NFL Week 2: Overall Analysis

Happy finish of Week 2 everyone!

For those who don't know this is how this works. I give a quick review of every game (sometimes not every game) of the week, some more in-depth than others. I then tell you if I called it right and brag about my psychic abilities. Just to refresh your minds, my record for Week 1 was 10-6.

Chicago at Green Bay: My Prediction: 24-31; Actual Score: 10-23
The score really doesn't represent the slaughter that occurred. The Packers gather 7 sacks against the O-Line maligned Bears. Poor Jay Cutler spent more time running from Clay Mathews than he did examining the Packers' defense. To make matters worse, Matt Forte would leave the game with what looks like a high ankle sprain. For those of you who don't know, that is a pain to come back from (literally). On the bright side, the Bears defense wasn't that bad. And it looks like Urlacher is recovering well from that injury. While Phil Emery (GM) did a great job of snatching up Brandon Marshall for a cheap price from the Dolphins, he needs to DESPERATELY address that offensive line.
Meanwhile, the Pack looks much better than it did against the 49ers. Cedric Benson got going averaging over 4 yards a carry. Benson looks to be the tough runner that Packers offense desperately needs to give some balance. Clay Matthews looks like he did in 2010, registering 3.5 sacks (compared to his 6.5 last year). But don't get too excited Packers' fans, it was Chicago. Even the Saints got 7 sacks last year and their D-Line is just pitiful.
Interesting side note: The Packers were very successful against a decently tough defense without Greg Jennings. For those of you who don't know, Jennings is in the last year of his contract. With Aaron Rodgers, B.J. Raji, and Matthews all in need of new contracts coming up and great depth at WR, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jennings walking in free agency in the offseason. Or, maybe, Ted Thompson (GM) will look into a trade...

Kansas City at Buffalo: My Prediction: 24-14; Actual Score: 17-35
So the Bills recover from their beating they receiver from the Jets while the Chiefs continue to falter. C.J. Spiller looks great. I remember his first season when people were counting him out by week 4. But not anymore. C.J. lit it up again with another triple-digit game and tacking on 2 more TDs. Spiller is not only an adequate replacement for Fred Jackson, he's the real deal. Remember how it took Darren McFadden a few seasons to get the hang of it? I think it's the same deal here. Look for Spiller to tear it up consistently. This lets Ryan Fitzpatrick sit in his favorite position: Game manager. Meanwhile, the defense is getting some good pressure on the Chiefs. 5 sacks on a team who's O-Line isn't the Chicago Bears is a good sign.
The Chiefs just can't seem to get it right. Matt Cassel is actually looking like a real QB this season, throwing for over 300 yards and a pair of TDs. Furthermore, Dwayne Bowe is looking good...in the second half. But where is Jamaal Charles? 6 rushes for 3 yards? I wonder if he's caught the CJ2K disease...(more to come on that). I know Peyton Hillis had a decent game, but let's be real. Jamaal Charles was the man 2 seasons ago. The Chiefs need to get him back to speed. Meanwhile, the defense does not look good. I remember a lot of analysts saying that the Chiefs were going to win the division (I didn't, I had Denver all the way) because of their defense. The loss of Brandon Carr (now in Dallas) has left them very vulnerable and the Chiefs did not give efficient pressure on Fitzpatrick. Romeo Crennel did a great job with this team towards the end of last season. He needs to get them focused now.

Naturally I'm skipping the Saints at Panthers because I have a whole article on that. Go look at it on the page if you want my opinion (which I think is dead on).

