NFL Week 2 Results

As quickly as it began, week 2 in the NFL is over and done with. Just like week 1, week 2 was chalked full of great football, highlight reel plays, and big wins for many teams. Let's take a look at who won in week 2:

Winning team in red text

Buffalo Bills VS Green Bay Packers

 Results: The Bills could get little offense going in their game against the Packers. The Packers on the other hand were churning on all cylinders as Rodgers 2 Touchdowns led them to a week 2 win.

Analysis: Buffalo's offense has yet to find any sort of identity, and the lack of Quarterback play hurts them yet again this week as Trent Edwards was comatose in his production, tossing two interceptions.

Miami Dolphins VS Minnesota Vikings

Results: Miami won a close game against the Vikings as they forced 3 interceptions from Brett Favre.

Analysis: The Dolphins grinded out a win over Minnesota, relying primarily on their run game. The Dolphins defense played well as they picked off 3 of Brett Favre's passes. The Vikings offense just hasn't been efficient enough yet this year, they were only 1/5 in the red zone.

 Kansas City Chiefs VS Cleveland Browns

 Results: Kansas City edged out a close win against Cleveland, in route to a 2-0 start.

Analysis: Neither QB in this game looked stellar, as Matt Cassell threw two interceptions, and Seneca Wallace 1. The Chiefs relied on their run game the most, as Thomas Jones led the team in rushing yards with 83. They also returned an interception for a touchdown.

Chicago Bears VS Dallas Cowboys

Results: Jay Cutler lead the Chicago Bears to their second victory of the year over the Dallas Cowboys.

Analysis: For the second week in a row, Dallas has not lived up to expectations. They have trouble getting any sort of run game going, and to make matters worse, Tony Romo threw two interceptions. Dallas's passing game with Miles Austin lived up to potential, but a lack of run game, defensive power, and the ability to finish out a game, is hurting them.

Arizona Cardinals VS Atlanta Falcons

 Results: The Falcons found their offensive firepower in week 2 as they destroyed the helpless cardinals, bouncing back from their week 1 loss to Pittsburgh.

Analysis: The Falcons exceeded in every aspect of the game, having Matt Ryan throw for 3 TDs, team rushing totals over 220 yards, and the defense forcing 3 interceptions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers VS Carolina Panthers

Results: Josh Freeman led the Bucs to their second win of the season, throwing two touchdown passes.

Analysis: The Buccaneers took advantage of the quarterback miscues of Carolina and their 2 interceptions, to get a win this weekend. Tampa Bay's defense played well, keeping the Panthers to only one touchdown all game.

Philadelphia Eagles VS Detroit Lions

Results: The Eagles held on to their lead late in the game and survived a 4th quarter surge by Detroit to grab the win.

Analysis: Michael Vick looked good in his starting role in the Eagles offense as he led them to beat the Lions. Even in defeat, Detroit showed lots of potential, primarily in rookie running back Jahvid Best, who had staggering numbers in the game ( 9 Rec for 154 yards & TD, 78 rushing yards & 2 TDs).

 Baltimore Ravens VS Cincinnati Bengals

Results: The Bengals won a close game against their division rivals, using primarily their defense ironically to win the game.

Analysis: Against the Ravens stout defense, the Bengals subsisted on 5 Field Goals to win them the game. But the real deciding factor was their ability to pick off Ravens Qb Joe Flacco 4 times.

Pittsburgh Steelers VS Tennessee Titans

Results: The Steelers used their formidable defense to dismantle the Titans and improve to 2-0

Analysis: In an odd victory, subsisting solely on their ability to terrorize the Titans offense, and Vince Young, the Steelers only had about 40 yards of passing. They were capable though of demolishing Vince Young so thoroughly that after throwing two interceptions, he was benched for Kerry Collins. Shutting down superstar Chris Johnson also insured victory for Pittsburgh.

Seattle Seahawks VS Denver Broncos

Results: The Broncos forced 3 Matt Hasselbeck interceptions and their offense churned towards a week 2 win.

