Week Two NFL Predictions

Needless to say, week one was full of interesting match ups. Week two is somewhat lacking in comparison to week one, but will still have some marquee games, which we'll get to below. I'd also like to apologize to Chicago, as I clearly undervalued the Bears defense and running game against the Falcons. So here are my predictions for week two of the NFL season.

Raiders @ Bills: Both teams come off road wins against AFC West foes. Oakland's running game was very solid against Denver, meanwhile the Bills racked up 41 points on the Chiefs. Ralph Wilson stadium will be rocking for this one. I see a tightly contested game in this one. Prediction: Bills 24, Raiders 17.
Packers @ Panthers: This could be a potential letdown game for the Packers, coming off a big win against New Orleans. The Panthers need to get their ground game running, something that was less than impressive against the Cardinals. Prediction: Packers 30, Panthers 13.
Chiefs @ Lions: These appear to be teams headed in different directions. The Chiefs continued their uninspired preseason play last week, suffering their worst home opening loss in team history to the Bills. There's no way the Chiefs are as bad as they played. The Lions looked very good against Tampa, but I'd like to see them run for a little bit more than 3.6 yards/carry against the Chiefs. Prediction: Lions 27, Chiefs 17.
Browns @ Colts: Both teams come off disappointing efforts in their season openers. Peyton Hillis has to get it going on the ground. That shouldn't be too hard to do against a defense that gave up 167 to an Arian Foster-less Texans team last week. The Colts have got to establish a running game to take some pressure off of Kerry Collins and shorten the game. Prediction: Colts 20, Browns 16.
Buccaneers @ Vikings: The key match-up here will be the Bucs power running game (which was non-existent against the Lions this past week) against the front seven of the Vikings, which surrendered only 2.9 yards/carry for 77 yards against the Chargers. Prediction: Buccaneers 23, Vikings 20.
Bears @ Saints: Chicago dismantled an NFC favorite this past week in the Falcons, as the Dirty Birds didn't score an offensive touchdown in the game. Meanwhile the Saints come off hotly contested loss in the season opener against the defending chamion Packers, and will be without starting WR Marques Colston for the next month due to a broken collarbone. Prediction: Saints 27, Bears 17.
Jaguars @ Jets: Both teams are coming off of come-from-behind home wins in Week One. The Jaguars are going to have a hard time having sustained success on the ground against a stout Jets run defense. Prediction: Jets 24, Jaguars 10.
Seahawks @ Steelers: I just can't see the Steelers having any trouble with the Seahawks, especially coming off of an embarrassing effort against the Ravens. Prediction: Steelers 31, Seahawks 6.
Ravens @ Titans: Baltimore needs to avoid a letdown against Tennessee after a huge week one win against Pittsburgh. John Harbaugh and Co. will stack the box and try to make Matt Hasselbeck beat them. Prediction: Ravens 27, Titans 16.
Cardinals @ Redskins: It was good Rex for the 'Skins last week against a depleted Giants defense. The Cardinals had a hard time stopping the duo of Cam Newton and a resurgent Steve Smith last week. UPSET OF THE WEEK! Prediction: Cardinals 21, Redskins 17.
Cowboys @ 49ers: Can the Cowboys shake off late game gaffes against the Jets and refocus in time to face a 49ers team coming off a division win against the Seahawks? Prediction: Cowboys 31, 49ers 20.
Bengals @ Broncos: Cedric Benson had 100+ yards on the ground and Bruce Gradkowski came in and played admirably after Andy Dalton got injured. The Broncos rush defense will need to improve off of Monday's performance if they want to win. Prediction: Broncos 17, Bengals 14.
Texans @ Dolphins: This will be a better litmus test for the Texans, as a Manning-less Colts team is no doubt headed to a Top 10 pick in the 2012 Draft. The Dolphins will need to establish more of a presence in the run game, as Chad Henne will not throw for 400 yards every week. Tough game to call with Arian Foster's status for sunday in doubt. Prediction: Texans 24, Dolphins 23.
Chargers @ Patriots: Both teams have potent passing offenses, as evidenced by their combined 846 pass yards. Can the Chargers contain the dynamic TE duo of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, who combined for 13 catches, 189 yards, 2 TD. Prediction: Patriots 30, Chargers 24.
Eagles @ Falcons: Vick's return to Atlanta should be an exiciting game. Atlanta will not play as poorly at home against the Eagles as they did on the road against the Bears. "The Dream Team" will need to defend the run better than last week, as St. Louis racked up 154 yards last week. Prediction: Falcons 24, Eagles 21.
Rams @ Giants: Two teams with preseason playoff aspirations that are looking to avoid an 0-2 start. Injuries to key players (Bradford, Jackson and Amendola for STL; Thomas, Amukamara, Sintim, Austin for NYG) will be the storyline to this game, and whose unit can overcome their injuries better, the Rams offense or Giants defense. Prediction: Rams 21, Giants 17.

Last Week's Record: 10-6 (.625)