Cleveland at Cincinatti: My Prediction: 7-24; Actual Score: 27-34
Y'know, this game wasn't half bad. I honestly expected a boring battle between the two, but they proved me wrong. Andy Dalton actually looked pretty damn good this game throwing for over 300 yards with three TDs. Brandon Tate and Andrew Hawkins are emerging as pretty good secondary options for Dalton and A.J. Green isn't letting Dalton have a sophomore slump. Remember, the Browns defense is actually pretty good. I'd say the Bengals rebounded well from their face being curp-stomped by the Ravens.
I would like to apologize to Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson for laughing at them last week. Although they didn't win, the Browns looked like an actual team. Weeden looked solid, throwing for over 300 yards and 2 TDs with no picks. Thats very important for a guy who arguably had the worst rookie debut ever. Not to mention, the defense looks pretty damn good, getting 6 sacks and playing very physically. D'Qwell Jackson is the man. I believe he's going to emerge as one of the elite LBs in the league.
Honestly, the Browns probably would have won if: 1) Joe Haden wasn't suspended; 2) there hadn't been that fumble; or 3) Pacman Jones was still suspended.

Minnesota at Indianapolis: My Prediction: 24-21; Actual Score: 20-23
Congrats to Luck on his first victory! The Colts did a great job of avoiding turnovers and looked pretty efficient against the Vikings. I was actually surprised how well the Colts line fared against Jared Allen and the Vikings' D-Line. Donnie Avery came out of no where and jacked up some serious yardage for Luck while Reggie Wayne still continued to be Luck's go-to guy. If the Colts could actually get a run-game this offense may even be somewhat formidable. O.K. I take that back. They were against the Vikings. I'm gonna wait before I make outlandish statements like that. Oh yeah, and 4 sacks (only one of which was from Robert Mathis) for the Colts AND they did a good job of limiting Adrian Peterson. Nice job.
Poor Vikings. Had a tough win against the Jags last week and a tough loss this week. Vikings fans should be optimistic though. Ponder completed 77% of his passes. I know Indy's defense isn't the best, but take what you can get. Meanwhile, Percy Harvin is back in action, even on special teams (a 50 yard return). Let's just hope he avoids those headaches. The defense kinda blew this one. The secondary does not look good and the linebacking core isn't much better. I can see a major defensive overhaul this offseason.
The Vikings could have won this game if: 1) Ponder didn't make that one costly fumble; or 2) Peterson could have actually got started.

Houston at Jacksonville: My Prediction: 28-7; Actual Score: 27-7
Damnit! I was one point from guessing this one right...anyway, I hope this final score didn't come as a surprise to anyone. Arian Foster was, well, Arian Foster and Ben Tate kinda looked like Arian Foster too. Matt Schaub looks like he's accepting his role as "only throw it to keep 8 people out of box guy." This is much to my dismay (I have Andre' Johnson on my fantasy team...). However, Texans fans should be excited about this. Even if Foster is getting stuffed, you can count on Schaub to still be a good QB. Schaub is far more than just a game manager. The defense looks just where it left off from last season. Don't say "Oh, but it was the Jaguars, it doesn't count." Division rivals put a ton of game planning against each other and MJD is nothing to spit at. Holding any offense under 150 yards is an accomplishment. Oh, and by the way, J.J. Watt is a BEAST.
For all of those who thought Gabbert was going to be good based on the pre-season, this is me laughing at you. Blaine Gabbert looks just as terrible as he did last year and Henne didn't look any better. That O-Line of the Jags clearly cannot pass block. Not to mention, being 0% on 3rd down (out of 9 attempts) won't get you very far in the NFL. Maybe the Jags should just hand it off the MJD the entire game. Seems about right to me. Oh, by the way, did I mention that no one hates the Jags more than MJD? And I don't know what happened the Jags' defense. I had them being a top defense this year, but they're proving me otherwise. They made the Vikings look good and they let the Texans run over them. No sacks, no turnovers, not defense this game. Someone call Jack Del Rio and tell him he can have his job back. Hey, here's some good news for ya Jags' fans. Your punter, the guy you drafted in the 3rd round, looks good. He had a 60 yard punt. Nice. You're going to need him to keep you guys in the game.

