Winning team in bold.
Unanimous Picks (5-5)
Right:
Cardinals @ Giants
Texans @ Raiders
Chiefs @ Broncos
Jaguars @ R*dskins
Falcons @ Bengals
Wrong:
- Cowboys @ Titans
- Last week, the Cowboys turnovers (including a trio of ugly interceptions) put them in a deep hole they were never able to get out of. This week, Tony Romo didn't throw any interceptions, DeMarco Murray ran for 167 yards. Meanwhile, the Cowboys' defense shut down the Titans' running game, and intercepted Jake Locker twice, and the Cowboys won easily.
- Rams @ Buccaneers
- The Buccaneers made mistakes in pretty much every aspect of the game. Josh McCown threw an interception in the end zone. Special teams gave up a blocked punt and a blocked field goal attempt. Their defense gave up a 12 play, 71 yard drive that took 4:37 off the game clock, and gave the Rams what turned out to be the winning field goal. All in all, a very sloppy game for Lovie Smith's squad (especially considering his Bears' teams were known for solid defense and special teams).
- Bears @ 49ers
- I mentioned last week the Bears' defense actually had a pretty good game. This week, they had an excellent game, intercepting Colin Kaepernick 4 times (just the second time in his career he's had a 4-interception game).
- The Bears' offense didn't have an amazing game, but they didn't make any mistakes, and made the most of their opportunities. As a result the Bears were able to put a very sour note on the 49ers first game in their new stadium.
- Seahawks @ Chargers
- Last year, the Chargers used a ball control/defense strategy to steal a win in Denver. This game was a play out of that same strategy, and the same success. The Chargers ran nearly twice as many plays as the Seahawks (75 versus 40), and dominated the time of possession (42:15 to 17:45). This had a major impact on the Seahawks offense (Marshawn Lynch only had 6 carries, in spite of the fact that they were within one score for nearly the whole game).
- The Chargers offense really only had two sustained drives, but they got touchdowns on both of them. Include in a couple of field goals, and a touchdown off a turnover, and it added up to more than the Seahawks were able to overcome.
- Dolphins @ Bills
- The Dolphins lost Knowshon Moreno early in this game, and that turned out to be a big problem. He had 134 yards rushing in week 1, and the Dolphins didn't have anyone to take his place after he went out. Ryan Tannehill threw mostly short passes (4.4 yards per attempt average), and that was only enough to sustain 2 drives longer than 29 yards before garbage time.
Split Picks: (APR 3-3, SRS 2-4, Line 4-2)
- Patriots (Line) @ Vikings (APR, SRS)
- Well, no surprise that the Adrian Peterson-less Vikings had a tougher time against a good team. Perhaps what is surprising is that QB Matt Cassel threw a back-breaking 4 interceptions. It might only take one more bad game for it to be Teddy Bridgewater time in Minnesota.
- Eagles (APR, SRS) @ Colts (Line)
- For the second week in a row, it's the tale of two halves for the Eagles. Besides a couple field goals, their first half on offense produced 3 punts, a missed field goal, and an interception. By contrast, they scored on 4 of their 5 second half drives, including the game winning field goal.
- The Colts seemed to be more consistent, but once the Eagles found their offensive groove, they just didn't have enough to keep up.
- Jets (APR, SRS) @ Packers (Line)
- This game started out really ugly for the Packers, falling into a 3-21 hole early in the second quarter. But then Aaron Rodgers seemed to shake off his funk, find Jordy Nelson, and the Packers outscored the Jets 28-3 the rest of the way. Jets fans may grouse about the touchdown-nullifying timeout, but their real problem was Aaron Rodgers throwing for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns.
- Lions (SRS) @ Panthers (APR, Line)
- Apparently the Panthers' defense is a lot better than the Giants. The Lions had 8 drives end in a punt or a turnover. which is no way to win a football game.
- Saints (Line) @ Browns (APR, SRS)
- Another ugly road game for the Saints defense. The worst of it was, the Saints offense punted the ball away with a 1-point lead and 2:46 to play. All the Saints defense needed to do is get one more stop, and they likely go home with a win. Instead, they gave up a clock-killing 52 yard drive, that put the Browns in position to kick the winning field goal.
- Steelers (APR, SRS) @ Ravens (Line)
- In spite of an early fumble, the Steelers made a game of this for the first two quarters, and were only trailing 6-10 at halftime, which seems like a pretty typical Steelers-Ravens score. But (a lot like last week) the Steelers defense just fell apart in the second half and (again, a lot like last week) the offense didn't do much of anything. Meanwhile, the Ravens scored on every second half drive except the last one (which ended with the clock expiring).
- It's only two games, but the Steelers have been outscored 40-6 in the second half. If this continues to be a trend, Mike Tomlin is gonna be on the hot seat real quick.
Totals
An inauspicious start to things, but perhaps fitting in a week where 18 teams are 1-1.
| This Week | This Season | % | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APR | 8 | - | 8 | 8 | - | 8 | 50% | ||
| SRS | 7 | - | 9 | 7 | - | 9 | 44% | ||
| Line | 9 | - | 7 | 9 | - | 7 | 56% | ||
