Week two of the NFL season is always interesting because we've always got a number of teams that see themselves as contenders who are trying to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole. The odds of a team getting to the playoffs after starting 0-2 are very low and the odds of winning it all become almost nil. So teams like the Steelers, Saints, Falcons and even squads like the Giants and Cowboys will be playing desperate this week to make sure their season isn't sunk before it even starts. We'll be doing things a bit different this week splitting up our picks over two days. Below are our picks for the 1pm E games and here you will find our picks for the late and primetime games.
Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills (-4) - This is a tough game because we are all really wondering how real the Bills are. They blew out KC on the road last week and now face a Raiders team coming off a sloppy win of their own in Denver. The trends favor the Bills here though with Oakland playing the second of back to back road games combined with a cross country trip. Pick: Bills
Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (+10) - The Packers get a lot of respect here as double digit road favorites, but I suppose that's to be expected when the best team from 2010 faces the worst. Of course, it's not 2010 anymore and Carolina has Cam Newton at the helm now coming off a very strong debut in Arizona. Unfortunately, the Green Bay defense is not the Cards... I expect Newton to look a lot more like a rookie this week. Pick: Packers
Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions (-9) - It's amazing how quickly things change. KC won the AFC West last year and now they're near double digit road dogs to the Lions. KC looked awful last week at home and lost Eric Berry for the season to boot. Detroit is riding a high and could certainly win by 10 at home. I don't think this game is a great play and if it gets to 10, I'd stay away. Pick: Lions
Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts (+3) - This has gotten out of hand. I know the Colts didn't look good without Manning, but to be home dogs to the Dawgs? Please. Pick Colts ***
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings (-3) - Both teams are coming off a loss in week one, but I think only one really believes that they're a potential playoff contender. The Bucs came a game shy of the postseason last year and a loss in week two would all but sink them. I think win outright in Minny. Pick: Bucs
Chicago Bears At New Orleans Saints (-7) - Everyone undervalued the Bears last week (except for me!) and here we find them as big underdogs on the road to New Orleans. The Saints will be playing with desperation trying to avoid an 0-2 start and they're at home so I do admit that there's blowout potential, but the Bears always seem to play tougher in big regular season spots than people expect. I like the Saints by a TD, but if this line creeps up past 7, taking the Bears to cover could be a value play. Pick: Saints
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets (-10) - I'm actually a bit surprised at this line given that the Jags got a surprise win in week one and the Jets really didn't look impressive against the Cowboys. Of course, Josh McCown is just as likely if not moreso to Tony Romo a game away as Tony Romo is... I actually like the Jags to cover here. Pick: Jaguars
Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers (-15.5) - This is a huge line for a team that looked just awful last week. They're certainly due for a bounceback, but this line is just too big to pass up. I like Seattle to cover. Pick: Seahawks ***
Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans (+6.5) - I think this is a good line actually. My first thought was Baltimore by a TD, so at 6.5 this is a nice play. Pick: Ravens ***