An always-interesting opening week set the stage for the 2012 NFL season.\u00a0 Now, Week Two is\u00a0upon us and things will continue to shock us – as they always do.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Chicago (1-0) at GREEN BAY (1-0)<\/span> – Vegas: Packers -7.5 Kansas City (1-0) at BUFFALO (1-0)<\/span> – Vegas: Bills -2.5 Cleveland (0-1) at CINCINNATI (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: Bengals -7.5 Minnesota (1-0) at INDIANAPOLIS (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: Colts -2.5 New Orleans (1-0) at CAROLINA (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: Saints -3 Houston (1-0) at JACKSONVILLE (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: Texans -5.5 Oakland (0-1) at MIAMI (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: Dolphins -3.5 Arizona (1-0) at NEW ENGLAND (1-0)<\/span> – Vegas: Patriots -13 Tampa Bay (1-0) at N.Y.GIANTS (1-0)<\/span> – Vegas: Giants -9 Baltimore (1-0) at PHILADELPHIA (1-0)<\/span> – Vegas: Eagles -3.5 Washington (0-1) at ST. LOUIS (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: Rams -1.5 Dallas (0-1) at SEATTLE (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: Seahawks -1.5 N.Y. Jets (0-1) at PITTSBURGH (1-0)<\/span> – Vegas: Steelers -4.5 Tennessee (0-1) at SAN DIEGO (1-0)<\/span> – Vegas: Chargers -6 Detroit (1-0) at SAN FRANCISCO (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: 49ers -3.5 Denver (0-1) at ATLANTA (0-1)<\/span> – Vegas: Falcons -2.5 NFC EAST:<\/span> NFC NORTH:<\/span> NFC SOUTH:<\/span> NFC WEST: AFC EAST:<\/span> AFC NORTH:<\/span> AFC SOUTH:<\/span> AFC WEST: An always-interesting opening week set the stage for the 2012 NFL season.\u00a0 Now, Week Two is\u00a0upon us and things will continue to shock us – as they always do. Thursday Night \u00a0Chicago (1-0) at GREEN BAY (1-0) – Vegas: Packers … Continue reading
\nThe Packers open with back-to-back tough games (SF and CHI), but they get them both at home.\u00a0 While I think the Bears, are going to be good – and decently prepared after an easy Week One against Indy – I don’t see quite enough here to go into Lambeau and get the upset.\u00a0 Packers (moderate)<\/strong><\/p>\nSunday, Early Afternoon<\/h1>\n
\nI have both of these teams coming off big Week One wins.\u00a0 The Bills went into the Meadowlands and beat the Jets, while the Chiefs upset Matt Ryan and the Falcons at home.\u00a0 I like both of these teams to possibly surprise some people in the AFC this year, and I am not sure who I\u00a0am higher on.\u00a0 In this case, I am going to just go with the home team.\u00a0 Bills (close)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe Bengals are on a short week after a very physical Monday night matchup with Baltimore.\u00a0 I think that division rivals, particularly those as physical as the Ravens, on Monday night is really tough on a team, but the Bengals caught a nice scheduling break here getting the Browns, at home, here.\u00a0 If it were on the road or against a better opponent, I would probably have the Bengals losing here, but I think they are just too good and the Browns too bad.\u00a0 Then again, at any other point in the schedule, this would be an\u00a0EASY Bengals pick.\u00a0 Bengals (moderate)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIf Adrian Peterson is actually going to be slowed by his injury early in the season, the Vikings could not have picked a better way to start their schedule.\u00a0 They got a bad Jacksonville team at home in Week One, and now they go to another dome against a bad team in Indy.\u00a0 I think the Colts should be better, but maybe not right away.\u00a0 I am not sure why, but I think I like the Vikes to start 2-0 with or without the normal AD.\u00a0 Vikings (close)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nEveryone loves the Panthers this year, and everyone is quick to remind you that the Saints are without Sean Payton…in fact, they are without any <\/em>coach for 6 weeks.\u00a0 So, this is probably a popular upset pick right off the bat.\u00a0 But, not me.\u00a0 The talent difference between the two teams is still just so great.\u00a0 Give me the Saints on the road…without a coach.\u00a0 Saints (close)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nI guess Vegas is either crediting the home team here or they like Jacksonville better than I do, but I think the Texans should go into Jax and rolls the Jags.\u00a0 I’ll lay the 5.5 on the road without any hesitation.\u00a0 Texans (easy)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nI think the Dolphins are a slightly better team than the Raiders, when everything is equal, but a home game at 1:00 eastern, with the Raiders coming off the late Monday Night game in Week One.\u00a0 This one’s easy.