NFL Game Picks for Week #2-Free NFL Predictions

Let's face it. We all talk a little smack about our own free NFL predictions. While some of them don't work out so well, the overall result is a winning percentage (62%). Now, even though this is good, it can always be better, which is why the NFL game picks for Week #2 we're going to do something a little different. While you'll get a choice for each and every game, the end will reel off my favorite three picks for the weekend.

If that wasn't enough, I'll also be throwing in personal suggestions for those office pools that not only ask for NFL game picks, but also points next to each game. You know, the ones where if you think it's going to be a blowout you'll place 16 points next to the game and if you think it will be close you can hoist a big fat 1 there. Then of course these free NFL predictions will boast against the spread picks and over/under totals.

By the slim chance that you missed the storylines behind our 10-6 record, you can view it again at this Week #1 link. The biggest hits were definitely San Diego and Indianapolis. Obviously the Chargers are always a slow starting team, but given the 2,400 miles or whatever that Carolina had to travel for the game, missing their top WR, it definitely felt like things would change. This is why trends are important. Funny though how they controlled the game for 3 1/2 quarters and still had to win as time expired.

The Colts? It was soon realized that they lost the most important part of their team as the 2008-2009 season began. The crowd. The new stadium drowned out most of the Indy fans to the point you could hear Bears fans cheering the entire game. Plus Peyton definitely didn't look like himself, and Dallas Clark going down in the first quarter didn't help at all either. Oh well, it's early. So what's on tap for this week's NFL game picks?

(3pts) Cincinnati vs. Tennessee (Cin -1)(38)

Are you kidding me? This is where we get to start the week. If I had it my way, you wouldn't see another pick for the Cincinnati Bengals to win a game for the rest of the year. I'm not a fan, they've been underachieving for too many years, and for some reason the fans still think they're great. Until of course they lose in week 1 to the Ravens and everyone complains about all the changes that need to be made now. Okay, enough ranting. Do they have a shot this week?

Vince Young could miss 2-4 weeks, so if that was the case you would most likely see Kerry Collins behind center. Listen, don't discount him either. He's really a better then Young and between 2000-2005 he only threw less then 3,500 yards once (3,110). So expect the receiving core to get a big boost if this is the case. Also, the defense is just sick! Holding Taylor and Jones-Drew to a total of 33 yards rushing? Knowing they can stop the run will only set up more DBs against Palmer.

Tennessee 21 Cincinnati 17

(10 pts) Detroit vs. Green Bay (G.B. -1)(44.5)

Well, anyone still on the Detroit bandwagon? The Lions let a lot people down last week against the Falcons and just like it was predicted their defense gave up almost 500 yards of total offense (474). You know Ryan Grant, Aaron Rodgers and company are licking their chops coming into week 2. Both defenses kept the aerial attacks low, but the run defenses were both horrible. The problem with Detroit is they don't have a running game yet, and unless RB Kevin Smith can do better then his 48 yards against Atlanta, they're in for another long day.

Can Aaron Rodgers lead Green Bay to the Super Bowl this year? No. Yes, he had a great completion percentage, but throwing for 178 on 18 completions with one pass for 56 yards, the rest only went for about 7 yards a pass. However, he's showing he can manage the game well and since 2006 Green Bay is 5-0 while playing in domes. I'm tellin' ya, the only way Detroit is going to win this year is because their offense scores relentlessly.

Green Bay 30 Detroit 21

(11pts) Kansas City vs. Oakland (K.C. -3)(35.5)

Monday night it took Oakland 3 3/4 quarters to realize they were actually playing. The team is young, new, and it looked as though the Raiders weren't sure who to run, who to throw to, and who to defend. Let me just say this, there is nothing like getting Eddie Royal in the last round of the draft and him coming out in a big way with 146 yards receiving and a touchdown. So how do you give out free NFL predictions on a game like this one?

