Tuesday, September 17, 2013

NFL Week 2 Pick Results

Winning team in bold.

Unanimous Picks (7-2)

Right:

Saints @ Buccaneers
Broncos @ Giants
Jets @ Patriots
Vikings @ Bears
Redskins @ Packers
Jaguars @ Raiders
Steelers @ Bengals

Wrong:

Chargers @ Eagles
The Eagles' offense put up some big numbers again this week: 422 yards passing, 89 yards rushing, and 3 touchdowns. The problem is, the Eagles' defense allowed some big numbers too: 413 yards passing, 126 yards rushing, and 3 touchdowns. Chip Kelly's schemes are going to be in trouble as long as his defense keeps allowing 27+ points every game.
Lions @ Cardinals
After a tough first half, the Cardinals' defense managed to shut out the Lions's offense in the second half (the Lions' defense did get a pick 6 in the third quarter on yet another ill-advised throw by Carson Palmer). This game was the prototype recipe for a Cardinals win: good on defense, good on special teams (including a blocked field goal attempt), and enough effectiveness on offense to keep their head above water.

Split Picks: (APR 3-4, SRS 3-4, Line 5-2)

Dolphins (APR, SRS) @ Colts (Line)
Rams (APR, SRS) @ Falcons (Line)
APR and SRS both picked the Rams because they had a win last week, and the Falcons did not. That said, it's interesting to note that, in spite of the fact that the Falcons sprinted out to a 24-3 halftime lead, the Rams did manage to close by the end of the game, and came within one defensive stop of having a chance to drive for a tying score in the closing minutes.
Browns (APR, SRS) @ Ravens (Line)
APR and SRS picked the Browns here because they didn't get beat as bad as the Ravens in week 1. But the Browns' defense showed some signs of life again this week, holding the Ravens scoreless until late in the 3rd quarter, and holding them to a 1-point lead until the 4th. If the Browns could ever get their offense going, they... well, they might be able to win a game like this one, anyway.
Titans (APR, SRS) @ Texans (Line)
For the second week in a row, the Texans needed to come back on a team they were favored to beat. Besides trouble for the Texans, this game may also indicate that the Titans defense could have some real strength to it. It should be noted that Jake Locker has had a couple of unremarkable outings so far (he's still below 300 total yards passing for the season), so the Titans are probably still a ways from challenging for the division title (but 7 or 8 wins are probably not out of reach).
49ers (SRS) @ Seahawks (APR, Line)
The algorithms didn't like the Seahawks' unremarkable win last week. It was somewhat interesting to rewatch Football Night In America after the game, and hear everyone gush about what a threat Anquan Boldin was going to be (he had 1 catch for 7 yards in this game; in related news, the Packers' pass defense is not very good).
Cowboys (APR) @ Chiefs (SRS, Line)
Perhaps the most telling sequence of this game came late in the 4th quarter, after the Cowboys had kicked a field goal to pull within 1 point of the Chiefs. With 3:48 left in the game, and all 3 timeouts, the Cowboys kicked off deep. And the Chiefs proceeded to grind out the clock. They weren't forced to punt until there was just 0:29 on the game clock. The Cowboys are going to have a lot of trouble this season if their defense can't get stops when they absolutely need them.
Panthers (Line) @ Bills (APR, SRS)
Last year, the Panthers were in a lot of their games, but utlimately couldn't close the deal. This year, they've had two fourth-quarter leads, and twice they've watched their opponent overcome that lead to win the game. If Ron Rivera can't fix this real soon, the Panthers should start thinking about who they want to be their new head coach next year.

Totals

Not bad, considering how wonky the week 1 power rankings seemed.

This
Week
This
Season
%
APR 10-6 10-662.5%
SRS 10-6 10-662.5%
Line 12-4 12-475%