Arizona at Indianapolis - The Colts are without Luck, and probably will be without luck in this game. The Cardinals lost a hugely disappointing game in Detroit last weekend, and are hungry to notch their first win for this new season. Indy has home field advantage, but that seems to be the only real advantage that they will have heading into this game. Their defense likely will struggle, and their offense, without their star quarterback, will likely struggle against Arizona's defense. Not sure that they can even prevent a blowout here. My pick: Arizona
Buffalo at Carolina - The Bills got a good solid win last weekend against the Jets, but going to Carolina to face the Panthers? Well, that is a different story. Carolina looked very good in shutting down the 49ers in San Francisco last weekend, although that was expected. They will also be expected to beat the Bills, and convincingly, this weekend. And they need it, with Atlanta and Tampa in their division. Look for the Panthers to pull away in the second half, and to capitalize on Buffalo's mistakes here in this contest. My pick Carolina
Chicago at Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay finally gets to start their season here. The Bears may be improved, although it is still a bit early to tell right now. However, winning on the road against a tough team like the Bucs is a bit too tall of an order, most likely. Tampa Bay has improved, and they should show why against the Bears, who are still one of the weakest teams in the league right now. This will prove a bit too much for them, and Tampa Bay should look good in winning this one. My pick: Tampa Bay
Cleveland at Baltimore - Poor Browns. They played a tough game against the Steelers last weekend, and narrowly lost. Now, they have to go to Baltimore and face the Ravens wicked defense, which shut out Ohio's other football team last weekend. The Browns will be overmatched, likely in every way in this game. Baltimore has a very good defense, and their offense can show something, as well. This one should be more convincing than the Browns last loss. My pick: Baltimore
Minnesota at Pittsburgh - The Vikings enjoyed their MNF win against a team wearing gold and black. That is good, because they likely will not get to repeat that this time around. Pittsburgh is always a tough place to play, and their offense and defense both seem to be clicking. The Vikings have some talent, but not enough to pull this one off, most likely. The Steelers do not always look amazing, but they will likely have more than enough firepower on offense, and toughness on defense, to get past the Vikings for this one. My pick: Pittsburgh
New England at New Orleans - The Saints lost a tough one in Minnesota last weekend, but the Pats are not exactly the kind of team that you want to face when you are trying to bounce back. Especially since New England also lost a hugely disappointing game, and then, on top of it, had extra time to prepare for this one. The Patriots are still the Patriots, after all, even if they looked downright human last week. So, as much as I would like to see New Orleans enjoy success, it is difficult to see them avoiding an 0-2 start after this contest. My pick: New England
Philadelphia at Kansas City - Good game. Andy Reid gets his old team down in KC. The Chiefs looked great against New England, and they now host the Eagles, after a longer than usual rest. They have to be feeling extremely confident going into this game, and for Philly, a road game in Arrowhead will be a tough order. The Chiefs never quit against the Pats, and knowing how tough the AFC West will be, they will need to get every win possible, including this one. Philly is good, and probably improved, but not likely good enough to pull off an upset here. My pick: Kansas City
Tennessee at Jacksonville - Who would have thought that the Titans might face a must win situation in week two? Yet, since they lost a big game last weekend, and since Jacksonville, in turn, earned a huge victory last weekend, it means that the Titans cannot afford to lose this game. It will be tough, but Mariota should be better this week. Also, they surely have studied what the Jaguars did, and should be well prepared going into this one. As impressive as the Jaguars were last weekend, this will be a far tougher test for them, home field advantage or not. My pick: Tennessee
Miami at L.A. Chargers - Both teams likely want this one really badly. The Dolphins want to see how their new offense will look under Jay Cutler, while the Chargers will try to bounce back from a near miss last week out in Denver. The Chargers did look good, but remember that they showed promise and played in a lot of close games last season, too. They just did not capitalize enough times to be a serious contender for the playoffs. That likely will be the case this season as well. Tough game to call, although I have to go with the Fins here. My pick: Miami
N.Y. Jets at Oakland - Not a good game for the Jets, only in week two. They have to go on the road once again, this time out to the West Coast, and take on one of the most dangerous and explosive teams in the league. The Raiders look like they have a red hot and very potent offense again, and they are looking to get off to a good 2-0 start. Seeing how tough the AFC West looks so far, they will need it, so they clearly cannot look past the Jets here. Unfortunately for New York, there are no clear advantages in their favor going into this game, and that is why I cannot pick them. My pick: Oakland
Dallas at Denver - A big game, and a solid test, for both teams. The Cowboys earned a big win, and a convincing one at that, last weekend against the Giants. Now, they go to Mile High to take on the Broncos, who looked at time both impressive and shaky last Monday Night against the Chargers. This is a tough game to call. If it were in Dallas, I would say the Cowboys for sure. But since this is in Denver, it will be tough for the 'Boys. I anticipate a close game, but in the end, it still seems that Dallas is the better team, and should get the win here. My pick: Dallas
San Francisco at Seattle - The Seahawks lost a tough game last weekend, and they clearly want to get a win here. San Francisco is likely one of the worst teams in the league right now, so this will not be like the intense rivalry that these two franchises had together a few years ago. The 'Hawks are hungry for a win, and they will have the considerable advantage of playing this in Seattle. The 'Niners did not play awful last weekend, but going to Seattle is a big test for them and, frankly, probably a bit too much for them, too. The Seahawks should be able to notch a solid divisional victory here in this one against a much weaker opponent. My pick: Seattle
Washington at L.A. Rams - Man, if the Rams play anything like they did last weekend, this game will be a wrap! However, it certainly is not likely that they will keep blowing opponents out like that. Sooner or later, someone will figure it out, and it might not be surprising if it begins this week. Washington lost a disappointing game last weekend to Philly, and they certainly want to avoid an 0-2 start. For the Rams, they obviously would love to start the season 2-0, and home field advantage could help them a lot here. My pick: L.A. Rams
Sunday Night Football - Green Bay at Atlanta - Another huge showdown for Green Bay. They just got past Seattle last weekend, and now have to travel down to Atlanta to take on the defending NFC champs, with hopes of getting some measure of revenge for the embarrassing loss in the NFC Championship Game in January. The Packers looked good last week, and now this is a huge test for them, on the road. The Falcons did not look inspired last week, but being back in Atlanta and against a good opponent will be interesting. This game may already have playoff implications, as both of these teams will likely compete not only for a playoff spot, but possibly for playoff position for either a playoff bye and/or home field advantage. Huge game! My pick: Green Bay
Monday Night Football - Detroit Lions at N.Y. Giants - Not sure which Lions team will show up for this one. For that matter, come to think of it, who knows which version of the Giants will show up, either. The G-Men have a solid defense, and that should help. If the Lions look anything like they did last week, with Stafford throwing for four touchdowns, then New York will have their work cut out for them. Plus, Detroit's defense looks good. Usually in the fairly recent past, if the Lions come to town, it is likely that this was a win. But this feels like a different Lions team, not one to be taken lightly. Still, the Giants need this win more than Detroit, and so that is why I am going ahead and picking them. Let's just hope it's not merely wishful thinking. My pick: N.Y. Giants
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