Analysis: Seattle's offense looked far worse then in week 1, as did their defense. Denver bounced back from a week 1 loss to Jacksonville, to rout Seattle in week 2. Demaryius Thomas made his rookie debut and hauled in a TD pass from Kyle Orton.

St. Louis Rams VS Oakland Raiders

Results: Oakland struggled early, but won a close game against St. Louis.

Analysis: Jason Campbell struggled for Oakland, which led to them putting in Bruce Gradkowski who revived the offense. Darren McFadden was on point again this week, rushing for 145 yards in the victory. Oakland struggled in the red zone, going 1/4, and St. Louis had problems with their ability to convert third downs, only making it a measly 20% of the time.

Houston Texans VS Washington Redskins

Results: In perhaps the most exciting game of the weekend, the Texans rallied to come back from a large deficit, prompting overtime in which they kicked the game winning field goal.

Analysis: In a game for the stat books,  both QBs were on point, Schuab passing for 497 yards and Mcnabb for 426. This was Houston's first overtime win in franchise history and it helped them extend their record to 2-0 on the season.

New England Patriots VS New York Jets

Results: The Jets Mark Sanchez has a flawless performance as he helped them bounce back from their week 1 loss to the Ravens.

Analysis: Sanchez struggled last week against the Ravens, but seemed to find his groove and threw for three touchdowns this weekend. The defense also won the turnover battle as they forced Brady into making mistakes, and picked him off twice.

Jacksonville Jaguars VS San Diego Chargers

 Results: San Diego routed Jacksonville in a big bounce back from a disappointing weak 1 loss to the Chiefs.

Analysis: In a game that we saw 6 interceptions total, unfortunately for the Jaguars, four of them were from David Garrard. Jacksonville simply could not get much going offensively, or do much to get in the way of Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense.

Indianapolis Colts VS New York Giants

Results: The Colts bounced back from a disappointing loss to division rival Houston, to demolish the Giants on Sunday night.

Analysis: In a mere week, Indianapolis seemed to have improved on every side of the ball. They were running it well, their defense (specifically pass defense) was stellar, and the older Manning tossed 3 touchdowns while leading his team towards an easy win.

New Orleans Saints VS San Fransisco 49ers

Results: The Super Bowl champs improved to 2-0 with a hard fought win over San Fransisco on Monday night.

Analysis: 49ers Qb Alex Smith played excellent in the first half, and nearly came away with the victory late in the game. Unfortunately the Saints wanted no part of overtime, and Brees led the march down the field for the game winning FG.

Week 2 Picks:  10 - 6

 

5 NFL Quarterbacks Looking To Light Up The Air In 2010

In recent years, the National Football League has been transformed into a passing based league, where aerial offenses rule where ground attacks once stood predominant. This is apparent in the statistics, as in 2009, ten quarterbacks threw for at least 4,000 yards and nineteen threw for at least 3,000 yards. Let's take a look at who should be putting up big yards in this upcoming season:

Matt Schaub

In Matt Schuab's first season playing all sixteen games, he blew the NFL to pieces, leading in passing yards with a incredible 4,770, as well as 29 touchdowns. And this was in his first full season as the Texans QB, things can only get better going forward. If he can get Tight End Owen Daniels for the entire season (as opposed to 8 games due to injury) in addition to perhaps the best WR in the league Andre Johnson, then Schaub should once again put up monster numbers

Drew Brees

 In 2008 during his way to an Superbowl win, Brees led the league in touchdowns (34) and QB rating (109.6). Brees led the #1 overall offense in the league and the 4th overall passing team in the NFL last year. Brees spreads the ball around a lot, so look for Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson and Marques Colston to be productive again this season; And with his past four seasons throwing for over 4,000 yards (and over 5,000 in 2008), Brees should be right on track to produce similar numbers this season.

Peyton Manning

In 2009, Peyton Manning was second in the league in passing yards (4,500), 3rd in touchdowns (33), and led a completely pass based team (colts were last in league rushing) to the Superbowl before falling just short of victory. Peyton Manning should continue just were he left off last year, putting up huge numbers. Also, the Colts get wide receiver Anthony Gonzales back from injury, and he will most likely contend with Austin Collie for the 3rd spot and making this rich WR corp even deeper. Manning has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in 10 of his 12 NFL seasons, and look for him to keep on producing come 2010.

