2. Green Bay Packers, 2-0 (4) – Losing Ryan Grant is going to hurt, but not against the Buffalo Bills. The defense of the Packers looks like a strong unit, even without Al Harris. Aaron Rodgers has been efficient.
3. Baltimore Ravens, 1-1 (2) – The Ravens offense looked unimpressive, but maybe Cincy’s defense is better than they showed against the Patriots. Joe Flacco can’t have 4 turnovers. Ray Rice ran the ball well, though. And the Ravens’ defense still hasn’t given up a touchdown.
4. New England Patriots, 1-1 (3) – The Pats were brought back down to Earth by the Jets. Tom Brady was ok, but New England had no ground game. Being -3 in turnovers didn’t help either. The young Patriots’ secondary had a hard time with the Jets’ mediocre passing game.
5. Indianapolis Colts, 1-1 (5) – The Manning Bowl went to Peyton and the Colts in decided fashion. Indy put their week 1 misstep behind them and dominated the game. Credit the Colts’ rush defense for playing with intensity and urgency. The Colts are always in the mix.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-0 (13) – How good are the Steelers? How good will they be once they have a real quarterback? Charlie Batch will likely get the start this Sunday, but with the way the Steeler D is playing, it doesn’t seem to matter. Against Tennessee they gathered 7 turnovers, held the Titans to only 238 yards, and Chris Johnson had 34 yards on 16 carries. Total domination by the Steeler D.
7. Cincinnati Bengals, 1-1 (7) – The Bengals bounced back in a big way, beating the mighty Ravens, 15-10. Cedric Benson got them some tough yards, and Carson Palmer distributed the ball well against a stingy defense. The game ball has to go to the Cincy defense. They had 4 interceptions, held the Ravens to 259 yards, and basically won the game.
8. Houston Texans, 2-0 (9) – The Texans followed up their big win over Indy with another victory. They trailed the Redskins for most of the game, but Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson paid dividends. Schaub ended up with 497 yards passing. The Texans defense got abused, but the offense was good enough to win the game. That might be a reoccurring theme for this team.
9. New York Jets, 1-1 (11) – The Jets silenced their critics with a sound beating of the New England Patriots. They scored the last 18 points of the game to win, 28-14. Being +3 in turnovers certainly helped. Mark Sanchez played much better, going 21-30 for 220 yards, 3 tds, and 0 ints. LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene both ran well.
10. San Diego Chargers, 1-1 (12) – San Diego bounced back from the KC loss in major fashion. The Chargers did what they wanted against Jacksonville. They were balanced on offense and had 6 takeaways, which helped to offset 3 turnovers of their own. Philip Rivers is an elite NFL quarterback.
11. Miami Dolphins, 2-0 (14) – The Dolphins scored an impressive road victory at Minnesota. Chad Henne doesn’t make many mistakes, but he won’t win many games on his own, either. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown each lost a fumble, but the Dolphins’ defense had 4 takeaways – 1 for a touchdown. Don’t forget about Miami in the AFC East.
12. Tennessee Titans, 1-1 (8) – Jeff Fisher pulled Vince Young after his 3rd turnover. Young wasn’t to blame for the other 4 turnovers or the Titans having 11 penalties for 72 yards. 7 turnovers and 11 penalties – awful. Tennessee’s defense played well. Granted, Dennis Dixon left the game early. But the Titans held Pittsburgh to only 127 total yards. They played well enough to win; the offense clearly lost the game.
13. Minnesota Vikings, 0-2 (6) – Problems are building in Minnesota. Their receiving corps is the thinnest in the League, and they won’t get Sidney Rice back until midseason. Is a trade for Vincent Jackson imminent? Vikings fans hope so. But all is not lost. The defense has played well and Adrian Peterson is set to have a strong season.
14. Atlanta Falcons, 1-1 (17) – The Falcons looked like a much better team when they weren’t playing the Steelers. Against Arizona, Atlanta was the epitome of balance on offense; they ran for 221 yards and threw for 223 yards. On defense, they held the Cardinals to 267 total yards. Arizona was 0-8 on 3rd down.
15. New York Giants, 1-1 (15) – The Manning Bowl ended up being a blowout. The Giants were down 24-0 at halftime, and ended up losing the game 38-14. The Giants’ rush defense got gashed by Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. And Peyton Manning was the better of the two brothers. Brandon Jacobs wants out of town, which would be a big loss for the G-men.
16. Chicago Bears, 2-0 (24) – Chicago won as big underdogs at Dallas. Jay Cutler seems to have settled into the Bears’ offensive scheme. No turnovers. The Bears backs were ineffective against the Cowboys, but Matt Forte is unbelievably fast and Chester Taylor is a great back-up. The defense bent but didn’t break. 3 takeaways were big.
17. Philadelphia Eagles, 1-1 (21) – Philadelphia has a quarterback controversy. Michael Vick has played terrific in relief of Kevin Kolb, but Andy Reid says Kolb is still the starter. But if Kolb plays as ineffectively as he did against Green Bay and in the preseason, Reid is going to have to reassess his decision. The Eagles beat the Lions on the road, but the defense gave up 32 points to Shaun Hill and company.
