NFL 2011 Week 2 picks

Not too many surprises in Week 1.  The Bears' dominance over the Falcons was a surprise, as was the phenomenal play of new Redskins QB (and former Bear) Rex Grossman.  The collapse of the Pittsburgh offense was the other surprise of the week.  I think they'll recover form this week.

Sunday early games:
Arizona Cardinals (1-0) at Washington Redskins (1-0):  Despite a win against Carolina, Cardinals coach Ken Wisenhunt spent the week analyzing areas for improvement on the part of Arizona.  Their offense gained more yards than they did in 15 games last year, but the defense gave up too much.  That's cause for concern, given the 300-plus yard performance by Rex Grossman last week.  Grossman does well when he's feeling good.  Until he's threatened by a tough defense, he may continue to shine.  REDSKINS, 24-17

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at Tennessee Titans (0-1):  The Ravens displayed a defensive showcase against the Steelers, shutting down everything Pittsburgh tried.  Expect a similar demonstration at Tennessee.  RAVENS, 31-7

Chicago Bears (1-0) at New Orleans Saints (0-1):  The Bears are likely to face the Saints without the help of defensive captain Brian Urlacher, who is with his family after the death of his mother.  That could be dangerous.  Urlacher is undeniably the heart of that defense, as he proved last week when his 12-yard interception-for-touchdown return sparked a lackluster game and spurred five sacks of Falcons QB Matt Ryan.  The team will attempt to rally, but without Urlacher, they won't maintain it.  SAINTS, 31-21

Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1):  Oh, how the mighty have fallen!  Can you believe I would pick CLEVELAND to beat the Colts?  Yup.  Kerry Collins looked wooden last week.  That's to be expected, given the fact that he hadn't played a down in professional football in over a year and a half.  It'll take him time to get back into the swing of things, and Indy's complicated offensive scheme won't help him.  BROWNS, 17-10

Green Bay Packers (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (0-1):  There are some Panthers players guaranteeing a win against Green Bay.  Dumb!  That'll only motivate the defending Super Bowl Champs further.  At least Cam Newton is staying out of that talk, probably because he knows those Packer defenders would kill him if he painted a target on his back.  PACK, 35-13

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0):  Just the type of opponent Rex Ryan loves!  A struggling passing team dedicated to the ground game having to face that tough Jets defensive front.  Easy win for the Jersey boys.  JETS, 24-9

Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) at Detroit Lions (1-0):  I'd have to dig out my records to find out the last time Detroit started a season 2-0 (those records are packed away).  It seems likely that they'll do it in 2011.  Shutting down the Chiefs' running game won't be as easy as it was shutting down Tampa's last week, but they should still do it.  Moreover, the Chiefs are a team killing THEMSELVES.  Dropped passes and miscommunication flourished in the preseason, and it didn't look like they solved those problems last week.  LIONS, 27-10

Oakland Raiders (1-0) at Buffalo Bills (1-0):  The Bills scored early and often against the Chiefs last week.  Ryan Fitzgerald was stellar, but he got lots of support from RB Fred Jackson.  That run support will be harder to come by against the Raiders, who are tough against the run.  Touchdowns were hard for Oakland to get last week, and Denver's defense isn't hot.  The Raiders problem -- penalties, as usual.  I think Oakland will take a lead, but kill themselves in the fourth quarter.  BILLS, 17-13

Seattle Seahawks (0-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1):  The Steelers offense was anemic last week, but I think they'll improve.  Harder to figure is the collapse by the defense.  They're too good a defensive team to stay down, but that may take a little longer to fix.  Fortunately, they get a weak enough opponent to find time to fix them, although Seattle might sneak in a big play or two, just like they did against the Saints in last year's playoffs.  STEELERS, 24-20

Tampa Bay Bucs (0-1) at Minnesota Vikings (0-1):  If Minnesota wasn't in the same division as the Bears, I might not care about this game at all.  Neither of these teams looked good last week.  Bucs QB Josh Freeman passed for over 400 yards, but that's because the Bucs could do nothing on the ground.  The Vikings offense gained less than 200 yards; they were helped by two interceptions of Philip Rivers.  Donovan McNabb hardly threw, and likely with good reason.  I don't think the Vikings can succeed by relying on their defense -- it isn't as good as the Bears, Steelers, Ravens, etc.  BUCS, 17-9

Sunday late games:
Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) at Denver Broncos (0-1):  Denver played atrociously against the Raiders, but the Raiders on Monday Night tend to do that to opponents.  The Broncos offense couldn't find their rhythm, but that's not surprising for a team playing their first game with a new head coach, especially with the abridged preseason.  Cincy, however, has bigger problems.  The worst of those is a concern about the conditioning of the defensive squad (as stated by their coordinator to ESPN.com), which is NOT a good situation when playing in Mile High.  BRONCOS, 13-10

Dallas Cowboys (0-1) at San Francisco 49ers (1-0):  Dallas led for three quarters against the Jets, but then committed typical Cowboys boneheaded manuevers.  It may take less time than that to fall behind to San Francisco.  While the offense sputtered for the 49ers, special teams was ablaze.  Former Buckeyes Ted Ginn Jr scored two touchdowns on returns, and the Cowboys don't cover kicks well.  Expect the 49ers to dominate in that squad again.  49ERS, 20-17

Houston Texans (1-0) at Miami Dolphins (0-1):  Chad Henne had a good game against New England; the Dolphins lost because their defense collapsed.  That could cost them against Houston, who have a ground-churning game that will frustrate a struggling defense.  Home field is no advantage for the Dolphins, who have won only once since moving to Sun Life stadium.  TEXANS, 30-24

San Diego Chargers (1-0) at New England Patriots (1-0):  This could be the most exciting game of the game, especially if you like highlights.  The Pats and Fins combined for over 500 yards last week, and expect similar fireworks with these two.  The winner may be the last team to hold the ball, which means game planning and time management could win this game.  Few coaches do those better than Bill Belichik.  PATS, 31-27

Sunday Night game:
Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1):  I think the Falcons will play better than they did against Chicago, but the Eagles' offense will be pushing.  The reason?  Michael Vick returns to town, and he wants to prove that the Falcons should have given him a shot after he served his time for dogfighting.  Emotions, properly channeled, can fuel major results in this game, and nobody has better incentive than Vick in this game.  EAGLES, 34-27

Monday Night Football
St Louis Rams (0-1) at New York Giants (0-1):  The Giants should win the turnover battle, and likely win the game, but neither team will look impressive.  I figure there will be over 100 yards of penalties and less than 50% of all passes will be completed.  GIANTS, 21-17