NFL Picks and Predictions

Week one certainly has shaken up the power rankings for week two, that is for sure. Some things have stayed the same of course, and it is unsure if some that were picked high can recover. We will see over the course of the NFL football season. Here are the power rankings for week two of the NFL football season. (keep in mind these are before the games in week two)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers stay on top after a week one win over an impressive Titans squad.

2. New England Patriots – The Patriots hold onto number two, but only by the skin of their teeth. They need some work on defense for sure.

3. NY Giants – The Giants have proven their mettle, but face a serious test in Big D during week two.

4. New Orleans Saints – With Brees throwing like that, the Saints have the chance to do something special. Can the defense hold up?

5. Philadelphia Eagles – Will McNabb return and be effective?

6. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts are kind of uncertain, but Manning has them right back in the mix.

7. Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan is the real deal, folks. So is that Atlanta defense.

8. Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings looked sharp, and with Adrian Peterson in the backfield, there is no ceiling here.

9. Dallas Cowboys – The boys have Romo comfortable again. That could be bad news for the rest of the NFC.

10. San Diego Chargers – Still dangerous in spite of a lackluster week one win over the Raiders.

The rest…..

11. Baltimore Ravens
12. Green Bay Packers
13. Seattle Seahawks
14. NY Jets
15. Tennessee Titans
16. Chicago Bears
17. San Francisco Niners
18. Denver Broncos
19. Arizona Cardinals
20. Buffalo Bills
21. Houston Texans
22. Washington Redskins
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Carolina Panthers
26. Tampa Bay Bucs
27. Oakland Raiders
28. Miami Dolphins
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Kansas City Chiefs
31. St Louis Rams
32. Detroit Lions

Going into week one I thought I would rank the NFL teams in the order I see them going into the season. This is a tough thing to do prior to the regular season, because nobody knows how certain players will fit in with new NFL teams and so on. Still, it will be a weekly thing that I do throughout the 2009 NFL football season. Here are my power rankings for week one:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers – Until someone proves otherwise, they are the champs.

2. New England Patriots – The Pats seem primed to return to glory.

3. San Diego Chargers – The fact they are finally healthy has the Charger fans in a tizzy.

4. NY Giants – Can they replace Plax? Some think not.

5. Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles are exciting again, but they must show they can be consistent.

6. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts are always a threat with Peyton Manning. Even if Dungy is gone.

7. Carolina Panthers – The Panthers have a three headed rushing monster now with hotshot rookie Mike Goodson.

8. Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings need to put up or shut up now. They have the quarterback they said they needed.

9. Tennessee Titans – The Titans find a way to be there every year. This year should be no different.

10. Chicago Bears – The Bears are sort of like the Vikings here. They now have a quarterback. What are they gonna do with him?

The rest…..

11. Atlanta Falcons
12. Baltimore Ravens
13. Arizona Cardinals
14. Green Bay Packers
15. Dallas Cowboys
16. Miami Dolphins
17. Seattle Seahawks
18. Houston Texans
19. New Orleans Saints
20. Buffalo Bills
21. NY Jets
22. Washington Redskins
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Denver Broncos
26. Tampa Bay Bucs
27. Oakland Raiders
28. St Louis Rams
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Kansas City Chiefs
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Detroit Lions

While certainly these rankings are a work in progress, they are the way I see the NFL shaking down as of right now. Feel free to share your picks or thoughts in the comments below.

Finally the dress rehearsals are over. Week One of NFL football is upon us.  No more Sunday afternoon wishing, and no more guessing about who is good and bad.  This week we will begin to find out which NFL teams are for real, and which NFL teams are just playing for a draft pick.  We welcome you to NFL picks and predictions if you are a new visitor, and we hope you will sign up for our weekly NFL picks. We have a long and storied history of success, and this year will be no different. Without further ado, here are the Free 2009 NFL Week One Picks and Predictions:

THU, SEP 10

2009 Week One NFL Matchup – Tennessee at Pittsburgh

What a heavy weight matchup to have at this time of year.  Every season we see what might be a preview of a conference final in week one, and this certainly qualifies. Both teams have their share of supporters for a Super Bowl visit, and both are highly talented. The difference here is that Pittsburgh is at home.  Big Ben and the boys will be riding high after this Thursday night match up. A week one loss for the Titans is nothing to worry about.  They will make it back soon enough.

Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers

SUN, SEP 13

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Miami at Atlanta

This game highlights two teams who have spent a great deal of time proving others wrong during the last year.  The Dolphins came from nowhere to win the division from the Patriots (albeit with Brady hurt) and the Falcons turned a team led by a rookie quarterback into a winner.  They are both in position to continue their improvement, but Atlanta seems more ready to me.  With the addition of Tony Gonzalez, the Falcons are an offensive juggernaut. I expect the wildcat will give them some fits here and there, but they will win at home in the end.

Winner – Atlanta Falcons

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Denver at Cincinnati

The Denver Broncos have been in major turmoil this past off season. The loss of Jay Cutler and the controversy surrounding Brandon Marshall have left the squad in a mess. With Cincinnati, it is all about second chances (sometimes third, fourth, and fifth as well). Carson Palmer, Ochocinco, and Mr. trouble Chris Henry are all trying to make a comeback of sorts.  Palmer is back after injuries yet again.  Ocho is trying to prove he is still an elite receiver (and kicker?) and Henry is trying to prove he can still play at this level without getting into trouble.  Henry has been incredibly impressive this preseason, and the Bengals are excited.  With that, I am picking an upset this week for this game.  The Bengals will get off to a great start at home.

Winner – Cincinnati Bengals

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Minnesota at Cleveland

The Brett Favre era begins….This game will get a lot of press and rightfully so.  The problem is that the game will not be decided by Brett Favre.  The game will be decided by Adrian Peterson and that Vikings defense.  This one should be ugly, though Cleveland might put up a fight.  I think the biggest mistake they made in Cleveland this season is waiting so long to name the quarterback for their team.  The Browns could have really used a month of playing with the same quarterback for continuity.  We will see where that leads them. This week it will be a loss, but I think Cleveland will show improvements this season over all.

Winner – Minnesota Vikings

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Jacksonville at Indianapolis

The Jaguars had a really odd preseason looking great in one week and terrible in another. The Colts are in a bit of a mixed up season as well without the leadership of long time coach Dungy.  Expect that the Colts will get better at home, and quickly with Manning leading the way.

Winner – Indianapolis Colts

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Detroit at New Orleans

This game is one that is fascinating on several fronts.  For one, the Lions are trying to break one heck of a losing streak, and have some peices in place that might just do it.  Second, the Saints are in dire need of getting off to a hot start playing in the up and coming NFC South. They can ill afford to get behind early like the last couple of seasons. Carolina and Atlanta are far too good for that.  This game will be won by the Saints with Drew Brees passing for over 300 yards at a minimum.

Winner – New Orleans Saints

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Dallas at Tampa Bay

Dallas really needs to win this opening match up against the Bucs.  They are entering a win or else year for head coach Wade Phillips regardless of what Jerry Jones says publicly.  This game will be a very interesting mix of running backs.  For Dallas you have the three headed monster of Felix Jones, Marion Barber, and Tashard Choice.  For the Bucs you have former Giant Derrick Ward.  You might be surprised who actually wins the match up.  Upset alert right here.

Winner – Tampa Bay Bucs

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Philadelphia at Carolina

This game is a very tough call.  Philly looks awfully strong, and the Panthers have not lost at home in over a year.  The Panthers also have not unveiled even a little of that rushing attack from a year ago due to Stewart being out with injuries.  He is back now and fully healed, and that is bad news for the rest of the NFL.  Throw in the electric Mike Goodson and you have a rushing attack that is second to nobody.  I give the Panthers the win due to being at home, a superior running attack, and DeAngelo Williams being healthy.

Winner – Carolina Panthers

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Kansas City at Baltimore

This game will be ugly from start to finish. The Chiefs have no chance whatsoever to penetrate the Ravens D.  This game will be a blowout.

Winner – Baltimore Ravens

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - NY Jets at Houston

Quietly, the Houston Texans have built one hell of a football team.  They won regularly last year at the end of the season, and they look ready to continue that trend.  The Jets have hot shot new quarterback Mark Sanchez and little else.  I expect that the Texans will win this one due to a more balanced attack but I expect big things from Sanchez.  He has that look of a future NFL star.

Winner – Houston Texans

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Washington at NY Giants

You got to love the NFC East.  The Giants and the Redskins.  This is what Sunday afternoon football is all about.  Unfortunately this season, the Giants are much more ready to win than the Redskins.  The Skins will put up a fight as always in these matchups, but the Giants will win this one going away.

