Week 2 Everybody! It feels great to be watching football again, doesn’t it? Week 1 provided us with some great thoughts and evaluations, and week 2 should give us a more clear outlook of how teams will be looking for the rest of the season. This week gives us some interesting matchups like RG3 vs Aaron Rodgers in the Redskins vs Packers, or what could be the last “Manning Bowl”. Join me as I will give you my opinion of each matchup.
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| This could be the last time this two face each other in an NFL game – (via espn.go.com) |
NEW YORK JETS @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS:
Yes, I know I came a little late to the party. But I will still talk about it. I think that the Jets are better than we all gave them credits for. They are still the worst team in the division (maybe better than Buffalo), but they are not the worst team in the league. New England has some troubles at WR. Bill Belichick has to know that he will be without Danny Amendola for more games as the season moves on, and he can’t rely on Aaron Dobson or any of those rookies to be Brady’s N 1 guy.
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| The game was lackluster for Thursday night. (via ESPN) |
ST. LOUIS RAMS @ ATLANTA FALCONS:
People want to see more of Sam Bradford. He has all the tools now, so there is no excuse for him now. What may be preventing the Rams to fight for a wildcard spot might be his QB. I am looking forward to see Matt Ryan and Co. against that fierce Rams defense, specially knowing that going 0-2 is not an option for this team.
My Pick: Atlanta Falcons
CLEVELAND BROWNS @ BALTIMORE RAVENS:
Baltimore didn’t look good at their season opener. The defense got fooled several times by Peyton Manning, and the offense looked not good enough. Against Brandon Weeden and the Browns things should get better, but that doesn’t take away that, right now, Cincinnati is the best team in the AFC North.
My Pick: Baltimore Ravens
CAROLINA PANTHERS @ BUFFALO BILLS:
I liked the Bills in last week’s game, so much that I thought they would win it, until they lost in in a way that only the Bills knows how. I feel that the duo of CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson could do big damage to the rest of the league. I didn’t like Cam Newton last week. He looked distracted and plain mediocre.
My Pick: Buffalo Bills
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| Will reigning MVP Adrian Peterson be the game changer? (via NFL) |
MINNESOTA VIKINGS @ CHICAGO BEARS:
The Vikings did not look good against the Lions. Christian Ponder looked worse than usual, which could lead to him loosing the starting gig by week 6 if he doesn’t step it up in a major way. The Bears defense looked good without Brian Urlacher, since they still have some nice veterans like Charles Tillman, who last year was a serious DPOY candidate in the first half of the season. They are old, but they are good enough
My Pick: Chicago Bears
WASHINGTON REDSKINS @ GREEN BAY PACKERS:
RG3 vs Aaron Rodgers. This sounds like a really interesting match, but it all depends on which RG3 will we watch that day: The RG3 from the first 3rd quarters, or the one in the 4th quarter. The Packer’s defense is slowly getting better year by year, and even though people don’t talk about them as much as they used to, they still have Aaron Rodgers in their team, and with an improving running game and defense, watch it.
My Pick: Green Bay Packers
TENNESSEE TITANS @ HOUSTON TEXANS:
I don’t know what to think about this match. I used to believe in Jake Locker, but after watching him in past games, I am not so sure anymore. The same goes for Matt Schaub, in a different degree obviously. If the Titans wants to have a shot at a wildcard spot, they can’t afford to loose a match against a division rival. I like the Titans new offensive line, because it should help Chris Johnson become CJ2K again. Houston could go 16-0 for all I care, but I won’t believe the hype of this team until I see them in December.
My Pick: Houston Texans
MIAMI DOLPHINS @ INDIANAPOLIS COLTS:
My Pick: Miami Dolphins
DALLAS COWBOYS @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS:
The Cowboys’ defense was very different against Eli Maning on Sunday. Not good, or bad, just different. Not good because they allowed him to throw for over 500 yards, but not bad because they forced six turnovers and sealed the game. I like this defense. Monte Kiffin is doing a good job of using the Cowboys’ strengths. Kansas City faced the Jaguars, so there is really not much to say about this game, since facing Jacksonville is not much of a parameter that you can grade a team. I like the idea Alex Smith under Andy Reid, and I may like it a lot after this game.
My Pick: Dallas Cowboys
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:
The Philadelphia Eagles looked incredibly good on monday night: that is until the 4th quarter of said game. Or was it really just RG3 waking up and rusting off after not playing since January? Whichever the case it was, Philly went through more trouble than they should have after dominating in a surprising way the first 3 quarters. The Eagles looked good with Chip Kelly’s offensive system; what I’m not so sure is if they have the endurance to hold it that good and that fast (and even faster, according to Kelly) for 4th full quarters. San Diego was just like Philadelphia, except much worse. They allowed 17 points in the 4th against the Texans. That cannot happen in a football game. If the Chargers don’t do something quick, this could easily get out of hand fast.
