Time To Work the Kinks Out: Week Two NFL Predictions

It’s Week Two in the NFL, which means that teams now have had time to work out all of their problems. Who will finish the week confident in their teams? Who will be in full panic mode in Week Three? McMullen’s Musings pulls out the crystal ball once again to predict the second week in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers (0-1) vs. Atlanta Falcons (1-0)

The Panthers are now in full panic mode, as quarterback Jake Delhomme has not been at his best and might possibly be on his way out. Suddenly, the Panthers that everybody predicted would be a very good team this year is on their way to a 0-2 start to their season.

The Falcons looked very good against Miami, especially their defense. John Abraham looked especially dominating, racking up two sacks. If they look as good against the Panthers as they did against the Dolphins, they should have no problem putting Carolina in panic mode.

Prediction: Falcons 23, Panthers 3.

New Orleans Saints (1-0) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

The key to this game is whether or not Donovan McNabb (ribs) will play. If he doesn’t, Jeff Garcia will start, but at 39, he is extremely worrisome. After those two is Kevin Kolb, who still hasn’t really proved himself yet.

With all this turmoil at quarterback, the Saints defense could be very dominant this week, especially with two of their biggest defensive threats almost assured of not receiving a suspension. Also, if Drew Brees has another career day like he did last week, expect a big win for the Saints.

Prediction: Saints 27, Eagles 0.

New England Patriots (1-0) vs. New York Jets (1-0)

The Patriots had a tough time with the Bills last week, needing a fourth-quarter comeback to put the game away. Could this mean there are some cracks in the once-impenetrable armor? If there are, Jets coach Rex Ryan is just the man to exploit those cracks.

The Jets’ offense didn’t look exactly great against the Texans, but rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez should be able to shake off those first-game jitters and navigate the Jets to a very big victory in the AFC East.

Prediction: Jets 30, Patriots 24 in overtime.

Oakland Raiders (0-1) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

The big question for the Chiefs is if they will get Matt Cassel (knee) back for this big AFC West game. If he can’t, Brodie Croyle is the next option, and he could prove to be a threat against a pretty good Raiders defense. If not, Larry Johnson might carry the load, and that doesn’t bode well if the Chiefs want to win this game.

Richard Seymour finally made it to Oakland, and he should be able to boost the defense to another level. He could be the difference maker in this game, and propel the Raiders to a victory.

Prediction: Raiders 20, Chiefs 14 in overtime.

Arizona Cardinals (0-1) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

The Jaguars lost a really big part of their defense last week, as defensive end Reggie Hayward was lost for the season (broken leg). The Cardinals were bitten by the injury bug as well, with two of their wide receivers hit with injuries.

The X-factor for both these teams will be how they bounce back from these injuries. In that case, the Cardinals have the edge, simply because they have more depth. They still have a good receiver in Larry Fitzgerald and a solid running game in Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells, so the Cardinals should be able to win this one easily.

Prediction: Cardinals 30, Jaguars 20.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) vs. Green Bay Packers (1-0)

The Bengals were victims of hard luck last week, after a deflected pass against the Broncos resulted in the game-winning touchdown. The Packers had an easy time with the Bears last week, and this week proves to be no different.

Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco said that he will perform a Lambeau Leap this Sunday. With the way the Packers defense is running, I expect that he’ll be eating those words. I expect that this will be a close game, but it’ll be the Packers defense that makes the difference against a struggling Bengals offense.

Prediction: Packers 17, Bengals 13.

St. Louis Rams (0-1) vs. Washington Redskins (0-1)

This looks to be a pretty even game. The Redskins are all virtually healthy, and so are the Rams, with the exception of Marc Bulger (finger), but he could still start.

The big X factor in this game will be how both these teams bounce back from divisional losses in their opener. Whoever bounces back quickest will win this game, and I believe it will be the Redskins. The Rams simply do not have the depth to hang with the Redskins for four quarters.

Prediction: Redskins 20, Rams 3.

Minnesota Vikings (1-0) vs. Detroit Lions (0-1)

After a career day last week against the Browns, running back Adrian Peterson might have another one against the hapless Lions. Even if the Lions key on Peterson, quarterback Brett Favre still has viable options in Bernard Berrian, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Sidney Rice.

With all those things for the defense to deal with, and a monster in Jared Allen for the offense to deal with, this could be a long day for the Lions. Detroit fans will have to wait at least one more week for the Lions’ first win.

Prediction: Vikings 28, Lions 7.