Aaron Rodgers

Since replacing the legendary Brett Favre in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers has shown he is just as capable of slinging the ball, passing for over 4,000 yards the past two seasons. Rodgers has two very reliable receivers in Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, each accumulating over 1,000 yards each (for the past two years with Rodgers). In his 3rd season as the starting quarterback, Rodgers should continue to build on his experience and timing, and put up respectable numbers for the Packers.

Tony Romo

Tony Romo passed for over 4,000 yards last year, and while it was only the second time in his career he has done so, he should be looking at a similar season this year. Romo relies heavily on his clutch tight end Jason Witten as his go to guy.Continued stable play by Patrick Crayton, and recently explosive WR Miles Austin as well as the rookie super-star Dez Bryant should help make Romo's offense more balanced and productive then ever. Romo had the best season of his career in 2009, look for him to move forward on this success in 2010.

Five NFL Teams To Beat In 2010

 The NFL season is right around the corner, and its impossible to know from here how everything is going to turn out, but at this point there are a number of big teams to beat during the upcoming season. lets start the analysis:

1. New Orleans Saints

 Obviously the Super Bowl champs are always the easiest pick for teams to beat in the next season, and surely the saints do not falter from that logic, and should be just as dangerous as they were in 2009. This is a team, with a fantastic offense and opportunistic defense with rare talent for a second trip to the Super Bowl in 2 years. Look for every team on their schedule to want to add them as a trophy victory in 2010.

2. Indianapolis Colts

 The Colts may have lost the Super Bowl last year to a very capable New Orleans team, but the Colts talent has far from diminished going into this new season. Going undefeated through the first fourteen games last season before reverting to their subs in the final games, their talent will only be bolstered by the return of WR Anthony Gonzalez, DB Bob Sanders and Bill Polian's highly respected draft choices.

3. Green Bay Packers

 The Packers fell short of winning the division last year, getting stuck with wild card as Minnesota grabbed the division, but in 2010 the Pack should only improve. Aaron Rodgers continues to improve dramatically all the time, and with a solid WR corp and defense this team will be at the top of the NFC come the end of the season.

4. Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota makes the list primarily if Favre returns for another season with the purple people eaters. Without him, the team is still talented, but lack of any substantial QB depth makes them drop quite a bit. With Favre on the team (and without Peterson fumbles) this is a very Super Bowl capable team. We saw them make the NFC championship last year but fall short to the eventual Champs. If their defense gets the help it needs then the the Vikings will remain one of the NFCs (and NFL's) biggest juggernauts.

5. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens only went a uninspiring 9 - 7 last season, but it was not a good indication of their level of talent. They're lack of a true passing game hurt them immensely, and kept them from greatness even though they ranked third overall in defense and fifth overall in rushing the ball. With the additions of Dante Stallworth and Anquan Boldin, the Ravens passing attack should look a lot better, and if it rivals their other sides of the game, they will be fearsome.

NFL Week 2 Recap; Real Scores Vs Proposed Scores

Houston Texans Vs Tennessee Titans

Proposed Score: Tennessee 21 - Houston 13

Real Score: Tennessee 31 - Houston 34

New Orleans Saints Vs Philadelphia Eagles

Proposed Score : New Orleans 28 - Philadelphia 24

Real Score: New Orleans 48 - Philadelphia 22

Arizona Cardinals Vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Proposed Score : Jacksonville 23 - Arizona 14