18. San Francisco 49ers, 0-2 (16) – San Fran bounced back with a much better effort against New Orleans. They had the champs on the ropes, but Drew Brees was able to move the ball down the field to set up the game winning field goal. The defense played with urgency and the offense is starting to look much better. Frank Gore ran hard and Alex Smith has some surprising wheels. The Niners can’t expect to win when they turn the ball over 4 times.
19. Washington Redskins, 1-1 (18) – The ‘Skins lost a heartbreaker to the Texans. They led for most of the game, but not at the end of the game. Donovan McNabb was tremendous, but he got upstaged by Matt Schaub. The Redskins’ secondary couldn’t make a play when they needed to, and it cost them. Other than the play of the secondary, one reason for concern – the Redskins rushed 17 times for 18 yards. That needs to improve.
20. Denver Broncos, 1-1 (20) – Denver dominated the Seahawks. Kyle Orton was fabulous, going 25-35 for 307 yards, 2 tds, and 0 ints. The defense had 4 takeaways. The only problem was the running game, which never got on track. Only 65 yards on 38 yards – 1.7 yards per carry.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-1 (19) – Traveling all the way to San Diego ended up being too much for the Jags. They were sloppy, turning the ball over 6 times. David Garrard imploded, throwing 4 interceptions. Maurice Jones-Drew was held in check. The defense was abused by the Chargers. All in all, this is a game to forget for the Jags.
22. Dallas Cowboys, 0-2 (10) – What’s the over/under on weeks left for Wade Phillips? Jason Garrett? The Cowboys need to establish a ground game in order to be successful. They have weapons in the passing game, though. The defense has been ok, but Jay Cutler had a lot success throwing the ball. The ‘Boys were -3 in turnovers and had 4 more penalties than the Bears.
23. Kansas City Chiefs, 2-0 (23) – Things are looking up in Kansas City. The Chiefs are playing good football. They won again, this time at Cleveland. The Browns were without Jake Delhomme, but the Chiefs ground game was potent. Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones are two quality backs, and Dexter McCluster is the ultimate x-factor.
24. Seattle Seahawks, 1-1 (22) – The Seahawks got a butt-whooping in Denver. Matt Hasselbeck threw 3 picks, and he needs to lead this team. Seattle ran the ball pretty well, but after getting behind so far they were never able to capitalize on Denver’s porous rush D.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2-0 (27) – Who would’ve guessed the Bucs would be off to a 2-0 start? Like Kansas City, Tampa Bay is showing signs of life. Josh Freeman is developing into an effective NFL quarterback. Having Kellen Winslow and Mike Williams certainly helps. If Cadillac Williams gets on track, look out for the Bucs.
26. Arizona Cardinals, 1-1 (26) – Arizona might struggle this year, but they shouldn’t be that bad. Even without Warner and Bouldin, there are still good players on this team. Derek Anderson isn’t that bad, Larry Fitzgerald is great, Steve Breaston is a nice compliment to Fitzgerald, Tim Hightower, and once Beanie Wells gets healthy their offense should be fine. Their defense, however, is another story. Atlanta owned them.
27. Oakland Raiders, 1-1 (29) – Oakland got its first win at home against St. Louis. The Raiders’ quarterback situation is unsettled; Bruce Gradkowski played well in relief of Jason Campbell. Darren McFadden had a terrific game, rushing 30 times for 145 yards. The defense only yielded 210 total yards. But the Silver and Black need to clean it up. They committed 12 penalties for 90 yards.
28. Detroit Lions, 0-2 (28) – The Lions lost another close game, but they somehow managed to cover the spread. They were down 18 with 6 minutes to go, and then 2 late touchdowns covered the 6 ½ point spread. Jahvid Best had an amazing game for a rookie, totaling 232 yards and 3 tds. The Detroit defense is going to struggle all year.
29. Carolina Panthers, 0-2 (25) – The Matt Moore experiment appears to be over in Carolina. Jimmy Clausen has been designated the starter, and hopefully that will help an underachieving offense. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart will be more effective if the passing game can pick it up. The defense should be ok, especially against the run.
30. Cleveland Browns, 0-2 (30) – Seneca Wallace was serviceable against the Chiefs, but his pick 6 really cost the Browns. Jerome Harrison will be more effective once Delhomme gets healthy. The defense is a work in progress. Eric Mangini and Mike Holmgren have their work cut out for them.
31. Buffalo Bills, 0-2 (31) – It’s hard to say who’s worse – the Bills or Rams. Until the Rams win a game, Buffalo gets the nod for being #31. Trent Edwards is out and Ryan Fitzpatrick is in. Marshawn Lynch is a quality back, and C.J. Spiller is reason for optimism. The defense isn’t that bad. But as a team, Buffalo is not good.
32. St. Louis Rams, 0-2 (32) – Last and least – the Rams. St. Louis only ran 49 plays in Oakland, while the Raiders had 79. Sam Bradford was good for a rookie quarterback on a bad team. Stephen Jackson still needs to get more touches. I’m not sure anyone else should. The defense gave up 173 rushing yards and as a team the Rams had 8 penalties for 92 yards. The Rams are a long ways from being a good football team.
Maddux Sports offers a live NFL odds page where you can compare lines and totals from multiple sportsbooks as well as we offer our handicapping services which provides winning NFL picks on a weekly basis. Currently on a 4-1 run in the NFL expect another winning week 3 for clients.
