NFL Picks Week 2: Which Week 1 Winners Are Ripe For Letdown?
The NFL's first week is always full of big surprises, high hopes, and sloppy finishes.
"Bad" teams like Tampa Bay and Kansas City find themselves at 1-0, on par with contenders like New Orleans and New England. Meanwhile, cellar-dwellers like Cleveland and Oakland are keeping company with top-feeders like Indianapolis and Minnesota at 0-1.
And, as always, much of that is likely to change in the coming weeks, starting with Week 2.
Here are five teams destined to fall from the ranks of the undefeated in the early going.
Houston Texans
1 of 5
Everyone was buzzing about the Houston Texans after Week 1, and for good reason.
Arian Foster came out of nowhere and had the game of life, piling up 231 yards and three touchdowns. Thanks in large part to Foster's historic efforts, the Texans emerged victorious from a match-up with the division-rival Colts for only the second time in 17 tries and the first time since 2006.
This result, more than any other from Week 1, set the football world abuzz, with long-suffering Houstonians rejoicing and pundits around the country projecting a big season for the Texans.
That being the case, expect a massive sigh of disappointment to emanate from southeast Texas on Sunday afternoon, right around the time the Texans get rounded up by the Redskins.
Not that Washington did much to boost its outlook after beating the Dallas Cowboys 13-7 and failing to score an offensive touchdown in the process.
But where last week the 'Skins struggled to move the ball against the 'Boys staunch defense, this week they'll find a more porous opponent, one that surrender 463 yards in Week 1.
As such, Washington should find success in the second leg of its season-opening Texas two-step, especially with the game being played at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
In other words: Houston, you have a problem.
Miami Dolphins
2 of 5
The Miami Dolphins struggled in Week 1 against a Buffalo Bills team expected to place somewhere between shrimp and plankton on the food chain, but still managed to escape New York with a 15-10 victory.
Such will not be the case in Week 2.
Miami's reward for an underwhelming result? Another road game, this time in Minneapolis.
The Dolphins have the unenviable task of taking on a Vikings squad that lost a tough opener to the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and will be on the rebound on Sunday.
If Miami is to have any shot at winning this one, it'll fall to the tailback tandem of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to carry the load on offense while Karlos Dansby and Co. do their best to contain Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre.
Otherwise, Tony Sparano and his Dolphins will likely find themselves minced and canned like Chicken of the Sea on Sunday.
Arizona Cardinals
3 of 5
After an offseason marred by the departure of Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle and a preseason punctuated by the departure of Matt Leinart, the Arizona Cardinals weren't expected to do much in 2010, even in the moribund NFC West.
Even so, coach Ken Whisenhunt's crew still managed to lower the bar by bumbling, stumbling, and fumbling its way to a 17-13 debacle-of-a-"W" in St. Louis.
Emphasis on fumbling, the Cards struggling with ball security to the tune of SEVEN fumbles, four of which ended up with the Rams.
It'll take a lot more than just some Derek Anderson voodoo for Arizona to triumph against the Falcons in Atlanta this weekend. Granted, Matty Ice and the Dirty Birds didn't look so hot in their 15-9 opening week loss at Pittsburgh.
Nevertheless, the Falcons will have a much easier go of things against Arizona's suspect D, especially with an offense fully capable of capitalizing on the Cards' miscues.
As such, Sunday could be a bloody one for Arizona in a Battle of the Birds.
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Pittsburgh Steelers
4 of 5
Speaking of the Steelers, the people of Pittsburgh may very well find themselves dampening their Terrible Towels with tears after a date with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
As effective as the Steel Curtain was against Matt Ryan and Michael Turner in Week 1, it'll take an even greater effort to slow down the dynamic backfield duo of Vince Young and Chris Johnson in Nashville.
A titanic effort, perhaps?
With that said, this tilt may come down to the Steelers' quarterback situation. Dennis Dixon was steady enough against Atlanta to help Pittsburgh come away with a win. Such success will be tough to replicate against the Titans' formidable defense.
Chances are, the folks back in western Pennsylvania will be ever more anxiously awaiting the return of Ben Roethlisberger from suspension once the Steelers head home with a 1-1 record on the season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
5 of 5
Jack Del Rio had to be happy for his guys after they beat the Denver Broncos, 24-17. After all, Jacksonville hasn't always fared so well in the west.
Consider the Jaguars' losses last season to the Seattle Seahawks (41-0) and the San Francisco 49ers (20-3). Neither of those teams made the playoffs, but that didn't seem to matter to the Jags.
And while Denver isn't, strictly speaking, "West Coast", San Diego certainly is.
That's exactly where Jacksonville finds itself in Week 2, matching up with the Chargers, a team still reeling from departures of Chris Chambers, Antonio Cromartie, and LaDainian Tomlinson, not to mention the hold-out absences of Marcus McNeill and Vincent Jackson.
Oh, and don't forget about an embarrassing opening-week defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Philip Rivers and Friends should bounce back at home against the Jaguars, even if the fans in San Diegowon't get to watch the game (the local broadcast is being blacked out).
Maurice Jones-Drew and the rest of his teammates have a good shot to win, but it'll take more than a little "MoJo" for Jacksonville to push its record to 2-0.
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