Week 1 Results/Week 2 Preview:

For the Week/Season:
Vs. W/L: (13-3)
Vs. ATS: (9-7)
Vs. Aggregate: (6-10)

ATS Vs. “The Sportsline Experts”:
Judge 10-6-0
Richard 9-7-0
PFN: 9-7-0
Prisco 8-8-0
SPiN 8-8-0
Madden 7-9-0
Harmon 5-11-0

W/L vs. “USA Today Experts”
Pete O'Brien 13-3 (.813)
Jim Corbett 13-3 (.813)
Sean Leahy 13-3 (.813)
Skip Wood 13-3 (.813)
PFN 13-3 (.813)
Nate Davis 12-4 (.750)
Gary Mihoces 12-4 (.750)
Jarrett Bell 11-5 (.688)
Tom Pedulla 10-6 (.625)

Week 2 Preview:

Last week was a walk in the park compared to the matchups presented in Week 2.

At Kansas City -3 Oakland 38.5

The best thing that could be sad about this one is both teams played fairly well last week against quality opponents, even in defeat. The Raiders had a lot of success pounding the ball against San Diego while the Chiefs hung tough with the Ravens for most of the game. Maybe Cassel will be ready to go by Sunday. The problem with the Chiefs is that their interior lines have a lot of holes. Say what you will about JaMarcus Russell, he has a much better running game with which to work and the Raiders have to be encouraged after their performance on Monday night.

Projected Final Score: Oakland 23, Kansas City 20.

At Tennessee -6.5 Houston 40.5

Houston played miserably at home last week and now face the prospect of traveling to Nashville to face a Titans’ squad that ought to be in a foul mood after having lost in Pittsburgh in overtime on opening night, Maybe the Texans aren’t as bad as they played last week. Maybe Slaton gets his act in gear and maybe Schaub has a clue. However, their defense was pushed around pretty badly last week. The Titans have three extra days to prepare, it is their home opener, they are the better coached team and don’t want to start off the year 0-2. Under these conditions, they’re at least a touchdown better.

Projected Final Score: Tennessee 24, Houston 16.

New England -3.5 At NY Jets 45.5

The Jets played a whale of a game in Mark Sanchez’ debut in Houston and eagerly await the Patriots coming into New England. All week long the Jets have been boasting that they’ll humiliate the Patriots. What do they have to lose? But for a semi-miraculous fumble recovery late, Buffalo would’ve come away with a win on Monday night. Even though the Bills played well, the Jets will present a much tougher test to New England. The Patriots defense didn’t exactly play like the Monsters of the Midway, and without Mayo, the Jets’ running came could be quite proficient. The Patriots’ running game was ineffective against the Bills and Matt Light was a turnstile. After sputtering at the start, Brady came back to have yet another great night in the air. Still, Patriots’ fans ought to view this game with trepidation, not because of the bulletin board material but because the Jets’ defense—right now—is better than New England’s.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 24, New England 23.

At Green Bay -9 Cincinnati 42

Yes, they are Bungles. Even those of us who played high school football learned the tip drill, for goodness sake. With all of the hype coming out of the Queen City about how the Bengals’ offense was supposed to be high-powered all went up in smoke. They should’ve cleaned Denver’s clock. Meanwhile, the Pack had a very good opening night against the Bears. Rodgers is on his way to becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC and his winning touchdown pass at the end of the game was something to behold. What can we expect from the Bungles this week? They still have a pretty good defense. The Pack should win, but the -9 is a touch too strong.

Projected Final Score: Green Bay 24, Cincinnati 17.

Minnesota -9.5 At Detroit 47

The Vikings had a good offensive game plan going into Cleveland last week, where AP did all of the heavy lifting and Favre’s wandering ways were kept to a minimum. Look for that trend to continue this week. As far as the Lions went last week, “they are who we thought they were.” It’s a mistake to allow a kid like Stafford to take a brutal beating week after week without adequate support on the O-Line, but he’s not getting the big bucks to hold a clipboard, either. It’s the Lions’ home debut this week and—it is a sellout, which is a tribute to the great sports fans in Detroit. This has got to count for something, doesn’t it? The Lions will be inclined to put their best foot forward.

Projected Final Score: Minnesota 31, Detroit 24

At Philadelphia PK New Orleans 46.5

This ought to be one of Week 2’a most intriguing matchups as the Eagles go into this one probably without McNabb against the high-powered Saints offense. The Eagles showed no mercy on Carolina last week, routing them 38-10 while the Saints had a fairly easy time of things with Detroit. This week, things are going to be a lot harder for the Eagles without McNabb in the lineup. Kolb may struggle to find a rhythm and Westbrook will have a target painted on his back. Unlike other years, the Saints have a pretty good defense and Brees can put big numbers up against any defense.

