Get It White: Week 2 NFL Predictions
Ok, I’ll get straight to it, 9-7 isn’t the ideal record to start the season with, but like every good NFL team, the prediction machine needs time to hit its full potential; and a solid if unspectacular start is something to build on.
In my flimsy defence, week 1 was one of the tightest opening weekends in NFL history as 12 games were decided by seven points or less, and six of the seven games incorrectly forecasted by my contraption and I fell into that category. So there.
But I am under no illusions, and just like messrs Gabbert, MJD and the whole of the Jacksonville crew, improvements must be made… Here’s week 2.
Friday 1:25am
New York Jets 16-27 New England Patriots
While the Pats got the win everyone expected in Buffalo last week, some sloppy play and silly mistakes ensured that EJ Manuel and the Bills pushed New England all the way to the end, only for a late Stephen Gostkowski field goal to win the game. Bill Belichick and the rest of the coaching staff know that even though they face another rookie QB this week, they must be more consistent. Speaking of which, Geno Smith did indeed lead the Jets to a win over the Buccaneers last week, your eyes do not deceive you. Whether that win was down to good play by New York or some complete incompetence on the part of the Bucs (I’m looking at you Lavonte David) is inconclusive though, and I still don’t think the Jets have the pieces to have a good season. Although the Patriots are banged up, with Danny Amendola possibly joining the sideline crew that now includes Shane Vereen, who is out for 8 weeks due to a wrist injury, I think Tom Brady and that opportunistic defense will have too much for Rex Ryan’s Jets.
Sunday 6:00pm
St Louis Rams 20-27 Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons will be really disappointed that they only scored 17 points against the Saints in their opener, and I think we could see a reaction from Matt Ryan and co. back in the Georgia Dome. But they are up against a good defensive unit in St Louis who will try to cause problems for the high-powered offense. Steven Jackson will be playing his old team for the first time, and I’m sure he will want to see as much of the ball as possible to impress, but with weapons like Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, he may not see as much of it as he would like. The Rams pulled out a very tough win over the Cardinals last week, and this won’t be easy for the Falcons with Sam Bradford in good form, but at home, the Dirty Birds should have just about enough.
Cleveland Browns 17-30 Baltimore Ravens
I don’t often say this, but I expected more from the Browns last week. They were pretty poor in defeat to the Dolphins, and it goes without saying that they have to be better in Baltimore to have any chance at all. They are obviously missing their no.1 receiver Josh Gordon and if the Ravens can stop Trent Richardson and the ground game, Cleveland’s prospects look bleak. Baltimore were battered by Peyton Manning last week and some of the new young pieces slotted into their defense will have learned a few lessons from that for sure. Joe Flacco still threw for over 300 yards despite the defeat, and Ray Rice is still a multi-purpose weapon, so there are a lot of positives to recommend the Ravens on.
Carolina Panthers 27-16 Buffalo Bills
Carolina’s display against the much-fancied Seahawks was very encouraging for fans in Charlotte, and despite the loss, the Panthers will feel that Sunday’s game is one they can win. If the defense can play to the same level as it did last week, and stop the running game of CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson, they should be able to take advantage of Bills’ rookie QB EJ Manuel’s inexperience. Cam Newton will certainly find things easier this week, and if DeAngelo Williams can get the running game going, the Panthers could put some points on the board. Look for a big game from TE Greg Olsen this week too. The Bills came close to upsetting the Patriots last week, but it was an error-prone performance from New England and the Buffalo secondary is still hurting through injuries, so I can see a Carolina win here.
Minnesota Vikings 14-34 Chicago Bears
All Day did his thing once again last week, but it wasn’t enough to beat the improved Lions, and coming up against another NFC North rival this week, the Vikings will have to improve again to keep the game close. The Bears were very impressive in week 1’s defeat of the Bengals, and their defense looks as good as ever even without Brian Urlacher. The offense is also looking in good order, and Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte seem to be benefitting from the new offense installed in Chicago, and that’s not mentioning Jay Cutler, who seems reinvigorated. I’m pretty high on the chances of the Bears this year after their first showing, and they could roll over the Vikings here with more defensive domination over under pressure Vikings QB Christian Ponder.