Kansas City is 10-2 against the Raiders since 2002 and 33-15 at home during the same time line. While Cassell replaced Brady in the first quarter, he still threw for 152 yards and completed 13/18 pass attempts. So it's not like the Chiefs could sit back and relax. Plus, the Raiders proved their defense isn't ready. I'm feelin' K.C. at home even though Croyle will be out. Huard is still a viable QB.

Kansas City 27 Oakland 20

(14 pts) St. Louis vs. N.Y. Giants (N.Y. -9)(42)

The Rams remind me of the Bengals in that they have so many weapons offensively, but it just never comes together anymore. Philly left St. Louis scrambling all day and with a total of 166 yards no one wants to be on that side of the ball. The N.Y. Giants looked okay in the opener, but playing against a new offense looking like the bad news bears, it's not saying much. The Giants aren't as good as Philly, and to be honest, any home team getting 9 points should get a serious look no matter how bad they looked in their first week.

NFL game picks like this one look like an easy pick for free NFL predictions, but the spread is the kicker. Take the Giants as they build on their 7-1 road record of a year ago. However, their average win on the road was around 9.

N.Y. Giants 24 St. Louis 16

(12pts) Minnesota vs. Indianapolis (Indy -2)(43.5)

Listen, long story short, Manning looked tenative, Addai got busted up for awhile, Dungy made some poor decisions, and Dallas Clark getting hurt left a lot to be forgotten in the home opener for the Colts. In road openers since 2002 Indy is 5-1. Out of the 5 wins, four of them were by 5 points or less. The biggest question is if they're going to be able to stop Adrien Peterson after letting rookie Matt Forte run for over 120 yards on Sunday night.

The Vikes are 4-2 in their last 6 home openers. In those four wins they won by an average of 13 points. The two losses? An average of 10 points. To be honest, Minnesota didn't really conjure up any real offense until the last 5 minutes of the game against the Packers. If they wait that long this week, it's going to be too late again.

Indianapolis 28 Minnesota 17

(7pts) Washington vs. New Orleans (PK)(42.5)

The Saints cost me another win with less then 8 minutes in the game when Reggie Bush took a little swing pass to the house. Good thing he's on my fantasy team! The Redskins looked horrible and somehow was still there at the end to cover the spread before faultering. So what should you look for out of this game. New Orleans showed they want to incorporate Pierre Thomas into the rushing attack after they left McCallister on the bench even though he was ready to go. We'll most likely see Deuce in week 2, but will it matter?

The Redskins defense looked pretty good by the score, but in all honesty they gave up 354 total yards. We know the offense isn't that good, so the question revolves around which Saints team will show up. They're 4-2 in their last six road openers, while Washington is 5-1 in their last 6 home openers. The storyline here is that the last 3 were won by a total of 8 points (3,3,2). None of the wins were more then 8 points and if they play like the first week you can chalk up their second loss.

New Orleans 21 Washington 18

(5pts) Carolina vs. Chicago (Car -3)(37.5)

Ah yes, amazing how the two big upset winners end up playing each other the 2nd week of the season. Definitely making these NFL game picks even tougher then they already are this week. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Jake Delhomme definitely surprised the majority with a last second fling into the end zone as time expired against the Chargers. Can he do it again against the Bears. At home it's possible, but it will depend on if Chicago decides to make the Panthers one dimensional.

When you go back a little the Panthers are 2-4 in their last 6 home openers and their two wins were by one and three points. Giving the points, taking on the Bears defense, we're going to give the edge to the Bears here. The only problem is they are 4-8 in the 2nd of back-to-back road games which leaves some question marks. Out of those 8 games, Chicago lost each one by an average of 12 points. So we are switching back to Carolina for our free NFL predictions this week.

Carolina 16 Chicago 10

(16pts) Jacksonville vs. Buffalo (Jax -6.5)(38)

Buffalo made Seattle look real bad last week, but don't think there as good as advertised. The Bills took on a team that is so depleted at wide receiver, after they found out Nate Burelson was done for the year they asked Steve Largent if he could make a comeback. Hasselbeck looked like an old man hobbling around the field, the running game never got going, and the special teams were atrocious. Granted, the Bills have a good defense, but while the score would indicate the offense had a big day, it wasn't all Trent Edwards.

