Welcome back. This is my second weekly NFL blog post (last week was posted exclusively to my facebook page, but the post has been made publicly viewable.)
Week Two of the NFL... where we all take what we knew for sure after week one and toss it out the window.
I actually did slightly better on my picks this week, improving from 10-6 week one to 11-5 for week two.
The games I got right... Washington (Thursday), Broncos, Bills, Browns, RAMS, Patriots, Panthers, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Cowboys, and Packers.
The ones I got wrong... Eagles, Steelers, Bengals, Seahawks, and Chiefs.
A few notes...
-First of all, you might have noticed that I fully capitalized and bolded the Rams while listing the teams I correctly picked to win. The reason... the final score of 27-24 was exactly what I wrote down when I made the picks. For as long as I've been following the NFL and making weekly picks, it is only the second time I've ever accurately predicted the final score and winning team. The only other time that's ever happened... was nearly 30 years ago... and it just so happened to be the Super Bowl following the 1991 season, in which I picked Washington to beat Buffalo by a final score of 37-24. So naturally, I had to give myself some accolades... as it's a pretty rare occurrence.
-Still, despite getting 11 out of 16 winning teams right... I think I could have easily done better. I should have known not to get too high on the Eagles after their dominant win over a Falcons team that has been quite simply awful, really ever since their loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl a few years ago, and seemingly sinks lower and lower each year. The Steelers too... their road victory over the resurgent Bills in week one was impressive, but I should have seen a home match with the Raiders as the classic letdown spot that it was... especially considering the old rivalry between the two has been largely one-sided in favor of the Silver and Black in recent years.
So now, going into the third week of the 2021 season, there remain only 7 teams that are undefeated... while another 7 teams are still looking for that first win. For my last segment of this post, I'll break down the 7 undefeated teams into two categories... either "Proceed With Caution" or "Start Shopping For Those Playoff Tickets" Likewise, I'll divide the 0-2 teams into "R-E-L-A-X" or "Panic!"
Proceed With Caution...
-Denver Broncos... Looks like they finally got a good quarterback to complement their already great defense. I'm liking what I've seen from them so far, but... I'd wait and see how they do when they play against a good team before I start shopping for playoff tickets.
-Las Vegas Raiders... It's still September. Remember, they were 2-0 last year too.
-San Francisco 49ers... If they can stay healthy, they're a Super Bowl contender but... injuries concern with me with this team. For some reason, the injury bug always seems to hit them harder than most other teams in the league.
-Arizona Cardinals... Seemingly out of nowhere, they blew out the Titans on the road in week one and I was very high on them. And then... they were very lucky to escape with a narrow win at home over the Vikings last week. The Cardinals were very up and down last year and it seems they're starting that way again here in 2021. Until I see more consistency from this team, I'll proceed with caution.
Start Shopping For Those Playoff Tickets...
-Los Angeles Rams... Quarterback play has held them back in recent years, but now they've got Stafford. Their schedule (outside their own division) really isn't all that hard once they get past this week's matchup with the reigning champs. Some of their upcoming (non-divisional) opponents... Giants, Lions, Texans, Jaguars, Vikings as well as some winnable games against teams that may be on the decline in Green Bay and Baltimore.
-Carolina Panthers... They've really been looking good (especially on defense) and, like the Rams, their schedule is pretty favorable.
-Tampa Bay Buccaneers... The only thing I wouldn't really count on is a 17-0 regular season. I do think you can probably even get away with shopping for NFC Championship game tickets now, though.
Lastly, the 0-2 teams...
R-E-L-A-X...
-Minnesota Vikings... It's a long season and remember, they do play in the (terrible!) NFC North.
-Indianapolis Colts... It's a long season and remember, they do play in the (terrible!) AFC South.
Panic!...
-Detroit Lions... They may have the effort, but they don't have the talent. I don't think the effort alone will be enough to win the division, not even in the weak NFC North.
-New York Giants... Their division rivals Washington, Dallas, and Philadelphia all got better, they didn't. It's not their year.
-New York Jets... They're just not very good.
-Jacksonville Jaguars... They're bad.
-Atlanta Falcons... They're really really bad!
That's it for this week folks. Thanks for tuning in!
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