NFL 2019 Week 1 results and Week 2 picks

We had some surprises in Week 1, as we often do.  Some were good, many were not.  Buffalo started slow, but they showed great power when they got moving.  Tennessee looks to be a strong contender.  Indy is not as bad without Andrew Luck as many people said.  The Bears defense is as strong as their history, but their offense is atrocious.  The Steelers looked poor, and the Dolphins were downright pathetic.

Power 12
1. New England Patriots (1-0)
2. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
3. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
4. Dallas Cowboys (1-0)
5. Tennessee Titans (1-0)
6. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
7. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
8. Oakland Raiders (1-0)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
10. New Orleans Saints (1-0)
11. Houston Texans (1-0)
12. Los Angeles Rams (1-0)

Thurs Sept 12
Tampa Bay Bucs at Carolina Panthers:  The game is in weather delay as I type this. With no score I can still get my pick in time.  The Bucs offense is still inconsistent, but their defense seems to have taken a step backwards.  Carolina may have lost last week, but they played the Rams very close, and they showed they can still move the ball.  They should do that again here.  PANTHERS, 23-16

Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens:  The Ravens are more dominant than I thought, and Lamar Jackson keeps surprising.  The Cards may have come back from a huge deficit last week to tie the game, but that was against the Lions.  These are the Ravens, whose defense won't allow such a thing.  RAVENS, 40-20

Buffalo Bills at New York Giants:  The Giants are still struggling, while the Bills were very impressive in the second half last week.  If that was an indication of things to come, this game should be very interesting. 
BILLS, 23-13

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins:  The Cowboys were a powerhouse last week, but the Redskins weren't exactly slackers, either.  This might be a phenomenal game, and closer than many people would think.  COWBOYS, 27-23

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans:  Indy showed life last week.  That surprised many people, but not me.  After all, Jacoby Brissett has been playing in place of an injured Andrew Luck for a couple of years, and doing fairly well.  The Colts may take a step back, but not a large one.  Tennessee, however, seems to have stepped up this year.  TITANS, 30-23

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans:  The Jags scored quite a bit last week, but that was against the Chiefs defense.   The Texans defense operates on a whole different level.  TEXANS, 31-23

Los Angeles Chargers at Detroit Lions:  The Lions blew up a large fourth quarter lead last week, but I don't think they'll get that lead.  The Chargers offense is strong, and should lead early.  Their defense was surprised by the Colts, but Matthew Stafford and the Lions don't have too many surprises left. CHARGERS, 34-23

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers:  The Pack looked poor against the Bears defense.  The Vikings defense isn't quite as good, but it's a still a good squad.  The Vikings running game is overpowering, and defensive line is not a strength of the Pack.  VIKINGS, 28-13

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins:  The Dolphins looked sick last week, and the Pats won't give them any chance to recover.  PATS, 34-3

San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals:  Cincy gave Seattle everything they could handle, but I don't think Cincy can handle the 49ers.  The 49ers have strengthened their defense, and Jimmy Garopollo is showing the brilliance he demonstrated in New England.  49ERS, 24-16

Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers:  The Steelers were demolished by New England last week, but the Steelers bounce back better than almost any other team.  Seattle can be too inconsistent on the road to back.  STEELERS, 17-14

Sunday late games
Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos:  Joe Flacco may not be the QB solution in Denver, but he certainly looked better than Mitch Trubisky last week. I'm not sure the Bears defense can bail them out of this one. BRONCOS, 16-13

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders:  The Raiders showed they don't need Antonio Brown to score, but they can't score quickly enough to keep pace with the dynamic Chiefs offense.  CHIEFS, 34-20

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams:  Wow, this game could go either way.  I often favor the home team in such contests, and I'll continue that trend.  RAMS, 30-27

Sunday night
Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons:  The Eagles showed great power, even after giving the Redskins a nice lead.  Wentz needed a little time to warm up, and then he rolled.  That will make things hard for the Falcons.  EAGLES, 27-24

Monday Night Football
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets:  The Jets were doing a good job of holding back Buffalo for a half, and I think they can hold the Browns for even longer.  JETS, 16-13