NFL 2012 Week 2 picks

The arrangement of the NFL Network to have a Thursday night game every week means that I have to track a game online every Thursday evening, as I won't pay the outrageous price for NFL Network on pay-on-demand cable.

Thursday game: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers:  Green Bay struggled under a tough defense last week, and the Bears have a tough defense.  However, the Pack knows the Bears very well, and may know where some of the defensive holes are.  The Bears' offense has really stepped up this season, though, so can the Bears outscore the Pack?  I'll pick the Pack as they have a history against Chicago, but this will be a close game, and could go the Bears' way.  PACK, 24-23

Sunday early games:
Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots:  This will be an easy win for the Pats.  The Cards' defense isn't strong, and Kolb takes over for Skelton at the helm of the Cards.  Make no mistake, Kolb is good, but they have different enough approaches that it requires a shift in the offensive scheme.  Switching between the two didn't work in preseason, so the switch to Kolb will be too much of an adjustment, especially when they are battling the high-powered Pats offense.  PATS, 31-13

Baltimore Ravens at Philadelphia Eagles:  No Vick, tough Ravens defense, and a fast-paced Baltimore squad on both sides of the ball. This isn't a tough pick.  RAVENS, 24-13

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals: Cleveland has some good plays last week, but Cincy's offense is just too good for them to keep up.  BENGALS, 28-16

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars:  Jacksonville had an impressive performance last week, but they played Minnesota.  This the Texans' defense they face this week, one of the toughest in the AFC.  They will struggle mightily against such opposition.  TEXANS, 27-13

Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills:  This is a tough game to pick.  When Buffalo is "on", they are great.  But they are just as likely to have a bad game as a good game, which makes them tough to predict.  KC hasn't corrected all of their flaws, though, so I think Buffalo will win this game regardless.  As their lead remains, that might boost the Bills enough to have a good game, no matter how it starts.  BILLS, 30-20

Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts: I think it is telling that the biggest new story about the Vikings this week was an argument between two FORMER quarterbacks:  Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb.  That tells me that there isn't much to discuss about the current team.  I couldn't agree more.  Andrew Luck struggled against the Bears, but the Vikings don't have nearly the quality defense that the Bears do.  After that week, Luck will want to have a good week, and I think the Vikings will provide that.  COLTS, 31-23

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers: Despite the clearance of "Bounty-gate" players to play last week's game, the Saints defense could not stop RGIII and the Redskins.  Now they face Cam Newton and Panthers, an equally challenging situation.  The Saints benefit?  The Panthers' defense isn't as good as the Redskins, so the Saints will score, too.  Given the fact that this might become an offensive shootout, I favor Drew Brees in those situations.  SAINTS, 34-30

Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins:  Ryan Tannehill may have won the quarterback spot after preseason, but he didn't show up well last week.  The Raiders have a history of pestering quarterbacks, which will make this week difficult for Tannehill.  Palmer looked okay on Monday night; better than McFadden much of the time.  I think that'll continue for a while.  RAIDERS, 23-13

Tampa Bay Bucs at New York Giants:  This game turned out harder to pick than I originally thought!  The Bucs defense looked good last week, and the Giants offense stumbled.  The Giants seem to do much better in the postseason than they do during the regular season.  Can they reach the postseason if they start 0-2?  Perhaps, and I think they'd better be making plans on how to do that.  BUCS, 17-16

Sunday late games:
Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks:  The Cowboys showed some power last week.  This week will determine whether they stretched themselves against a divisional opponent or if it was an indication that they have plugged some of the holes in their game.  I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, especially since Seattle is having problems.  COWBOYS, 20-16

New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers:  The Steelers defense was limited last week due to players sitting out from the high altitude.  They also had to face a rejuvenated Peyton Manning with something to prove.  This week they get a Jets squad with no identity (as they switch between quarterbacks and offensive schemes) and a defense angry at themselves, despite a 20-point victory last week.  This is the type of situation Pittsburgh loves to exploit.  STEELERS, 21-16

Tennessee Titans at San Diego Chargers:  The Chargers showed on Monday that they have done some work over the off-season.  The offense moved smoothly, and even the defense made life difficult for Darren McFadden.  I think the Chargers will continue this role against a clearly struggling Seahawks teams.  CHARGERS, 27-13

Washington Redskins at St Louis Rams: RGIII is leading a hot Redskins offense and the defense is tight.  That combination makes things hard for the Rams.  REDSKINS, 31-16

Sunday night: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers have already taken down one dynamic NFC North offense.  This week they get to do it again.  49ERS, 24-20

Monday Night Foorball: Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons: This will be an exciting offensive showdown.  Both Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan have plenty of tools.  This game could total over 1000 yards between the two teams.  I'll favor Denver, but this game may come down to who holds the ball last.  BRONCOS, 31-24