He snared a touchdown pass, but also allowed Brian Moorman to throw one in his absence. The rule of the day? Don't turn the ball over, which they didn't. As far as this week's game goes, the Bills will take on a tougher defense, and their last four road openers have been nothing but losses. Add an average margin of 11 points and things look grim for Buffalo. The Jags are 3-1 in their last four openers and have averaged almost a 7 point margin per win. Look for Jacksonville to bounce back here.

Jacksonville 24 Buffalo 13

(1pt) Seattle vs. San Francisco (Sea -8)(39)

Wow, you get mopped up by the Bills and then come back with being 8 point favorites? Well, a lot of that has to do with the Niners going 1-3 in their last four at Seattle and losing by an average margin of 32 points. However, Hasselbeck is in trouble. With Burelson, Engram, and Branch out of the mix, their WR corps will consist of Courtney Taylor, Jordan Kent, and Logan Payne. Hardly household names. Then add in the fact that Maurice Morris is hurt, Julius Jones will be the go to guy with Leonard Weaver paving the way.

The 49ers are in just as much trouble as anyone else with their ridiculous playbook, and Alex Smith most likely out for the year. Not that he makes a difference, but thought I'd throw it out there. Listen, San Fran had 5 turnovers in their game against the Cardinals last week, their offense moved the ball, the defense played well and they have a week under their belt in the new offense. Can they pull off an upset against the Seahawks who seem to have their number? If they don't turn the ball over they can. We're going out on a limb here and taking the underdogs.

San Francisco 17 Seattle 16

(8pts) Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta (T.B. -8.5)(37.5)

Do you think Atlanta is as good as they looked against Detroit? Probably not, but it was fun to watch regardless. My brother and I have been telling everyone for over a year that Turner is the real deal and he showed it in his Falcon debut. He most likely will slow down as the season progresses since he's not used to carrying the full load, but he should be primed and ready for the Tampa matchup. We'll see how Matt Ryan deals with a good defense, although the Bucs will most likely be without Brooks to a bad hammy.

Garcia's sprained ankle could end up leaving Brian Griese holding it together. Expect a ground attack, and with Galloway, Clayton, Stovall, and Bryant all questionable, the Falcons should be able to stick 8 in the box for most of the game and keep their run defense looking strong (62 yards). Atlanta will surprise a lot of people this week.

Atlanta 20 Tampa Bay 13

(2pts) Houston vs. Baltimore (Hou -4.5)(37)

Last year I was so high on the Texans, I still think had Schaub and Johnson stay healthy the entire year they would have made the playoffs. The 2008 season looked much of the same though where Houston realizes they have no running game, get far behind, then air it out the rest of the time. The uncertainty at the runningback position lets you know coach Kubiak needs to quit playin' the guessing game and go with someone. Can they handle two difficult defenses in back to back weeks?

Granted, Baltimore did play Cincinnati in week one and while they have the big names, they never live up to the hype. Don't forget, Willis McGahee will be back this week. Hell, he's probably excited after watching Willie Parker get 138 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Texan's D. In Houston's defense, you probably won't be seeing them going for it on 4th and 1 at Pittsburgh's 48 yard line. The game was over after that mishap. Not to mention the interception and instant score to take a 21-0 lead. Can they turn it around this week? Houston is 1-4 in their last 5 home openers, and Baltimore is 1-4 in their last 5 road openers. Not much help here, huh.

Baltimore 16 Houston 13

(6pts) N.Y. Jets vs. New England (Jets -2.5)(36.5)

While New England shops around for another quarterback, they are really not giving Cassell the respect he deserves. The same people knocking him are acting like Aaron Rodgers is the great messiah from Lambeau Field. Rodgers spent years behind Favre, as did Cassell behind Brady. Granted, he's been a lifetime back-up even at USC, but now it's time to show his football talent. Oh, and don't forget when Bledsoe went down, this guy named Tom Brady came in and took right over. So, after watching Cassell go 13/18 for 152, a TD, and a 116 QB rating don't count them out against the Jets.

