NFL Week 2 Favorites: Who Will Keep Up the Momentum?

After last week's thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills carry more momentum into Week 2 than anyone, except for maybe the Green Bay Packers.

The Week 2 schedule is going to be intersting to watch yet again, and it will be fun to see how many quarterbacks can repeat their performance of Week 1. 

The excitement of Week 1 is going to be hard to top.  With so many quarterbacks having breakout weeks, there was a lot of love around the fantasy football world.  In addition, we were all in high anticipation of seeing guys like Kevin Kolb and Cam Newton debut.

That being said, here's what you can expect for Week 2 of 2011. 

Bills over Raiders, 27-21

In addition to Ryan Fitzpatrick's great game last week, Fred Jackson was also on the highlight reel, accumulating 112 yards on 20 carries.

The Bills are at home this week against an Oakland Raider team fresh off a good win on Monday Night Football.  While I do see the Raiders winning a good nine games, they won't do so because of Jason Campbell.

Campbell has been a great symbol of mediocrity throughout his career.  He threw for only 105 yards against a very average Denver defense.

In this game, Fitzpatrick and Jackson get the best of Oakland's defense and sneak away with a six-point victory.

Packers over Panthers, 35-14

If Kevin Kolb went crazy against the Carolina defense, imagine what a high-powered offense like Green Bay's will do. 

Aaron Rodgers will yet again top 300 yards and three touchdowns. 

Cam Newton had a good season opener, but the Green Bay secondary has Charles Woodson, and AJ Hawk and Clay Matthews will be breathing down his neck.

Newton will have a respectable game, but the Packers are too much for the young Panthers.

Redskins over Cardinals, 20-19

Am I implying that Rex Grossman and Tim Hightower can actually be the savior of the Washington Redskins?

Absolutely not, but I do have faith in Mike Shanahan. 

Still, the Cardinals' defense, after the loss of Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, has very little to be optimistic about.  It would appear that this is going to be a battle of which offense can get it going first.

If you've read any of my articles, you know that I think Kevin Kolb is the most overrated player in the game.  I hold to it.

Grossman utilizes Santana Moss and Fred Davis to send the 'Skins to 2-0.

Ravens over Titans, 28-10

They've got one of the best defenses in the league and that defense is being opposed by one of the weaker offenses.

That offense put up 14 points against Jacksonville, whose defense is average at best.

In addition to a top-notch defense, the Ravens' offense has one of the league's best runners, the 5'10" Ray Rice.  I've predicted him to be the 2011 rushing champion, and he got off to a good start against Pittsburgh last week, running for 107 yards.

Ray Lewis and the defense shuts Tennessee down, and Rice rushes for two touchdowns in a rout of the Titans.

Steelers over Seahawks, 42-14

This is going to be real simple.

The Steelers are the defending AFC champions and are an angry team after getting railed by Baltimore.

The Seahawks are a bad team... and that's about all.

Pittsburgh will dominate in every sense of the game.

Jets over Jaguars, 24-13

The Jets were able to capitalize on the errors committed by Tony Romo, which led them to a victory in week one.  Mark Sanchez threw for over 300 yards.

Don't expect that every week.

As for the Jaguars, they were also able to sneak away with a small week one win.  Luke McCown was impressive in a sense—he completed 17 of his 24 passes, but for only 175 yards.

New York has a good defense and an offense that gets the job done, especially with the addition of Plaxico Burress.

Jacksonville will put up a good fight, but the Jets win behind a good defensive performance.

Saints over Bears, 38-21

I'm not a believer in the Chicago Bears in any sense.  Jay Cutler is a good quarterback and Matt Forte is enough to get the job done.

Past that, not much to brag about, especially with Brian Urlacher's recent tragedy.  He will not be playing on Sunday.

Everyone knows how high-powered the Saints' offense can be.  Drew Brees is a top five quarterback, has top-notch receivers, a good o-line, and a great rookie running back.  That's too much for one defense to contain, which would be the Bears' only hope of winning.

The Saints roll in New Orleans.

Lions over Chiefs, 27-10

After an impressive week one performance against a good Tampa Bay team, the Lions are riding high.

As for the Chiefs, they're coming off a beatdown at home at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. 

This will be a battle of a team in good spirits against a team in bad ones.  Matthew Stafford is really starting to get into the zone as a franchise quarterback, and with a receiving corps that has Calvin Johnson on it, he has all the tools he needs.

