NFL Picks, Week Two

Well, after a not so stellar start to the season, I'm back with more picks. Hey, week one is the hardest week. You haven't seen anyone play yet. Last week I was 7-8-1. This week I can guarantee improvement or you money back. (Note: I'm not talking about the money you might lose gambling. The money to which I am referring is what you pay to read this.)

Anyway, onto the games. Within the body of the paragraph, the team I'm picking to cover will be in bold.

Buffalo (+9.5) at Pittsburgh: The Steelers looked very good last week, but they were playing the Browns. (Suicide pool note: when in doubt, pick whoever Cleveland is playing.) The Bills lost a game to the Broncos that they should have won. In the NFC Buffalo is probably a playoff team. But in the AFC, they're still at least a year away. That being said, I don't think Pittsburgh wins by 10. Take Buffalo.

Cincinnati (-6.5) at Cleveland: The Bengals looked pretty good beating Baltimore last week. The score was misleading because Ed Reed returned a punt for a touchdown late in the game. Cleveland is terrible. The Bengals will win easily. Take Cincy.

Indianapolis (-7) at Tennessee: This is a trap game If I ever saw one. Is Indy a much better team? Yes. Would I recommend gambling against Vince Young? Hell no. Am I going to contradict myself and take the Colts anyway? Yep. They don't lose games in September. Hell, they tend not to lose many regular season games at all. You never know what Vince Young is capable of, but the Colts, coming off 10 days of rest, looked very good last week. Take Indy.

Houston (+6.5) at Carolina: I'm not sold on the Texans at all. It's easy to look good when you're playing the Chiefs. Carolina didn't beat the best team in the NFL either, but they put the Rams away easily and looked good doing it. I think the Panthers are going to have a good year, provided of course the defense stays healthy. The Texans might be an 8 win team this year, but this wont be one of them. Go with Carolina.

San Francisco (-3) at St. Louis: This is a tough one. San Francisco wasn't terribly impressive against the Cardinals, who beat themselves. Nothing new there. But St. Louis looked worse, and I've been saying The 49ers are a playoff team since last season ended. For fantasy purposes though, I think both Frank Gore and Steven Jackson bounce back with big days. Go with San Fran.

Green Bay (Pk) at N.Y. Giants: The Hefty Lefty is ready to play, and shit, he can't be worse than Eli, right? The Packers have a decent defense and one of the worst offenses in the league. The Giants have a crappy defense but an offense that has some punch, even if it might be without its "leader" this week. Even if Eli does end up playing, and it looks like he will, I still like the Giants. The aren't to win a ton of games this year, but I think this will be one of them.

Atlanta (+10) at Jacksonville: Maybe the Falcons are going to be as bad as they were Sunday all season. I certainly don't thin they'll win this game. But 10 points to the Jaguars? Please. Their QB is DAVID GARRARD. The only way Jacksonville wins by 10 is if the final score is 10-0, which is possible. Take the Falcons anyway.

New Orleans (-3.5) at Tampa Bay: The Saints received a good ol' buttwhoopin' at the hands of the Colts last week. The Bucs are not as good as the Colts. Nowhere near. I'm not even sure they play the same sport. The Saints will bounce back nicely against Tampa, a team that is banged up already. Take the Saints.

Minnesota (-3) at Detroit: Last week I went against Minny and they burned me. Granted, they were playing against Joey Harrington, but still. That defense looked good. The Lions will score points, but they will turn it over too. Remember, we're talking about the Lions here. Take the Vikings.

Dallas (-3.5) at Miami: Miami proved last week by losing to the Redskins that they are indeed terrible, at least on offense. Dallas proved you can score on them via the air, but Miami's passing game stinks. Take Dallas.

Seattle (-3) at Arizona: It's the Cardinals people. Seattle is good and the Cardinals are the Cardinals. Both teams will score, Seattle will cover. Take the Seahawks, although be wary, Shaun Alexander is nursing a sprained wrist.

N.Y. Jets (+10) at Baltimore: Ten points is a lot, but the Jets are starting an inexperienced QB against a very good defense. And, it's in Baltimore. I still think the Jets will be a decent team, but they're going 0-2. Will the lose by 10? Probably. Take the Ravens.

Oakland (+10) at Denver: I gave the Raiders too much credit last week. They did everything in their power to lose to the Lions, and lo and behold, they did. It's in Denver and the Broncos are pumped after last weeks win. This, despite me not being sold on Jay Cutler, and despite Oakland's decent defense, shouldn't be close. All I know is I'm not picking the Raiders to cover this year until they do. Go with Denver.

Kansas City (+12) at Chicago: Jesus Kansas City is bad. And I mean BAD. Sorry Larry Johnson, but you aren't winning 5 games this year. And you certainly aren't winning this one. Even though I'm not sold on the Bears offense, that defense should put up some points. I like Chicago in this one, despite the big spread.

San Diego (+3.5) at New England: This game is going to go one of two ways: either New England is going to destroy San Diego in the wake of the cheating thing, or the Chargers will beat the Pats in an emotion filled victory to prove the Pats aren't unbeatable this year. The Patriots do have to lose a game this year, right? If they're going to lose one, this is it. I don't think the Chargers are going to win this game though. Take the Pats, but you shouldn't be gambling on this game.

Washington (+7) at Philadelphia: The Eagles will bounce back at home on Monday night. They have to. And Washington is not good. I am sure of this. The Eagles under Reid and McNabb have played historically well in night games, and quite well against the Redskins. Take the Eagles. They should win this by a lot, but hey, I said that last week.

That's it for this weeks picks. Enjoy the games.

Last week: 7-8-1
Season 7-8-1

Oh, and the Phillies just took two in a row from the Mets. I still don't care, because they're going 2-5 against the Cardinals and the Nationals on this road trip. Prove me wrong fellas, prove me wrong.