Winner – NY Giants

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - San Francisco at Arizona

Too much airpower in play here for Arizona.  The Cardinals will win this one in a laugher.

Winner – Arizona Cardinals

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - St. Louis at Seattle

Now this is the real NFC West match up this week.  The Rams are not as bad as some might have you think, and the Seahawks are sporting new players all  over the field.  It seems that the Rams drew a pretty good matchup this week and will get out with a win to start their rebuilding season.  The Seahawks will have all kinds of trouble with Steven Jackson.

Winner – St Louis Rams

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Chicago at Green Bay

The best game of the week will be played in Green Bay.  This game is going to be a slobberknocker of all time proportions.  In case you did not notice, Aaron Rodgers has become a pretty fine NFL quarterback in spite of the naysayers.  Jay Cutler will get to enter the NFC with a bang with this one.  How would you like this to be your first game with a new team?  Cutler will shine brightly this first week, and it could be the start of a huge year in Chicago.

Winner – Chicago Bears

MON, SEP 14

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - Buffalo at New England

New England is about to explode.  Look out below in Buffalo.

Winner : New England

Tiebreaker Score:  New England 32   Buffalo 14

2009 Week One NFL Matchup - San Diego at Oakland

The Chargers are ready to break out this season as they finally have all their parts in place.  The Raiders are close, but not their yet.  Expect the Chargers to win this one, but in a much closer game than you would expect.

Winner – San Diego Chargers

Tiebreaker Score – San Diego Chargers 28  Oakland Raiders 17

Season Record – 0-0

The 2009 NFL preseason is off and running and things are beginning to get interesting.  Unfortuantely, my week one NFL preseason predictions were a mediocre 9-8.  Call it rust, or call it the unpredicatable nature of NFL preseason picking.  Whatever the case, I am just getting warmed up.  Things will get better.  Without further ado, lets get into the week two NFL preseason predictions and get on with the football:

THUR, AUG 20

Cincinnati at New England - This game is one that should really be a scoring fest.  I expect that the Bengals are going to continue to try to see if Palmer is truly ready, and they might give him a few extra snaps.  The Pats are feeling awfully good about Brady and the offense after that first week.  Preseason or regular season, this one is New England all the way.

Winner – New England Patriots

Philadelphia at Indianapolis - The Eagles now have Michael Vick on board, and they surely will be tempted to sneak him in a time or two to see what he might have.  That would likely be a mistake, as he barely has taken a snap in practice.  The Colts are trying to figure out why they stunk so bad last week.  The Eagles will win this one.

Winner – Philadelphia Eagles

FRI, AUG 21

Tennessee at Dallas – The Cowboys looked about as bad as a team can look in the preseason last week, and this week I expect them to bounce back.  The Titans have been great in the preseason, but they will lose in Big D.

Winner – Dallas Cowboys

Atlanta at St. Louis – Could things get any worse for Marc Bulger and the Rams?  First they lose Donnie Avery, and now they lose Marc Bulger.  Atlanta will take advantage in this NFL matchup.

Winner – Atlanta Falcons

Kansas City at Minnesota - The Chiefs are going up agains the Minnesota Favres?  Vikings, I mean.  Brett Favre in Minnesota has the whole NFL shook up.  I think it might be a big mistake in the long run.  We will see.  The Vikings win this one going away, however.

Winner – Minnesota Vikings

SAT, AUG 22

Detroit at Cleveland – Detroit actually looks like a team that is turning the corner.  Of course when you lose every game, that corner is not hard to reach.  They will steal a win against a team that is having a major identity crisis at the moment.

Winner – Detroit Lions

Carolina at Miami – The Panthers looked horrid against the Giants, but the second teamers performed well.  Miami looked fairly solid.  I expect that the Dolphins will run their way to a win with the Panthers sitting all their stars.

Winner – Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh at Washington - The Steelers are serious contenders this year, and the Redskins look pretty bad on paper.  The formula will hold true for this game at least.

Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay at Jacksonville – The Jaguars are going to struggle a bit this year, but it wont be because of their defense.  Look for some serious excitement out of the Jags on D.  This game in particular.

Winner – Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans at Houston – The Saints will go marching all over the Texans in this NFL Preseason matchup.  It will be ugly.

Winner – New Orleans Saints

Buffalo at Green Bay – Buffalo has had their fair share of games having played two already and both games were a bit of a disappointment.  Green Bay has to be ticked off about the whole Favre thing.  They will take it out on Buffalo.

