NFL 2012 Week 2 Predictions (Centennial Edition)

I think I've finally recovered from the consumption of all that football this past weekend. Always has been and always be one of my favorite weekends of the year, also doesn't hurt to go 11-5 to kick things off. But now that it's over that means we're simply one week smarter headed into week 2 where in the 100th post on the site we will undoubtedly go 16 for 16 this week.


Thursday September 13th, 8:20 ET - NFL Network
Chicago vs. Green Bay (-6)
Well look what we have here! Football on a Thursday in Week 2 for the first time ever! I love it - more football during the week gives me less time to pay attention to things that actually matter (Political Conventions, Economic News, issues in Libya, etc.). This is already looking like a must-win game for the Packers in Week 2 if they have any hopes of keeping their No. 1 seed in the NFC in tact. QB Aaron Rodgers has been telling media all week long that they are not panicked, but after a pretty sub-par performance against the 49ers, this Packers team needs a win to avoid going 0-2. I just did some fact checking and only 22% of teams that start 0-2 go on to make the playoffs. There's no question that the Packers are a gifted offensive team, but if their defense continues to get torched - who knows what will happen. The Bears on the other hand looked like a very formidable team last week - I know they played the 2-14 Colts, so I tell myself not to get too excited about them - but it's hard to deny the talent they have on both sides of the ball. Brandon Marshall has already reaped the rewards of reuniting with Jay Cutler, and Alshon Jeffrey  looks to be a viable second WR option. I like this game to have a lot of points - and think that the Bears will be able to match the Packers on offense. I'll take the Bears to keep this close in Lambeau. 

I've highlighted below the games for the weekend that I would wager on you know... if gambling were legal and all. The rest of the picks are below:

Sunday September 16th, (1:00 ET Kickoffs)  
Kansas City vs. Buffalo (-3)
Yep, the Bills reverted back to form last week by getting their asses handed to them by the Jets. No Fred Jackson this week and DT Marcell Dareus coping with the loss of his brother - I can only imagine that the Bills would be prime for another demoralizing defeat, but something tells me to continue to hold out faith and not write this team off after week 1. The Chiefs come into this game at full strength after suffering some brutal injuries (Jamaal Charles & Eric Berry) and having to cope with cheaters (Tamba Hali - suspended for 1 game). After the Bills annihilated the Chiefs last year 41-7, there will be no excuses from KC. I still think this Bills can keep their season in tact, so I'll back them again.

New Orleans (-2.5) vs. Carolina 
I honestly don't know how to feel about this Saints team. Did I think they would be far worse than their 2011 campaign? Absolutely. Did I think that they would drop their home opener to the Redskins snapping an 8 game winning streak? Absolutely not. That brings us to week 2 where they will pack up and play Carolina on the road. The Panthers don't exactly instill the confidence I was looking for after a terrific rookie campaign from Cam Newton on only 10 yards rushing against the Bucs last week. I'd expect this game to be a high scoring affair, one in which the Saints should be able to dictate. If I were a betting man, my money would be on the Saints to avoid going 0-2. Take New Orleans to bounce back against the Panthers.

Tampa Bay vs. NY Giants (-7.5) - Best Pick
The big story here is the return of two former Rutgers personnel to the lovely state of New Jersey - Greg Schiano (Head Coach from 2001 - 2011) and Eric LeGrand (former DT for the Scarlet Knights who was paralyzed during a game in 2010.) With all of the positive vibes in the air, I look for the Bucs to continue to build momentum on their week 1 win - but fear not Giants fans, the last time the G-Men went 0-2, they went on to win the Superbowl in 2007. History always repeats itself, right? Take the Bucs plus the points here.

Baltimore vs. Philadelphia (-2.5)
A lot of people will look at this line and say, WTF!?! This makes no sense, the Ravens looked impeccable in week 1 against the Bengals and are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Meanwhile, the Eagles offense looked like they just met each other before kickoff last week in Cleveland and barely survived a win against a Brandon Weeden lead team. HOW ARE THE EAGLES FAVORED? Well, I'll tell you what. Andy Reid does not allow his team to put up very many back to back duds on the offensive side of the ball. The Eagles defense is also no joke as they've gone back to blitzing and pressuring WRs at the line making it hard for QB's to find open passing lanes. Surely this will be a competitive game - I just see the Eagles rallying at home to start the season off at 2-0 vs. the AFC North.

Oakland (-2.5) vs. Miami
If you were watching the Texans - Dolphins last weekend, you were watching a 3-3 game with two minutes left in the first half. If you stepped out of the room to go make a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, you would have come back at the Half and seen the score 24-3 Texans. Yes, the Dolphins are 21 points in less than 2 minutes bad. They're just waiting to self implode in every game - and until I see otherwise I will continue to go straight to the bank by betting against them. Take the Raiders to fly cross country after a late Monday Night Football game and win on the road in an early Sunday football game. Sounds like strong logic, right? Who cares, its the Dolphins.

Sunday September 16th, (4:25 ET Kickoff)
NY Jets vs. Pittsburgh (-6)
No Darrelle Revis looks to be the report out of Pittsburgh in this one. That's most certainly a game changer since he tends to live on an island by himself. With no Revis, I would expect the Steelers to continue to throw the ball (40 pass attempts vs. 26 rushing attempts last week in Denver). This means big days for Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace. On the defensive side of the ball - the Steelers get back their 2008 defensive player of the year James Harrison. All signs point to a win for the Steelers and for the Jets to suffer their first defeat. Let's go against Tebow again, and ride the Steelers.

Sunday Septhember 16th (8:20 ET Kickoff)
Detroit vs. San Francisco (-7)
Are people really looking forward to the post-game handshake from Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz? This game should have all of the fireworks you'll need as an impressive Lions offense will be up against a great challenge in San Francisco on Sunday Night. The Niners looked awfully impressive against the Packers - most notably K David Akers who banged home three 40+ yard field goals, capped off by a record-tying 63 yarder that careened of the crossbar and in. Pretty impressive stuff. I like this one to be a close, hard-nosed, old school game, likely coming down to a field goal either way. Take the Lions to cover here.

Monday, September 17th (8:30 ET Kickoff)
Denver vs. Atlanta (-3)
Peyton Manning was absolutely brilliant last week in his home-opener. Matt Ryan looked like a viable MVP candidate in his season opener. Both of these teams could be primed for big seasons, so kudos to the schedule-makers for giving us this gem to cap off week 2. At the end of the day Matt Ryan has won 26 of his 30 contests in the Peach state, so I'll roll with the Falcons to stay hot and win by at least a TD.

Quick Hits for the rest of the picks in Bold:
Cleveland vs. Cincinnati (-7) - It's Brandon Weeden!!! - thank you very much.
Minnesota (-1.5) vs. Indianapolis - Luck feeds off the Cardinal win over USC to get the Colts their first W of the year.
Houston (-7.5) vs. Jacksonville - Houston is good, Jacksonville is not.
Arizona vs. New England (-14) - NE should be your survivor pick, but I think the Cards keep this within in two touchdowns (last meeting in 2008: NE 47, ARI 7). See what I mean?
Washington (-3) vs. St. Louis - RGIII will succumb to the Rams defense that was able to keep Stafford and the Lions in check for 59 mins, 50 seconds last week.
Tennessee vs. San Diego (-6) - I wouldn't get anywhere near this game, let's just take the points and move on. 
Dallas (-3.5) vs. Seattle - Tony Romo gets revenge from that playoff loss in 2009.


Enjoy week 2 of the NFL season!

This Week: 0-1 - eff you Jay Cutler!
Season: 11-6
Best Pick: 1-0