ball over in the fourth quarter.

ATLANTA (+1.5) over Philadelphia
The Falcons offense should be much better at home, and their defensive line should be more able to take advantage of the Eagles' youth in their offensive front than the Rams were.  Also, this should be close, which means Andy Reid will go back to ignoring LeSean McCoy.

Tampa Bay (+3) over MINNESOTA
I can't pick the Vikings until Donovan McNabb breaks triple-digits in passing yards.

Green Bay (-9.5) over CAROLINA
Cam Newton will struggle to get half the yards he put up against the Cardinals, and Aaron Rodgers should shred a secondary that gave up over 300 yards to Kevin Kolb.

PITTSBURGH (-14) over Seattle
Poor Seattle catch the Steelers at the worst possible time, as Pittsburgh should take out their rage over Baltimore's fake extra-point to go up 29-7 on the Seahawks.

Baltimore (-5.5) over TENNESSEE
I wouldn't be shocked if the Titans won this game, but the Ravens just handed Pittsburgh their worse loss since 1997 while the Titans were beat by Luke McCown and the Jags, so I have to go with Baltimore.

WASHINGTON (-3.5) over Arizona
Arizona traditionally gets smoked when they play early games on the east coast, and Rex Grossman should have extend his 300-yard game streak to three.

Jacksonville (+8.5) over NY JETS
The Jets are the Auburn Tigers of the NFL.  They play like shit for 3.5 quarters, and then pull out a close win at the end.  I don't think they should ever be favored by more than a touchdown.

BUFFALO (-3) over Oakland
Two teams who pulled out surprising road wins, I like the Bills staying power more than the Raiders if only because Jason Campbell looked terrible in week one.  Terrell Pryor can't arrive soon enough!

DETROIT (-8) over Kansas City
If the Lions really are ready to finally be a good team, they will cover this spread.

Cleveland (-2.5) over INDIANAPOLIS
If the Browns don't win this one, the season might as well just end Monday.  The Browns have scored exactly 6 points the last three times they've faced the Colts (yet only allowed 10, 13, and 9 points in each game) and last won in Indianapolis 21-14 on September 25, 1994.  I like both trends to end this week.  Browns 23 Colts 16

NY GIANTS (-6) over St. Louis
Ugh.  What a stinker of a Monday Night game.  Both teams are banged up pretty badly, but I'll take the healthier quarterback--Eli Manning--at home.