Predictions for Week 2

Week 1 is starting to become a memory. All 32 teams are in full swing with Week 2 preparations as those who won try to build on the successes and those who lost try to prove that Week 1 was a fluke. This week features some more tough matchups. Without further hesitation here is the schedule:

Arizona at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Tampa Bay at Carolina (Carolina)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Kansas City at Cleveland (Kansas City)
Chicago at Dallas (Dallas)
Philadelphia at Detroit (Philadelphia)
Buffalo at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Miami at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Pittsburgh at Tennessee (Pittsburgh)
Seattle at Denver (Seattle)
St. Louis at Oakland (Oakland)
New England at New York Jets (New England)
Jacksonville at San Diego (San Diego)
Houston at Washington (Houston)
New York Giants at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
New Orleans at San Francisco (New Orleans)

This week Houston takes a trip to Washington and plays a rare (at least for East Coast teams) afternoon game. The talk this week from a lot of the pundits has centered around how Washington plans to stop Houston. If they try to stop the ground game, then Washington will have to contend with Matt Schaub and the arsenal of skilled receivers around him. If they try to stop the pass, then the ground game is going to kill them. Last Sunday Tony Romo did have a decent game against the Washington defense (31 of 47 for 282 yards). The biggest reason Dallas lost was because it defeated itself. Also add the fact that Coach Gary Kubiak worked for Coach Mike Shanahan in Denver and supervised OC Kyle Shanahan here in Houston. Knowing the tendencies Shanahan and Son will go a long way in defensive and offensive planning for this game. This is why Houston will win this game on Sunday.

A few of the teams that lost this weekend are now going home. The teams that I picked to win based solely on home-field advantage are Dallas, Atlanta, Carolina, Green Bay (they are facing Buffalo, after all), and Oakland. Cincinnati has a great Quarterback in Carson Palmer and a top notch batch of receivers in Chad Ochocinco, Terrel Owens, and the up and comer Jordan Shipley. The New York Jets don't have a real good deep passing game right now, which was exploited by Baltimore. Baltimore will be facing a more complete team in Cincinnati and the deep threat posed by Palmer and Company will be why Cincinnati wins. Minnesota has had more than a week to prepare for Miami. That translates into more time for Favre to get in synch with his receivers and a little more development for the Minnesota secondary. Miami beat Buffalo in Week 1, but not in a very convincing fashion, which tells me they are still feeling around their retooled passing game. Add to that home-field advantage and Minnesota comes out the winner. I had predicted Detroit coming out of 4th place in the NFC North, and they may very well do that, but without Matthew Stafford, their chances grow more slim. It's the loss of Matthew Stafford that all but assures a Philadelphia win.

Tennessee embarassed Oakland in Week 1, but on Sunday they will be facing a much tougher defense when Pittsburgh visits. Look for Tennessee to rely on Chris Johnson once again this week in a losing effort against Pittsburgh. It looks like Seattle's coaching reconfiguration has paid immediate dividends based on the way they crushed San Francisco this past Sunday. I look for this to carry over in Denver. The New England offense will be too much for the New York Jets defense to handle. I'm still not sold on Cleveland just yet, especially given they will probably be starting a rookie QB this Sunday in place of a declining Jake Delhomme. San Diego, despite the thwarted effort at Kansas City, has the ability to move the football. That offense will be a real test of the Jacksonville defense. Eli Manning may have the better natural athletic talent, but Peyton Manning is still a better Quarterback due to his much higher football IQ. That and home-field advantage will be why Indianapolis beats the New York Giants on Sunday Night.

The New Orleans win against Minnesota wasn't an offensive clinic, but they got the job done. San Francisco had trouble coming through when it was needed against Seattle. Look for New Orleans to add to San Francisco's woes on Monday.

Of course, surprises can always happen as the game is played on the field and not on paper. Last Sunday I went 10-6 with my picks as there were some surprises in Week 1. I look for more surprises in Week 2 as the cobwebs are cleaned out and the tendencies of the teams playing become more apparent. But the most important thing is that this is a lot of fun.