2012 NFL Predictions: Regular Season Week 2

Last week was a rough one on my predictions. In the games worth 2 points on The All-Sports Crew, I went 0-5, while I went 9-2 in all other games. Hopefully this week I do a little better.

So let’s get to my picks and then I’ll note my Games to Watch:

	Game	Puff’s Pick
Thurs., 8:20 pm	Chicago @ Green Bay	Green Bay Packers
Sun., 1:00 pm	Tampa Bay @ NY Giants	New York Giants
	Oakland @ Miami	Oakland Raiders
	Houston @ Jacksonville	Houston Texans
	Cleveland @ Cincinnati	Cincinnati Bengals
	Kansas City @ Buffalo	Kansas City Chiefs
	Baltimore @ Philadelphia	Baltimore Ravens
	New Orleans @ Carolina	New Orleans Saints
	Arizona @ New England	New England Patriots
	Minnesota @ Indianapolis	Indianapolis Colts
Sun., 4:05 pm	Washington @ St. Louis	Washington Redskins
	Dallas @ Seattle	Dallas Cowboys
Sun., 4:25 pm	NY Jets @ Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh Steelers
	Tennessee @ San Diego	San Diego Chargers
Sun., 8:20 pm	Detroit @ San Francisco	San Francisco 49ers
Mon., 8:30 pm	Denver @ Atlanta	Denver Broncos

	Puff on the NFL
Week 2 Record	8-8
Current Season Record	17-15

Games to Watch (Predicted winners in Bold)

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012, 8:20pm – Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers

If for no other reason, you should find this matchup intriguing because it is the greatest NFL rivalry of all time. You could make an argument, and I in fact would, for the Ravens/Steelers rivalry being the best NFL rivalry of the past several years. But I hold that this is the best of all time.

The Packers are looking to avoid going 0-2 to start the season, and their defense has a lot to prove. The Bears are solid on offense, and their defense isn’t too shabby either. I’ve got the Packers, but this will, as always, be a fun game to watch, and it could go either way. Momentum swings will be key to watch in this matchup.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, 1:00pm – Baltimore Ravens @ Philadelphia Eagles

Honestly, I’m not sure that this will be that close of a game. Baltimore dominated a decent team this past week, and I don’t think the Eagles are more than a step past decent after their outing against Cleveland in Week 1. However, this game is worth watching simply because we can get to see whether Flacco looks as good in Episode 2 as he did in the 2012 premier.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, 1:00pm – New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers

The Panthers lost to the Buccaneers, a team they were heavily favored to beat. The Saints lost to the Redskins, a semi-unknown who the Saints will nonetheless favored to take care of in the Superdome. Neither team wants to start 0-2 in a division currently controlled by the Falcons.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, 4:05pm – Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams

I’m a Redskins fan, so this is a game I have to watch. That’s why this game is on this list. That and, of course, everyone needs to get another dose of RGIII. He is already the first rookie quarterback to win an offensive player of the week award in his debut. Can he challenge for a second in a row to kick off his career?

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, 4:25pm – New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Are the Jets pretenders? I think so, but we’ll have to wait until Sunday afternoon to see what Sanchez & Co. have to say about that. In the mean time, Pittsburgh is coming off a disappointing performance against the Broncos. Give credit where it’s due, Manning and his receivers were in sync and Denver’s defense came up big every time it counted most. But tell that to the Steelers. They still don’t like it.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, 8:20pm – Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers

The battle of the Jims – Schwartz vs Harbaugh, Part 2! Last time we had ‘The Slap,’ and the 49ers are known for sequels (see The Catch, The Catch II, The Catch III). All kidding aside, the Lions had a lot of disciplinary trouble this offseason, and it’s only a matter of time before it catches up to them. They almost lost to St. Louis. And the 49ers have improved since last season! Watch out. This isn’t your childhood 49ers (for all you 90’s kids like me out there).

Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, 8:30pm – Denver Broncos @ Atlanta Falcons

Of course there’s Peyton Manning. He’ll make the Broncos worth watching all season if he stays healthy (it still feels strange putting a conditional in that sentence). But this game is even more interesting. It’s being played on Monday Night Football, and last week’s top fantasy scoring option at QB is facing Manning. No, it wasn’t Aaron Rodgers or Michael Vick – Matt Ryan lead all fantasy quarterbacks in Atlanta’s own salsa dance over the Kansas City Chiefs.

My first entry in this week’s Games to Watch serves as my preview for tonight’s game. Stay tuned for recaps of this week’s games. Thanks for reading and enjoy the second week of the season!