Oakland at Miami: My Prediction: 17-7; Actual Score: 13-35
There's two things I love most about football: Fights between Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson and USC quarterbacks looking like garbage. I'm just kidding, the two things I love most about football and cheerleaders and more cheerleaders. But seriously, no one saw this coming. I didn't think Miami would get a win until week 8 or so this season but, once again, Reggie Bush has proved me wrong about something. Ryan Tannehill actually looked decent in his first NFL victory and Reggie Bush played like he was in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs playing against the Cardinals (Don't know what I'm taking about? Learn your history). I still don't think the Fins have any good players at receiver, but I can't deny that Brian Hartline had a good game. It would be wrong of me to forget the Fins defense. They're secondary still looks lacking to me, but they shut down Run DMC and got some pressure on the Raiders. Unfortunately, that won't really help them when they face their AFC rival Patriots but, for now, they played well. You know whats funny, the Dolphins are tied for first in the AFC East. Who saw that coming?!
I think the football community expected more out of the Raiders. In the offseason there was a ton of optimism about new head coach Dennis Allen and the return of Darren McFadden. I'm still sold on McFadden, but I'm not sold on the defense. The Raiders defense last year was formidable, but inconsistent. This time they allowed 263 yards rushing on top of 200 yards passing from a rookie QB who struggled last week. Yikes. Only one sack and no turnovers. Not a good sign. Now it's time for my favorite part of this article: Let's make fun of Carson Palmer. Last season I literally cracked up laughing when I saw that the Raiders traded away a 1st round pick for ex-USC quarterback. Not because I don't like the Raiders (I am totally ok with the Raiders for the record) but because that is simply inconceivable. Palmer looked horrible last season, more horrible in the preseason, and only decent this season. He's had an entire offseason with the team and is still struggling. I know he threw for almost 400 yards, but with only 50% completions he was just trying to make something happen. Then again, the Raiders' skill positions are just "eh" and the line is in need of some help. I give my same advice to the Raiders that I did to the Jags: Just let your RB do something (well...until he gets injured). Oh, did I mention that the Raiders were 1/12 on third downs? Yeah. That gives your defense little to rest and is not good for your team.

New England at Arizona: My Prediction: 35-0; Actual Score: 18-20
Upset of the week! Yeah I know I predicted this one wrong but I am absolutely OK with that. I love it when David beats Goliath and this is the perfect example. The funny part is I still don't know how they did it. Oh wait, yes I do! The Patriots' kicker channeled his inner Billy Cundiff (too soon?). OK, OK, seriously. Enough with the joking. Anyway, the Cards didn't exactly have a stellar game. They didn't have stellar yardage (245 net yardage), didn't do well on 3rd down (28%), lost the turnover battle, barely got Larry Fitzgerald the ball (1 reception for 4 yards) and started Kevin Kolb (15-27, 140 yards, 1 TD). Yet they STILL pulled it off. The one thing the Cards offense did do well: The Red Zone. They were 100% in the red zone and wasted no opportunities. The same cannot be said about the Patriots. Oh, and the Cards secondary looks pretty dang good. Just wunna give a shout out to LSU product Patrick Peterson for a RIDICULOUS interception on a tipped pass. The NFC West is looking very competitive this season...(Aliens?).
Well, it was nice knowing Stephen Gostkowski. We all know that Bill Belichick doesn't much like kickers who choke in the clutch. On a good note, Steven Ridley still ran well and if the Pats wouldn't have fallen behind I'm sure he would have had another 100 yard game. Gronk looked as usual and Welker was actually involved this game (albeit a little late). But the Pats were 1/3 in the red zone. Wasted opportunities like that will kill you. And that defense is still a bit lacking. I know last week I said they were emerging, but I'm going to hold my tongue. I still think they have a little bit of work to do.
Ok, the obvious thing for me to say is; "The Patriots would have won if Gostkowski made the FG." But theres more to it. Did anyone else notice that Belichick was very conservative in the play calling? This is unlike him. My guess: He's a bit fearful of the Cards' defense.

