NFL Week Two – Morning Games

It’s week two in the NFL and there are plenty of must win games happening today. This morning there are 9 games that I will review. I’ll be back later to tackle the afternoon and Sunday/Monday night games.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

Both of these teams lost their opening games. Losman proved he’s the same QB as last season and that’s not good news for the Bills. Today, he will face a Miami defense that’s looking to improve from their week one game where they failed to stop a replacement QB in Charlie Batch. Here’s a good stat for you. Miami has won 78.8% of their home openers.

Pick: Miami

Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings

This is the first of the must win games today. Carolina was the pick of many to go to the Super Bowl for the NFC. However, they were embarrassed in week one by the Falcons. They need to get it together on the road this week and avoid an 0-2 start. Almost no team that’s started 0-2 has went to the Super Bowl. The Vikings look to continue the magic from Monday night.

Pick: Carolina

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

Carson Palmer is back. However, he was just about absent from last week’s game against the Chiefs. He threw for 127 yards and no TDs. His passes were crisp. If he can open in up today, it will be a long day for the Browns. Cleveland lost another heartbreaker at home when the Saints beat them 19-14. It’s almost a tradition in Cleveland to lose this way at home.

Pick: Cincinnati

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

Yes, the Lions looked “good” defensively against the Seahawks. What’s being lost in all the hoopla since the game are the facts that their offense looked terrible and their defense was aided by a couple of blocked field goals and an unaided turnover by the Seahawks. Seattle also has a habit of playing terrible in week on. The Bears looked good, but they were playing one of the worst teams in the league—Green Bay.

Pick: Chicago

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

The Texans are running business as usual. Last week they lost to the Eagles at home by 14. They failed to show up and this week should be the status quo. The Colts are coming off of an emotional win in New York. They beat the Giants 26-21 in the Manning Bowl. Today, they get a cupcake to eat. The biggest upset in sports won’t be the Red sox magical comeback against the Yankees to crush the curse if Houston wins today.

Pick: Indianapolis

New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers

Reggie Bush looked good in his NFL debut. He will probably get about 20 touches today. Last year, the Packers destroyed the Saints. However, the Saints now have Reggie Bush and Drew Brees on the offense. They are a different team. Sure, they are not playoff different, but they have upgraded just enough to be competitive against other weak teams, like the Packers, in the league. How many interceptions will Favre have today?

Pick: New Orleans

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

It’s must win time for the Giants. They can’t afford to go down 0-2 in this division. Their remaining schedule is difficult. Next week they go to Seattle for starters. If the Giants lose today, their season could very well be over. The Eagles will get their first real test of the day. McNabb looked awesome in his return. Do the Eagles have enough guts and mojo to get through this game?

Pick: New York

Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Ravens

Last week the Raiders looked more like a Division II-A team in college than a pro team. Sorry Raider fans, but don’t expect that to change anytime soon. They have an old coaching staff, a lack of team chemistry and a piecemeal type of team. Baltimore must be licking their chops right about now. The Ravens destroyed the Buccaneers 27-0 last week. The Raiders should be an easy task for them today.

Pick: Baltimore

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

It’s a must win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were creamed 27-0 by Baltimore last week and if they go down 0-2, they will be done. They have a tough task this week. The Bucs must go into the Georgia Dome and stop the Falcons. Michael Vick threw for 140 yards and rushed for 48 more last week for the Falcons. While these numbers aren’t mind boggling, they were sufficient for that game. Vick looks to be thinking pass first and run when everything breaks down. For the Bucs, Simms had 3 interceptions last week. Will the Falcons defense be able to build on that?

Pick: Atlanta