WEEK TWO! Hopefully no games getting postponed this week!
GAME OF THE WEEK – Green Bay Packers (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (1-0), ATL by 2.5 – A really tough opening month for the Packers continues in Atlanta, where they got absolutely destroyed in January in the NFC Championship game. But these are two very different teams. The Falcons no longer have Kyle Shanahan calling the plays, the Packers are healthy in the defensive backfield and have significantly beefed up their front seven. As such, it’s really tough to know exactly what to expect. But knowing the Packers, I’ve got a hard time believing they’ve found the recipe to stopping this Atlanta passing attack. Plus, Atlanta will be opening their brand new dome… emotions will be running high. Falcons 31, Packers 20
THURSDAY NIGHT – Houston Texans (0-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1), CIN by 5 – Neither of these teams can afford to get into an 0-2 whole, but especially the Bengals, as their division race promises to be quite intense. Playing at home against a team that is likely to be starting an unprepared rookie QB, I think the Bengals bounce back after their complete blanking in week one. Bengals 23, Texans 17
Tennessee Titans (0-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0), TEN by 1.5 – This is the first time since September of 2011 that the Jaguars have had a winning record. Incredible. Unfortunately for them, it is likely to be short-lived, as this up-and-coming Titans team comes to town with something to prove after being relatively shut down by the Raiders last week. Expect this to be a hard fought game, but the Titans will come away with the win. Titans 27, Jaguars 20
Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Baltimore Ravens (0-1), BAL by 7.5 – I don’t think anyone expected to see THAT Ravens team this past week. Holy moly. If they are able to sustain that caliber of play, they’re going to be contenders this year. But we can’t get excited after just one week. Still, playing at home, they should be able to handle an improving but still inferior Browns squad. Ravens 23, Browns 13
Buffalo Bills (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (1-0), CAR by 7.5 – Carolina has a nice soft start to the year, which should help them rebound and regain confidence after last year’s trudge to 7-9. The Bills currently lead the AFC East basically by default, and simply do not have the roster strength to keep the wins going throughout the year. Panthers 31, Bills 19
New England Patriots (0-1) at New Orleans Saints (0-1), NE by 6.5 – What better way for the Patriots’ offense to rebound after a horrid week one outing? A trip to one of the worst defenses in the league! If Brady can’t put up big numbers against this Saints squad, he may actually be finished. Patriots 34, Saints 20
Arizona Cardinals (0-1) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1), ARZ by 7.5 – The Cardinals drew a lucky week to face the Luck-less Colts. Without David Johnson and with Carson Palmer looking more like Ryan Lindley, they aren’t going to be winning a whole lot of games. But the Colts might just be the worst team in the league when Luck isn’t playing. Cardinals should take it. Cardinals 27, Colts 12
Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0), KC by 4.5 – The Andy Reid/Doug Pederson bowl finally happens! Tough draw for the Eagles, who looked good against the Redskins but now have to travel to a tema fresh off a thrashing of the defending champs in their own stadium. Even though the Chiefs are down Eric Berry, they still have a ferocious defense and Hunt looks like the real deal. Chiefs 30, Eagles 17
Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0), PIT by 6 – Tough to know what to make of these teams in the first week. The Steelers struggled on the road against the Browns, but Roethlisberger has historically struggled in road divisional games. The Vikings looked unstoppable on offense against the Saints, but the Saints have a historically bad defense. Both of those results seemed like outliers to me, so I expect the Steelers to take care of business at home. Steelers 27, Vikings 24
Chicago Bears (0-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0), TB by 7 – The Bears gave the Falcons a run for their money last week, but are now down their top 2 WRs, probably for the year. Who knows what to expect out of the Bucs, who had extra time to prepare but have been dealing with Hurricane Irma. The Bucs are the better team on paper, so I’ll take them in their first action of the year. Bucs 23, Bears 17
Miami Dolphins (0-0) at Los Angeles Chargers (0-1), LAC by 4.5 – Give the Chargers some credit for hanging on til the last second against Denver this past week. Now, however, we get to see how they perform at their “home” stadium of 27,000. Jay Cutler vs. Philip Rivers has finally returned. The Chargers have homefield advantage (if you can call it that), but the Dolphins have had an extra week and are ready to release their frustrations about the hurricane on the field. UPSET! – Dolphins 23, Chargers 20
New York Jets (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (1-0), OAK by 14 – Damn, when was the last time the Raiders were favored over any team by double digits? They should be able to cover the spread without much issue, too. Raiders 33, Jets 10
Washington (0-1) at Los Angeles Rams (1-0), LAR by 2.5 – Ahhh, the Madden 17 bowl! Jared Goff looked like a solid NFL QB last week, which has to be a nice feeling for Rams fans after his dismal performance in 2016. Tough to know what to expect out of this one though… Washington underperformed last week, and Kirk Cousins did himself no favors in his hunt for a long-term contract. I’ll go based on what I saw last week and pick the Rams, but neither result would surprise me. Rams 26, Washington 20
Dallas Cowboys (1-0) at Denver Broncos (1-0), DAL by 2 – Another interesting week two matchup. The Broncos toughed it out at home against a divisional rival, and now get to play a Cowboys team that utterly shut down the Giants in week one, a team that has given them a lot of trouble and that many have been picking to make a run in the NFC. If Dallas is able to control the clock with the run game, they will win the ball game, simple as that. Given that this isn’t the Denver defense of two years ago, I think they’re capable. Cowboys 20, Broncos 16
San Francisco 49ers (0-1) at Seattle Seahawks (0-1), SEA by 13.5 – Here’s a nice pick-me-up game for the Seahawks after losing in Lambeau in week one. Seahawks 30, 49ers 13
Detroit Lions (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1), NYG by 4 – The Giants’ offense looked absolutely putrid against a Cowboys defense that isn’t as good as they made them look. The Lions have enough talent to go into New York and make a statement. UPSET! – Lions 17, Giants 13
(not this week but 2 seasons ago for me)