Week 2: Around the NFL

Week 1 of the 2008 NFL season featured an unbelievable string of injuries. From Tom Brady’s torn ACL and MCL to Shawne Merriman’s torn PCL and LCL, the league’s injury report was all-encompassing. The Jacksonville Jaguars lost both starting guards, and at one point this week, the Seattle Seahawks had a total of two receivers left on their roster. It could be argued that the losses of Brady and Merriman deny the NFL its single most dynamic offensive and defensive players, but teams all over are losing the war of attrition at a stupefying pace. From Week 2 onward, the challenges are first to survive, then to win.Chicago at CarolinaHere’s a matchup of two NFC sub-contenders that upset elite AFC teams last week. The Bears’ win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night was notable for the efficiency of quarterback Kyle Orton. Of course, quarterback efficiency is a relative term for a team that hasn’t had a viable solution at the position since Jim McMahon was throwing bombs to Willie Gault in the mid-’80s. The Panthers used a healthy Jake Delhomme and a revived power running game to pull out an upset win at San Diego, and their offense is more sustainable than Chicago’s. Expect the Panthers to send the Bears packing.Prediction: Panthers 23, Bears 10Buffalo at JacksonvilleFor the second straight game, the Jaguars face a tough defense. Last week, Tennessee’s nasty front seven limited the dynamic duo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to 31 rushing yards on 14 attempts. With guards Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams out of the picture, a Buffalo line featuring tackle Marcus Stroud looks to limit the backs once again. The Bills decimated the Seahawks in Orchard Park in their home opener — with their surprisingly dynamic offense and amazing special teams, a climate change shouldn’t be a problem.Bills 17, Jaguars 14Indianapolis at MinnesotaThis will be the third time Peyton Manning’s faced the Vikings in his career; he threw four touchdown passes each time before. Reaching that mark again may be a challenge — Manning looked rusty against the Bears last week, the product of a recovery from knee surgery. The Colts’ run defense was gashed by rookie Matt Forte to the tune of 123 yards on 23 carries. One can only imagine what Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, the best running back committee in football, might do to them.Vikings 21, Colts 17Green Bay at DetroitNo single player was under more pressure last week than Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but Brett Favre’s replacement came through with a great performance, zipping short passes to his receivers and letting only four of 22 passes fall incomplete. Running back Ryan Grant, who beat Minnesota for 92 yards on 12 carries in the season opener, could hit the jackpot against Detroit’s porous defense. The Lions would like to match the Packers blow for blow, but the Packers’ defense is at a different level. This game will be a microcosm of the NFC North — Green Bay on top and the Lions on the outside looking in.Packers 37, Lions 18Oakland at Kansas CityThese two AFC West rivals are expected to finish at the bottom of their division, though their first games came to different conclusions. The Chiefs kept it close with the Brady-less Patriots, but the Raiders were taken apart by the Broncos on Monday night. Free-agent cornerback DeAngelo Hall, the centerpiece of an enormous Oakland offseason spending spree, was victimized by Denver rookie receiver Eddie Royal. Chiefs star receiver Dwayne Bowe should have a good day.Chiefs 31, Raiders 14New Orleans at WashingtonThe Saints are another team facing a key injury — receiver Marques Colston will miss the next four to six weeks with a thumb injury. New Orleans has a potent enough offense to win even without the man who amassed more receptions in his first two seasons than any player in NFL history. Quarterback Drew Brees has the extreme advantage over young Washington signal-caller Jason Campbell, who’s working with his seventh different offensive coordinator since his college days. An improved Saints defense will be needed to rattle Campbell out of his comfort zone, something the Giants were able to do with ease last week.Saints 29, Redskins 15Atlanta at Tampa BayThe new-look Falcons took Detroit’s defense behind the woodshed last week, as rookie quarterback Matt Ryan threw a 62-yard touchdown pass on his first NFL play, and running back Michael Turner put up 220 rushing yards. The bad news: Tampa Bay’s defense is quite a bit better. While Ryan will struggle to repeat his debut performance, Bucs quarterback Brian Griese will take the starting spot from Jeff Garcia and work against a rebuilding Atlanta defense. Tampa Bay’s power running game could be the difference.Buccaneers 23, Falcons 7Miami at ArizonaThe Dolphins are undergoing a total transformation under the watch of Bill Parcells. The Tuna likes to start from the lines and work his way out, and Miami’s opponents should expect to be surprised at the quality of their new offensive line and front seven. Where the Dolphins will struggle is in containing the high-flying Cardinals, with Kurt Warner firing lasers to elite receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. The Cards have been rebuilding their own lines over the last few years, and a hungry young defense will expose Miami’s offensive shortcomings.Cardinals 23, Dolphins 12San Diego at DenverThe loss of Shawne Merriman doesn’t make San Diego’s defense a below-average unit — replacement Jyles Tucker is a good player, and the Chargers are as talented as any team in the NFL. Their focus will be on Denver quarterback Jay Cutler, a rising star with impressive production. Cutler’s favorite target is receiver Brandon Marshall, who was suspended for the opener. His return opens up the Broncos’ offense, but Denver’s defense has a battle in San Diego’s running game.Chargers 32, Broncos 27Baltimore at HoustonThis contest has been rescheduled from Sunday to Monday to allow Houston residents recovery time from Hurricane Ike. Baltimore’s defense is among the best in the NFL, but the Ravens offense is always under construction. Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco will learn under the gun, facing an elite pass-rusher in Mario Williams. The key battle is Houston’s zone-blocking line, led by assistant coach Alex Gibbs, against Rex Ryan’s run-stopping 46 defense.Ravens 20, Texans 16Pittsburgh at ClevelandWhile the Steelers opened their season with a 38-17 demolition of the Houston Texans, the Browns fell to Texas’s other team, the Dallas Cowboys. Tony Romo and Terrell Owens exposed several weaknesses in the Cleveland defense, and Pittsburgh has the weapons to continue that job. Look for Ben Roethlisberger to spread the field.Steelers 38, Browns 22Tennessee at CincinnatiThe Bengals are famous for housing out-of-control “characters,” but the Titans are dealing with something more serious. Does quarterback Vince Young want to play football anymore, and are there larger emotional issues in play? While Young recovers from a sprained MCL and will be replaced by Kerry Collins in the short term, the future of the Titans’ quarterback position is unclear. They’ll still have enough of a running game and defense to beat the Bengals.Titans 26, Bengals 10San Francisco at SeattleThese two teams used to be renowned for their dynamic offenses. But with the shoulder injury that has 49ers quarterback Alex Smith out of the picture after a frustrating career, San Francisco leans on a running game led by Frank Gore. The Seahawks used to have a clockwork offense in the West Coast style, but sweeping personnel changes and injury issues leave Mike Holmgren’s team challenged to score.Seahawks 13, 49ers 10Monday Night: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas CowboysMr. Farrar is a writer for Footballoutsiders.com.

Week 2: Around the NFL

Week 2: Around the NFL

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