The Jets didn't play well against Miami and Favre needed a jumpball off balance pass to be caught for them to take home a victory. Will he be able to do the same against New England's defense? Who knows, but the Jets are only averaging 13 points per contest at home against the Pats and New England will score. The end result here is if Favre can handle their defense. Whoever wins this battle, wins the game.

New England 24 N.Y. Jets 20

(13pts) Arizona vs. Miami (Arz -7)(39.5)

Arizona was able to pull out a victory on the road against the Niners thanks to 5 turnovers. While many feel that the Cardinals have this high flying offense, it's really not as good as advertised. Getting 23 points of five turnovers is not my idea of capitalizing, so it will be interesting how it works out this week. Miami is 2-4 in road openers and Arizona is 2-4 in their last six home openers. This will be a bigger defensive struggle then most people think and Miami should be there at the end. The problem will come with whether or not they can create a running game this week after notching a whole 49 yards last week.

The Cardinals will most likely try to pass all over the Dolphins, and it should be enough to take home a win. Although I'm going with Arizona, Miami will cover the spread.

Arizona 20 Miami 14

(9pts) Denver vs. San Diego (S.D. -3)

Is it really possible that the Chargers could once again start the season 2-0? Yep, but the only problem is Denver threw up 41 points against the lowly defenseless Raiders team. San Diego is a modest 3-3 in their first road openers, but they've owned Denver the last couple years going 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 23 points. Denver's defense isn't as great as they looked in week 1 and it will show against the Chargers.

However, Brandon Marshall will be back, but will he come out ready or look more like Braylon Edwards. Yes, Eddie Royal had a big week, but will Denver implement him the same way they did against Oakland? Not likely, but with Cromartie and Jammer running the secondary it will be a fun matchup to watch. The Chargers aren't favored for no reason.

San Diego 28 Denver 21

(15pts) Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh (Pitt -6)

You know, if you like the Browns in this game, good luck. Seriously, a team that has to take on the NFC East champs in week 1 turn around and have to deal with their heated rival the following week? After getting beat up it's not going to get any easier and Dallas already showed how easy it is to run on the Browns. Considering Willie Parker had a great day against the Texans, he could be the leading rusher in the league after this game.

Expect the Steelers to put pressure on Anderson and keep him scrambling as well as throwing the ball where he doesn't want to all day long. Let's just put it this way. Pittsburgh is 9-0 against the Browns since 2003 and 14-1 since 2001. It doesn't look like anything will change this week either.

Pittsburgh 31 Cleveland 20

(4pts) Dallas vs. Philadelphia (Dal -7)

This might bet the best Monday night matchup of the year when the Cowboys take on the Eagles. Whoever wins this game will have a foot in the door for the NFC East title. So who do you take after both teams had convincing wins just a week ago? One thing to note is Philly will be taking a 5-2 record in their last 7 into Cowboy Country and getting a hefty 7 point head start. They've won their last two there and look as though their offense is unstoppable.

Dallas proved that their defense is for real this year, when they held the Browns to 205 yards of total offense. This being said, the Eagles left the Rams wondering what the hell just happened after they were held to 166 yards of offense. The trick here is realizing the ease that McNabb and company disposed of St. Louis, while the Cowboys were left bloodied and bruised. I'm stickin' with my guns and taking the Eagles plus the points.

Philadelphia 20 Dallas 17

Okay, it's definitely going to be a tough week, but once you get a team's first home games and road games out of the way, then everything will start falling into place. Hopefully we build upon last week's 10-6 record. So have some fun and by the end of week 2, we should have some serious NFL game picks coming your way.

Remember the points on the left hand side are for those of you needing help getting the most points based on how many games there are each week. So if there is a 1 next to the game then it's an upset pick or going to be close. A large number means I think the game should be won pretty easily. Good luck!

Week 1 record: 10-6 SU and ATS
Week 1 pt. total: 99
Season record: 10-6