My Pick: Philadelphia Eagles
DETROIT LIONS @ ARIZONA CARDINALS:
I want to see more Reggie Bush now. I absolutely love what Bush brings to the Lions. I said it when they got him, and now he is just proving me right. Last week he looked like the USC Reggie Bush. On the Cardinal’s side, I am really intrigued in seeing how Todd Bowles’ defense will take the challenge of facing “Megatron”. Patrick Peterson can’t cover him by himself, and Bowles knows that. However, if he decides to put more coverage in him, Arizona may suffer the same way the Vikings did by leaving Bush all alone . I also want to see more of that Carson Palmer- Larry Fitzgerald combination, which looked really good last sunday.
My Pick: Detroit Lions
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS @ TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS:
This game looks like a really good one for all the commotion that has been surrounding Bucs QB Josh Freeman lately. He is aware that his job is in the hottest seat in the NFL right now. Greg Schiano is not sold on him, and Freeman knows that. He has to play with urgency, which he didn’t last week. Last year, this game was a shootout from both QB’s, but something tells me it won’t be like this on sunday. Tampa’s secondary is much better now, as is New Orleans’ overall defense. I want to see more of the Saints’ defense before I consider them as a threat to the Atlanta Falcons for the division.
My Pick: New Orleans Saints
DENVER BRONCOS @ NEW YORK GIANTS:
I promise I won’t talk about the “Manning Bowl” like every other blog is doing it, because here at TheSportMatrix, we are different and unique, but I will mention the Manning Brothers separately. First, I want to see Eli bounce back from an uneven performance against Dallas. He lost his perfection at Jerry’s World, and that hurt, even if he won’t admit it. On the other side, Peyton comes from throwing 7 TD’s… in one game. He probably won’t throw for 7 again, but he is looking amazing and a mediocre Giants D probably won’t stop him. Beyond all that whole “7 TD’s and Danny Threvathan dropped TD thing”, everybody ignored the fact that Denver’s front seven really missed Von Miller. They looked like they could not pressure the Qb at the beginning. Von Miller will be gone for 6 games at least, and that means a lot of pressure and sacks less for the Broncos D. They need to fix that.
My Pick: Denver Broncos
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS @ OAKLAND RAIDERS:
Seriously, if you’re not a fan of the Jags or Raiders, why are you watching this game? No, I am just kidding, but in all serious means, this game might become interesting on the Raiders part. Terrell Pryor is not looking like a starting QB, but he is getting there. Besides, it is actually entertaining watching that guy play. I have always been a fan of running QB’s, and he looked really good against Indy. The Jacksonville Jaguars might be the worst team in the league right now. And there is so much to grab from. First (and most importantly) can somebody explain me how is Blaine Gabbert still playing in the NFL? There is no reason as to why he should be the starting QB of the Jags. I agree, he doesn’t have much talent surrounding him, but you can tell when a guy just doesn’t have it, and Gabbert never was even close to having it. Chad Henne may not be Joe Montana, but he is much better than Gabbert. Him getting injured one more time is just one more sign for Jacksonville to just give up on him. The whole Jags team looked horrible against the Chiefs, and honestly, I don’t think they will fair any better against Oakland, except Henne has a really good game, or the Raiders have a horrible one.
My Pick: Oakland Raiders
PRIMETIME GAMES:
Sunday Night Football:
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
This rivalry keeps getting better and better. The Jim Harbaugh vs Pete Carroll one comes all the way from their college days, and the players clearly don’t like each other. Both teams know that one of them will win the division, so this game may be the most important game in the NFL in this first 2 or 3 weeks. Losing is something neither one of them can afford. I liked Colin Kaepernick against the Packers. He looked smooth and cool under pressure. However, Seattle’s D line is much better than Green Bay’s, so I want to see how he fares against one of the best defenses in the league. Russell Wilson may be doomed to be overlooked by the likes of RG3 and Andrew Luck his whole career, and his rookie season proved that. I think he had the best season of the three of them, yet he was not as flashy as RG3, and not as commanding as Andrew Luck. He has a tough challenge ahead of him on facing the niners defense twice a year, but I think he can handle it. This will be a tough, physical, match that might wind up in a couple of fights if the refs don’t handle it properly.
My Pick: San Francisco 49ers
Monday Night Football:
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
I can tell you right now, this won’t be a pretty game to watch. It will be kind of slow, as is the whole Steelers team right now. Pittsburgh looked bad in their season opener. They never got the running game going. Loosing Maurkice Pouncey was a devastating shot at an already fragile O line. The loses of Larry Foote and Larod Stephens-Howling also hurt in a major way. This season could be ugly for you Steelers fans. On the Cincy side, it is now or never for the Bengals. Both big teams in the AFC North are hurt, so it’s time to take advantage of that. I like how they played against the Bears last week, but blowing an 11- point lead is not something Marvin Lewis and Co. should be proud.
My Pick: Cincinnati Bengals
This week should give us a lot of surprises and upsets. Several matchups here have playoff implications… yes, since now (Go ahead and tell me that this 49ers vs Seattle won’t matter at the end of the season). I really hope you liked it, and if you do (and even if you didn’t), please follow me on Twitter and give me feedback, share this and comment on the section below. I hope you all have a good Sunday football!
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