Tampa Bay at New York (Giants): My Prediction: 17-31; Actual Score: 34-41
This was a helluva game. For those of you who have NFL Game Replay (which I do) I suggest you watch this game. Eli Manning once again asserts himself as the Comeback King of the NFL with a nice 4th quarter comeback. I'm not going to give him too much props (he kinda put them in that situation with 3 picks), but making that kind of comeback and throwing for over 500 yards is nothing to spit at. It's nice to see that Victor Cruz does more than just drop the ball and Hakeem Nicks showed why he's the real #1 receiver on the Giants. And this guy named Andre' Brown showed up. Don't know who this guy is, but he looked better than both Ahmad Bradshaw (who left with an injury) and 1st round pick David Wilson. However, I'm still giving the defense the stink eye. They looked even less effective than they did against Dallas, especially in the secondary. They're D-Line is also not performing to their standards. Tuck, Pierre-Paul and Umenyiora are All-Pro defensive linemen. That pass rush just isn't consistent enough to me.
The Bucs have got to be frustrated on this one. The D-Line shines at some points and disappears at others and the secondary can't seem to work under pressure. I give them a pass here because of the new coach and because they shut down Carolina last week. The offense on the other hand could be so much better than it is. They have good weapons in Vincent Jackson (who actually showed up), Mike Williams, and Dallas Clark, but for some reason Josh Freeman just can't do it. I had questions about Freeman when he came out in the first round and I stick by it today. I don't think he's going to progress enough to satisfy his new head coach.
A quick side note. In the offseason I gave Greg Schiano (the Bucs head coach) serious brownie points for signing Eric Legrand to his team. But after his team purposely charged the Giant's offensive line on a QB kneel at the end of the game I'm taking them back. To make matters worse, when Coughlin got on him about it he tried to defend yourself. That's bad sportsmanship Mr. Schiano. Why don't you take your team's inappropriate attitude and stick it up your sore-losing ass. Sorry. That was unsportsmanlike of me.

Baltimore at Philadelphia: My Prediction: 24-21; Actual Score: 23-24
Ok, so the Bucs v. Giants was a good game, but this was the game of the week. How Michael Vick has all these turnovers and still wins the game is beyond me. Regardless, it appears that the Ravens' stalwart defense struggles against good TEs and WRs that are faster than their corners. Props to Brent Celek on a great game. I hope next time he calls me and lets me know he's going to light up one of the best defenses in the game (he's on my fantasy team...'s bench...). And Desean Jackson looks like he's earning his paycheck. The Eagles were also pretty dang efficient on 3rd down (46%). If Vick would stop turning over the ball the Eagles would be a much better offense. The defense looks solid. Demeco Ryans is proving his worth (6 Tackles, 1 pick, 1 sack) and the secondary is playing like they should have been last season. I think this defense is going to be the best in the NFC East, quite possibly a top 10 defense. Then again, they should have been there last season.
The Ravens have got to feel robbed. I know Baltimore fans will disagree with me, but it wasn't a fumble. I know Vick wasn't throwing the ball, you know Vick wasn't throwing the ball, Vick knows he wasn't throwing the ball, but his arm was moving forward. Poor, poor Ravens. Anyway, the moment I say "This is going to be Joe Flacco's year," he always manages to make me re-think it. I don't know what it is, but Joe just seems like he's missing something. Someone send me a message and tell me what it is. The defense is just one Vick tackle away from a victory in my view. Can I just say that the Ravens have the best safety pair in the game? Ed Reed is, well, Ed Reed and Pollard can make plays in coverage AND lay out ridiculous hits on people. Poor Ravens...just poor Ravens...