Real Score: Jacksonville 17 - Arizona 31

Oakland Raiders Vs Kansas City Chiefs

Proposed Score : Oakland 21 - Kansas City 17

Real Score: Oakland 13 - Kansas City 10

Cincinnati Bengal's Vs Green Bay Packers

Proposed Score: Green Bay 17- Cincinnati 7

Real Score: Green Bay 24- Cincinnati 31

Minnesota Vikings Vs Detroit Lions

Proposed Score: Minnesota 28 - Detroit 13

Real Score: Minnesota 27 - Detroit 13

St. Louis Rams Vs Washington Redskins

Proposed Score: Washington 23 - St. Louis 10

Real Score: Washington 9 - St. Louis 7

New England Patriots Vs New York Jets

Proposed Score : New England 24 - New York 20

Real Score: New England 9 - New York 16

Carolina Panthers Vs Atlanta Falcons

Proposed Score: Atlanta 17 - Carolina 7

Real Score: Atlanta 28 - Carolina 20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs Buffalo Bills

Proposed Score : Tampa Bay 17 - Buffalo 10

Real Score: Tampa Bay 20 - Buffalo 33

Seattle Seahawks Vs San Fransisco 49ers

Proposed Score : Seattle 23 - San Fran 17

Real Score: Seattle 10 - San Fran 23

Baltimore Ravens Vs San Diego Chargers

Proposed Score : Baltimore 21 - San Diego 19

Real Score: Baltimore 31 - San Diego 26

Pittsburgh Steelers Vs Chicago Bears

Proposed Score : Pittsburgh 23 - Chicago 10

Real Score: Pittsburgh 14 - Chicago 17

Cleveland Browns Vs Denver Broncos

Proposed Score : Denver 14 - Cleveland 10

Real Score: Denver 27 - Cleveland 6

New York Giants Vs Dallas Cowboys

Proposed Score : Dallas 23 - Giants 20

Real Score: Dallas 31 - Giants 33

Indianapolis Colts Vs Miami Dolphins

Proposed Score : Indianapolis 21 - Miami 10

Real Score: Indianapolis 27 - Miami 23

Week 2 picks: 8-8

NFL Game Predictions & Outlooks; Week 2

Week one in the NFL has come and gone, and it was a great week of football, showcasing some great games, crazy plays, and classic competitiveness. Week 1's Predictions and Picks were not too spectacular, but it is routinely difficult to judge team's competency coming in to the first game of the season, simply based on the fact that it's the first time you get to see the team in action. All excuses aside, lets take a look into the match ups and predictions for week 2 in the NFL.

Houston Texans Vs Tennessee Titans

In the season opener the Tennessee Titans lost a close Over Time game to the reigning Super Bowl Champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Look for them to rebound against the Houston Texans in this week 2 match up. Tennessee's defense played well in their first game and kept it close throughout the game. Houston on the other hand, in their week one loss to the New York Jets, looked stagnant on offense. They let the Jets rush for over a hundred yards so look for Tennessee to produce similar if not better rushing totals with speedster Chris Johnson.

Players to watch in this game:
Tennessee's WR Kenny Britt - Houston's QB Matt Schuab

Proposed Score: Tennessee 21 - Houston 13

New Orleans Saints Vs Philadelphia Eagles

The New Orleans Saint routed the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles routed the Carolina Panthers in their respected week one games. The Eagles forced a meltdown on Jake Delhomme, forcing four interceptions, while the Saints offense took apart Detroit, led by Drew Brees 6 touchdown passes. But how will these two fare against each other? Donovan Mcnabb has a fractured rib but is trying to play in this game, though its possible that even if he does play, his performance could be affected. This could go back and forth but I like New Orleans based on sheer offensive potential.

Players to watch in this game:
Philadelphia's QB Donovan Mcnabb - New Orleans TE Jeremy Shockey

Proposed Score : New Orleans 28 - Philadelphia 24

Arizona Cardinals Vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Both Arizona and Jacksonville are coming off week one losses, and in their up coming game, the match up could be close. Indianapolis was not able to run well on Jacksonville in week 1, and neither will Arizona in week 2. Jacksonville allowed 301 passing yards to Indy, which could be bad news since their up coming match up welcomes another predominantly passing team in Arizona. San Fransisco put a lot pf pressure on Kurt Warner which threw him off and led to two interceptions, this leads to bad news in turn for Arizona since Jacksonville's defense shows potential, stopping indy on both 4th down attempts, sacking manning once, and forcing Addai to fumble. This could go either way but I'm going to give it to Jacksonville because of their ability to protect the football and run the ball.