Projected Final Score: New Orleans 27, Philadelphia 24,

At Atlanta -6 Carolina 42.5

The Falcons pretty much picked up where they left off last year, as they dusted off the Dolphins without much trouble last week. The Panthers were a train wreck at home against the Eagles and Delhomme ended up getting benched before all was said and done. Carolina comes into this one at a decided disadvantage as they’re still licking their wounds from last week and have to face a divisional opponent on the road that’s riding high.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 27, Carolina 20

At Washington -9.5 St. Louis 36.5

The Rams may just be the worst team in the NFL, coming off of last week’s rout in Seattle. Were there any positives that they could take out of that game? The ‘Skins had a so-so day losing to the Giants by six, and have to be salivating at the thought of St, Louis coming to FedEx Field. Hopefully Haynesworth will be in a little bit better condition than last week when he spent a good portion of the second half gassed on the sideline. Double-digit spreads are usually radioactive, but Washington should have sufficient motivation to put such an ass-whuppin’ on a doormat as they need to execute well to build confidence moving forward against tougher opponents.

Projected Final Score: Washington 24, St. Louis 13.

At Jacksonville -3 Arizona 42.5

This one’s hard to figure. On one hand, there’s the NFC Champs, who play like Chumps East of the Mississippi. On the other, there are the Smashmouth Kings of the South, who fought tooth and nail with Indy last week only to lose 14-12. For the Jags to win, they need to keep pounding the ball with Jones-Drew since Garrard isn’t the sort of quarterback who will rack up a lot of yards through the air. Kurt Warner just didn’t look right last week, hobbling around with a bad hip, so he may have to rely on his ground game more than usual. The only thing that tips things in Jacksonville’s favor is Arizona’s horrific record every time they travel to the East Coast.

Projected Final Score: Jacksonville 23, Arizona 17.

At San Francisco -1.5 Seattle 39.5

The 49’ers took a big step forward last week with their road victory against the Cards while the Seahawks flattened the Rams by four touchdowns. So which team is bringing the goods this week? Seattle showed that they’re on the road to recovery after last week but every week is a big week for Coach Singletary’s team. The ‘Niners will pound the ball on offense and hit like a ton of bricks on defense.

Projected Final Score: San Francisco 23, Seattle 20

At Buffalo -5 Tampa Bay 42

The boys from Western New York ought to be in a foul mood come kickoff time, and the Bucs are going to be the ones feeling the heat. The Bills will play with purpose on Sunday trying to rebound after having stolen defeat from the jaws of victory. Tampa Bay’s secondary was absolutely torched last week by Tony Romo and Edwards is probably looking to go the same route. He possesses enough weapons to move the chains all afternoon. The Bills played well enough to win on Monday night but suffered a couple of injuries to starters on defense. On the other hand, Bucs’ fans got a taste of what is going to be a long year. Seriously, does anyone have any confidence in Leftwich to get the job done? If the Bills put up 24 points against New England they can certainly repeat the feat at home against a lesser opponent.

Projected Final Score: Buffalo 24, Tampa Bay 17.

At Denver -3 Cleveland 38.5

This is another uncomfortable game to figure, The Broncos were the beneficiaries of a freak play in Cincy, but their defense played well enough to win the game anyhow. The Browns were competitive for about a half against the Vikes before getting trampled in the second half. The Broncos have that “Mile High” advantage in their favor and more often than not opponents are suckin’ wind in the fourth quarter.

Projected Final Score: Denver 21, Cleveland 17.

At San Diego -3 Ravens 40

It was disconcerting to see the Raiders’ running game have a big day against the Chargers defense and while San Diego won, they really underperformed in the effort. Tomlinson is definitely out and that will alter the Chargers’ game plan. The Ravens had pretty easy pickin’s with the Chiefs and make the trek west to face a stiffer test. San Diego usually starts off the year slowly, and this week may be ripe for the plucking,

Projected Final Score: Ravens 23, San Diego 21.

Pittsburgh -3 At Chicago 37.5

Last week, Cutler threw four picks, Urlacher went down for the season and the Bears lost a divisional game on the road late in the game. So you’d have to figure that the football gods should smile on them this week. Think again; the Steelers arrive in Chicago minus Polamalu but otherwise rested and in good form. The Bus called out his former team’s O-Line in his SI blog, which raised a few eye brows. So, these guys need to get their act in gear. The Bears need a balanced attack to succeed, but Forte will have a rough time getting yards against the Steelers front seven. There may be some teams who are intimidated by going to Chicago and reckon with the ghosts of yesteryear but the Steelers aren’t one of them.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 24, Chicago 17.

At Dallas -3 NY Giants 44.5

Jerry Jones opens his billion-dollar pigskin paradise in high style as the G-Men come to Big D for the Sunday night extravaganza. Last week, Romo had a big day against a weak team; this week he’ll be lining up against a different crew, one intent on wreaking some havoc. The Giants had a solid outing in Week 1, but the Cowboys are a better team than Washington. The emotion of the moment propels the Cowboys to a close win.

Projected Final Score: Dallas 27, NY Giants 23.