NFL 2008 Week 2 Picks

The first week of the NFL season is one of the hardest to predict because we have no idea who's going to be good. So I'm happy that I escaped last week with a barely-winning record (9-7), but I'm less happy that a few teams I picked to win (Detroit, Houston, Washington) got creamed and looked like three of the worst teams in the league. Then again, that's what I get for picking the likes of Detroit and Houston to win games.

I'll try to do better this week.

TENNESSEE @ CINCINNATI
I mean, the only thing Cincinnati allegedly has going for them is their offense and they couldn't do anything against the Ravens last week. What are they going to do against the Titans who punched Jacksonville (a trendy Super Bowl pick) in the mouth last week? Lose. The answer is lose.

GREEN BAY @ DETROIT
So Aaron Rodgers and the Packers looked pretty good and Detroit looked absolutely pathetic last week. The Lions should play better at home, but the fact that they're playing in Detroit also means there'll be a lot more "Fire Matt Millen" signs.

OAKLAND @ KANSAS CITY
Despite having a team that's rebuilding, Kansas City is one of the best homefield advantages in football, and the team now actually has the right guy in at QB (Damon Huard over Brodie Croyle), so I like them to win. Another reason is that they're playing Oakland.

N.Y. GIANTS @ ST. LOUIS (upset!)
Why in the world would I pick a team that lost 38-3 last week to beat the Super Bowl champions? Well first off, I think they'll be a different team at home, but mostly it's because, other than their opening drive, the Giants didn't so much look great against the Redskins so much as the Redskins looked absolutely brutal.

INDIANAPOLIS @ MINNESOTA
After this week, one of these two teams with Super Bowl hopes will be 0-2. My fearless prediction is that team will be the one that has Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy, as opposed to Tarvaris Jackson and Brad Childress.

NEW ORLEANS @ WASHINGTON
I think Washington will eventually figure things out and play decent ball this year, but it won't be in time to beat the Saints this week.

CHICAGO @ CAROLINA
Both teams are coming off surprising wins on the road versus AFC powerhouses, so this is one of the more interesting matches of the weekend. Again, all things being equal, I'll go with the team that's at home and has Jake Delhomme (not Kyle Orton).

BUFFALO @ JACKSONVILLE
I think Jacksonville comes back angry at home after being embarrassed last week at Tennessee and takes care of business. Or, this could become a recurring feature in which I underestimate the Bills.

SAN FRANCISCO @ SEATTLE
Ok, so we knew San Francisco was bad, but did we know Seattle was THIS bad. I'm still taking them at home (where they're great), but I'm not feeling too confident about it.

ATLANTA @ TAMPA BAY
What a mess. The Bucs season is done. Here's what'll happen after coach Jon Gruden's inexplicable benching of Jeff Garcia: the Bucs will win this week because they're better than the Falcons and Gruden and his Kool aid drinkers will talk themselves into the fact that Brian Griese over Jeff Garcia was the right move all along, and we'll finish the year 6-10. Once again, Garcia is healthy enough to play, but we're WILLINGLY going with Brian Griese. Ugh.

NEW ENGLAND @ N.Y. JETS
People are going to get hurt elbowing each other for room on the Jets bandwagon. While the loss of Tom Brady is definitely a blow, I still think the Pats have better players, and better coaching, and those two factors will (barely) overcome what's sure to be an electric atmosphere at the Meadowlands.

MIAMI @ ARIZONA
I really like the way Miami showed up against the Jets last week, but here they'll lose again to a more talented opponent.

SAN DIEGO @ DENVER
I don't think Denver's quite as good as they looked against the Raiders (everyone looks good against the Raiders), but I still think they're good enough to beat the Chargers without LB Shawne Merriman and a slightly hobbled LT at home.

PITTSBURGH @ CLEVELAND
Pittsburgh was the only upper-echelon AFC team to take care of business last week, while the Browns got steamrolled by the Cowboys. Yeah, I'm going with the Steelers.

BALTIMORE @ HOUSTON
While no one likes for a hurricane to threaten any city (as Ike is doing to much of Texas), I kinda like when there are two Monday night games. Oh yeah, I'm taking Houston to win at home. Also, I'm not backing off having them in the playoffs, in case you were wondering.

PHILADELPHIA @ DALLAS
It's the game of the week and the game of the season so far. Both teams looked excellent in week 1, but I'm going with Philly, who seems to have Tony Romo's number. I think Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and his blitzes will apply much more pressure on Romo than Cleveland did, when Romo was actually texting Jessica Simpson in the pocket.