Dallas at Seattle: My Prediction: 17-14; Actual Score: 7-27
Aaaaand goodbye bandwagon Cowboys' fans! This was assumed to be an easy win after the 'Hawks barely lost against the Cardinals and 'Boys manhandled the Giants, but I had a feeling Seattle would respond well. Russell Wilson looked efficient, completing 75% of his passes with a TD and some rushing yards. I know he's not lighting it up, but he's doing what he needs to do to keep his team competitive with skill-challenged receivers. Can someone give Marshawn Lynch some skittles? That man is a monster! I love his tough running style (except when he plays the Saints in the playoffs) and his explosion. And I know Pete Carroll loves it too. The defense looks nice as well. I predicted that the Seahawks' defense would be in the top 10 this season. I stick by it. That secondary is pretty dang good. Ask Tony Romo. By the way, did anyone see that hit Golden Tate gave to Sean Lee?! Oh my goodness! I didn't think a 5' 9" receiver could sit so hard. Hell, I think he hit Sean Lee harder than I've seen any Notre Dame product hit anyone since...well...ever. On the not so bright side, he's going to be getting a letter in the mail from Goodell.
I didn't know how long it would take the Cowboy's inconsistency to hit, but it looks like it decided to come early this season. Romo did not look comfortable for most of the game and DeMarco Murray just never really got rolling. Then again, that line is so bad I'm not surprised. Dallas has, arguably, the best group of skill position players in the NFL but they're line is one of the worst. I think I know what they're going to be addressing in the draft. Just kidding. It's gonna be a new QB when the Cowboys don't make the playoffs (oops...spoiler alert). That defense needs to work on its tackling. I saw a lot of broken tackles, bad angles, and just poor play. Rob Ryan can't be happy about this. I don't care if you're corners are awesome. If you can't tackle anybody up the middle then the opposing offense is going to let you cover their receivers all day.

Washington at St. Louis: My Prediction: 24-17; Actual Score: 28-31
Nice game for both teams here. The Rams have made leaps and bounds in improving every aspect of their game. Their offense looks efficient with Sam Bradford leading the way and their defense has stepped it up, especially newly acquired Cortland Finnegan. Bradford was extremely efficient, completing 74% of his passes for 310 yards and 3 TDs. They also compiled 151 yards on the ground with a rookie named Daryl Richardson leading the way (an heir to Steven Jackson's throne? He has the hair for it!). Danny Amendola looked like an All-Pro receiver as well, gaining 160 yards and a TD. I never thought I would ever have "Danny Amendola" and "All-Pro receiver" in the same sentence. Just to put the icing on the cake, this offense was 7/12 on 3rd downs (58%). This is all against a defense which stifled an offensive juggernaut, known as the New Orleans Saints, just a week ago. If the Rams can give Bradford an actual receiver who's a consistent threat with good size, the Rams could be a strong offensive team. But as much as the offense has improved, the defense has grown even more. The Rams were becoming a tough defense last year, but Jeff Fisher's defensive genius has elevated it to another level. Cortland Finnegan is looking good in both pass coverage (2 INTs in the last 2 games) and the run game. James Laurinaitis is still dominating in the middle and newly acquired LB Jo-Lunn Dunbar is making a name for himself. At this point, I can only see this defense getting better throughout the defense. On a quick side note, since when did all these NFC West teams get such dominant defenses?
Dear Redskins fans: You need to find Josh Morgan, beat him, and tar and feather him. I don't care what any player does or says to you. YOU DO NOT THROW A BALL AT A PLAYER AT ANYTIME, BUT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR TEAM IS TRYING TO WIN/TIE UP THE GAME WITH ITS LAST DRIVE. For those of you who don't know, throwing a football at somebody after the play is a personal foul. For those of you who don't know, personal fouls are bad (mmmmkay). Yes, I know Finnegan is a douchebag (pardon my inner Terrell Suggs) but you still can't do that. I still give props to RGIII and the gang for a good game. Griffin still looks to be making an easy transition into the NFL with the help of Mike Shanahan's offensive strategy and the rookie RB Alfred Morris. Griffin shouldn't hang his head on this loss. He was in a position to at least tie up the game before Morgan decided to be an idiot. The defense still looked solid as well. They get consistent pressure on the QB (or at least did) and the whole team constantly flocks to the ball. Not to mention, they still produced 3 turnovers. A shout out to London Fletcher, who at 37 (and 5' 9") can still play like a madman (6 TKLs, 1 INT, 1 FF). On a not-so-bright side, it looks like Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, the team's premier pass rushers, are facing season-ending injuries. This is devastating to say the least. Still, don't let this get you down 'Skins fans. Your team is going to be just fine.