Winner – Green Bay Packers

NY Giants at Chicago – Chicago is excited about seeing how they stack up against the Giants.  I think that if Jay Cutler just throws the ball and keeps his mouth shut, they will look pretty good.  Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening after the Giant’s pass rush is all over him.

Winner – NY Giants

Oakland at San Francisco – The Raiders might just win this one if they can keep their fists out of each other’s faces.

Winner – Oakland Raiders

San Diego at Arizona – The Chargers and the Cardinals are certainly going to be a fun game to watch.  The Chargers have so many weapons, and the Cardinals have the ultimate weapons on offense.  Don’t expect a lot of defense, folks.

Winner – San Diego Chargers

Denver at Seattle – The Broncos are really struggling as expected given the loss of all pro quarterback Jay Cutler, and they are still taking baby steps.  The Seahawks are going strong now that Matt is back full strength.  This one will be a blowout.

Winner – Seattle Seahawks

MON, AUG 24

NY Jets at Baltimore – The Jets will put on a nice show with their new quarterback Mark Sanchez.  Will he be able to look so good against that Raven’s defense though?  I don’t think so.  Not yet.

Winner – Baltimore Ravens

The NFL preseason gets into full swing this week with a full slate of games.  For those of us that have been dying for some NFL action, this week is like a football dream come true.  The season got off to a great start in the Hall of Fame kickoff classic with the Titans beating the Bills. (just as I picked)  Here are the rest of the week one NFL preseason games along with who I predict will come away the winner:

THU, AUG 13

New England at Philadelphia

The Patriots and the Eagles are actually two of the favorites according to most NFL experts in the NFL this season.  It will be interesting to see how Tom Brady looks in preseason action, though I am sure he will not play very much.  As for the Eagles, they should keep Mcnabb on the bench as well as Westbrook.  They are simply too fragile.  I expect that the Patriots will win this preseason matchup.

Winner – New England Patriots

Washington at Baltimore

The Redskins are hoping that Portis has at least one more big season, and the Ravens are simply hoping that defense can remain as strong as usual.  The Ravens are not nearly as deep as they once were on defense.  I still expect they will win this preseason match up.

Winner – Baltimore Ravens

Arizona at Pittsburgh

The Cardinals take the field for the first time since the Super Bowl, and they are fired up about it.  Ironically, this Super Bowl rematch is set to be pretty interesting.  Both teams have some second and third string players that are looking to make a splash.  This game will come down to the running game and defense which puts the win firmly with the Steelers.

Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers

Dallas at Oakland

The Cowboys take the field without Terrell Owens and they have to find a way to replace him.  This game will begin to answer the questions that the Cowboys have at wide receiver.  While Oakland is not exactly the greatest secondary ever, they are a solid enough group to get a feel for the Cowboys.  More importantly, the Cowboys second and third string running backs are better than most team’s starters.

Winner – Dallas Cowboys

FRI, AUG 14

St. Louis at NY Jets

The Rams just found out that they are without Donnie Avery for at least four to six weeks, and this injury is going to hurt.  The Rams just do not have the firepower at the position that they have been used to.  The Jets are anxious to unveil new rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez.  It will be a big splash for NY.

Winner – New York Jets

Minnesota at Indianapolis

The Vikings and the Colts will be a very fun game to watch simply because of the talent on the second and third teams.  Both teams are pretty darn deep, and so it should be a good preseason game to watch.  This one smells like a Colt win to me, however.

Winner – Indiannapolis Colts

Cincinnati at New Orleans

The Bengals are hoping for a huge return for Carson Palmer, but that likely won’t begin against the Saints in preseason.  Still, there are a lot of answers to be had in this game.  Can Reggie Bush play a whole game without breaking a leg?  Can the Bengals play a whole game with no felonies?  I mean penalties?  We shall see.  Either way, the Saints win this one big in preseason action.

Winner – New Orleans Saints

Denver at San Francisco

The post Cutler era in Denver gets started here and Kyle Orton has to be a bit nervous.  Then again, he was a quarterback in Chicago, so he has nothing to be nervous about.  All kidding aside, I think he will do quite well in Denver.  He especially will do well against these 49ers in preseason action.

