ITS SEEMS LIKE we’ve only just recovered from last weekend’s lack of sleep and now another round of NFL games are already upon us. Brilliant isn’t it?
The big news emerging overnight ahead of the Jets’ visit to the Patriots tonight is that quarterback Mark Sanchez has a torn labrum so it looks as if Geno Smith will be calling the plays for the foreseeable future. Just why Rex Ryan chose to bring Sanchez on late in the fourth quarter to try win a preseason game is a question he’ll inevitably have to answer when he parts company with the Jets at the end of the season.
The other big news leading in to week two of NFL was the ridiculous fine handed out to Ndamukong Suh for his late hit on a Minnesota Vikings lineman. Was it a dumb move by Suh? Absolutely. Was it viscious and deserving of a $100,000 fine? Not even close. Suh, like James Harrison before him, is not just an easy target for the league.
And on to this week’s games:
Washington @ Green Bay Packers (-6.5)
Both of these sides are coming off tough, opening season losses but the manner of those defeats could not have been more different. The Packers offence performed well against the 49ers last week even if their defence was torched for 412 passing yards. For their part, the entire Washington team looked out of sorts against the Eagles on Monday night.
This Sunday, the Packers defence will have to significantly improve, specifically at the safety position, if they are to register their first win of the season. Green Bay games can’t continue to be involved in shootouts if the team is to challenge for NFC or Super Bowl honours this year.
For Washington, it’s no exaggeration to say a heavy loss could mean this season gets away from them very quickly. Sure, it’s early stages yet but if Robert Griffin III continues to struggle for speed in the run game and accuracy in the passing game the way he did Monday night, Mike Shanahan and his coaches will have to wonder if they’ve rushed their star quarterback too soon.
Verdict: Something’s not quite right in Washington and while the Packers offer a more traditional offence than Chip Kelly’s Eagles, they still don’t have the firepower on offence to match them. Green Bay by 10.
Denver Broncos (-4.5) @ New York Giants
If you could draw up the perfect season opener, the Denver Broncos 49-27 win over the defending champion Baltimore Ravens would come pretty close. What you really don’t want is to suffer an error-filled game one loss to a divisional rival, which is exactly what the Giants did in Sunday’s late night encounter.
So Eli and Peyton come into another ‘Manning Bowl’ with vastly different mindsets. The Broncos won’t score seven passing touchdowns again but their offence will hope to continue where it left off last week and have had three extra days to recover from any bumps and bruises. Their defence, still missing key elements in Champ Bailey and Von Miller, don’t face the same run threat they did against the Ravens so watch out for numerous seven-defensive-backs-sets from coordinator Jack Del Rio.
Despite the loss and turnover count against the Cowboys, the Giants still had three wide outs with over 100 receiving yards in the game. The problem for Eli and his offence is that they have very little run support. David Wilson and Da’Rel Scott combined for a total of 42 yards on 12 carries. Without the threat of a decent rushing attack, Denver will be confident of keeping their receivers in check too.
Verdict: There just aren’t enough parts in place for the Giants right now and Denver have hit the ground running. Broncos by 6+
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawk (-3)
As we reported on yesterday, there’s more than just the win on the line when these two sides meet in Sunday night’s late kick off. More importantly though, this game will go a long way to deciding the faith of the NFC West and even the conference itself.
I wondered before the start of the season how Colin Kaepernick would cope without his favourite receiver in Michael Crabtree but, if the performance against the Packers was anything to go by, he and Anquan Boldin will be just fine. Perhaps the most surprising thing about their win last week was that Kaepernick only rushed seven times for 22 yards, trusting his arm instead. It would make sense for us to see a similar performance from the 49ers this against a defence who defend the read option every day in practise.
The Seahawks have won nine of their past 10 home openers with their only defeat coming at the hands of the 49ers in 2008. The Seattle defence will have to step up and key in on Boldin though if they are to preserve that record. In 11 games against the Seahawks, he has amassed 74 receptions for nearly 940 yards and two touchdowns. Seattle will take some solace from the fact that, last time they faced him, he only managed two receptions for 22 yards.
Verdict: This should end up being the closest game of the weekend with probably just a field goal between the two. I’m giving Seattle the benefit of home advantage. Seahawks by 3.
Other games with picks in bold:
New York Jets @ New England Patriots (-10)
St. Louis Rams @ Atlanta Falcons (-7)
Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens (-6)
Carolina Panthers (-3) @ Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears (-5)
Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans (-9)
Miami Dolphins @ Indianapolis Colts (-3)
Dallas Cowboys @ Kansas City Chiefs (-3)
San Diego Chargers @ Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5)
Detroit Lions (-1.5) @ Arizona Cardinals
New Orleans Saints (-3) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Oakland Raiders (-4)
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals (-7)