Washington Redskins 20-38 Green Bay Packers
The Skins were the first team to be blown away in the first half by the Eagles’ light-speed offense, and I’m sure they won’t be the last, but their second half efforts did provide some encouragement, especially as RGIII was shaking off some rust. The Packers were a little unfortunate last week to be beaten by the 49’ers, but their secondary play must improve after allowing Anquan Boldin about 6 or 7 uncontested catches during the game. This Pack offense looks to be even more potent now with Eddie Lacy running the ball and I can’t see the Washington D being able to live with Aaron Rodgers and his crew this time around.
Tennessee Titans 16-27 Houston Texans
Houston made surprisingly hard work of their late game in San Diego, and it seems the early favourites for the AFC title aren’t as infallible as many thought. The Titans on the other hand shocked everyone with how good they were in their win over the Steelers, especially defensively. This one could be the story of two running backs: Arian Foster for the Texans and Chris Johnson for the Titans. It could simply be down to who stops the run better, and from the evidence of last week, while Tennessee blunted the pretty poor Steelers’ offense, the lack of production on the ground from the Chargers against the Houston D is the far more impressive looking statistic. The Texans should take this one at home, but it will be a test to see how far Tennessee have come.
Miami Dolphins 30-27 Indianapolis Colts
As another team who made hard work of supposedly inferior opposition, the Colts will be looking to be more clinical in their home matchup with Miami this weekend, because if they aren’t, the Dolphins’ front seven will harass them all night. The Browns found out the strength of that unit last week and while Andrew Luck is an immeasurably better triggerman than Brandon Weeden, it still has the potential to cause a lot of problems. The Colts’ defense will also have to do a better job after allowing a lot of yards to Terrelle Pryor and the Raiders, who are not as good as Ryan Tannehill and Mike Wallace. I can see Wallace having his first big game as a Dolphin in this one, and Lamar Miller could bounce back from a horrible performance. It could end up being quite a high scoring game with two average secondaries, but I just fancy the Phins to come out on top.
Dallas Cowboys 20-24 Kansas City Chiefs
Let’s be honest, you can’t take much out of the Chiefs’ beat down of the Jags simply because Jacksonville look a really bad football team, although you can say that the defense looks much improved, shutting the Jags out. The Cowboys took advantage of a horrible, mistake filled game from the Giants to win by a few points, but I get the feeling that they won’t get the same handouts here. DeMarco Murray will have to up his workload running the ball and Tony Romo’s protection must be better, or the Cowboys could fall victim to the Andy Reid revolution in Kansas City. Jamaal Charles will again be KC’s key man, and he could well run riot, causing a surprise to many here.
San Diego Chargers 23-27 Philadelphia Eagles
The talking point of week 1 was undoubtedly the speed of the Chip Kelly offense in Philadelphia. In the first half of their game against the Redskins, the Eagles ran 53 plays and LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson were given the chance by Michael Vick to show what explosive weapons they are. While the second half was a pale imitation of the first, it is clear that the offense is a threat and the defense is also an improved unit. However, considering how well the Chargers played in the first half against the well-fancied Texans, this could be one of the most intriguing games of the weekend. Philip Rivers looked a lot more composed in the pocket until Brian Cushing’s spectacular interception, and the health of Ryan Mathews is encouraging. The San Diego defense also looked decent in the first half, and it will have to build on that to win here. Whether they can do that though, I’m not too sure.
Sunday 9:05pm
Detroit Lions 23-24 Arizona Cardinals
Detroit comfortably turned over the Vikings last week, but offered hope in this one for Carson palmer and the Cardinals by giving up a 100 yard rusher and a 100 yard receiver. Calvin Johnson wasn’t involved anywhere near enough but Reggie Bush looks like he’ll be a massive addition for the Lions this season, racking up big yardage on the ground and in the passing game. As for Arizona, Carson Palmer’s debut was very encouraging, and against the weaker Detroit defense, he could have a lot of success with receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts who combined for 250 yards last week. This could turn out to be a close one, but the most opportunistic defense could have a say, and I’m siding with the Honey Badger/Patrick Peterson tandem on the back end for the Cards.