Winner – Denver Broncos

SAT, AUG 15

Atlanta at Detroit

The Falcons are amped up for an NFC South battle this season and the Lions are simply hoping to win a few games.  While optimism is high in Detroit, the depth of this team is still very shallow.  Rome was not built in a day, and neither will Detroit be.

Winner – Atlanta Falcons

Chicago at Buffalo

The Bears are anxious to see what they have with Jay Cutler under center, and the Bills are coming off an opening week loss against the Titans.  While the Bears are not quite as strong as the Titans, they should still handle these Bills.

Winner – Chicago Bears

Cleveland at Green Bay

The Browns have a quarterback situation to work out.  The Packers need to get a running back in order quick.  This game will do little to solve either situation, but it will be a good game.  The Browns will surprise an amped up Green Bay squad.

Winner – Cleveland Browns

Tampa Bay at Tennessee

The Bucs, like many other teams, need to find a quarterback.  The Titans are pretty set in their lineup, and looked pretty impressive against Buffalo.  I expect that the Titans will take advantage of the Bucs early growing pains.

Winner – Tennessee Titans

Houston at Kansas City

The Texans are going to be fun to watch this season.  Kansas City is a team that is very much in turmoil.  Expect the Texans to spring a little preseason surprise on the Chiefs.

Winner – Houston Texans

Seattle at San Diego

The Chargers and the Seahawks will be a great preseason game.  The Seahawks are searching for some semblence of a running game, and the Chargers are just trying to keep LaDanian Tomlinson healthy.  Expect LT to skip this one for sure, and it might be the difference.

Winner – Seattle Seahawks

MON, AUG 17

Jacksonville at Miami

The Jaguars and Miami are always a fun game with the whole intra-state rivalry thing.  This game will be fun to watch as well.  Expect that Miami will have a little more firepower in the backups for this one.

Winner – Miami Dolphins

Carolina at NY Giants

This game will be the ultimate expression of power struggle in the NFC.  The Panthers are just too good at running back, and they should be able to handle the Giants in this one.

Winner – Carolina Panthers

Preseason Record Overall – 1 Win 0 Losses

Tom Brady

Well, my fantasy draft is over and I could not be more pleased.  I got pretty much everything that I wanted, including my target running backs and depth.  It looks like this is going to be a banner year for my fantasy football team.  Here is a look at the NFL players I drafted, along with some quick thoughts as to why I did:

Tom Brady - Brady is coming off major injury, so I am not sure what to expect.  I know that whatever the case he will be a quality option, and early reports are very good on him being fully recovered.  Also, I got him much cheaper than I thought I would.

DeAngelo Williams- This was my primary target for this draft as Williams is one of the better running  backs that still gets little respect.  I expect he will have another huge year.  (I sure hope so)

Brian Westbrook - Westbrook is also dropping in fantasy circles due to injury and age, and I got him for a cup of coffee.  Tons of upside here, and I have plenty of back up if he falters.  It is always good to have a couple of picks like this that could potentially put you over the top if they have comeback years.

Pierre Thomas - Speaking of back up, this kid looked awesome last year.  This year he should get lots of carries.

Dwayne Bowe - Bowe is going to be getting much better looks from Matt Cassell than he is used to.  I expect a huge year from him.

Vincent Jackson – Jackson is going to benefit from having a healthy LT on the field.  That will open up the passing lanes.

John Carlson – Carlson will break out this season as a fantasy star.  He was right on the edge last year, and this year Hasselback is healthy.

Titans D/ST - Even with the losses on defense, the Titans are still super strong.

Nate Kaeding – One of the best kickers in the NFL.

Chad Ochocinco – Ocho is far from one of my favorite players, but I had to take him when he dropped to the bottom of the barrell.  Again, a player that has tons of upside and a healthy Carson Palmer.

Julius Jones – Another fine back up running back just in case of emergency.  Jones could end up among the better running backs in the NFC.

Donnie Avery – High impact speedster over in St. Louis.  He had some head turning plays last year and I got him very cheap.  With Holt gone, he could blossom.

Matt Hasselbeck – Solid, dependable back up quarterback that might be due another great year.

Zach Miller – Back up tight end with plenty of upside.

Panthers D/ST – Good solid back up defense.

Chris Chambers – The steal of my draft.  Chambers finds ways to get into the end zone, and I expect this season will be no different.

Overall, my team is balanced and solid.  I see plenty of room for the wins to flow, and I hope this NFL fantasy football season is as good as I think it will be. I will update you each week on my progress throughout the NFL football season.