\u00a0 Dolphins (easy)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nAnother easy one at 1:00.\u00a0 Patriots (easy)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMake it three easy picks in a row, as the Giants – on 11 days rest – should take care of Tampa very comfortably.\u00a0 Giants (easy)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThis one is really tough, but, as an Eagles fan, it is nice to get the Ravens at home, coming off a short week after a divisional Monday Night game AND one week before a showdown with New England.\u00a0 If there is ever a good time to face Baltimore, this might be it.\u00a0 Then again, if there has ever been a defense that you don’t want to play when your quarterback is fragile, this might be it.\u00a0 Eagles (moderate)<\/strong><\/p>\nSunday, Late Afternoon<\/h1>\n
\nBoth teams could well be coming off double-digit losses in Week One, but one of these teams is not breaking in a rookie QB with a second straight road game.\u00a0 Rams (close)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThis one is the hardest game of the week to pick.\u00a0 The Cowboys have 11 days to prepare for this one, but their offense has been really banged up in the preseason, so will they be healthy enough by now to go on the road – in one of the toughest places to play – against a Seattle defense that is actually pretty good.\u00a0 In basically\u00a0a coin flip game, I’ll take the home team against a beat-up set of weapons around a bad o-line.\u00a0 Seahawks (close)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThere are a lot of reasons to think the Jets can go into Pittsburgh and pull off this early upset.\u00a0 The Steelers are coming off a Sunday Night game in the thin air of Mile High.\u00a0 And, the Jets could be fired up from getting beat in Week One.\u00a0 But, all in all, I just don’t see this Jets offense putting up enough points in Pittsburgh to steal this one, though this game might be a lot tougher than many Steeler fans might want to believe.\u00a0 Steelers (close)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe Chargers are on a short week here, which could make this game pretty tough.\u00a0 And, this just screams of one of those games that the Chargers piss away in the beginning of the season.\u00a0 That being said, I think that they are a much better team than Tennessee, so I’m going to continue to be proved an idiot by believing in their talent.\u00a0 Chargers (close)<\/strong><\/p>\nSunday Night<\/h1>\n
\nA really good Sunday Night game\u00a0– on paper – here in Week Two, but I actually think this might not be that great of a game.\u00a0 I think the Niners are a good bit better than the Lions and should win at home.\u00a0 49ers (moderate)<\/strong><\/p>\nMonday Night<\/h1>\n
\nPeyton Manning – the King of the Prime Time Game – starts his Denver career with back-to-back prime time affairs.\u00a0 And, yes, I am just stupid enough to pick him to lose both of them.\u00a0 The Falcons could be smarting coming off the loss in KC, and I think that they will be fired up for this game.\u00a0 The Broncos have a big game with Houston coming up in Week Three, so they might have an eye on that one.\u00a0 This one is tough, but I’ll go with the home team.\u00a0 Falcons (close)<\/strong><\/p>\nStandings After Week Two<\/h1>\n
\nThe Giants and Eagles are already 2 games up on the other two – could be a two-team race already<\/em>
\n2-0 Giants
\n2-0 Eagles
\n0-2 Cowboys
\n0-2 Redskins<\/p>\n
\nThe Pack at 2-0, including a HUGE win over the Bears is no surprise, but the Vikings?!?
\n<\/em>2-0 Packers
\n2-0 Vikings
\n1-1 Bears
\n1-1 Lions<\/p>\n
\nThe Saints start 2-0 without a head coach; the Panthers are 0-2 in Newton’s encore
\n<\/em>2-0 Saints
\n1-1 Bucs
\n1-1 Falcons
\n0-2 Panthers<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>No 2-0 teams in the NFC Worst – no surprise; no 0-2 teams – quite the surprise
\n<\/em>1-1 Cardinals
\n1-1 49ers
\n1-1 Rams
\n1-1 Seahawks<\/p>\n
\nTrouble in last-place Rexville, while the Pats and the surprise Bills already have two games on the men in green
\n<\/em>2-0 Bills
\n2-0 Patriots
\n1-1 Dolphins
\n0-2 Jets<\/p>\n
\nThese first two weeks could go a long way in the AFC North, even though we haven’t seen Pit-Bal yet; the Steelers jump ahead
\n<\/em>2-0 Steelers
\n1-1 Bengals
\n1-1 Ravens
\n0-2 Browns<\/p>\n
\nThe Texans still haven’t “mathematically” clinched this division yet…
\n<\/em>2-0 Texans
\n0-2 Colts
\n0-2 Jaguars
\n0-2 Titans<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>The Broncos have already spotted the Chargers 2 games here – not exactly the start Mr. Manning was looking for
\n<\/em>2-0 Chargers
\n1-1 Chiefs
\n0-2 Broncos
\n0-2 Raiders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"