Another rough week for prosnosticators! I am having one of the worst starts ever, as teams believed to be strong are faltering and normally weak teams are showing up strongly. It is definitely an indication of something weird when, in just two weeks, we have fewer than ten unbeaten teams in the NFL.
Top Ten [Last week's position]
Lots of shake-up here
1, Houston Texans (2-0) [8] : The Texans roll as their offense soars
2. Carolina Panthers (2-0) [11] : They displayed a surprisingly stiff defense against an offensive machine
3. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) [6] : Two consecutive comebacks from double-digit deficits means you can never count this team out
4. Buffalo Bills (2-0) [14] Their offense continued where they left off in Chicago and manhandled the Miami Dolphins
5. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) [9] : Their defense stepped up and stopped Matt Ryan and company
6. Denver Broncos (2-0) [10] : Their offense sputtered a bit against Kansas City, but they pulled out another win, which was a better showing than many of last week's top teams
7. Arizona Cardinals (2-0) [16] : Okay, so beating the Giants isn't too impressive this week, but it was the WAY the Cardinals controlled the ball that made them impressive
8. Washington Redskins (1-1) : Their offense found legs when Kurt Cousins stepped in for RGIII
9. Baltimore Ravens (1-1) : Their defense came back to life
10. Seattle Seahawks (1-1) [1] : Shocking loss to the Chargers. They are a different team on the road
Divisional rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC West [1] : The division leaders lost, but wins by St Louis and Arizona kept the division at the top
2 (tie). AFC East [3] : New England and Buffalo both had strong wins
2 (tie). NFC East [8] : What a difference a week makes! Every team except the Giants won, and won big
4. AFC North [6] : Three teams won (the most that could), surging this division
5. NFC North [1] : Green Bay won and Chicago pulled off an upset, but collapses by Detroit and Minnesota hurt
6. NFC South [5] : Carolina rolled, but the other teams were dsmal
7 (tie). AFC South [4] : Houston was the only winner, although the Colts hung in until late
7 (tie). AFC West [7] : San Diego shocked Seattle, the others didn't do well (or as well as expected, in Denver's case)
Week 3 picks
This could be a tough week. I originally picked too many visiting teams, so I'm counting that the surprising play of some early upstarts will continue.
Thursday night: Tampa Bay Bucs at Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta is showing their inconsistent side again, but the Bucs are faltering. The Bucs defense is okay, but I think they'll buckle under the pressure of the Falcons offense. FALCONS, 31-17
Sunday early games:
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns: The Ravens defense found themselves last week. The Browns offense has been looking good, but they often have trouble finishing. Given the pressure of the Ravens, I think they'll fail to close out in the fourth. RAVENS, 24-16
Dallas Cowboys at St Louis Rams: The Cowboys look pretty good, while the Rams can't seem to get their offense going. Of course, it doesn't help that they are already playing their 3rd string QB. COWBOYS, 23-13
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions: Oh, this one could get interesting! I almost want to pick the Lions (and nearly did when I thought I needed more home team favorites), but the opening week loss had motivated the Packers, and I think that will give them the edge. PACK, 27-23
Houston Texans at New York Giants: Eli Manning is still figuring out the new offense, and now one of the league's toughest defenses comes to town. That's not a favorable combination. TEXANS, 24-10
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Colts are 0-2, although they have played well, so they will appreciate a chance to pulverize the Jags. COLTS, 34-13
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints: How will Adrian Peterson's suspension affect the Vikings? If they use the scheme from Week One, where Peterson wasn't much of a factor, perhaps not. I think it will confuse them enough for the Saints to win. SAINTS, 24-20
Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots: The Patriots get a fairly easy opponent to continue to build momentum after their upset in Week One. PATS, 27-13
San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills: The Chargers upset Seattle and now everyone thinks they are powerhouses. However, historically San Diego has followed a terrific performance with a mediocre one. Given the strength shown by the Bills this year, that kind of performance will lead to a loss. BILLS, 26-20
Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals: The Titans had a colossal opening week, but can't seem to follow it up. Andy Dalton and the Bengals continue to roll through the regular season. BENGALS, 24-13
Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: Kurt Cousins replaces RGIII, and things might get more dangerous downfield. Cousins has a good eye and strong arm, so Washington might be in a position to match Philly move for move, score for score. The main difference? Washington doesn't have Philly's running game. EAGLES, 27-23
Sunday late games:
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks imploded on the road, but nobody uses home field advantage better than Seattle. I don't think this will be the blowout that the Super Bowl was, but I think Seattle will regain their footing and comeback in the fourth quarter against Peyton and the Broncos. SEAHAWKS, 30-27
Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins: The Chiefs are imploding, while the Dolphins have some good moves. DOLPHINS, 23-16
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals: I must be losing my mind, but I'm impressed by what Arizona is doing. The 49ers seem a bit confused, so I'm picking the upset here. CARDINALS, 23-20
Sunday night: Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers: Cam or no Cam, it doesn't seem to negatively affect the Panthers, whose defense will keep Pittsburgh at bay. PANTHERS, 27-17
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: Chicago Bears at New York Jets: Normally I automatically pick against the Bears on Monday Night, because they seem cursed to play poorly on Monday Night. However, the Jets secondary is abysmal. Matt Forte may struggle to gain yards, as that front defensive line is one of the stiffest in the league, but Jay Cutler will find targets all night. He may throw an interception or two, but the Jets won't be able to capitalize. BEARS, 28-16
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