GAME OF THE WEEK – Denver Broncos (2-0) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1), SEA by 5 – It’s not very often that you get a Super Bowl rematch the very next regular season, let alone so early in the year. This is Denver’s chance to get some payback for their historic blowout. I do expect Denver to fare much better this time around than they did in the Super Bowl. But this game is in Seattle, where the Seahawks have a ridiculous homefield advantage. I don’t see the Broncos getting the victory. Seahawks 30, Broncos 24
THURSDAY NIGHT – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) at Atlanta Falcons (1-1), ATL by 6.5 – Not looking good for the Buccaneers so far to start the season, but then again, this is a team that thought bringing in Lovie Smith and starting Josh McCown was a good idea. Atlanta should roll at home in prime time after a harsh loss to the Bengals. Falcons 31, Buccaneers 10
San Diego Chargers (1-1) at Buffalo Bills (2-0), BUF by 1 – I picked against Buffalo in both of their first two games, yet here they sit at a surprising 2-0. And I’m going to pick against them yet again, as I just think the Chargers are a better all-around team. I am not convinced that the Bills are for real. UPSET! – Chargers 24, Bills 13
Dallas Cowboys (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-1), DAL by 1 – The Rams snuck out a win against the hapless Buccaneers, and it’s going to be strength vs. strength when it comes down to the Cowboys’ offense vs. the Rams’ defense. I like the Cowboys’ chances here much better—the Rams are headed for yet another top five pick. Cowboys 34, Rams 12
Washington Redskins (1-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-0), PHI by 6.5 – The Redskins played some outstanding all-around football last week, but it WAS the Jaguars. I’m not buying the Kirk Cousins hype yet—he didn’t look great in extended action last season. Meanwhile, I’m sipping the Eagles’ kool-aid after they picked up a road win in a hostile environment in Indianapolis. While this reeks of “trap game” for Philly, I think they manage to pick up a hard fought win. Eagles 27, Redskins 24
Houston Texans (2-0) at New York Giants (0-2), HOU by 2.5 – The Giants have looked unbelievably awful after two weeks, particularly on offense, and the Texans have played some suffocating defense. I don’t see any reason to be particularly confident about the Giants’ chances in this game. The Texans will get off to a slightly surprising 3-0 start despite any really solid quarterback play. Texans 20, Giants 16
Minnesota Vikings (1-1) at New Orleans Saints (0-2), NO by 9.5 – I think it’s safe to say this is the week the Saints get off the schneid. It’s going to be interesting to see the kind of reception that Adrian Peterson gets in the SuperDome. My guess is that there are going to be a hell of a lot of boos. Go Saints! Saints 37, Vikings 10
Tennessee Titans (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-0), CIN by 7 – The Bengals are quietly looking like the league’s most complete team after two weeks. Can they keep that streak going? There’s no reason to believe they can’t. That defense is absolutely nasty. Bengals 33, Titans 13
Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1), BAL by 1 – I’ll tell you what, I’ve been impressed by the Browns after two weeks. They could just as easily be 0-2 or 2-0, but they’re playing their hearts out and it’s really showing up. They might not wind up with a winning record, but something feels different about this Browns team. The Ravens had a big emotional victory defeating the Steelers at home after a hell of an awful week, and they’ll have had several extra days of rest in the lead up to the game. But teams don’t win on the road very much in the AFC North, and I’m going to sip the Browns kool-aid for this week. UPSET! – Browns 20, Ravens 17
Green Bay Packers (1-1) at Detroit Lions (1-1), DET by 1 – Tough game to predict. Very equal teams on paper. The Packers got absolutely stomped by the Lions in Detroit last year on Thanksgiving, but remember: Aaron Rodgers wasn’t playing. The Packers’ defense will likely get murdered by the Lions’ high-octane offense, but with all things considered being equal, I think the Aaron Rodgers advantage is greater than the home field advantage. UPSET! – Packers 31, Lions 27
Indianapolis Colts (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2), IND by 7 – The Colts are in desperate need of a victory, which is great timing considering they play one of the league’s worst teams this week. They’ll notch their first W with ease. Colts 34, Jaguars 13
Oakland Raiders (0-2) at New England Patriots (1-1), NE by 14.5 – A huge spread here, which isn’t particularly surprising as the Raiders could wind up being a historically bad football team. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe there’s an upset in the works here. Patriots 30, Raiders 6
San Francisco 49ers (1-1) at Arizona Cardinals (2-0), SF by 2.5 – The 49ers have historically had some issues against the Cardinals, but I imagine they’re going to be playing angry this week, which means the Cardinals will suffer their first defeat. Niners 26, Cardinals 20
Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at Miami Dolphins (1-1), MIA by 4.5 – Hard to know what to expect in this matchup. I was high on the Dolphins after week one, but they looked hopeless against the Bills in week two. The Chiefs held it close against the Broncos but will be without Jamaal Charles. I think that’s going to be the difference in this game. Dolphins 20, Chiefs 13
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-0), CAR by 3 – The Panthers’ defense has been absolutely sick. While they’ve got some pretty bad offensive issues, I see them managing to handle the Steelers at home under the bright lights, even if it winds up being a bit of a challenge. Panthers 23, Steelers 20
Chicago Bears (1-1) at New York Jets (1-1), NYJ by 2.5 – Hard to say whether the Jets are as good as they showed against the Packers or if the Packers’ defense is just that bad. Maybe a little bit of both. Regardless, this will probably be a pretty solid game, but I think the Bears are just the better team overall and will show it on Monday night. UPSET! - Bears 27, Jets 20
