NFL 2010 - Week 2 picks.....

A tough first week of picking as some teams followed their pre-season trends, while others went in the opposite direction of what they showed. Below the point spread games are the win/lose picks that Mike, myself and our weekly guest picker have for week 2.

NFL Week 2 picks (Home Team in Caps)

FALCONS (-7) over Cardinals
Arizona needed all 60 minutes and 3 INTs from Sam Bradford before beating the Rams. Beanie Wells should be back to help the offense. Atlanta suffered a tough loss last week in Pittsburgh and will bounce back a much weaker opponent.

BENGALS (+1) over Ravens
All sane judgement goes against the Bengals bouncing back against a tough Raven team after last week's no show up in New England. Baltimore is on a short week after a tough Monday night game and again on the road. Don't believe the Bengal defense is as bad as they looked against the Patriots. Carson Palmer gets his offense in gear and they squeak out a tough home divisional win.

Chiefs (+2 1/2) over BROWNS
The Chiefs won Monday night despite Matt Cassel going 8 for 22. Their defense looks to be improved, but it is still young in areas. That might not matter as the Browns looked like a mess against Tampa Bay. KC gets the passing on track and starts the season at 2-0.

Bears (+8 1/2) over COWBOYS
Both offensive lines did not protect well last week and both face tough defensive lines in this matchup. Jay Cutler seems to like throwing the ball all over the yard and Matt Forte looks healthy. The Cowboys are too talented to be 0-2, but are still having trouble in the red zone and that is why the Bears keep it close.

Eagles (-3) over LIONS
Michael Vick gets the start for Philadelphia, while it will be Shaun Hill for the Lions. Advantage Eagles. Let the quarterback controversy begin in Philly.

PACKERS (-13 1/2) over Bills
Green Bay will be without Ryan Grant for the rest of the season, but they get Buffalo for Brandon Jackson to make his first NFL start. Aaron Rodgers looked a little rusty last week against the Eagles, but gets himself on track against The Bills' secondary.

Steelers (+6) over TITANS
The Pittsburgh defense stood up against Atlanta's Michael Turner last week and now get Chris Johnson. Plus, Vince Young was effective, but it was against Oakland. The Steelers minus Ben Roethlisberger will have trouble scoring against the Titans' defense, but the Steeler D helps in keeping this close.

Dolphins (+5 1/2) over VIKINGS
Miami got a win, but did not look great against Buffalo. Meanwhile, there is still a bit of concern about the Vikings' receiving corps. Both teams will want to run the ball and the game will come down to which team can move the ball through the air. Miami keeps it close and pull off the out-right victory.

PANTHERS (-3) over Buccaneers
Carolina looked terrible against the Giants, while Tampa Bay got a season opening home victory against the Browns. Cleveland was able to run the ball against the Bucs' defense and expect the Panthers to do the same as they try to protect whichever quarterback starts for them.

BRONCOS (-3) over Seahawks
The Pete Carrol era could not have started any better than it did last week. This week they are on the road and away from their over-friendly crowd. Kyle Orton threw for almost 300 yards and the offense looked better than I had anticipated. Denver gets the win at home.

RAIDERS (-3 1/2) over Rams
Sam Bradford threw the ball 55 times last week. That cannot happen again. I thought the Raiders were a better team headed into 2010 and I will stick with them again this week at home. They ran the ball well against the Titans and should look to keep it up against the St. Louis defense.

Patriots (+1 1/2) over JETS
All the Jet talk this off-season was not lost on New England. Now they get the Jets a little on the downside, after a loss, with their offense in a mess and Darrelle Revis possibly having a sore hamstring. Tom Brady and the Patriot offense shows New York how to put points on the board and gives the Jets their second loss (both at home).

CHARGERS (-8) over Jaguars
San Diego at least knows it won't be raining like it was Monday night in Kansas City. Yes, they miss Vincent Jackson, but probably miss Marcus McNeill more. Just like last year, the Charger defense gave up yards on the ground and will have to be careful with Maurice Jones-Drew running for the Jags. Too much talent on the San Diego side of the ball and they right last week's wrong.

Texans (-3) over REDSKINS
Everything points to "letdown game" and that can be said for both teams, but more to the Texans because they are traveling and are favorites. Arian Foster will have a tougher time finding holes this week. It is student (Gary Kubiak) versus teacher (Mike Shanahan). With a much better offense, student gets the best of his mentor.

COLTS (-5 1/2) over Giants
The Colts' defense got shredded on the ground by Arian Foster and the Texans, and now face a Giant team who will want to run the ball. New York got the win last week, but were helped by Carolina's turnovers. Don't see Peyton giving little brother Eli the same opportunities. Indy gets back on track and avoids their first 0-2 start since Peyton's rookie year.

Saints (-4 1/2) over 49ERS
There was no worse way for a promising team to start their season then the way San Fransisco started up in Seattle and it does not get any easier, even at home, as the Super Bowl Champions come to town. New Orleans' offense looked sluggish most of the game against Minnesota, but had eleven days to get back on track. I think they do and put the team favored to win the NFC West in a 0-2 hole.

Week 1 picks: 7-8-1
2010 season: 7-8-1


Win/Lose picks:
Guest picker for week 2: Paul Lebowitz

Week 1 results: Mike (12-4) / Sal (10-6) / Guest (10-6)
2010 season: Mike (12-4) / Sal (10-6) / Guest (10-6)

Week 2 picks:
Paul --- Steelers at Titans --- Sal / Mike
Sal --- Dolphins at Vikings --- Mike / Paul
--- Cardinals at Falcons --- Sal / Mike / Paul
Mike --- Ravens at Bengals --- Sal / Paul
Sal / Mike / Paul --- Chiefs at Browns ---
--- Bears at Cowboys --- Sal / Mike / Paul
Sal / Mike --- Eagles at Lions --- Paul
Paul --- Bills at Packers --- Sal / Mike
Paul --- Buccaneers at Panthers --- Sal / Mike
--- Seahawks at Broncos --- Sal / Mike / Paul
--- Rams at Raiders --- Sal / Mike / Paul
Sal / Mike --- Texans at Redskins --- Paul
Sal / Paul --- Patriots at Jets --- Mike
--- Jaguars at Chargers --- Sal / Mike / Paul
Paul --- Giants at Colts --- Sal / Mike
Sal / Mike --- Saints at 49ers --- Paul