After a trying start to the NFL season, 0-4 in my first four, I made a 9-2-1 run to finish my opening week in a 9-6-1 fashion. Take a glance at my nfl week 1 Review to see where I tumbled and how I stormed back to take the title. I underlined my winners and italicized my losers.
Miami (+4) at Pittsburgh: Nothing like Charlie Batch picking up the slack and slapping me in the face with my first loss in as many chances. After this opener, I was very worried about my weekend to come!
Atlanta at Carolina (-4.5): As it seems, the Panthers don’t know how to play without Steve Smith on the field. It also seems that the Atlanta Falcons have a better defense that I originally thought, but will their offense score enough to get them into the playoffs? That is yet to be determined.
New Orleans at Cleveland (-2.5): The Saints put 11 people in the box and dared Cleveland to try and run on them. The Browns did try, but as the Saints expected, Browns’ running back, Reuben Droughns didn’t succeed. A close game in the end, the Saints pulled it off, bringing me to 0-3.
Seattle (-3.5) at Detroit: This game broke my balls. Seattle looked like they were playing to prove the sports-books correct. Damn them all to hell. I don’t expect the Hawks to play this poorly again all year long. As for the Lions, I think they’ll push the Bears and Vikings in the NFC North. My 4th loss in a row sent a sharp pain into my coccyx!
Philadelphia (-3.5) at Houston: “I think the Eagles will compete for the NFC crown,” sounded better and better as the NFL week moved forward. The Boys lost to the Jaguars, the Redskins were had by the Vikings, and the Giants lost at home to Indy. On the other hand, Philly has 1 victory and already has a game on their division. McNabb looked accurate and confident. Watch out for the Eagles. My first win!
Cincinnati (+4.5) at Kansas City: The Bengals proved me right as they showed to be better at every turn. I’m worried about the Chiefs, especially with their leader, Trent Green, on the mend. The Bengals looked great, and they should compete for the AFC’s bid in the Super Bowl.
Buffalo (+9.5) at New England: “Tom Brady and crew should pull this game out, but don’t expect a final spread of more than a touchdown – an upset here wouldn’t surprise me.” The Bills looked like they were going to pull it out, until their defensive leader, Takeo Spikes, went down. I won any way, but after every handicapper and their mother took the Pats, it would have been sweet to see the Buff run the full upset. My 3rd win felt good!
Denver (-3) at St. Louis: “I really wanted to take the Rams in this one, but the numbers say Denver gets the nod.” – Damn numbers! Following numbers is ridiculous. Instinct Lucky! Instinct. Ignore inner dialogue. Turnovers, a coach that resembles Splinter, and a smash mouth running game from the Rams killed the Broncos. Down to 3-5.
Baltimore (+3.5) at Tampa Bay: This game really surprised me. Not because of how good the Ravens looked, I kind of expected Baltimore to be a playoff contender this season, but because of how bad the Bucs played. Chris Simms was bad, and their running game stunk it up. Win #4 was easy breezy lemon squeezy!
Jets (+3) at Tennessee: Tennessee is going to struggle week in and week out, but the Jets could do better than I first predicted. Chad Pennington looks to have his accuracy back, and Laveraneus Coles will take advantage. If the Jets can get more production from their RB spot, they could finish with 6-8 wins. The Jets pulled me to .500 on the week.
San Francisco at Arizona (-7) PUSH: The freakin’ 49ers decided to go for a field goal with 38 seconds left, and that pushed me over the cliff. A tie here was tough, but what can you do?
Chicago (-3) at Green Bay: “It’s insane to think the Packers even stand a chance in this game.” Apparently, they didn’t. Dominated in every aspect of a game, the Packers looked like the worst team in football, until the Raiders played Monday Night of course.
Dallas at Jacksonville (-2): The Jags took down the Mighty Cowboys, and suddenly the “Hot Pick” to take the NFC has a “Quarterback Controversy.” How sweet it is to hate the Cowboys! Those tough Jags took me to 7-5-1.
Indianapolis (-3) at N.Y. Giants: This game was much closer than I thought it’d be. Peyton played alright, just good enough to cover the spread and send his younger brother to 0-1 on the season. Both of these teams should make a playoff run. My 8th win came from Week 1’s best game.
Minnesota at Washington (-4): I don’t know which evil devil on my shoulder I was listening to on this one. I know I don’t think the Skins are as good as everyone pretends, and the Vikings will push the Bears in the North. Those two things should have sent me the Vikings direction, but as it is, I was 8-6-1 going into the week’s final contest.
San Diego (-2.5) at Oakland: “Closing week 1 with a burst, SD should roll the Raiders.” Weird, would you say the Chargers rolled or the Raiders turned into shit and then hit the fan? Either option works for me, as I turned a tough start around to finish 9-6-1 in Week 1. I like my chances for improving this ship next week!