NFL Week 2 Picks

One week of the NFL is in the books, and there's still very little actually known about the 2011 season. We know that the Packers are going to score a lot of points this year and that Tom Brady is not a mere mortal. Even though there's still more questions than answers, the staff here at SB Nation Dallas makes our fearless Week 2 picks below. 

Raiders (1-0) at Bills (1-0) - Buffalo's dismantling of Kansas City was probably the most shocking thing to happen in Week 1. The Raiders continued their trend of defeating AFC West opponents in Week 1, but they'll need to prove that they can beat other teams in the league if they're going to seriously contend for a playoff spot.

• Liam Ponting: Bills - I'm not buying into either of these teams...give me Buffalo at home.
• Christopher Fittz: Raiders - McFadden-V-P!
• Maurice London: Raiders - 41 points? They're still Buffalo and these are the types of games they lose.
• KD Drummond: Raiders - I think Buffalo's win was more about KC's brewing train wreck than Bills improvement. McFadden all day long.
• Robbie Griffin: Bills - I don't think the Bills we saw against KC are necessarily for real, but it does make me pretty confident they can beat Oakland at home.
• Brett Perryman: Bills - M-V-Patrick!
• JP Starkey: Raiders - I'm not ready to live in a world where the Bills are 2-0.

Chiefs (0-1) at Lions (1-0) - Two teams that could have seasons quickly headed in opposite directions. The Lions went on the road to beat a pretty good Tampa Bay team while the Chiefs were blown out at home by the Bills. This could get ugly.

• Ponting: Lions - If Buffalo holds KC to 7 at home, I can't imagine what they're going to do at Detroit. If KC's going to give up 41 to Buffalo, I can't imagine what Stafford and Megatron are going to do to them.
• Fittz: Lions - I can't in good faith pick the Chiefs after what Buffalo did to them last Sunday.
• London: Lions - Jump on the bandwagon. The Lions will make the playoffs this year.
• Drummond: Lions - If Stafford is healthy, the Lions are a threat in every game, another surprise 2-0 team.
• Griffin: Lions - If KC is even close to as porous as they were against the Bills, Matthew Stafford will be the fantasy star of the week.
• Perryman: Lions - The Lions have their flaws, but no one is going to beat them easily when Stafford is on the field.
• Starkey: Lions - The sports situation in Detroit suddenly doesn't look so bad between the Lions and Tigers.

Ravens (1-0) at Titans (0-1) - Chris Johnson is supposed to have a "normal" workload against a Ravens defense that made the defending AFC champions look like chumps last week. CJ2K will need to have a monster game to keep Tennessee in it.

• Ponting: Ravens - This will be the week to cash in on the Matt Hasselbeck injury pool.
• Fittz: Ravens - Still not certain about who the Titans' QB is. Still don't care.
• London: Ravens - Fantasy owners begin to freak after CJ2k's second straight poor performance.
• Drummond: Ravens - The Ravens show a hunger for the ball and Hassleback channels his inner waitress, serving up Ed Reed appetizers.
• Griffin: Ravens - Tennessee had one of the least successful pass rates in week one, and that won't beat the Ravens. Even at home.
• Perryman: Ravens - Dallas-Fort Worth deserves better than this as their only noon game.
• Starkey: Ravens - Crab cakes and football is what Maryland does, and they'll do it in Tennessee. 

Browns (0-1) at Colts (0-1) - The Kerry Collins era in Indianapolis looks like it's going to be an ugly one. Colt McCoy, meanwhile, is still Colt McCoy. You might be able to hear a pin drop on Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium.

• Ponting: Browns - Yes, Kerry Collins will be this bad.
• Fittz: Colts - Just so our Robbie Griffin can still get married.
• London: Browns - That wildcat offense with Manning and Luck is going to be something else.
• Drummond: Colts - You almost feel sorry for Kerry Collins until you remember that he got to take the summer off, then collect $4 million.
• Griffin: Colts - The blowout last week gives me pause about picking the Colts to sneak in to the playoffs. If they can't win games like this comfortably, I'll change my mind entirely.
• Perryman: Colts - Are they terrible without Peyton? Yes. Does that mean that they can't still beat the Browns at home?
• Starkey: Browns - After the Browns win this, people will actually think Colt McCoy is good for some unknown reason.

Buccaneers (0-1) at Vikings (0-1) - The Vikings thought they had a stopgap quarterback in Donovan McNabb, but McNabb certainly needs to play much, much better than he did in Week 1. Adrian Peterson can only do so much on his own. Meanwhile, the Bucs can ill-afford to start out 0-2 in the NFC South.

• Ponting: Bucs - Minnesota continues to waste AD in his prime.
• Fittz: Bucs - I believe in Josh Freeman.
• London: Bucs - Donovan Mcnabb is awful. Josh Freeman is not.
• Drummond: Bucs - The Bucs soft 2010 schedule or McNabb's soft belly? Take the young coach.
• Griffin: Bucs -  I have to either abandon my pick of the Bucs in the playoffs, or pick them to win some road games.
• Perryman: Vikings - Toughest game of the week for me. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict double-figure pass completions for her son.
• Starkey: Vikings - I don't believe in the Bucs, and I do believe in Adrian Peterson.

