NFL Week 1 Picks Re-Cap

Week One of the NFL season always brings its share of surprises, as some of last year’s champions fall back into the pack and new teams emerge, even if just for a week. The first week of the NFL season is the most unpredictable, and I’ll use that as an excuse for my lackluster performance picking last week’s winners and losers. How bad did I do? Let’s review my picks and what actually happened.

• Steelers over the Ravens – The Ravens trounced the Steelers 35-7. That’s what I get for watching the preseason. Roethlisberger looked like he was very comfortable with his receiving corps, but the Ravens out-muscled the defending AFC champs and Big Ben  couldn’t find a rhythm. 
• Falcons over the Bears – The Bears looked like the Monsters of the Midway, harassing Matt Ryan to the tune of a 30-12 victory. 
• Browns over the Bengals – The Bengals’ Cedric Benson ran over Cleveland while the Browns couldn’t get their ground game going. Bengals won 27-27.
• Titans over the Jaguars – Chris Johnson was a non-factor and new Jags starting QB Luke McCown was steady enough to lead his team to a 16-14 victory.
• Chiefs over the Bills – Yep, I wasn’t even close. The Bills buffaloed the Chiefs 41-7.
• Lions over the Buccaneers – Success! The Lions held off the Bucs to win 27-20.
• Cardinals over the Panthers – I’m on a roll! Cardinals win a game that was harder than it should have been. 28-21
• Chargers over the Vikings – The Patriots’ next opponent weren’t overly impressive but they still get the victory. 24-17
• 49ers over the Seahawks – I can thank Ted Ginn, Jr. for pulling my predicting cahones out of the fire. The 49ers can thank him too. 33-17
• Giants over the Redskins – The Giants looked predictable on offense against a division rival. The Redskins were steady and got the big plays to win 28-14.
• Jets over the Cowboys – I wish I was wrong here. A blocked punt and Tony Romo being, well, Tony Romo doomed me and the Cowboys. Jets win 27-24.
• Patriots over the Dolphins – Tom Brady’s aerial show powers the Pats over the Dolphins, 38-24.
• Raiders over the Broncos – The Raiders will contend in the AFC West this year. They pull out the win, 23-20.

Put It In The Bank

• Texans over the Colts – It’s a good thing I had this one in the bank. It wasn’t even close with Kerry Collins in for Peyton Manning. The Texans win 34-7.

Upset Alert

• Rams over the Eagles – My upset special upset me. The Eagles held back an early surge by the Rams to win 31-13.

Week One Record: 8-7