NFL Week 2

Season Record ATS: 11-5

Week 1 was full of surprises and I'm sure you don't need me to reiterate the fact that Tom Brady is out for the season and that this completely changes everything. Here are a few key observations that I made in Week 1.

1. The two teams that impressed me the most in Week 1 were the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Aaron Rodgers looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the league in his first start for Green Bay. Anytime the Packers let him throw, he showed off a lightning quick release and great accuracy. Rodgers also proved that he would not make stupid Brett Favre-like mistakes, meaning that he will not hurt the Packers in tough games this season.

The Packers have it all. They have what looks to be a great young quarterback, a ton of offensive weapons, a good running back, an offensive line that held up against the Vikings, and one of the top defences in the league. The only thing that worried me about the Packers was when Mike McCarthy became conservative and decided to kill the clock and go for a field goal going itno halftime, rather than taking another shot at the endzone.

In the AFC, the Steelers appear to be this year's Patriots. They scored early and often, beating up on the Houston Texans 38-17. Roethlisberger looks better than ever and has weapons all over the field. I loved their mentality in putting Houston away early and they look like the favourite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl at this point.

2. The Patriots will miss the playoffs without Tom Brady and the Buffalo Bills, not the New York Jets, will win the AFC East. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really like Trent Edwards and the Bills this season. If the Bills can stay relatively healthy on defence, I really like their offence with Lee Evans, rookie James Hardy, Roscoe Parrish and Marshawn Lynch. It's easy to forget, but Buffalo is very tough to beat at home, especially when it gets colder later in the season.

3. The Colts will bounce back. Never read too much into one week. The Colts stunk last week against the Bears, but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. The Bears look like they might actually be good and Kyle Orton had a good showing in his first start of the season at quarterback. Has hell frozen over? Has Kyle Orton developed into the quarterback the Bears have been coveting for years? It's too early to be sure, but my gut feeling tells me he's going to have a good year. The Bears could be for real if their defence stays healthy and continues to look like the unit that had so much success a few years ago.

4. Washington and Minnesota will both finish 8-8 or worse and miss the playoffs. The overhyped Vikings were embarrassed by the Packers, while the Redskins were pretty much out of their game against the Giants right from the start. Tarvaris Jackson and Jason Campbell are both still bad. The Vikes defence couldn't put any pressure on Aaron Rodgers and Jared Allen's name wasn't even mentioned in relation to a play that he made the entire game.

5. How good are the Giants? They looked like a sure fire bet to repeat as NFC champs after one half against the Washington Redskins, but after the second half, I began to wonder if Eli Manning could even throw a pass anywhere near one of his wide receivers. The Giants are inconsistently good and the sad thing is, that's probably good enough to be the third or fourth best team in the NFC right now. Could they go on another streak like last season and make it back to the Super Bowl? Highly doubtful without Umenyiora.

BUFFALO at JACKSONVILLE -5
The Jags will suffer with three offensive lineman on the shelf against a very tough Bills team. Buffalo should win this game outright.

take Buffalo +5

INDIANAPOLIS -2 at MINNESOTA
The Colts and Vikings both disappointed in Week 1. The Colts were exposed against a rejuvenated Bears defence, while the Vikes much-hyped defensive line couldn't put any pressure on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Peyton Manning has lost a lot of weight and didn't look like himself in Week 1. The Colts defence could not stop Matt Forte from running the ball on them, but I'm not going to read too much into one week as far as the Colts are concerned. Kyle Orton did a great job keeping the Colts honest on defence and I don't believe Tarvaris Jackson can do the same. Indy can load up on the run and shut down Vikes running back Adrian Peterson just like the Packers did last week.

Take Indy -2.

CHICAGO at CAROLINA -3
I've been telling myself that I should take the Panthers at home all week, but I can't help jumping on the Bears bandwagon after watching them win on Sunday night. Maybe I'm being fooled by one game, but I'm predicting that the Bears defence is back and Kyle Orton is good. Call me crazy, but Chicago comes into Carolina and pulls out a victory in what could shape up to be a great game.

Take Chicago +3

NEW YORK GIANTS -8.5 at ST. LOUIS
The Giants had a tough time finishing off the Redskins last week at home, failing to convert for touchdowns on numerous occasions. The Rams were annhilated by a jacked up Eagles team, but they should be ready to play this week in their home opener against the Super Bowl champs. The players should be ready, the crowd should be ready, and the Rams don't want to be humiliated in this one. Look for the Rams to keep it close.

