Week Two Picks

Week Two NFL Picks

By: Matt Harmon

New York Jets (1-0) at New England Patriots (1-0)
Matchup to Watch: Patriots Receivers vs. Jets Corners

The Patriots have always been an interesting matchup for the Jets because in the past, when Revis was in town, the Jets just used him to shut down the opponents best outside receivers. Of course the Patriots have not had a top outside receiver to shut down since Randy Moss, and preferred to run their offense in the middle of the field through tight ends and slot receivers. This year things have changed, staples from both teams like Revis, Wes Welker, and Aaron Hernandez are gone, and Rob Gronkowski remains on the shelf. So, how will things have change when these two teams matchup? How will Antonio Cromartie and Dee Milliner be deployed against Kenbrell Thompkins and Julian Edleman (Danny Amendola is unlikely to play)? It should be really interesting to watch the evolved product of these two teams go against each other.

My Pick: Patriots

I am certainly going to pick the Pats, but a few things that give me pause first. The Patriots did not look spectacular in Week One against the Bills or anything, and there is such a dearth of weapons on New England’s offense. This was already a problem before, but now Amendola and Shane Vereen are both going to miss this game. Also, weird things always happen on Thursday night games, so maybe if the Jets bring their absolute A-game we could see an upset. Despite all this, I will not pull the trigger and believe the Patriots are going to win.

San Diego Chargers (0-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
Matchup to Watch: Trent Cole and Connor Barwin vs. King Dunlap and D.J. Fluker

The Eagles pass rushing outside linebackers were a big question mark headed into this season. Trent Cole is paying in a 3-4 for the first time in his career and Connor Barwin underperformed for the Texans before being brought in as a free agent. Similarly, observers questioned how the San Diego offensive tackles would hold up as well. Well, in week one the pair of Eagles linebackers exceeded expectations, particularly Trent Cole, who harassed Trent Williams all evening. The San Diego offensive tackles, on the other hand, lived up to their billing as liabilities. If both units play like they did last week, advantage Eagles.

My Pick: Eagles

The Eagles looked really impressive in their big debut last week and I expect that to continue against the Chargers. You just cannot trust the Chargers to pull through in the clutch after they blew yet another game Monday night. With Phillip Rivers always capable of throwing the killer interception, it will be interesting to see if the Philadelphia defense can continue to force turnovers at the rate they did last week.

Tennessee Titans (1-0) at Houston Texans (1-0)
Matchup to Watch: Jurrell Casey vs. Chris Myers

Casey is one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the league. He put on a dominant performance against the Steelers, collecting two sacks and singlehandedly destroying the Steelers on offense, especially after Maurkice Pouncey went down. This week Casey will do battle with Texans center Chris Myers. Myers is a master technician and is great fit in the Texans zone-blocking scheme. Myers and his fellow interior offensive linemen cannot allow Casey to blow up their run game, or they will struggle to move the ball on offense.

My Pick: Texans

I think the results of the win at Pittsburgh were more about the Steelers playing poorly than the Titans playing well. There still is not much to like about their offense, and the Texans just have way more talent.

Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Baltimore Ravens (0-1)
Matchup to Watch: Browns front seven vs. Ravens offense

The Browns front seven destroyed Miami last week, and made it simply impossible for the Dolphins to run the ball at all. Baltimore did not run the ball well in week one and it showed in how it affected their passing game. If Cleveland can shut down the Ravens ground game, then they have the chance to pull off an upset.

My Pick: Ravens

Neither of these teams was particularly impressive in week one and both offenses show a lack of firepower on offense. I trust the Ravens more to get it together more than the Browns, but I cannot say I feel too confident about it.

Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (1-0)
Matchup to Watch: Cameron Wake vs. the Colts offensive tackles

Cameron Wake is one of the best 4-3 defensive ends in the league. He is a monster as a pass rusher and started the season off with a dominant performance against Cleveland. Colts owner astutely demanded that his team do a better job of protecting Andrew Luck after he was once again hit too much against the Raiders. Left tackle, Anthony Costanzo, in particular is brutal, and if he is matched up against Wake then the Colts are in trouble.

My Pick: Dolphins

I am kind of hesitant on the Colts right now, and the Dolphins defense is legit. I see Wake, Dion Jordan, and Oliver Vernon harassing Andrew Luck all day. Can Luck carry this team to another win? Of course he could, but I don’t trust it to happen every single week.

St. Louis Rams (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
Matchup to Watch: Robert Quinn vs. Sam Baker

Robert Quinn destroyed Levi Brown all day last week, and the Saints also destroyed the Falcons offensive line. Everyone focuses on how bad new starting right tackle, Lamar Holmes is, but Sam Baker was also abused last week as well. if Baker cannot fend off Quinn, Atlanta will have trouble establishing the passing game.

My Pick: Rams

I smell an upset here. I think St. Louis’ new offense will give Atlanta trouble and I see Quinn and Chris Long winning the matchup I listed above. I have some hesitation since Atlanta is at home, but I really think the matchups favor the Rams.

Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-1)
Matchup to Watch: C.J. Spiller vs. the Panthers front seven

The Panthers completely shut down Marshawn Lynch last week, and the Patriots did a similar number on C.J. Spiller. If the Bills are going to win this game they need to get Spiller going. He is an elite, dynamic talent and he can break any game wide open. The Panthers need a repeat of last week’s performance and they cannot let Spiller run all over them.

My Pick: Panthers

This certainly is not a lock, but I think the Panthers keep Spiller in check, and their pass rush will give Manuel some trouble. They just have to hope they can score some more points than last week.

Washington Redskins (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (0-1)
Matchup to Watch: Clay Matthews vs. Trent Williams

It went unnoticed last week with all the hype around the Eagles and the turnover problems of the Redskins, but Pro Bowl left tackle had a pretty rough game. Williams was rock solid last year, and his high level of play was a catalyst for their offensive success. Clay Matthews is not exactly the guy you want to see when you need a get-well week.

My Pick: Packers

Both of these teams could use a win this week, but I am picking the Packers to come away with a win. RGIII still does not look right, and the Packers are just a better team.

Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at Chicago Bears (1-0)
Matchup to Watch: Christian Ponder vs. Charles Tillman

This one is pretty simple, Christian Ponder is the master of turnovers, and Tillman is the master of getting turnovers. Ponder is clearly a weak link for the Vikings right now, and if he cannot improve his play, the Bears are going to blow them out.

My Pick: Bears

The Bears are clearly the better team right now. Unless Adrian Peterson has an out of this world performance, I think the Bears win this one going away.

Dallas Cowboys (1-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
Matchup to Watch: Brandon Carr vs. Dwayne Bowe

This is the first time Carr is going against his former team, and I bet he is fired up to show them what they are missing. This is also an important matchup because even though they had a cakewalk victory over the Jaguars, I still have questions about the Chiefs passing game. Dwayne Bowe is their only established upper-echelon threat. If Carr can shut Bowe down, the Chiefs could be in trouble.

My Pick: Chiefs

I like the Chiefs to win this game, especially since they’re at home. The Cowboys are not as good of a team as people want to believe and the Chiefs can put them away if they play the way they did against Jacksonville.

New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

Matchup to Watch: Josh Freeman vs. Saints secondary

The wheels are falling off in Tampa Bay. The team is already having players only meetings, and reports are coming out that Josh Freeman slept through the team picture. The circus music is already blaring around the Buccaneers facility, and Freeman seems to be at the center of it. He needs to have a good game this week to quite the hate.

My Pick: Saints

The Saints are a top ten team in the league this year, and the Bucs are a bottom five team this year. It really is about as simple as that.

Detroit Lions (1-0) at Arizona Cardinals (0-1)
Matchup to Watch: Lions defensive tackles vs. Arizona offensive line

Here is another easy matchup to watch. Suh and Fairley looked dominant against the Vikings, and this Cardinals offensive line is just terrible. If Arizona throws out a performance like we saw against the Rams, they are going to get Carson Palmer killed.

My Pick: Lions

I really like what’s cooking up in Detroit. Reggie Bush seems to really be that missing piece on offense, and the defense looks pretty nasty as well. The Cardinals are much improved, but this is a bad matchup for them.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-1)
Matchup to Watch: Terrelle Pryor vs. Chad Henne

I am cheating here, because this is not really a matchup, but this game is going to come down which quarterback plays better. Chad Henne certainly gives the Jaguars a better chance to win than the lowly Blaine Gabbert, and Pryor played pretty well in his second start. Both quarterbacks still have the potential to throw a backbreaking interception, and whichever one manages not to do that will likely get their team a win.

My Pick: Jaguars

I really, really struggled with this because both teams are really bad, but I took the semi bold road and picked the Jaguars. I think Henne will actually be able to move the ball, and there is just no way they play that bad again.

Denver Broncos (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1)
Matchup to Watch: Broncos pass catchers vs. the Giants secondary

This is not just a matchup it is a mismatch. The Giants secondary was bad headed into the season and now they may be missing a few starters after two players ran into each other last Sunday. All the focus will be on the Manning brothers, but if the younger Manning’s defense cannot win this matchup, it will not matter how good he plays.

My Pick: Broncos

The problem here is that this is exactly the type of game the Giants always come out guns a blazing, and shock us all with a win. However, the Broncos are just the much better team right now.

San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
Matchup to Watch: Anquan Boldin vs. Richard Sherman

As far as the 49ers wide receiver group, Boldin is pretty much their only established threat. Boldin went off last week against the Packers like it was 2008, and I am sure the Seahawks noticed. If Seattle is smart they will assign their shut down corner to cover Boldin on just about every play to ensure he does not have a repeat performance against them.

My Pick: Seahawks

This game is going to be so awesome and I literally cannot wait for it. Both teams are great, but I am taking the Seahawks because they are just about unbeatable at home.

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
Matchup to Watch: Antonio Brown vs. Leon Hall

The Steelers offense is in such dire straits right now when it comes having anyone capable of making a play. Brown is their best receiver and they have to come up with some more packages to get him the ball. However, Leon Hall is a very good corner in this league, and he is certainly capable of handling Brown.

My Pick: Bengals

I really just do not have a lot of faith in the Steelers right now, and the Bengals are clearly the more talented team. However, the Bengals have shown us through the years they are always capable of a good choke job against their rivals.