New York (Jets) at Pittsburgh: My Prediction: 10-30; Actual Score: 10-27
Damn...so close again. So much for all the Jets hype. I'll admit I was impressed by Sanchez's opening game but I knew it wouldn't last for long, at least not against a Dick LeBeau defense. The Steelers played with some intense animosity out there. The Steelers have always been a physical team but I think they were still a little pissed about getting decimated by Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. In fact, they were almost a little too physical...but I'll get to that later. The Steeler's passing game was one word: Efficient. Ben Roethlisburger has the best of both worlds in his receiving corps: Size and speed. Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown torched the Jet's vaunted secondary and consistently gave Big Ben open targets. However, the run game was non-existent. This is to be expected against a Rex Ryan defense, but I think the loss of Rashard Mendenhall is much more profound than people believe. Still, the offense is moving along just fine right now. This is normally where I compliment the defense, but there's really no need. I'll save my compliments for when they play a team that is more formidable.
Well it looks like the real Mark Sanchez is back and at it again. Completing 37% of your passes is generally frowned upon in the NFL, but I can't really blame him. His run game was nonexistent and his best receiver the last two weeks has been Jeremy Kerley. It's only a matter of time before Santonio Holmes starts chewing Sanchez out again and creates another distraction. So sad. On the bright side, Tebow had a good run. Maybe they should let him do that more often. Not throw. Just run. Anyway, the defense looks a lot worse when Darrelle Revis isn't there. Let's hope he has a speedy return. The defense can still stop the run without him, but those blitz packages don't look nearly as creative, or effective, when Revis island isn't around.
I just wanted to say that both these teams are very physical every time they play. But it seemed like both teams were being a little too rough, especially on passing plays. I kind of like the idea of the refs just letting the game play, but there might want to be a little more attention here.

Titans at Chargers: My Prediction: 14-31; Actual Score: 10-38
Well Phillip Rivers is having a rather good start to his season while Jake Locker is struggling as a starter. Rivers is much improved since his atrocious season in 2011. Him and Malcolm Floyd are in-sync with each other and Jackie Battle appeared to provide a solid running game...this week. I still have questions about the Chargers' defense, who has looked only average against two teams who have failed offensively. I suppose I'll have to wait until the Chargers play the Broncos to see what they can really do.
Meanwhile, the Titans' woes are only growing worse. CJ2K continues to be a non-factor (much to the dismay of my fantasy football team...) and Locker is having some growing pains. I thought CJ2K would struggle this season, but I thought Locker would be better than this. He hasn't played overly difficult defenses and should be more prepared. I wouldn't be surprised to see Matt Hasselback take back the reigns for a little while. But to be fair, where was Kenny Britt? You're the star receiver, you need to get involved in the game. All these receivers don't look so hot to me, but Kendall Wright has some upside. The defense isn't looking too bad though. I liked the way they rushed the passer in the preseason and they're consistently getting pressure now (4 sacks, 3 FF). Outside of Michael Griffin, though, the secondary isn't looking so great. I think the Titans miss Cortland Finnegan a lot more than they thought they would. Now all they really have is Jason McCourty, and he's only average or so. With that being said, can someone give Michael Griffin a raise? 16 tackles in a game? He's have to make up for all the corners who let their receivers run past them. Get that man a new contract.