Players to watch in this game:
Jacksonville's WR Torry Holt - Arizona's RB Tim Hightower

Proposed Score : Jacksonville 23 - Arizona 14

Oakland Raiders Vs Kansas City Chiefs

As surprising as it sounds, Oakland looked like they are started emerging from bottom trawler of the league in their close loss to San Diego. Kansas City put some what of a fight up against Baltimore but but it was too little to help. I think Oakland emerges even more this week against Kansas City, the running game does better (as Baltimore rushed for a combined 198 yards) and Russell gains even more confidence in the passing game.

Players to watch in this game:

Oakland's TE Zach Miller - Kansas City's WR Mark Bradley

Proposed Score : Oakland 21 - Kansas City 17

Cincinnati Bengal's Vs Green Bay Packers

Last week Cincinnati lost a close game to the Broncos on a miracle tipped touchdown catch in the closing section of the 4th quarter (though the Bengals did not even put their own points on the board till the last minute of the 4th). Green Bay came back to reclaim the lead and the in win in the 4th quarter of their game as well. Look for Green Bay to have an easier time with Cincinnati then they did with Chicago. Chicago's pass rush pressured Rodgers constantly, sacking him 4 times and hitting him 9. After Greg Jennings big game, look for Rodgers to keep him as the go to guy in this game, and Ryan Grant should produce a little better on the ground.

Players to watch in this game:
Green Bay's WR Greg Jennings - Cincinatti's WR Chad Ochocinco

Proposed Score: Green Bay 17- Cincinatti 7

Minnesota Vikings Vs Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions do not look to be starting off the season well as they fell to 0-1 last week as Drew Brees threw 6 touchdowns and turned the Lions inside out. Rookie Matthew Stafford's had none and instead had 3 interceptions (though he did manage to run a TD in). The Minnesota Vikings defeated Cleveland last week as Adrian Peterson rushed for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. Look for him to post similar numbers this game against Detroit (they let New Orleans rush for over a 100 yards) as they rise to 2-0.

Players to watch in this game:
Minnesota's QB Brett Favre - Detroit's CB Anthony Henry

Proposed Score: Minnesota 28 - Detroit 13

St. Louis Rams Vs Washington Redskins

The Rams had a terrible season opener as they were shutdown by the Seattle Seahawks in a 28-0 loss. The Redskins in week one, lost a competitive game to the New York Giants in a failed comeback attempt. Washington should have far less trouble with the Rams this week as St. Louis attempts to find some rhythm on all sides of the ball. It might not be as embarrassing as week one for the Rams but look for them to get beat soundly by Washington this week.

Players to watch in this game:
St. Louis RB Steven Jackson - Washington's TE Chris Cooley

Proposed Score: Washington 23 - St. Louis 10

New England Patriots Vs New York Jets

The New England Patriots looked unready in their first game against Buffalo, but they managed to reclaim the lead and win the game in the 4th. The New York Jets looked solid as rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez led them to victory against the Houston Texans. I expect this to be another close game, but for the Patriots to look a little more like their on even footing and take his game home for the W.

Players to watch in this game:
New England's WR Wes Welker - New York's TE Dustin Keller

Proposed Score : New England 24 - New York 20

Carolina Panthers Vs Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons once again showed promise last week as they beat the Miami Dolphins with little opposition. Matt Ryan looked solid with 2 touch downs and a 98 quarterback rating. Carolina on the other hand, was dismantled by Philadelphia last week as Jake Delhomme self destructed, throwing 4 interceptions and keeping any chance of winning the game away from the hapless Panthers. Look for Michael Turner do better on the ground then in the Miami game as the Falcons take down the Panthers.

Players to watch in this game:
Atlanta's QB Matt Ryan - Carolina's RB DeAngelo Williams

Proposed Score: Atlanta 17 - Carolina 7




Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs Buffalo Bills

Tampa Bay lost to a very potent looking Dallas offense, and Buffalo lost a game they should have won to the New England Patriots. One of my main interests in this match up, is that in Buffalo's previous game they allowed the Pats to throw for 378 yards, which should make things easier for Byron Leftwich and the Buccaneers, but then Tampa also let Tony Romo throw for 353 yards so the passing defenses on both teams could be lax. Cadillac Williams looked good in their first game and look for them to run on Buffalo with at least good success.

