Week 2 -- NFL Picks

OK so here we go with my first round of picks for the 2010 NFL regular season. Not sure if I'll stick with the 5 games per week thing that I did last year or if I will change it up, but right now I'm going to post what I see as the best plays against the spread for Week 2, as always in no particular order.

1. Teneessee Titans -6 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. With Big Ben playing in this game, nearly a touchdown is far too much even in Tennessee given the Steelers' stingy defense. But something tells me that this game with Dennis Dixon in there at qb instead of Ben Roth, this is the Titans' chance to run all over the Steelers while having an easier than normal time keeping Pittsburgh out of the end zone themselves. I don't think this is a blowout, but I think Tennessee wins by more than a touchdown in this one.

2. New England Patriots -3 at the New York Jets. I must be crazy starting off the picking against the Jets this early in the season again, but Mark Sanchez has just looked so awful so far in the preseason and in Week 1 that I just can't find the images in my head for what the Jets keeping this game close would even look like. The Jets' D should keep the Pats relatively in check unlike their game last week against the hapless Bungles (yes, we are back to Bungles again for their name until they give me a reason to call them otherwise), but the Pats' D looked very strong through most of the game in Week 1 and I expect to give Sanchise fits, especially with the reliable Thomas Jones now suited up for KC in the backfield instead of in New Jersey York. I like the Pats by more than a field goal in NY this weekend.

3. Washington Redskins +3 vs. the Houston Texans. I like the Texans team this year, and I would not be totally shocked if they even beat the Redskins this weekend, who I do not think are all that great this year. That said, though, the Texans are coming off of a huge emotional over-the-hump win against the Colts so we could be looking at a bit of a letdown this week. What's more, now at 1-0 already, nobody ever said the Texans were going to waltz into the house of a tough opponent in a strong division and win a big early-season game on the road. At a pickem I would probably avoid this game, but with the road team getting a field goal in this case, I'm taking the underdog and the points to go along with it.

4. New Orleans Saints -6 at San Francisco 49ers. I have been on the Mike Singletary bandwagon for over a year now, but as I mentioned earlier in the week I am just not feeling it for this 49ers team with Alex Smith at the helm. He is horribly inefficient, throws a ton of incompletions and a fair number of interceptions to boot, and the running game is not consistent either when Smith is leading the offense. What's more, this team just allowed a Seahawk offense chock full of no-names to rattle off 31 unanswered on them last week in a big game to start the season. The Saints' power offense should crush, even on the road, in the nice weather of San Francisco, and I expect them to win by a touchdown or more on the day.

5. Green Bay Packers -14 vs. Buffalo Bills. I'm going out on a limb and taking another of these huge early-season favorites in what should be a blowout even worse than the line would indicate. The Packers have a powerful offense which they showed to be in decent form already in Week 1's first-half drubbing of the Eagles, and the loss of Ryan Grant this week for the season should not affect the team nearly as much as fantasy football players from a few seasons ago might think. The Bills, meanwhile, have a horrible passing game, a non-existent running game, and a mediocre defense at best, and Green Bay can really pour it on at home. I'm looking for a win by at least 17 points by Aaron Rodgers and the Pack on Sunday.

S there you have it. Will we be starting off 2010 like I did in 2009 with by rolling off a bunch of easy victories? Or will I resume this year where I left off at the end of last season, needing to go with the opposite of my every instinct in order to get anything right? Ask me again on Monday and I'll let you know which one it is.