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Super StarThe opening weekend of NFL action was just as good as expected and now it is time for Week 2 to begin. There are several games with 1-0 teams looking to make an early season statement and several games where teams are looking to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start.
Here are the top five games I have identified for opening weekend, with the rest of the games picked after that. My record for the season is 13-3.
01) Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Atlanta Falcons (1-0) - I'm not going to call anything a must win in Week 1, but if the Panthers get blown out again and QB Jake Delhomme plays terrible, there is going to be a lot of pressure on HC John Fox to make a change at quarterback. The Falcons looked terrific at home last week against Miami and were able to limit the Dolphins running game, something they struggled with last year. These NFC South teams dominated at home last year with the Falcons going 7-1 and the Panthers going 8-0. I look for the Falcons to get RB Michael Turner going and Matt Ryan to find Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez in the passing game. I don't think the Falcons win by a lot and I think Delhomme plays better in this game, but it won't be enough for the Panthers to win in Atlanta. Winner: Atlanta Falcons
02) New England Patriots (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0) - Personally, I am sick of all the yelping coming out of the New York Jets. I am by no means a Patriots fan and I do understand that rookie HC Rex Ryan wants to change the culture and that S Kerry Rhodes is sick of losing to the New England Patriots, but enough with all the talk. The Patriots have won three Super Bowls since 2001 and appeared in a fourth. The New York Jets are 2-4 in the playoffs since 2001. The Patriots have won the last eight games in New York. It's one thing to want to change the culture, but you have to do that on the field, not with talk before the game. I think the Patriots will be very eager to send a message to the New York Jets that the Patriots are still the class of this division and I think the Jets will find that beating the Texans in Houston is not going to prepare them for the game that QB Tom Brady and WR Randy Moss will have this week. Patriots win and win big. Winner: New England
03) New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) - This is a good test for both teams. The Eagles need to see how they can do without QB Donovan McNabb and this is a good opponent for them to test that against, as the Saints defense is above average, but not dominant. This is also a good test for the Saints, as their pass offense led by QB Drew Brees is not going to be able to throw six touchdowns every week. They need to show that their offense can be just as explosive on the road against good competition as it is at home against bad competition. That doesn't mean 45 points every week, but it means moving the ball, finishing drives and not turning the ball over, something they struggled with on the road last year against good teams. I look for the Saints to pull out this win, I think the Eagles will have a tough time moving the ball with backup QB Kevin Kolb, who to date has not shown that he has the potential to be a quality starting quarterback in the NFL. Winner: New Orleans
04) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Chicago Bears (0-1) - The Bears begin their Brian Urlacher less campaign, going without the services of their star linebacker against one of the toughest teams in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers will also be without star safety Troy Polamalu. The Bears offense seemed to have all kinds of problems with the Green Bay Packers and their blitzes out of the 3-4. Now they face the premier 3-4 defense in the NFL. I think the Steelers defense is going to create a lot of pressure, which will make it hard for QB Jay Cutler to take care of the ball. Look for the Steelers defense to set the tone in this game. QB Ben Roethlisberger should be able to have a good passing day against the suspect Bear's pass defense. Winner: Pittsburgh
05) Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at San Diego Chargers (1-0) - Very good match-up between two teams with differing styles. The Chargers are a passing team that likes to get up and down the field with star QB Philip Rivers. The Ravens prefer to grind the ball out with their running game and play good defense, although second year QB Joe Flacco is giving the Ravens an improved passing game. I go back and forth on who I should pick in this game, so I'm going with the home team. East Coast teams played terribly in West Coast road trips last year. I think the Chargers will be improve their effort from a last week and will find a way to win at home. Winner: San Diego
For the rest of my picks this week, visit our free site www.fantasyfootballmaniaxs.com/index.php... for the other picks.
Street- I like this week's selections. I only have a problem with one of those.
ruggedest14) Cleveland @ Denver: I'm feeling a Broncos win here. Yes, Denver needed the miracle catch to win the game, but Cincinnati went up in the game's final minutes. The offensive performance was certainly lacking, but Brandon Marshall's production should pick up (he just came off of a preseason suspension), and the defensive play was solid. I'm taking Denver at home in this one.
Some other thoughts:
1) New England is going to go into New Jersey and it is going to get ugly. The Jets beat up an overrated Texans team, and Bill Belichick has a habit of making rookie quarterbacks look well, like rookies.
On a side-note, I'm pretty disgusted with the bandwagon-hopping we get out of the majority of NFL analysts.
2) With Kolb at quarterback, Philadelphia does not stand a chance against New Orleans. The reason I was not sold on Philly as a legitimate Super Bowl contender is simply because McNabb always gets hurt (last year was his first full season in five years). Here we are again, with week two coming and McNabb poised to man the sideline. Philly also cannot expect Brees to throw to their defenders as effectively as Delhomme did in week one.
3) If I'm not mistaken, I do think the Rams did actually beat the Redskins last year, didn't they? I don't think that'll be the case this year though. The Redskins were manhandled for a number of reasons last week, but it's a shame that the majority of the blame falls on Campbell.
All of the money invested into high-profile players on defense should be the first area of concern. The Giants only put up 23 last Sunday, but they moved the ball well enough to drop 40 (just did not perform in the redzone).
Anyhow, it's good to see that you still do your weekly articles here. I was not sure who was left over from the time before the changes, and you're a good one to have here. Looking forward to seeing how this week plays out.
02:43 AM EST