Detroit at San Francisco: My Prediction: 20-24. Actual Score: 19-27
Can I just say I was very sad that there wasn't a fight between Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh? Oh well. Unsurprisingly, the 49ers completely stifled the Lions' offensive attack. Limiting the Lions to only 296 net yards is certainly an accomplishment. The best part about the defense is that its seamless. There is no weakness, from the D-Line, to the LBs, to the CBs, to the Safeties, its all flawless. Shutting down both the Packers and Lions in two weeks is nothing short of exceptional. Meanwhile the offense has taken new life. Alex Smith is starting to prove that he deserved the #1 overall pick back in 2005 and is efficiently making throws to players who are not named Vernon Davis (though he is being targeted a lot too). I also love the way Frank Gore is running. If he can avoid getting injured this team will do just fine.
The Lions offense shouldn't hang their heads too much...OK they should but they need to stay optimistic here. Calvin Johnson made some plays but has yet to find the in-zone this season. Kevin Smith is a reliable and flexible back in this pass-first system. But the O-Line is the primary weakness of this offense. They can't block well enough for Smith and they are still struggling to keep the pressure off of Matt Stafford. The defensive line of this team looks great. Suh is arguably the best aggressive 4-3 DT in the game right now (when he's not suspended) and, with the help of Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch, get great pressure on the QB. But it looks like the Lions' D-Line isn't able to recognize when its a pass and when its a run, thus leaving huge holes for the RBs. To make things worse, the LB corps doesn't give them that much support and the secondary can't even average receivers. This defense still has some work to do. The thing I'm waiting to see is how Schwartz keeps his team focused. We all know the Lions have discipline problems. Can Schwartz keep them from falling into a slump and keep them in contention with the rest of the NFC North? Remember, every single team in their division is 1-1 right now. They need to stay competitive.

Denver at Atlanta: My Prediction: 28-14; Actual Score: 21-27
I'm gonna say that the Broncos did more to lose this game than the Falcons did to win it. However, Atlanta looked strong in some areas. Roddy White proved that he hasn't been replaced by Julio Jones...yet...and can still show up in key moments. However, he and Tony Gonzales were the only offensive players to really show up. Michael Turner, for the second week in a row, had a sub-par game and the explosive Julio Jones was locked down for most of the game. With that being said, I think this offense does well when the defense plays well. My question is: What's the offense going to do when they need points quick and can't use this "dink and dunk" system they've been using thus far. I don't know if Matt Ryan can execute those throws down the field when the Falcons need it most. I'm really going to sound like a Falcons hater (not arguing it) by saying this, but the defense was only good, not great. Peyton Manning handed two of those interceptions over on a silver platter (I'll have more on that later) and the defense seemed to slow down towards the end of the game. However, the thing they did do well was stop the Broncos on third down in key situations. I give them props for that. They stepped up when it counted. While the Falcons are, currently, the most consistent team in the NFC South, I'm not going to crown them just yet.
If Peyton Manning throws one less pick, of Moreno doesn't fumble that ball, or if Eric Decker didn't recover that fumble for the Falcons (no, you read that correctly) then the Broncos could have won this game easily. I'm going to dissect Manning's INTs real quick: 1st one) Great play by the Falcons DB. I didn't even think that guy could get it; 2nd one) Good read, bad throw. Decker was wide open on that corner route...if you don't under throw him there; 3rd one) Bad throw. Just plain and simple. I don't know how he thought he could force that one in. Anyway, besides that the offense for Denver looks good. Willis McGahee is showing he still has skills for an old man and Decker and Demaryius Thomas look stellar (great catch by Thomas, by the way). The defense looks good as well. Tracy Porter was a huge addition for the Broncos and Von Miller is still showing why he was defensive rookie of the year. I see this team going far, especially in a division that is just plain bad.
On a BIG side note, the officiating in this game was GHASTLY. And I don't mean the Pokemon (trademarked, not by me). I mean they were just terrible. The phantom pass interference call, taking 20 minutes to decide who recovered a fumble, and then somehow giving that recovery to the Falcons when it was abundantly clear Eric Decker had it. This game had garbage officiating all over the place. Missed holding calls, wrong penalties, wrong spotting, all over the place. If I were the NFL Office I would call the old refs in, pay the Drew Brees type money, and get them back on the field. It's been an ugly 2 weeks and I have a feeling its about to get a lot uglier.

So, this week my record was 7-9, bringing my overall record to 17-15. So far, not so good. But hey, 19 teams in the NFL are currently .500, I'm still doing better than them!

Later today or tomorrow I'll be releasing my picks and my power rankings for Week 3. This season has been full of surprises it's just heating up. I can't wait.

Thanks for reading guys.

Juris Doctor. Out.