Week 2: Football Returns to LA (Kind Of)

Los Angeles has been known for a lot of things, but football has
not been one of those things for a long time. LA will have to
wait a little longer to add that to their resume.

Stally's Eight-Point Pick
Seattle over @Los Angeles

Stally: Woof!  The Rams are far worse than any of us expected.  I mean, we thought they wouldn't be great, but a 28-0 loss to a lowly 49ers team?!  The Rams.  Are.  Terrible!

Austen: Nuff said. 

Austen's Eight-Point Pick
@Carolina over San Francisco

Austen: The Panthers might be 0-1 but the 49ers are one of the worst teams in the league. Do not let the 49ers romping of the Rams confuse you. They are a very bad football team. Carolina will be angry after last week's loss. This will be a blowout. 

Stally: I agree with this pick completely.

Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@New England over Miami

Stally: Jimmy G looked very comfortable in Week 1.  Miami puts up a good fight at home in this matchup each year, but usually gets runs over in New England.

Austen: This is a little too much confidence in the Pats, but I do not disagree with the outcome. The Dolphins fought hard against the Seahawks, but came up short. They will come up short again.

Austen's Seven-Point Pick
Baltimore over @Cleveland

Austen: There just is not a lot to like about the Browns right now. Their defense lacks backbone and they are still trying to figure out what they have on offense, especially with RG3 out for an extended period of time. I'll take just about anyone over the Browns right now, and the Ravens qualify as "anyone."

Stally: The Ravens do qualify as "anyone," and I agree they'll win.  Let's just not mistake the Ravens for being all that good.

Stally's Six-Point Pick
@Arizona over Tampa Bay

Stally: Arizona is supposed to be a top Super Bowl contender.  I just have to assume they bounce back after taking Brady-less and Gronk-less Patriots team for granted last week.  Arizona will not lose this one at home.

Austen: The Bucs are a lot better than Stally is giving them credit for. Both of these teams might be in the playoffs come January. However, this has already become a must win for the Cards after failing to knock off the Pats week one. The Bucs will be in this till the end, but I cannot see Arizona falling to 0-2. 

Austen's Six-Point Pick
Green Bay over @Minnesota

Austen: Yes, the Vikings always give the Packers a good fight. However, this is Sam Bradford's first game with the team. They are down two starters on defense, which is the strength of the team. Their starting kicker has looked off at best since his big miss against the Seahawks in the playoffs last year. That is too much for any team to overcome against the best quarterback in the world. 

Stally: The best QB in the world is suspended for four games due to a tyrannical decision in the front office ... but the Packers will still win this game.

Stally's Five-Point Pick
@Detroit over Tennessee

Stally: The Titans are garbage.  I had hopes they'd be better in Marcus Mariota's second season, but that's not the case.  They suck.  They stink.  Next.

Austen: The Lions are on the rise and the Titans are still one of the bottom five teams in the league. Mariota is the real deal, but the rest of the team is not. 

Austen's Five-Point Pick
@Oakland over Atlanta

Austen: Until the Falcons prove that their 5-0 start last season was anything but a total fluke, I am going to keep betting against them. Fans of the Black Hole will be cheering extra hard this season to try to keep their team in Oakland, making this a very tough road game for any team. 

Stally: Good for the Raiders.  They beat a below average Saints defense on an aggressive play call.  I'm not jumping off on the Falcons yet.  There are a lot of playmakers on that offense, and I think Atlanta pulls out a close one.


Stally's Four-Point Pick
@Denver over Indianapolis

Stally: Ugh.  I have to admit: the Broncos are better than I thought they'd be without any QB of name recognition.  And take note as this doesn't happen often: Austen was right, the Colts are horrible on defense.

Austen: Andrew Luck is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. However, his offensive line is a mess and his defense might be the worst in the entire league. That leads to ugly losses like last week against Detroit. The Broncos are way, way better than the Lions, so Luck should fear for his life in this one. 

Austen's Four-Point Pick
@Houston over Kansas City

Austen: While you cannot help but be impressed by the Chiefs comeback against the Chargers, you also have to be left wondering how in God's name did they gave the Chargers (a not very good football team) a three touchdown lead in the first place. The Texans will not break so easily as the Chargers did. These teams are pretty even talent-wise, so I'll stick with the healthier home team. 

Stally: Chiefs, baby!  They're a complete football team.

Stally's Three-Point Pick
Philadelphia over @Chicago

Stally: This is a little aggressive on the rookie QB (Carson Wentz) and his Eagles, but I'm still not sold the Bears are anything but bad.  The Eagles impressed me, even if it was against the Browns, so I'll go with them.

Austen: Let's be real here people, the Eagles dismantled the Browns last week. Not the Broncos, Panthers, or Patriots. The Browns. The rookie quarterback is already down his security blanket in tight end Zach Ertz. I'll take the Bears at home over an Eagles team that still has a lot left to prove. 

Austen's Three-Point Pick
New York Jets over @Buffalo

Austen: This one is in the bag, and it went so bad for the Bills that their offensive coordinator got fired the next day. Even more troubling was the fact that it was their defense, not their offense, that gave up 37 points to the Jets. Trouble is brewing in Buffalo. 

Stally: I still don't understand how an OC gets fired after his offense scored 31 points, but whatever ... I had the Jets right around here as well.  I figured they'd win on the road, but not easily, and that was about how the game played out.

Stally's Two-Point Pick
New Orleans over @New York Giants

Stally: This game was a shootout last year!  I expect more of the same, but that this time Drew Brees and his offense emerges victorious.

Austen: The downfall of the Saints will again be their defense. The Giants might not have a top 10 defense, but they paid heavily in free agency so that their defense will not be the bane of their existence. I think the Giants win a shootout. 

Austen's Two-Point Pick
@Washington over Dallas

Austen: This is the perfect matchup of two bad defenses vs. two confusingly unproductive offenses. Do not bother watching this game if you have the choice. I'll take the home team with more talent any day. That would be the Redskins, if you didn't get that.

Stally: There's very little to like about the Cowboys offense when Tony Romo is injured.  Dak Prescott was hardly impressive in Week 1.


Stally's One-Point Pick
Jacksonville over @San Diego

Stally: The Keenan Allen injury will hurt the Chargers, and I think this Jacksonville team is better than it has been in recent memory.

Austen: Even if Keenan Allen were healthy, I'd be taking the Jags. The Jags are going to win the AFC South this year. Watch out for this young team. 

Austen's One-Point Pick
Cincinnati over @Pittsburgh

Austen: This is a total toss up, but I'll take the Bengals in a revenge game after an embarrassing playoff loss to the Steelers. 

Stally: Alas, we both saved this coin flip for last.  I also have the Bengals.  I think the Bengals have a more complete team, but I thought that last year when they lost to the Steelers in ugly and disgusting fashion in last year's Wild Card matchup.