Bears (1-0) at Saints (0-1) - The Saints lost a shootout in Green Bay to open the season up while the Bears took care of business against a very good Atlanta Falcons team. Somehow, the Bears just keep on winning despite having Jay Cutler at quarterback.

• Ponting: Saints - Even without Colston, Brees has more than enough weapons. This could be one of those games where Chicago displays their innate peskiness.
• Fittz: Saints - I don't really understand how the Bears seem to win every year, but at least they won't win this game.
• London: Saints - Maybe I underestimated the Bears. Very interested to see what they do against the Saints.
• Drummond: Saints - I expect Urlacher to have a Brett Favrian response to his tragedy, but the Saints aren't starting 0-2. Are they?
• Griffin: Saints - The Bears pass D might just give the Saints fits. Even without Urlacher, and even on the road, this could be closer than people expect.
• Perryman: Saints - The Bears weren't going to start 2-0 on this schedule maker's clock.
• Starkey: Saints - If this were in Chicago, I'd consider taking the Bears.

Jaguars (1-0) at Jets (1-0) - Someway, somehow the Jaguars are 1-0 despite having Luke McCown at quarterback. The Jets didn't look great against the Cowboys last week, but they played well in the fourth quarter and capitalized on Dallas' mistakes. New York's reward? A win, and a date with the Jags.

• Ponting: Jets - I can't tell you who plays QB for the Jaguars. Looking it up and...LUKE MCCOWN?
• Fittz: Jets - If there is any game this season that I'm a Jaguars fan, this is probably it.
• London: Jaguars - Upset special.
• Drummond: Jets - The Jets were dominated by the Cowboys up till the last 10 minutes, but Jacksonville... you sir, are no Cowboys.
• Griffin: Jets - Now begins the portion of the season where the Jets have to make the Cowboys look good.
• Perryman: Jets - Another ugly-ish win for Sanchize.
• Starkey: Jets - Prediction: Mike Francesa will have a minor meltdown this week on his show after he's flooded with Jets fans callers.

Seahawks (0-1) at Steelers (0-1) - A Super Bowl rematch! A few years ago, this would have been a pretty excellent game. Now in 2011, it's one of the uglier games on the schedule as the Seahawks will be facing a pissed off Steelers team.

• Ponting: Steelers - Poor Tavaris Jackson.
• Fittz: Steelers - The Steelers will never let you forget, Seattle.
• London: Steelers - The remedy for a defense that's getting older, slower and in decline? Tavaris Jackson.
• Drummond: Steelers - Reigning AFC champs aren't going to lose to Tavaris Jackson. Right?
• Griffin: Steelers - This seems like the best bet for a shutout in week two.
• Perryman: Steelers - If Pittsburgh can't win this game we have a real story on our hands (that I will eat up).
• Starkey: Steelers - I took Pittsburgh in my survivor pool, so they'd better win.

Cardinals (1-0) at Redskins (1-0) - The Kevin Kolb era almost got off to a poor start, but the Cardinals came back to beat the Panthers at home in Week 1. Washington, meanwhile, handled the New York football Giants with relative ease - and Rex Grossman actually looked good. I can't believe I just said that.

• Ponting: Redskins - Toss-up for me, with the tie going to the home team.
• Fittz: Cardinals - This is a difficult game to gauge so I will go with the team that isn't the Redskins.
• London: Cardinals - Patrick Peterson :(
• Drummond: Redskins - The Redskins continue in their annual 'get our fans excited' September.
• Griffin: Redskins - Home team.
• Perryman: Redskins - Not really buying into the Skins, but they're obviously not terrible.
• Starkey: Redskins - Larry Fitzgerald isn't enough for the Cardinals on the road.

Packers (1-0) at Panthers (0-1) - Carolina hung around with Arizona on the road last week, but they'll be facing the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 2. Aaron Rodgers will have his invisible wrestling belt ready to roll.

• Ponting: Packers - Cam Newton comes violently tumbling back to earth this week.
• Fittz: Packers - I kind of want Cameron Newton to become the greatest rookie of a 0-16 team of all time.
• London: Packers - Cam loses his trolling ability.
• Drummond: Packers - This one could get ugly very quickly. I'm talking BeetleJuice ugly.
• Griffin: Packers - Now we see how Cam Newton handles a real test.
• Perryman: Packers - FIGJAM is salivating.
• Starkey: Packers - I actually think Newton has the Panthers hanging around for a quarter and a half in this one.

Cowboys (0-1) at 49ers (1-0) - Jim Harbaugh picked up a win in his 49ers debut in Week 1, thanks in large part to Ted Ginn's special team play. Not much needs to be said here about Dallas' heartbreaking loss, other than they looked very good for three quarters against a good Jets team.