New Orleans Saints 34-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I don’t quite know how the Bucs managed to throw away the game against the Jets last week, but all signs point to, outside Vincent Jackson, Darrelle Revis and Doug Martin, Tampa being a fairly poor team this year. The opposite can be said for the Saints. They were highly impressive in beating the rival Falcons, and they could give themselves a real early lead in the NFC South here by putting away the Bucs. Although Revis Island could cover Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham is as close to an unstoppable force as you can get at TE, and the emergence of Kenny Stills as a speed threat could make a big difference to the offense. Saints to win comfortably.
Sunday 9:25pm
Denver Broncos 38-31 New York Giants
Shootout alert. Eli Manning threw for 450 yards in a loss last week, so combining that with the ridiculous 7 TD performance from Peyton Manning last week, this clash of the Mannings could be silly. Defensively, the Giants are struggling with injuries and if this wasn’t bad enough, the offense turned the ball over six times last week, something they definitely can’t afford to do this time around. The G-Men actually did well to keep the game against the Cowboys so close considering their struggles, and if they get it right this week, the game could be closer than you might expect. But there will be points, and Peyton’s performance last time out was too good to go against.
Jacksonville Jaguars 10-20 Oakland Raiders
This could have been the worst game of the century if it wasn’t for the spark of Terrelle Pryor in Oakland, and his efforts last week give the Raiders the edge against the farcically bad Jags. I feel sorry for everyone who follows Jacksonville this season, as it could end up being one of the worst years in NFL history. There is hardly any encouragement coming from anywhere, MJD is looking a little pedestrian, their best receiver, Justin Blackmon, doesn’t seem to care and Chad Henne is by a long way their best option at QB. Apparently this game is the choice for radio coverage this week… I hear there’s a repeat of The Archers on Radio 4 too.
Monday 1:30am
San Francisco 49’ers 27-17 Seattle Seahawks
The clash everyone wants to watch: this is the matchup that people will look at when talking about who will make it to the Superbowl. It’s gonna be hard-hitting and it’s gonna be tough. The Seahawks seemed to struggle a little on the ground last week, and the task doesn’t get any easier this week. Yes Russell Wilson threw for 300 yards, but the Seahawks only scored 12 points, that’s a worry as if they can’t convert against the Niners, they will get hammered. I really feel that the Niners are as close to the complete team as you will find in the NFL, so many options and so many threats, so I can’t pick against them until they show me a glaring weakness that teams can exploit. Colin Kaepernick’s bullet arm looked impressive and veteran Anquan Boldin added a reliable receiving threat to a team that could have won it all last season with a couple more completed throws. The ‘quest for six’ rolls on despite the 12th man keeping it close-ish in Seattle.
Tuesday 1:40am
Pittsburgh Steelers 13-31 Cincinnati Bengals
Normally, you would call this as a very close game, but I think this week could mark a huge power shift in the AFC North. If the Steelers come out and play like they did against Tennessee, they will be roundly battered in Cincinnati. The defense is an intense, pressurising unit that will make Ben Roethlisberger’s life a misery if his O-line doesn’t improve: something that seems unlikely without C Maurkice Pouncey who tore his ACL last week. Here’s a bold prediction for you: After ZERO sacks last week, the Bengals will rack up at least FIVE this week. AJ Green will have another 100 yard receiving game and Cincinnati will destroy the Steelers to the tune of at least two touchdowns. The problem with the Steelers is that they simply can’t run the ball right now, something every Pittsburgh team since the beginning of time has done, and if they try to pass all the time, Big Ben will be on the injury report quicker than you can say “Ahhh here comes Geno Atkins again!” Bengals win.