Players to watch in this game:
Tampa Bay's RB Cadillac Williams - Buffalo's RB Fred Jackson

Proposed Score : Tampa Bay 17 - Buffalo 10

Seattle Sea-hawks Vs San Fransisco 49ers

In week 1, Seattle shut out rival St. Louis and San Fransisco beat NFC champion Arizona. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 3 touchdowns in his NFL return but also threw two interceptions. San Fransisco's defense did well against the Cards but their offense failed to muster anything to write home about, though in the end they won the game. Seattle showed a balanced run and pass game in their opener, so if they can manage to retain this potency then look for them to win a competitive game.

Players to watch in this game:
San Fran's Frank Gore - Seattle's RB Julius Jones

Proposed Score : Seattle 23 - San Fran 17

Baltimore Ravens Vs San Diego Chargers

The Charger and Ravens won their respected games in the first week of the season, but in my eyes, the Ravens look to take this upcoming contest. Joe Flacco looks poise in the pocket, getting his team a lot of yards through the air as newcomer Ray Rice looks to run the ball effectively. The Ravens defense will most likely stop any potency in San Diego's rushing attack and limit their overall productivity. it will be a tough challenge to limit Philip Rivers efficiency, so the contest will be close.

Players to watch in this game:

Baltimore's RB Ray Rice - San Diego's TE Antonio Gates

Proposed Score : Baltimore 21 - San Diego 19

Pittsburgh Steelers Vs Chicago Bears

The Steelers and Bears meet up in this week 2 match up, that should leave the Steelers edging out the win. Pittsburgh got off slow against Tennessee in the season opener, but Big Ben played well as the game went on and they ended up winning in overtime. While Chicago dropped a close game to Green Bay on Sunday night. Among the pitfalls in Chicago's opener were Culters' 4 interceptions, the lack of running game, and losing Brian Urlacher for the season. Pittsburgh's defense should play well against Chicago and look for Big Ben to again open it up through the air.

Players to watch in this game:
Pittsburgh's TE Heath Miller - Chicago's RB Matt Forte

Proposed Score : Pittsburgh 23 - Chicago 10

Cleveland Browns Vs Denver Broncos

Denver stole the game from Cincinatti last week on one of the luckiest tipped passes Ive seen in a while and Cleveland was routed by Minnesota as Adrian Peterson used them as a track meet. I think Denver shows a little more promise this week and defeats the Browns. The've got some good wide receivers, Kyle Orton just needs to be comfortable learning how to utilize them.

Players to watch in this game:
Denver's QB Kyle Orton - Cleveland's TE Robert Royal

Proposed Score : Denver 14 - Cleveland 10

New York Giants Vs Dallas Cowboys

Two 1-0 teams match up this week when Dallas meets New York in what could one of the most competitive games of the week. New York just beat Washington, and Dallas flew past Tampa Bay. The Cowboys offense looked very potent in week one so I will give the close edge to them, though this game could be a complete toss up and I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants and their defense won the game, either way its gonna be close.

Players to watch in this game:
Dallas QB Tony Romo - Giants WR Steve Smith

Proposed Score : Dallas 23 - Giants 20

Indianapolis Colts Vs Miami Dolphins

Miami dropped to 0-1 this season after being routed by the Atlanta Falcons in their week one game. Indianapolis got off to a sloppy start but finished well as they won a close game with division rival Jacksonville. Look for the Colts to extend their win record to two as they meet the Dolphins on Monday night. The Dolphins will not likely be able to slow down the Colts aerial attack, Reggie Wayne is coming off a 160+ yard game and should be Mannings go to guy in this one as well, along with veteran tight end Dallas Clark.

Players to watch in this game:
Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne - Miami QB Chad Pennington

Proposed Score : Indianapolis 21 - Miami 10