• Ponting: 49ers - Cowboys are banged up already, Pat Willis and crew take advantage.
• Fittz: Cowboys - I can't very well pick the 49ers, can I?
• London: Cowboys - I can easily see the Niners winning this but I'll give Jason Garrett the benefit of the doubt.
• Drummond: Cowboys - Dallas. Dallas. Dallas. Dallas. You know I write for BloggingTheBoys, right?
• Griffin: Cowboys - Every bit of silver-lining good feeling I got from the Cowboys holding their own in New York will be wiped away with an ugly showing in San Fran.
• Perryman: Cowboys - I think this one will be tight. Cowboys need all hands on deck.
• Starkey: Cowboys - I don't know if I'll pick Alex Smith to win at all this year.

Bengals (1-0) at Broncos (0-1) - One of the least appealing games of the week. Denver will need to win to avoid hearing the chants of Tim Tebow become louder.

• Ponting: Broncos - I really have nothing to say about this game. Toss-up again.
• Fittz: Bengals - TEBOW! TEBOW! TEBOW!
• London: Broncos - Poor Kyle Orton.
• Drummond: Broncos - I was all set to pick Cincinnati until they announced that Andy Dalton was starting.
• Griffin: Broncos - What a boring game. I'm going to set the over/under on Tebow chants at 2.5.
• Perryman: Broncos - Denver is..not good. Surely they win one of two at home against mediocre teams, though.
• Starkey: Broncos - Denver's homefield advantage carries them to victory.

Texans (1-0) at Dolphins (0-1) - Chad Henne actually looked great last week against the Patriots, but unfortunately for him, he was facing Tom Brady and the Patriots. Houston, meanwhile, won their Super Bowl against a Peyton Manning-less Colts team. 

• Ponting: Texans - Arian Foster's coming back and Chad Henne's probably not going to throw for 400 yards again.
• Fittz: Dolphins - If the Texans are going to reach 8-8, they've gotta lose some of these.
• London: Texans - This feels like a trap game. Oh well.
• Drummond: Dolphins - Until Houston proves that they aren't the same win one, lose one team from the last few years, I'll go oppo their last result.
• Griffin: Dolphins - This is no Colts defense, and it's no home game. I still think Houston wins the division, but this is where the upset money is in week two. I think. . .
• Perryman: Texans - This is such a trap game, but I really don't know if the Dolphins can spring it.
• Starkey: Texans - If the Dolphins had a different starting running back than Reggie Bush, I'd take them.

Chargers (1-0) at Patriots (1-0) - A potential AFC Championship game preview, this serves as one of the best games on the schedule for Week 2. The Patriots will certainly need to play better defense than they did in Week 1, when they allowed Chad Henne to throw for over 400 yards. The Pats, though, do have Tom Brady, so they'll be ok.

• Ponting: Patriots - These are the types of games that Norv generally loses.
• Fittz: Patriots - So Tom Brady decided to be the greatest quarterback of all time. Hmm.
• London: Patriots - Would've picked the Chargers before the Castillo injury.
• Drummond: Chargers - Upset Special of the week. New England isn't 517 yards a game, every week good. Are they? Oh boy.
• Griffin: Patriots - Awesome game on paper, the complete opposite of the Redskins/Cardinals game, but same result: home team wins.
• Perryman: Patriots - What would happen if someone paid Gisele a billion dollars to cut his hair off?
• Starkey: Patriots - Maybe Brady won't throw for 500 yards, but I'd bet on four touchdowns.

Eagles (1-0) at Falcons (0-1) - Mike Vick is returning back to Atlanta, just in case you haven't heard by now. Vick will be looking to make a statement against his former team, while the Falcons look to avoid starting the season in an 0-2 hole.

• Ponting: Eagles - Most interesting game of the week. The Vick to Atlanta angle is a bit overblown for my liking, and the Eagles should have enough to see this one through.
• Fittz: Eagles - You shouldn't have slept with the schedule marker's wife, Matt Ryan.
• London: Falcons - I had these teams even before the season started, so I'll go with the home team.
• Drummond: Falcons - For all the accolades Philly's secondary gets, their linebacker play was atrocious. Michael Turner might run for 180.
• Griffin: Falcons - I'll be watching this game on mute because I can fill in the "Mike Vick's Homecoming" storylines without having to listen to them actually being said.
• Perryman: Eagles - Falcons will bounce back at home, but an Eagles team near full strength is too good.
• Starkey: Falcons - Vick tries to do too much, loses. An old story.

Rams (0-1) at Giants (0-1) - Two teams with major injury problems to start the year does not make for an exciting Monday Night Football game. New York's secondary is depleted, Sam Bradford has an injured finger, Steven Jackson has an injured quad...oh, the drama for an ugly 13-10 game.

• Ponting: Giants - Assuming a healthy Hakeem Nicks, I don't think the Giants will have much of a problem here.
• Fittz: Giants - The Week 2 I don't Care Bowl.
• London: Rams - The Giants' secondary is worse than the Cowboys.
• Drummond: Giants - I think the Giants are in for a long season of falling apart, but they get one of their six victories against the Rams.
• Griffin: Giants - How is this a Monday Night Football game? HOW?!
• Perryman: Giants - It's a battle of teams with playoff aspirations looking to avoid 0-2. Gimme the homestanders.
• Starkey: Giants - The Rams are just too beat up to win this one.