Arizona at Jacksonville
The Cardinals vaunted aerial attack was grounded in Week 1. When healthy, they have the players to pressure the Jacksonville secondary. The injuries to receivers Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston hurt Arizona last week, and the offense suffered. Boldin should play better, and Breaston, may or may not be activated this week. This hurts Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, because the Jaguars can focus their energy on stopping him. Flying in from the West Coast to play 1pm EST game, only hurts them. Teams that fly from the West Coast to the East Coast to play the earlier game have a tendency to lose.
Jacksonville played from well last week in Indianapolis. Their defensive front impressed me the pressure they consistently put on Peyton Manning. I can see Maurice Jones-Drew having a big game, gashing their the Arizona front.
I'm a big believer in the West Coast flying cross-country and lose at 1pm EST theory. I see the Super Bowl runner up at 0-2. Final Score: 16-7 Jacksonville.
Seattle at San Francisco
This a big game for both teams as first place in the division on the line. The 49er's defensive front will make it tough for Julius Jones to be effective, so Matt Hasselbeck has to have a big game for them to win. I can see it happening, though the injury to Wide Receiver TJ Houshmandzahdeh could slow them down. Wide Receivers Nate Burleson, Deion Branch, and rookie Deon Butler, and Tight End John Carlson have to pick it up, if Houshmandzhdeh cannot play. Also, their defense is banged up, and will miss the presence of Linebacker Leroy Hill.
The 49ers have played inspired football since Mike Singletary took over as Coach last season. Linebacker Patrick Willis will lead the attack, should make Jones ineffective when he runs it for Seattle. With Hill out and Lofa Totupu injured, I can see Frank Gore having a big day running the ball.
This will be a hard-fought game, but in the end Hasselbeck will make enough plays to win the game for Seattle. Final score: 21-17 Seattle.
Tampa Bay at Buffalo
The Bucs have a very proficient running game, and if they control the clock, they'll keep the Bills offense off the field. Against the Patriots, the Bills showed they were vulnerable against the Tight End running seem routes and skinny posts, so expect Kellen Winslow Jr. to have a big game. Their defense needs to improve against long pass plays to have a shot to win this one on the road.
Buffalo had many efficient drives against New England, and were a Special Teams gaffe away from stealing that game. They have the receivers in Terrell Owens and Lee Evans to exploit the secondary the way Dallas did to Tampa Bay last week.
I see Buffalo running away with this one, and unfortunately a happy TO. He should have a big game. Final score: 31-13 Buffalo.
Pittsburgh at Chicago
The defending Super Bowl champs need to improve their offensive line play, if they want to get their running game going against the Bears. The line allowed too much penetration 10 days ago to get the runners in rhythm. The passing game was outstanding against Tennessee, and I suspect that will continue this week, if the run game can't get started. The Steelers biggest strength is additional preparation time for this game. Their biggest weakness is the defense is playing without its best player in Troy Palomalou.
Chicago had the misfortune to lose its best defensive player in Brian Urlacher for the season. Quarterback Jay Cutler was lousy last week, as he tried to force the ball too much into coverage. Against the Steelers, that approach won't work either. The Titans threw the ball effectively, once Palomalou was injured, to their receivers. I can Devin Hester and Earl Bennett having solid games this week.
In the end, giving the Champs that much time to prepare is an egregious advantage to them. The Cutler era begins at 0-2. Final score 20-10 Pittsburgh.
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