NFL Week Two Predictions: Which Backup QBs Will Lead Teams to Victory?

Thanks to a sweep of the Monday nighters, I managed to pull out a 9-7 mark in Week One.  It's not what I expected or hoped for, but I guess it's not so bad, considering it was the first week of the season. 

Week Two presents many interesting story lines because of a number of surprise wins, high-profile injuries, and the eight divisional games on the slate.

How will teams respond after they lost their starting quarterbacks for significant time?  Matt Cassel, Kerry Collins, and Brian Griese all will be starting for teams with playoff potential.

Here are my Week Two predictions (winner in BOLD)

Tennessee Titans (1-0) @ Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

I whiffed on both of these teams last week. I figured that Cincy could win on talent on the road in Baltimore, and that Jacksonville would stick it to the Titans. I'm going with Tennessee because I think Kerry Collins will bring some stability to the offense. VY had two interceptions and fumbled the ball once against the Jaguars. He averaged only five yards per pass attempt. 

Green Bay Packers (1-0) @ Detroit Lions (0-1)

Aaron Rodgers should be confident after winning his first start and getting his first Lambeau leap. Now that he faces the Lions on Sunday, his confidence should be through the roof. Detroit made the Falcons look like a playoff team in Week One. Their defense is horrible.

Oakland Raiders (0-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

In this AFC West matchup of perhaps the two worst teams in the conference, someone's got to win. The Raiders' expensive defense looked horrible against Denver. The Chiefs failed to take advantage of Brady's injury and steal a victory against the Patriots. I give the Chiefs the nod because of the home field.

New York Giants (1-0) @ St. Louis Rams (0-1)

Speaking of horrible defense, St. Louis...

The Rams got shredded by the Eagles. The Eagles rolled St. Louis for over 500 yards while holding them to 166. The Giants opened the season with a solid victory over a divisional foe.

Indianapolis Colts (0-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (0-1)

This is one of the toughest games for me to pick. Both of these teams are expected by many to make deep runs in the playoffs. Now, one of these teams will start 0-2. I expected Manning to look a little sluggish in his first action in eight months, but I didn't expect him to look so average. 

The Vikings dropped a tough game on the road against an emotionally charged Packer squad. Though it is hard for me to see the Colts start 0-2, I like the Vikings in this one. 

New Orleans Saints (1-0) @ Washington Redskins (0-1)

The Saints' defense looked impressive against the Bucs in the opener. They held the offense to 13 points and sealed the win with an interception with less than a minute left.  The Redskins' offense looked sluggish against the champs. New Orleans is 10-6 on the road under Sean Payton. It's a good thing since they have nine road games this year. 

Chicago Bears (1-0) @ Carolina Panthers (1-0)

Both of these teams surprised in victory last week. Chicago was efficient offensively with Orton under center and Forte in the backfield. Jake Delhomme pulled out an improbable last-second victory in San Diego last week without Steve Smith. With the Bears being the only NFL team to start the season with back-to-back road games, and the Panthers in their home opener, I like Carolina to claw out another victory.

Buffalo Bills (1-0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

I see a good, close game brewing in Jacksonville. The Bills are coming off a victory sparked by superb special-teams play while the Jags looked sluggish against the Titans.  The Jaguars are sure to bounce back with more efficiency in their home opener.

This is a key game for both teams because they will likely battle each other for a wild-card berth if neither one of the teams claims their respective division crowns.

San Francisco 49ers (0-1) @ Seattle Seahawks (0-1)

The 49ers managed only 13 points against the Cardinals' porous defense, thanks in part to five turnovers. J.T. O'Sullivan accounted for three of them, with an interception and two fumbles. He faces a more talented defense in the Seahawks and must be careful. I don't see the Seahawks losing at home to the 49ers.

Atlanta Falcons (1-0) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

Even though they were playing the Lions, I was stunned at Atlanta's offensive success last week. Like fellow rookie Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan makes his first NFL start on the road in Week Two. For Tampa Bay, Brian Griese has been called upon to replace an injured Jeff Garcia. You can bet that Monte Kiffin has his defensive problems fixed after allowing three big touchdowns against the Saints.

That's bad news for the Falcons.

New England Patriots (1-0) @ New York Jets (1-0)

Suddenly, Brett Favre stands head and shoulders above the rest of the quarterbacks in the AFC East. The Patriots are still a talented football team, despite the loss of their MVP. I like the Jets to take the home opener, especially Favre's first home game as a Jet.

Miami Dolphins (0-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

I figured that the Dolphins were improved enough to win their home opener against the Jets. I figured wrong. The Cardinals, however, won at San Francisco against a mediocre 49ers team. I see these teams as fairly equally matched.

As a rule, when two fairly equally matched teams from different conferences face each other, I go with the home team.

San Diego Chargers (0-1) @ Denver Broncos (1-0)

The Broncos looked impressive in their victory over the Raiders. I think, though, it was more of a case of a slightly above average team beating a terrible team. The Chargers lost a heart-breaker at home against Carolina.

I see them taking that frustration out on the Broncos and getting their first victory.  There's too much talent on this team for an 0-2 start.

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) @ Houston Texans (0-1) (moved to Monday night)

After receiving a beating in Steel City, the Texans return to the comforts of Reliant Stadium. The Ravens beat a dysfunctional Bengals team in Week One. I think the Texans rebound to beat the Ravens on Flacco's first NFL road trip.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) @ Cleveland Browns (0-1)

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems like a fairly easy pick. As impressive as the Steelers looked against the Texans, the Browns looked just as horrible against the Cowboys. Plus, the Browns haven't beaten their division rival since 2003. 

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) @ Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

On paper, this appears to be a great game for prime-time. These two teams combined to beat their opponents 66-13. Philadelphia and Dallas can put up points with the best of them. Dallas' loaded defense gives them the edge in this NFC East contest.

Last Week: 9-7

Season: 9-7