I’m even on the year and there’s only one way to go — up.
The game of football taketh away and it giveth as well. A 6-9-1 performance in Week One was followed by a – you guessed it – 9-6-1 mark in Week Two. Naturally, that adds up to a 15-15-2 start (.500) so it’s as if the first two weeks never really happened. We get to start all over again with another full 16-game slate.
(all games on Sunday afternoon unless otherwise noted)
New York Jets 29, Cleveland 12 (Thursday night): In 1970, then-Browns owner Art Modell not only asked the league to host the first-ever Monday-night game he also wanted the Jets to be the visitor to pull in the New York audience. It was a shrewd move–something the Browns could use these days. But they’re not resilient enough or good enough to overcome their snakebit start.
Baltimore 23, Denver 16: Denver lost on its first four trips to Baltimore before winning in December of 2012–the Ravens’ second Super Bowl season. These days, the Broncos are tough when trailing and their defense looks as scary as ever. But so does the Ravens’ unit at home. With three straight road games coming up, Baltimore needs this win.
Carolina 20, Cincinnati 17: The Bengals start a two-game road stretch against teams from the NFC South, which is arguably the best division in football. The Panthers lost a game in Atlanta last week that they should have won, but they should put a halt to the overachieving Bengals’ two-game win streak.
Atlanta 27, New Orleans 24: This is an always fun, spirited NFC South rivalry. The Falcons rate a slight edge at home against a Saints team that stumbled badly at home against Cleveland before pulling out a win last week.
New York Giants 24, Houston 13: The Texans are at home but, for some reason, the newly-healthy team has not gotten off to a very efficient start. If they’re not good enough to beat a Titans squad that didn’t have Marcus Mariota, what are they going to do against Eli Manning, Saquon Barkley, and Odell Beckham, Jr.–a trio that hasn’t hit full stride yet?
Jacksonville 30, Tennessee 20: Long ago, then-Titans head coach Jeff Fisher claimed that Jacksonville was a second home field for his team. There’s no way he would be able to say that today, what with the Jags’ talented, young, fast defense, and Blake Bortles having elevated his game at quarterback. For proof, just ask the Patriots.
Kansas City 33, San Francisco 22: In what should be called “The Joe Montana Bowl,” these teams have new versions of Montana in Jimmy Garoppolo and Patrick Mahomes, respectively. The Chiefs are the pick mainly because they’ve been more consistent in recent years. This is their home opener, too.
Miami 17, Oakland 13: I admit it: Miami has surprised me over the first two weeks. Granted, they haven’t played top-level competition in Tennessee and the New York Jets–and they won’t this week, either. The Dolphins are at home and they will send Oakland spiraling to 0-3.
Minnesota 40, Buffalo 9: These teams are the only members of a club that no one wants to join. Why? They are the only teams with 0-4 Super Bowl records. Buffalo can make the dubious claim that their big-game losses came in consecutive years. Minnesota hasn’t been to the title game in 42 seasons. Yet, there’s no doubt which club is better now.
Philadelphia 34, Indianapolis 17: The Colts are playing their second straight road game against an NFC East team, but they’ll find the going tough. First, they aren’t playing the bottom-feeding Redskins this week. Second, they will be facing an angry bunch of Super Bowl champs who are reeling from losing at Tampa Bay.
Green Bay 27, Washington 10: These two teams played a postseason game a few seasons back at FedEx Field. The Pack predictably overwhelmed Washington. It should happen again. Green Bay is one of those teams with a national following and Pack fans will make noise in a stadium where visiting supporters always make themselves known.
Los Angeles Rams 27, Los Angeles Chargers 24: Before anyone asks, this game was not “set up” by a league that had been hungry to return to the City of Angels. A schedule rotation is strictly followed and it just happened to draw this matchup, which will be played at the Rams’ Coliseum home. The Chargers have been great on the road and the Rams have Super Bowl aspirations. It should be a good one.
Chicago 23, Arizona 0: This is “The Dennis Green Memorial Bowl.” In October 2006, during a Monday-night matchup, the Bears put on a fourth-quarter, 20-point rally to beat the Cardinals. It was the infamous “They are who we THOUGHT they were!” game. These days, the Cardinals would be fortunate to even score a point (just six points in two games).
Dallas 24, Seattle 9: Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo first earned the wrath of fans for bobbling the hold on a game-winning field-goal attempt in Seattle. But Romo is getting the last laugh as one of the game’s best TV analysts. And the Cowboys–a team with a better defense than many believe–should leave the Emerald City with a win over the fading ‘Hawks.
New England 38, Detroit 13 (Sunday night): The Lions’ misery tour continues and this one takes place at their Ford Field home, where they got blown out by the Jets in Week One. Not only do the Patriots want to get a bad taste out of their mouths from the Jacksonville loss, but New England has a tendency to suffer early-season losses only to come back strong. That starts this week.
Pittsburgh 23, Tampa Bay 20 (Monday night): I know what you’re thinking: “Joe, have you SEEN the Steelers play yet? Don’t you believe in the Bucs?” My answers are: Yes and No. Sure, Le’Veon Bell’s absence and a leaky defense have hurt the Steelers, but I’m not convinced that the Bucs are among the league’s elite–at least not yet. Besides, since ’09 Pittsburgh is one of two teams that’s better on the road (Dallas is the other). And this one’s in Tampa.
