NFL Picks Against the Spread: Week 2

Let's have a gander at the Week 2 picks!

Dolphins (-6.5) over Bills - Yes, the Bills did a lot better than I expected last week. They gave the Patriots all they wanted and more. But I don't like them to do it again. With a game under his belt, I expect Daunte to be a lot more comfortable and more in sync with the rest of the offense. Plus, I think the Dolphins will give it to Ronnie Brown more and the balance will also help Daunte. Better offense = the win and covering the spread for the Dolphins.

Vikings (pick 'em) over Panthers - If Steve Smith plays, I'm not as confident. But what I saw of the Panthers last week without him did not impress. Delhomme was off, they had no running game, and now the line is banged up. Meanwhile, the Vikings showed signs of being a very physical team that is solid defensively and takes care of the ball offensively. In the home opener for Brad Childress, I'll take Minnesota.

Bengals (-10.5) over Browns - I like Charlie Frye, Romeo Crennel, and the Browns. But, the O-Line is a mess. And the Bengals offense is real good. Palmer is back, Rudi is a tough runner, they have playmaking receivers, and a good O-Line. I'll take them to cover.

Lions (+8.5) over Bears - Ok, the Bears scored 26 points last week. That was against the Packers. Now they take on a Lions defense that allowed 9 points to the best offense in the NFC last season. This seems like it will be a similar game to that one... with a score like 13-9 Bears winning (Roy Williams guarantee notwithstanding). I think the Bears will win, but it'll be a tight, low-scoring game.

Bucs (+5.5) over Falcons - The Bucs can't be as bad as they showed last week, right? Right?

Ravens (-12.5) over Raiders - The Raiders were just so incredibly and unbelievably bad last week I have a hard time picking them to cover against anybody, let alone the team that may have looked the best last week. Seriously, that Raiders/Chargers game was without a doubt the worst football game I have ever had the displeasure to witness... the Line was awful, Aaron Brooks was awful, Art Shell was a corpse on the sideline, and the Chargers didn't even have to try in the 2nd half.

Let me put it this way... I can't even blame Jerry Porter for not paying attention to the game.

Giants (+3) over Eagles - Donovan McNabb is back and as good as ever, but I like the Giants here. They have a great RB combo (Brandon Jacobs looked beastly last week), and I do like Eli. I think the Giants can get a good pass rush on McNabb... I think it'll be a tight game, and I'll take the Giants to cover.

Saints (-2) over Packers - Trust me... the Packers suck. Brett Favre makes worse decisions than any other QB in the NFL, the Line is a sieve, they have one reliable pass-catcher, and they gave up 26 points to the Bears last week. Meanwhile, Texans fans are still trying to stick their heads into an oven, because Reggie Bush is one of the few guys (for me, at least) that if he's on TV, I'm making every effort I can to watch him. And that Deuce guy is pretty good too.

Colts (-13.5) over Texans - Texans three-headed monster at RB - Wali Lundy, Ron Dayne, and Samkon Gado. Uh, yeah.

Cardinals (+7) over Seahawks - The question of the week: is the Seahawks line that bad or is the Lions D-Line that good? That's why I thought Shaun Alexander was the third best fantasy back going into the year. They overpaid for Branch, but in the short-term he's another solid offensive player and another good receiving option for Matt Hasselbeck. I like the Seahawks to win, but I'll take the best WR in the NFL and the rest of the Cardinals offense to score enough to cover.

Rams (-3) over 49ers - The 49ers did look very solid last week, but the Rams defense absolutely shut down Jake Plummer. Now, Plummer isn't very good, but at this point he's probably still better than Alex Smith. Frank Gore should again put up big numbers, but I'll take the over on Mark Bulger throwing for 300 yards.

Chiefs (+11) over Broncos - Larry Johnson didn't put up big numbers last week, but he's still extremely talented. At least, talented enough to keep the game semi-close for a while.

Patriots (-6) over Jets - So maybe the Pats don't have a #1 WR. But they've got one of the top 2 QBs in the NFL and a nice 1-2 punch at RB. Laurence Maroney is looking already like he's going to be a star. Chad Pennington: welcome back. You were great last week. It's just too bad you're not facing the Titans again.

Chargers (-11.5) over Titans - And here we have the Titans, the only other NFL team that will be able to challenge the Raiders and Packers for the #1 spot. Vince Young as a #2 QB? I like Vince, but he won't be ready for another 2 years. Who did the Chargers have to pay to get their first three games against the Raiders, Titans, and Browns?

Redskins (+7) over Cowboys - Terrell Owens should have a huge game here... Troy Williamson was consistently open last week for the Vikings, and Owens is just a little better than Troy at this point. But Drew Bledsoe's still the Cowboys QB, and that works against Dallas. For the Skins, there were a lot of things I saw that I liked from the Al Saunders debut, but consider the Jason Campbell Watch on... Mark Brunell is really old and can't throw that well. But we kinda knew that already.

Jaguars (+2.5) over Steelers - I don't understand why everyone thought that the Jags beating Dallas last week was such an upset... did they not watch Jacksonville play last year? They have a top 5 defense, Byron Leftwich at QB, and a nice trio of WRs. If Fred Taylor stays healthy, these guys are a threat to the Colts in that division. At home, I'll pick them to beat the Steelers. The Jags are real good. You're on notice.

Last Week: 9-7
Season: 9-7