Matt Cassel seems to have stalled.  He threw for 119 yards against a defense that's less than impressive last week.

The Lions' momentum carries into week two, and Stafford has another 300 yard game.

Browns over Colts, 19-17

I thought about making this the upset special, but given the recent condition of the Indianapolis Colts, I don't know if that applies.

Cleveland—despite their loss against the Bengals at home—are a team on the rise.  Colt McCoy is still developing, but has shown signs of being a great long-term answer at quarterback. 

Peyton Hillis is a big bruiser who is going to bowl through a weak Indianapolis defense.

Speaking of the Colts, their offense just isn't the same without No.18 at the helm.  Heck, they're darn near non-existant.

The Browns walk into Indy and sneak out with a victory.

Buccaneers over Vikings, 21-12

After a 10-win season in 2010, the Bucs have definitely shown signs of being the team of the future.  Unfortunately, 2011 did not start off where 2010 left off, as they lost to a young Lions' team.

Still, their opponents are the Minnesota Vikings this week.  I only learned one thing from the Vikings' game against San Diego last week.

Donovan McNabb has nothing left.

He's got nothing left, he's got no top-notch receivers to throw to (yes, that involves Percy Harvin), and AP is about the only thing the offense can be excited about.

As for the defense?  Not a whole lot better.

Josh Freeman proves too much for the purple defense and McNabb still fails to get it going.

Cowboys over 49ers, 27-13

We all saw Tony Romo's gaffes on Sunday night.  However, this weekend in San Francisco is a new game.

There will be a much better result.  The 49ers put up 33 points against Seattle in week one, but there are a couple of issues with the success.

1. The Niners' offense was still unimpressive (124 yards for Alex Smith, 59 for Frank Gore).
2. They were playing Seattle

The Cowboys will roll into San Francisco ready to get back to their winning ways.  Romo will have another good game en route to the first win of the year.

Bengals over Broncos, 21-20

As of now, Andy Dalton is slated to play in Denver this week.  His participation in the game heavily influences this prediction.

Dalton was well on his way to a quality game before being hurt towards the end of the first half.  He was making passes and good decisions.

As for the Broncos, they just seem to be a team that is still trying to figure themselves out.  Kyle Orton is their quarterback, which I agree with by the way, but he's going to struggle against a pretty good Cincinnati defense. 

Yet again, the Bengals' offense (and Cedric Benson) is just enough, and they climb to a shocking 2-0.

Patriots over Chargers, 27-24

Throwing for over 500 yards in a single game is nothing short of incredible.  That is the feat that Tom Brady accomplished on Monday night.

Phil Rivers also had a good game against Minnesota, but it doesn't appear that his arm can compete with Brady's (of course, to be fair, who can?).

Expect to see a battle of Rivers vs. Brady in this one.  Brady proves to be too much for the Chargers' defense.

UPSET SPECIAL: Dolphins over Texans, 27-26

Is the Miami offense good?  Not really.

Is the Houston defense good?  Not really.

The point?  Look at what Chad Henne did against a New England defense that's not that good.  He ripped them apart.  He will do exactly the same against the Texans.

Miami does have a decent defense—they were top ten in the league last season. 

Altogether, the Houston offense will make some noise, but their defensive woes cost them.

Falcons over Eagles, 31-30

Matt Ryan doesn't lose very often in Atlanta.  He's only done it twice, with one of those coming against the eventual Super Bowl champions.

Into town comes former Falcon Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles.  Their offseason expenditures are very well- known and they've become one of the favorites to win a Super Bowl.

Unfortunately for Andy Reid, Matt Ryan and a tough Atlanta offense will prove to be too much.  Ryan doesn't make many mistakes when he plays, let alone at home.  Michael Turner can maneuver through any defense you put in front of him.

Catching the ball for Ryan is Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, etc. 

The Eagles keep it close, but the defending NFC South champions are a point better.

Giants over Rams, 24-12

This really has nothing to do with the Giants being some sort of powerhouse.  Quite simply, they're not.

The issue with the Rams is that Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson are both hurting.  Their statuses for the Monday night game are in question.

That being the case, the Giants will be facing AJ Feeley and Cadillac Williams. 

Even if Bradford and Jackson play, they're hurting and will not be playing up to their normal standards.  The Giants are merely going to pick the bones.