Great reviews on the first two weeks of the Who’s Winning article series, so Lienesch and I are keeping this going. Still no specific mentions for predictions of Thursday and Monday games. We’ll just keep those working into our predictions of other games.
And all those picks we made… How’d we do all together?
Pigskin Pig – 8 correct; 6 wrong
Bryan Lienesch – 11 correct; 3 wrong
Pigskin Pig – Instead of letting Lienesch gloat about the great win he had, I’ll say that he whupped my tail last week. It’s all good, though, ’cause right about now we’re learning which teams are good and which teams aren’t. Roll out, Week 3…
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens
Pigskin Pig – I wanted to say that this is the feature game of the week, but both teams have been a bit suspect of their should-be “top tier” status. I’m not saying they’re pretenders, but the Ravens aren’t looking like the same team that won the Super Bowl. I’m talking less about what happened against the Broncos and more about the game with the Browns. I’ll give the Ravens a pass, but with Ray Rice sidelined, I’m not loving their chances. I’ll go with Houston this week, even though I think Bernard Pierce could do a decent job for the Ravens.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – It’s okay, you can say this is the feature game of the week because there aren’t that many juggernaut match ups. Houston is undefeated but Baltimore is at home. I don’t think we can read too much into the Ravens getting walloped by Denver becuase, well, Denver is just that damn good. If I were setting the line for this game, I’d make it a straight-up pick ’em. And since I now have to do just that, I’ll pick Houston.
New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers
Pigskin Pig – Given whatever expectations the New York Giants probably had for themselves before the season started, they’re not living up to it. Losing to a divisional opponent Cowboys in Dallas? No big deal. Losing to the Denver Broncos? That’s something that most teams are going to do this season, if not all of them. The Panthers came close to beating the Seahawks and Bills in their games, but I don’t see them beating the Giants, either.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – Victor Cruz made headlines when he said this game is a must-win. Is that why they looked so awful the first two weeks? Were those NOT must-win games? I guess we’ll see if that makes a difference this week. Simply put, this is New York’s game to lose. But I don’t think that happens and Coughlin’s face can turn back a few shades of red for at least a week.
Detroit Lions @ Washington Redskins
Pigskin Pig – I don’t imagine the Redskins are continue to be a team that looks vastly different in the first half than they do in the second half of a game, and so I think this will be a shoot-out that the Redskins should get the best of Detroit. I just don’t like the way the Lions lost to Arizona, bottom line.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – Washington has the expectations as the defending division champs to contend with. If the Redskins drop this game, things could get real ugly in Washington real fast. I think we’re past that point in the Shanahan regime so I’ll say Washington by a score in a high-scoring affair.
San Diego Chargers @ Tennessee Titans
Pigskin Pig – I weighed everything I could see about this game, and I’m having a hard time figuring who to pick here. I’m struggling to take the Chargers for real, but I think even less of the Titans, so I’ll go with San Diego, even if they are on the road.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – The real battle here is going to be San Diego’s offense versus Tennessee’s defense. The Chargers are putting up 400 yards of offense per game but allowing 480. Tennessee, on the other hand, is stingier on both sides of the ball. The one thing Tennessee has been good at is controlling the clock. If Chris Johnson can get going, they’ll be the last team with the ball. And in a close game, that’s what puts Tennessee over the top.
Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints
Pigskin Pig – I don’t even really need to look up too much about this one, because I think the Saints are just the far superior team. The Cardinals are going to be competitive in their next two games, but not here.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – Every surprise team at the beginning of the season eventually gets a wake-up call. Enter New Orleans, who’ll remind Arizona just how hard it ACTUALLY is to win games in the NFL. Maybe Arizona keepsit close, or maybe the Saints run away with it. Either way, there’s little doubt as to who the winner is.
“Yeah, I wish you were one of my receivers, too.”
Tampa Bay Bucs @ New England Patriots
Pigskin Pig – Don’t pay too much attention to the fact that Tampa played the Saints close last week. That’s a division game, and those sometimes go sideways. This is a Bucs team that lost to the Jets, and they’re playing in New England. The Patriots aren’t as good as they once were, but as the season goes on, they’ll progress nicely.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – This is sort of the ultimate comparison. You have one team who didn’t vote their quarterback as a team captain versus a futute Hall of Famer who is trying desperately to rally his troops around him. The Patriots offense is struggling, but their defense should buy them the time they need to figure things out in this one. Sort of like what happened against the Jets, I suppose, and I see a similar final score in this one.
Green Bay Packers @ Cincinnati Bengals
Pigskin Pig – The Bengals haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire, and I think the Packers have the potential to keep throwing big numbers on the scoreboard. I don’t think they’ll go huge over the Bengals, but Green Bay should win.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – Are you ready for this, Pigskin Pig? Here comes my Lee Corso because…NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND! These two teams are 1-1. What else do they have in common? They lost on the road. So, who’s at home in this one? The Bengals are and, for as good as the Packers offense has looked, Cincinnati has looked dominant at times on BOTH sides of the ball. Their defense keeps the scoring in this one in check and the Bengals win a close one.
