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Week 2 is in the books. I did pretty nicely with a record of 12-4 (no spread). Turns out I goofed inputting one of picks into the system. I wrote last week that I was taking Arizona over Detroit, but I chose the opposite in the league. Oh, well!
My upset pick turned out to be on the money with Miami beating Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. I've always loved dolphins and now I have another reason to continue doing so. Other than that, the favored team beat the underdog across the board making for a much more predictable slate of games than last week.
Still, my success this week hasn't even allowed me to crack the Top 10 in BRB's Unofficial Pick 'Em League. Check it out.
| Rank | Pick Set Name | Total | Dropped | W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | 12 | 15-1 | |
| 2 | 14 | 10 | 14-2 | |
| 3 | 13 | 10 | 13-3 | |
| 4 | 13 | 9 | 13-3 | |
| 5 | 13 | 8 | 13-3 | |
| 6 | 13 | 10 | 13-3 | |
| 7 | 13 | 10 | 13-3 | |
| 8 | 13 | 12 | 13-3 | |
| 9 | 13 | 11 | 13-3 | |
| 10 | 13 | 11 | 13-3 |
Since the league drops the lowest scores accumulated, STEELBLUE reigns supreme with his 15-1 record from last week. There was plenty of movement behind him.
And now on with the picks! I'm including the spread for convenience, but not picking against it.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles (-3)
Andy Reid returns to his old chomping grounds to face Chip Kelly's Eagles. It's been a lot of fun to watch the Eagles run and pass up and down the field, but it's hard to be confident in that defense. Reid has a much more complete team in the Chiefs... though I did say that about the Redskins in Week 1. Winner: Chiefs
Green Bay Packers @ Cincinnati Bengals (+2)
I've certainly come around a lot more on the Bengals these past two weeks, but Aaron Rodgers is a mean, green machine and already in midseason form. I would love to see the Bengals pull the upset in their own house, yet I think an elite quarterback trumps a great defense most of the time. Andy Dalton won't be able to keep up. Winner: Packers
St. Louis Rams @ Dallas Cowboys (-4)
Back when Pacman Jones was playing in Dallas, he famously uttered these words in order to mock how bad they were at the time. Dallas would go on to lose against that terrible Rams team while Jones watched at home due to a suspension.
Will the Cowboys underestimate these 2013 Rams? I'm not seeing it. St. Louis has proven that it can score points. It has yet to prove that its defense can play complimentary football. Winner: Cowboys
San Diego Chargers @ Tennessee Titans (-3)
What are we to make of the San Diego Chargers? They've been pegged as the underdog for two weeks now and have really impressed. Philip Rivers is slinging the ball like it's 2009 again. Can his shaky offensive line hold up against the blitzing Tennessee defense? I'm going to trust "wily, old veteran" Rivers to get it done on the road. Winner: Chargers
Cleveland Browns @ Minnesota Vikings (-5.5)
Poor Cleveland fans, already watching their team give up on the season. Trent Richardson is gone and Brandon Weeden is hurt, with Brian Hoyer starting in his place. That defense looks very stout, but the lack of offense should doom the Browns on the road. Winner: Vikings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New England Patriots (-7.5)
Quarterback Josh Freeman was an abysmal 9 for 22 passing with 125 yards against New Orleans last week. Despite Doug Martin rushing for over 140 yards, it took two Drew Brees interceptions to set up Tampa Bay touchdowns (one was returned all the way, the other set up a short field). The team was also penalized 10 times for 118 yards, including an illegal formation penalty that wiped out a 73-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson.
The Patriots are having troubles of their own moving the ball, but who would you trust to fix a struggling offense-- Freeman or Tom Brady? Winner: Patriots
Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints (-8)
Arizona made some timely plays on defense and allowed Detroit to shoot itself in the foot quite a few times to pull off a comeback victory last week. Drew Brees could struggle again, but I don't trust a Cardinal offense that coverted 1 of 11 third downs last week at home. Winner: Saints
Detroits Lions @ Washington Redskins (-1.5)
Washington is reeling at 0-2 after getting demolished by Green Bay. Now they're facing a talented and still undisciplined Detroit team that let victory slip through their fingers last week. Can Robert Griffin III find some rhythm finally? I think so. Winner: Redskins
New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers (-1.5)
I'm not trusting Carolina the rest of the season. Ron Rivera's failures as a head coach were recently highlighted by Grantland's Bill Barnwell. On the other side, New York is lead by Eli Manning and a hard-nosed Tom Coughlin. The Giants rolled through the Panthers last time they faced off, and I don't see that changing. Expect another Cam Newton "Superman" touchdown dance while his team is down by three scores. Winner: Giants
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens (+2)
I watched some of the game tape of Baltimore v. Cleveland and as rather surprised at how much pressure the Browns were able to generate with just four rushers. This seemed to rattle quarterback Joe Flacco early on and lead to him rushing throws on key third downs. If the Texans can hold the Ravens to just 14 points like the Browns did, the offense should do the rest. Easily. Winner: Texans
Atlanta Falcons @ Miami Dolphins (-1)
Atlanta escaped with a win thanks to the great connection between Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. The rest of the Falcons weapons are hobbling into Miami, however. I'm trusting the Dolphins one more time. Winner: Dolphins
Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets (-2.5)
E.J. Manuel is looking like a quarterback who's slowly growing into his role as a leader. He's got a strong running game behind him and an opportunistic defense supporting him. Geno Smith is actually impressing me as well with a much lesser supporting cast. His throws need a ton of polish, but I think there is hope for him. This seems like a toss-up to me. Buffalo has the talent. Winner: Bills
Indianapolis Colts @ San Francisco 49ers (-10.5)
Head coach Jim Harbaugh is still knocking chairs and flipping tables over after that lopsided loss against the rival Seahawks. I expect him to empty the playbook in order to get back on track at home. Indianapolis will have a shiny new toy to play with in Trent Richardson, but they won't have the same success running the ball that Seattle did last week. Winner: 49ers
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahawks (-19.5)
That spread is downright disrespectful. The Jaguars will still lose. Winner: Seahawks
Chicago Bears @ Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5)
Can the Steelers right the ship? Not against that Bears defense. The Steelers drop another one en route to a total rebuilding year in 2014. Winner: Bears
Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos (-14.5)
The loss of Ryan Clady will be tough, but Peyton Manning has been playing with terrible offensive lines for years. I expect this rivalry game to be close, but not nearly close enough to give the Raiders a shot to win this late in the game. The Broncos have been really good defensively despite missing Von Miller and Champ Bailey. Scary. Winner: Broncos
***
Survival League Pick: Seattle Seahawks
Too easy? Probably, but I'm going for the low-hanging fruit this week. It's a shame we lost a few players to inactivity. Be sure to make your picks here!
Aaaaand that's all, folks! Let me know what you think of my picks and drop a few of your own in the Comments below.