My job is getting more and more difficult. For the second
week in a row, there have been some tremendous upsets in the NFL. And
as bad as the replacement officials have been, they have nothing to do
with it. The Patriots losing at home to Arizona was the most shocking.
Very few people, if any, had this game as even being close, let alone
Arizona pulling out the victory. And I have heard some say that the
Patriots really deserved to win and should have. No they didn't deserve
to win, and they didn't. Seattle crushed Dallas, something I certainly
didn't foresee, nor did I think Carolina was going to beat New Orleans.
I have a feeling the rest of the season is going to be like this, which
is great for fans. Not so great for me. And by the way, the replacement
officials still stink.
As always, home team in CAPS.
New York Giants 1 1/2 CAROLINA
This should be a really good Thursday Night game. The Giants had a
stunning comeback last week, while Carolina had an impressive win
against New Orleans. I think both teams are pretty good. The Giants
don't seem to show up every week though. Having only a couple of days
of rest might not be enough for them here. I like Carolina.
Panthers 26-21
San Francisco 7 Minnesota
The 49ers have looked really good, while Minnesota has been very weak.
That's pretty much all anybody needs to know.
49ers 31-10
Buffalo 2 1/2 CLEVELAND
The Bills turned it around last week, while Cleveland continues their
poor play. It is going to be a long season in Cleveland. May be not in
Buffalo, as some are thinking playoffs. May be if eight teams in each
conference qualified.
Bills 26-13
CHICAGO 7 St. Louis Rams
Both teams are 1-1, but the Bears are at least a pretty decent team.
The Rams really are not. The Bears have had an extra couple of days to
rest, but I don't think they would have had too many issues with St.
Louis anyway.
Bears 24-14
INDIANAPOLIS 3 Jacksonville
Look out for the Colts, who likely will be 2-1 after this week. Don't
look very far though. Andrew Luck has looked pretty good but that is
about it. The Jaguars will be fighting for the number one draft pick
next year. Lucky for Indianapolis they play the Jaguars twice a year.
Colts 23-17
Philadelphia 4 ARIZONA
Both teams are 2-0, but Michael Vick needs to start playing better. The
Cardinals were very impressive last week, and they are definitely
better than I thought. If they only had a quarterback. I think last
week's win is going to give them a lot of momentum. I like Arizona
here. Even though the Eagles had a nice win last week I am still not
impressed.
Cardinals 20-17
Detroit 3 1/2 Tennessee
The Lions haven't been that impressive so far, and they need to get
rolling. The Titans have not looked good at all. They obviously do not
want to start 0-3, but I think that is what is going to happen. I can't
see Tennessee winning here.
Lions 27-23
SAN DIEGO 3 Atlanta
Both teams are 2-0, but the Falcons have looked better getting to that
record. The Chargers have played nobody, though Atlanta hasn't exactly
played the cream of the crop. They have played better though. I don't
think either team is great, but the Chargers really do nothing for me
this year. I'll take Atlanta here.
Falcons 26-24
Houston 2 Denver
The Texans have looked great, but considering their opponents so far
they should. I think Denver is overrated. Peyton Maning looked
absolutely dreadful last week for most of the game. This should be
Houston's first real test. Last year they lost games they should have
won. They can't afford to do that this week, or this year. I'll take
the Texans.
Texans 28-20
Washington 3 1/2 Cincinnati
Both teams are 1-1, but it looks like it might be the same old Redskins
team. One never knows which team is going to show up. The Bengals are
the poster children for mediocrity. I'll take the Redskins, just by
being at home. It looks like Robert Griffin III will be very fun to
watch.
Redskins 23-16
Pittsburgh 4 OAKLAND
The Steelers looked much better last week, but golly did the Raiders
look bad again. They could be one of the worst teams in the league this
year. The Steelers are likely in the playoffs, but I don't know what
they will have left come season's end. I don't see any problems for
Pittsburgh this week.
Steelers 29-17
New York Jets 3 Miami
The Jets took a step back last week, while Miami looked like world
beaters against Oakland. Don't get too excited about the Dolphins
though. May be get excited about the Jets, but there are still a lot of
games to play. The Jets should be able to win here, and cover.
Jets 24-16
DALLAS 7 Tampa Bay
The Cowboys got croaked last week after looking so good in week one.
The Bucs somehow blew a huge lead against the Giants. We are in week
three and both teams already have a common opponent. I just can't see
Dallas losing at home. They are inconsistent, so that means Tony Romo
is due for a pretty good game.
Cowboys 27-17
Green Bay 3 SEATTLE
When one initially looked at this game on the schedule, it looked like
a blow out for the Packers. May be not anymore after last week's
performance by the Seahawks. I still don't think they are that good
though. The Packers, though, are very good. I don't see Seattle
repeating last week's performance. I'll take Green Bay.
Packers 24-20
Game of the Week
BALTIMORE 3 New England
I would be willing to bet that Baltimore remembers last year's AFC
Championship. They are still a very good team, as are the Patriots. I
think New England got exposed a little bit last week. Losing Aaron Hernandez for a few weeks is huge, and I don't think Kellen Winslow is
the answer. Nor is Deion Branch. The Patriots seem to bounce back from
losses, but it will be much tougher against the Ravens in Baltimore. I
like the Ravens here.
Ravens 26-17
Stinker of the Week
NEW ORLEANS 7 1/2 Kansas City
I had no choice but to put the Saints in the Stinker. They are 0-2 and
just simply are not the same team as in year's past. The Chiefs are
also 0-2 and have looked pretty bad. I said last week that I couldn't
see the Saints starting the season 0-2. Now I can't see them starting
0-3.
Saints 41-23
Record For Week Two: 8-6-2 ( 9-7 without the spread )
Record Through Week Two: 15-15-2 ( 19-13 without
the spread )
Game of Week Record: 1-1
Stinker of Week Record: 1-1
Jim Poore has been a long time contributor to Patriots Insider with his weekly picks column. Let him know what you think. Email him here:
Get Patriots Insider updates on Twitter Follow @PatriotsInsider
Want to find out what other Patriots fans think? Join them on the Message Boards
|