St Louis Rams @ Dallas Cowboys
Pigskin Pig – I kinda like what the Rams are able to do out there, especially against a tough team like Atlanta. Dallas didn’t impress me yet in their first two games, so I can’t pick them to win here. St Louis takes another step forward.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – This Dallas team has some obvious problems, but they’ve played like who they are: a middle-tier team. That’s exactly what the Rams are no matter how well they played against Atlanta. So what happens in this one? St. Louis keeps it close again, but they lose their second straight game on the road. And Dallas, at least temporarily, goes back above .500
Cleveland Browns @ Minnesota Vikings
Pigskin Pig – Even if the Browns hadn’t sold off their best player, it would be tough to pick them in this game. Their defense might be impressing me a little bit, but it’s not enough. They won’t beat the Vikings.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – The Browns called it quits on 2013 about two weeks into the season, an impressive feat even by Browns standards. Minnesota and the other 31 NFL teams haven’t pulled the plug yet which is why the Vikings will win.
“Wait, Ogbonnaya, you’re still the Browns runningback!”
Atlanta Falcons @ Miami Dolphins
Pigskin Pig – There are some teams that I’m coming around to being a believer in, and while I’m not there YET with the Dolphins, the next three weeks are going to be a good test of what they’re capable of doing. Until then, I’ll go with Atlanta this time around.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – Like the Chiefs, I warned at the beginning of the season that this Miami team wasn’t to be taken lightly. Not only are they undefeated through two weeks, but they won both games on the road. This is their home opener and I REALLY want to pick them, but I just can’t read too much into what has happened these first couple weeks. Atlanta is the better team and I’m counting on that to prevail in this one.
Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
Pigskin Pig – I’m not a believer in the Jets, and while the Buffalo Bills seem to be a little bit of a blind spot for me, I will break my trend and go with them to win this week.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – I keep going back and forth in this one. On one hand, I, as Pigskin Pig can attest, was one of the founding members of the Don’t-Sleep-On-Buffalo-This-Year Club. That being said, I too have seemingly had a blind spot and it is the New York Jets. They haven’t been the train wreck I expected thus far and they’re at home in this one. Still, I can’t jump ship now that I have finally shown Pigskin Pig the light. Bills pull out a squeaker.
Lienesch supports the Bills, but I prefer the Buffalo Jills
Indianapolis Colts @ San Francisco 49ers
Pigskin Pig – Although I didn’t like what I saw from San Francisco against the Seahawks, I won’t hold it against them too hard. The Colts got a star running back, but he’s not up to speed there just yet, and when you mix that with the lackluster games I’ve seen of Indy so far, I’m going with the 49ers in this one.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – People are going to want to read too much into the last few days. Yes, the 49ers looked dreadful in Seattle. Yes, the Colts have a new franchise running back. But how much does that change the fact that no one wins in Seattle and the Colts just lost to Miami in their own dome? I really don’t think they have what it takes to fly out West and upset the Niners. San Francisco gets back on track in Week 3.
Pigskin Pig – Plus I think it’s good to note that a lot of what makes Andrew Luck successful can be attributed to his college coach… who’s standing across the field from him this week. Somebody knows your weaknesses and strengths and has a good defense at their disposal? That’s not good news for Andrew Luck and the Colts.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahawks
Pigskin Pig – I’m not sure the Jaguars are going to do much of anything against the Seahawks, who are the far superior team.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – Yeah, college football yesterday was all about football’s elite beating up on the powder puffs and I expect it to continue here. We may ultimately look back at the end of the season and decide this Seahawks blowout was the most one-sided game of the season.
Pigskin Pig – Any time we can work “powder puffs” into this article in a week, I think that’s a measure of success on our part.
Chicago Bears @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Pigskin Pig – I’m not feeling good about the Steelers so far, and although I know any given Sunday, a team like the Steelers should be able to make it happen, they’re still trying to put together their run game. I’ll go with the Bears.
Bryan Lienesch (@bclienesch) – You win a couple of football games, and all of the sudden people stop joking about you have a Canadian Football League coach. Where’s the fun in that? Listen, the Bears are 2-0 because they had two games at home that they won by a collective four points. I know better than to bet against Mike Tomlin righting the ship in Pittsburgh and this is the Steelers’ Battle of the Bulge. Except, they’ll actually make a stand AND win. Both teams get rid of goose eggs in columns where they shouldn’t have one. Call this game a regression towards the average.
Monday Night Football? Ha.
Pigskin Pig – I’m not going to predict this game where the Raiders go to Denver, but I’m not sure that I have to predict it.
This week, maybe we’ll do a bigger recap article together, or maybe we just wait until next week and do this whole “Who’s Winning” thing all over again for the Sunday games. Until then, you should follow Bryan on Twitter (@bclienesch), as you might’ve seen the links above… and if you want, you can follow me too (@PigskinPig), because I am remembering to get on there on Sundays, at least for now.