Take St. Louis +8.5

GREEN BAY -3.5 at DETROIT
Memo to the Lions coaching staff: YOU'RE NOT A RUN-FIRST TEAM!! Despite having Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams, the Lions tried to setup the passing game with the run last Sunday against the Falcons and ended up getting torched by rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. This week they'll face another very good young quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and although they may look to pass a little earlier in the game than last weekend, they'll face a much better defence this time. The Packers are as solid as they come and are extremely motivated to prove that Favre was just a small part of a good team last season. Look for them to take a no-nonsense approach in beating up on a crappy team.

Take Green Bay -3.5

NEW ORLEANS -1 at WASHINGTON
Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was dreadful last Thursday against the Giants, but the Redskins are at home and if they can't make a game of this one than they might as well pack it in. The Saints will be without some key players, including Marques Colston, Scott Fujita and Randall Gay, but still should pull this game out because of a better quarterback and a better coach.

Take New Orleans -1.

OAKLAND at KANSAS CITY -3.5
The Chiefs will get an offensive boost with Damon Huard subbing in for the injured Brodie Croyle. They also get a boost by facing one of the worst teams in the league at Arrowhead. The Raiders looked like a college team on Monday night at home against the Broncos. Don't expect anything to change here.

Take KC -3.5

TENNESSEE at CINCINNATI -1
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis may be the worst coach in the league. He plays a conservative brand of football that does not make sense for his personnel and I believe it has led to Carson Palmer losing his confidence. The Bengals offensive line was destroyed last week by the Ravens and things are only going to get worse against a focused Titans team. Kerry Collins will start for Tennessee and that could be a good thing for the passing game in the short-term. Tennessee should win this game easily.

Take Tennessee +1

ATLANTA at TAMPA BAY -7
The Bucs are being overrated by the oddsmakers. The Falcons played well last week and are a solid team. Tampa Bay couldn't even get the job done against the Saints, who played a lousy game in Florida last weekend and still covered the spread. Now, the Bucs will be missing Jeff Garcia and are forced to rely on Brian Griese to score points. Tampa's weapons are extremely limited on offence and the Falcons are probably the better team here.

Take Atlanta +7

SAN FRANCISCO at SEATTLE -6.5
The Seahawks are so decimated by injuries at the wide receiver position that backup quarterback Seneca Wallace may start out of position in this game. Nevertheless, Seattle is good at home and should be able to beat up on the 49ers.

Take Seattle -6.5

MIAMI at ARIZONA -6.5
The Dolphins came within one play of beating the Jets last week. Chad Pennington is still a big improvement for Miami at the quarterback position and they should be able to stay close enough to cover the spread against a Cardinals team that cannot be trusted laying this many points.

Take Miami +6.5

NEW ENGLAND at NEW YORK JETS -1.5
Tom Brady is out for the year and people are jumping off of the Pats bandwagon by the thousands. It's an insult to every single Patriots player that was a part of their perfect regular season last year that the Jets are favourite this week. It's an insult that Pats coach Belichick will surely stress to his team all week long. New England will be out to prove that they are not a one man team and will be ready for Brett Favre and his overhyped bunch this Sunday.

Take New England +1.5

SAN DIEGO -1 at DENVER
By the end of this season, Jay Cutler will be right at the top of the list when the best quarterbacks in the NFL are discussed. Top receiver Brandon Marshall makes his return from a one game suspension this week for the Broncos and will join highly touted rookie Eddie Royal on a suddenly potent offence. The better team should win at home.

Take Denver +1

PITTSBURGH -6 at CLEVELAND
I couldn't have agreed more with Espn writer Bill Simmons when he compared Browns coach Romeo Crennel to Art Shell earlier this week in one of his articles. I could have sworn that the helpless, disinterested looking coach was Shell whenever they cut to the coaches last Sunday. Pittsburgh is not fooling around this year and will put this game away against an inferior team.

Take Pittsburgh -6

PHILADELPHIA at DALLAS -7
Dallas comes into this one as the favourite to win the NFC, but the Eagles are highly motivated and have one of the top secondaries in the league. The Cowboys won't be able to throw the ball down the field as easily as they did against the Browns and seven points is a lot to give up in what should be a game that goes under the total of 47 points.

Take Philly +7 and under the total of 47 points.

Best Bets: Green Bay -3.5, Ten +1, Atlanta +7, Buffalo +5, New England +1.5, Denver +1, Pitt -6, Philly +7, and Philly at Dallas under the total points of 47.

Last week's record on Best Bets: 4-1