It’s rebound week for Jimmy
Week one of the NFL season didn’t go as planned for our picks. A game over .500 just isn’t good enough. Either no one was reading or they were taking it easy on me the first week – but I received no email death threats after barely cracking the .500 mark. This week I’m going back to the winning formula and we’ll see how we fare.
Miami at Indianapolis (-3.5)
The Miami defense surprised me a bit last week in Cleveland. I knew they were going to be good but I didn’t think they would be that good. Andrew Luck is going to have to stay on his toes as Miami loves to send pressure. The difference this week will be that Luck is not Brandon Weeden. This one is too close for comfort but Indy comes out victors and prove to be a force in the AFC.
Indianapolis 27, Miami 24
St. Louis at Atlanta (-6.5)
The Rams can get after the quarterback and the Falcons struggle to protect the passer. Can the Falcons start out 0-2? I don’t think so. Ryan and his offensive weapons score just enough to sneak out a big win and avoid starting the season on a two-game losing streak.
Atlanta 26, St. Louis 24
Carolina (-3.5) at Buffalo
Both teams look to rebound after week one losses. It’s Cam Newton vs. E.J. Manuel. The Bills are banged up in the secondary while the Panthers lost a starting guard. This game is a toss up but I’m going with the Panthers and the points.
Carolina 23, Buffalo 17
Dallas at Kansas City (-3.5)
The Cowboys are fresh off a shootout with the Giants. The Chiefs beat up on the lowly Jaguars giving up just 2 points. The Cowboys bring significantly more offense to Arrowhead. This one could come down to Tony Romo vs. the Chiefs secondary. Romo lit up the Giants on Sunday night but I like the Chiefs backend more than I trust Romo.
Kansas City 27, Dallas 23
Cleveland at Baltimore (-6.5)
The Ravens have had ten days to stew over an embarassing loss to Denver on Opening Night. The Browns were abysmal on offense against the Dolphins – leaving many most to believe they will be in the draft quarterback market in 2014. Weeden struggles locking into his first target and his pocket presence is atrocious. That scares me – he may not make it out of this game. That said, the Browns play the Ravens tough, even in losses.
Baltimore 21, Cleveland 17
San Diego at Philadelphia (-7.5)
Vegas loved em up some Chip Kelly. And who can blame them. Philly’s first half offense was a thing of beauty but struggled in the second half to keep up the momentum. San Diego is fresh off an epic meltdown against the Texans on Monday night. It’s a short week for the Chargers and they have to prepare for all the things Chip is going to throw at them. I’m going with the logic on this one and ignoring the winning formula.
Philadelphia 38, San Diego 24
Washington at Green Bay (-7.5)
The Robert Griffin III bandwagon got slightly lighter after a poor week one performance. RGIII’s struggles on Monday night had many questioning if he should have been out there. He’ll gradually regain that RGIII swagger but not this week.
Green Bay 31, Washington 23
Minnesota at Chicago (-6.5)
The hotseat for Christian Ponder is heating up as the week’s go. The Bears went on for an impressive week one win over the Cincinnati Bengals – a team many felt were going to be AFC title contenders. Marc Trestman and company will be looking to start the season off on the right foot and make everyone believers. I’m a believer but I think this one is close.
Chicago 24, Minnesota 23
Tennessee at Houston (-9.5)
No love for the Titans following a week one impressive win over the Steelers? Houston’s comeback bid over the Chargers was impressive. 9.5 seems like a ton of points in this contest and logic would say go with the Titans but the formula says take the Texans.
Houston 33, Tennessee 17
Detroit (-1.5) at Arizona
That Lions front four can create a lot of havoc for teams in the run and pass game. The Cards are going to struggle to protect the statue Carson Palmer. Palmer could be in for a rough one in this contest.
Detroit 24, Arizona 13
New Orleans (-3.5) at Tampa Bay
Is New Orleans back? I know one thing…Sean Payton is. The Bucs pass defense struggled against Geno Smith and the Jets last Sunday. Drew Brees is slightly better than Geno Smith. I think it’s a long day for the Bucs as Brees and Jimmy Graham go big in this one.
New Orleans 31, Tampa Bay 24
Jacksonville at Oakland (-5.5)
This is a barn burner. These teams were expected to compete for the top pick in May’s draft and that’s still possible. After one week the Raiders were on the uptick as Terrelle Pryor’s athleticism could keep them in some games. That said, I don’t think the Raiders can cover the 5.5.
Oakland 24, Jacksonville 20
Denver (-4.5) at New York Giants
Can Peyton go for 8 TD’s in this one? The Giants have to get their defensive righted. They gave up a ton of yards in their loss to the Cowboys and could be facing an 0-2 start. The Broncos got off on the right foot against the defending Super Bowl champs and look to continue rolling. I’m going with Peyton on 10 days to prepare.
Denver 35, New York 27
San Francisco at Seattle (-3.5)
The ‘Niners were impressive week one, while the Seahawks showed that signature dominant defense in a 12-7 win over the Panthers. Colin Kaepernick was spectacular last week – looking in midseason form. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson started clicking after a slow start. This is hands down the game of the week.
San Francisco 24, Seattle 23
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (7.5)
Pittsburgh was atrocious in week one. That’s putting it lightly as they were abused by the Titans. The Bengals are fresh off a tough loss to the Bears and looking to prove they are the class of the AFC North. I think Big Ben keeps this one close but ultimately wind up 0-2 to start the ’13 season.
Cincinnati 23, Pittsburgh 20
