Week 2 wasn’t a grandiose experience, in fact it just wasn’t a happy place at all. I didn’t bomb out like some cappers did, but I did take a hit with a losing record at 4-5-1. I blame the Eagles, but the better man would blame himself. Ha. Bad play calling, and they didn’t take any chances. Brutal. How about them Browns? Taking down the Bengals. Very interesting. Week 3 will almost certainly feature an upset or two. Pay attention and you might just get paid on Sunday.

Arizona Cardinals (+9) @ Baltimore Ravens:

I think that the coaching staff in Arizona is solid enough to cover a 9 point spread against anyone. When you’re talking about the opponent being a Ravens team that has looked defense driven and offensively paralyzed, I can only go one way in a game like this. With Boldin and Fitzgerald, even a 3 touchdown lead isn’t safe, but I don’t think the Ravens will ever get that far out in front. The Cardinals rush defense is much better than the average man has been led to believe, and their secondary isn’t bad either. Matt Leinart isn’t ready to be a star yet, but Edgerrin James will get his 4 to 5 yards per carry to keep the Cardinals in it enough to cover early in the season.

Buffalo Bills (+17) @ New England Patriots:

I’ve thought long and hard about this one, a testament to how good the Patriots really are. But I’ve come to the conclusion that Vegas was sick of the Patriots covering every spread they threw at them, so they decided to throw this wrench in on gamblers. I’m not buying any spread being 17, this isn’t college football, and while the Bills really struggled last week, and I believe the Patriots will have their way with Buffalo, I think 17 is just too much. We’ll see, the Patriots sure are good, but the Bills are an NFL football team, one that has underperformed on offense this far. They’ll be better against this great defense and cover.

Detroit Lions @ Philadelphia Eagles (-6):

I guess I’m still expecting the real Eagles to come out and throw the ball around and dominate a football game. The Lions and their playoff guarantee are coming to town, so I think this is the perfect time for McNabb to snap out of his funk. There is no secondary in football that has more wide open spaces in it than the one from Detroit. Look for McNabb to bust the 300 yard mark in this one as the Eagles finally get a win.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos (-3.5):

I don’t see the Jaguars sticking with the Broncos for long in this one. Dever surprises me from time to time, but I just think this is a very bad match-up for the Jaguars. Jay Cutler will keep the Jaguars young safety group honest with his big arm, and Travis Henry will go for 150 yards against the Jags defensive front. Denver runs too well for the Jaguars. The only think that makes me think the Jags have a chance is their two headed running back monster. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones Drew are two guys that have been poor early in the year, but both are too talented to stay down, and Denver’s front line isn’t the run stopping unit they want to be. Look for Jacksonville to put up and early fight, but fail to take the next step because of their feeble passing attack.

Miami Dolphins @ N.Y. Jets (-3.5):

The Jets are the better team of the two. Trent Green isn’t a good quarterback anymore, and the Dolphins running attack isn’t even close to what Cam Cameron was hoping to install early in his head coaching career. On the other hand, the 0-2 Jets finally get to go against a defense not known as one of the best in the league. No more Baltimore, no more New England. Finally, the Jets will be able to rely heavily on Thomas Jones – and TJ will run with every chance he gets. I expect a big week out of the Jet back.

San Francisco 49ers (+10) @ Pittsburgh Steelers:

The 49ers have enough talent to play with any team in the league. They haven’t been too productive offensively, but Alex Smith will start to play better, maybe even against a tough defense in Pittsburgh. The Niners are by far the best team the Steelers have faced thus far, which always makes for a tough match-up. I think Pittsburgh will win this game in the end, but a field goal difference is much more likely than a 9 point spread.

St. Louis Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5):

I’m not sure that the Rams offense can be productive without solid offensive lineman. Steven Jackson isn’t the type of runner who can create on his own by using quickness or ankle breaking cuts, he needs horses up front to give him a little time to get going. Tampa Bay has played well defensively, and they seem to be improving on offense. Joey Galloway is still a gamebreaker at receiver, and without Tye Hill (out for the season) the Ram secondary is just that much worse. I expect a close game, here. But the Bucs will pull ahead by a 7-10 points in the end.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Seattle Seahawks (-3):

There’s a reason why the Bengals lost to the Browns, remember that. Cincinnati got 6 turnovers from the Ravens and still almost lost that game in the end. If you can’t stop the Browns, I don’t know who you can stop. The Seahawks gave their game away last week, and they are tough at home, so overall you can expect a good game out of them. Plus, Seattle has a very solid defense and an admirable offense. With Cinci showing they can’t stop their own scout team, I imagine there will be some points put up in this game.

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints (-4):

I like the Saints to come back from down in the dumps on Monday Night Football. New Orleans has played very poorly this season, losing all momentum from a year ago. So now its up to them to get things going again, and from the looks of it, that’s when the Saints are at there best. Vince Young is great, (and a spread killer by the way – so watch out for this one) but I don’t think he’s a good enough passer to fully take advantage of the Saints problematic secondary, and I think New Orleans is good enough up front to limit the Titans rushing attack. I like this game to be over in the 3rd quarter, with New Orleans putting up 30+ on Tennessee.