NFL Pro Football 2008 Week 2 Picks late games

NFL Pro Football 2008 Week 2 Picks - late games

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Fearless Rick's NFL Week 2 Picks - Late Games

Rick Gagliano | September 14-15

All times Eastern - Click here for early games.

SUN, SEP 14

San Francisco at Seattle (-7, 38 1/2) 4:05 PM - Hate to say it, but the Seahawks looked much more impressive during the entire preseason than they did at Buffalo last week. They were thoroughly outplayed, outsmarted and outscored, 34-10. Take nothing away from the Bills. They are solid. The same cannot be said of either of these teams, especially the 49ers, who could muster only one first quarter TD on a 41-yard Frank Gore scamper in their 23-13 home opener loss to Arizona.

While the 'Niners outgained the Cardinals 291-285, they had only 13 first downs and controlled the ball for just 22:55. Five turnovers were their own undoing. The Cardinals didn't so much beat the 49ers as they beat themselves. The same is unlikely to happen again. I smell upset, or at least a cover by the dog.

Prediction: 49ers 16 Seahawks 14

Atlanta at Tampa Bay (-7, 37 1/2) 4:05 PM - Jeff Garcia is out with an ankle sprain, so Brian Griese will go at QB for the Bucs in their home opener against the surprising Falcons, who pummeled the Lions last week, 34-21.

The Buccaneers didn't do anything wrong in their 24-20 loss to the Saints, except not convert 3rd down opportunities (2-12). Expect them to do better this week. Griese is a good fit, and an accurate passer with plenty of game experience. If he does well, he may just keep the starting job. The Falcons rolled up big numbers against Detroit's matador defense. They'll have a much more difficult time finding the end zone here.

Prediction: Buccaneers 24 Falcons 13

Miami at Arizona (-6 1/2, 39) 4:15 PM - The Dolphins had a chance to win in the waning moments of their game against the Jets last week, so they are not as bad as many may assume. The defense was especially solid at some points and that will serve them well on the road. Chad Pennington should be just fine in the pocket here, though the Cardinals recorded 4 sacks on SF last week. Miami's front line is better than that and the Cards also will not have the luxury of 5 turnovers.

The Dolphins might just stun the Cardinals, who may not be as good as their fans hope.

Prediction: Cardinals 21 Dolphins 20

New England at NY Jets (-1 1/2, 37) 4:15 PM - Well, here we go. Brett Favre and the Jets hosting the once-legendary Patriots without their fearless leader, Tom Brady.

Now, the Jets are an OK team, and Favre is a future Hall of Famer, but the Patriots did go undefeated last season, so there is more to them than just their quarterback. Besides, New England's Matt Cassell was 13 of 18 for 152 yards and a TD against KC last week, and he didn't turn the ball over.

For all they hype surrounding Favre, he did sign on with a team that was 4-12 last season. The Patriots will have a better game plan and there's a wideout named Randy Moss who may have some impact as well.

Prediction: Patriots 27 Jets 24

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Baltimore at Houston (-4 1/2, 37 1/2) 4:15 PM - Um, didn't Houston get lambasted by Pittsburgh last week? And didn't the Ravens unveil Joe Flacco at QB and beat the supposedly-high-powered-offense of the Bengals, 17-10? As usual in Vegas, the home team gets the nod, and as usual, Baltimore has a wicked defense, capable of forcing turnovers or third and long situations. Long day in the saddle for those Texans here.

Prediction: Ravens 20 Texans 13

San Diego (-1 1/2, 45 1/2) at Denver 4:15 PM - The line is about right here, only that the Chargers will probably win by more than a touchdown. Sure the Broncos and Jay Cutler looked great against the Raiders, beating them 41-14, but they are not playing the Raiders this week. Besides, the Chargers were winning until the final seconds of the game and were beaten by a cagey QB (Jake Delhomme) and a pretty good Carolina team. Despite losing Shawne Merriman (geez, he figured out that he couldn't play with a bad knee), the Chargers are still far and away the class of this division, a concept that will become plainly evident after this one is over.

Prediction: Chargers 35 Broncos 17

Pittsburgh (-6, 44 1/2) at Cleveland 8:15 PM - The Steelers really may be as good as their 38-17 win over Houston last week indicates. The Browns looked like they needed an extra guy or two on both sides of the ball against Dallas last week, but they do get the luxury (?) of staying in Cleveland for the week as they prepare for the Steelers.

The history of this matchup is clearly in Pittsburgh's favor and the Steelers look every bit as ready to challenge for the AFC title as any other team. The Browns, on the other hand, are already playing catch-up.

Prediction: Steelers 30 Browns 20

MON, SEP 15

Philadelphia at Dallas (-7, 47) 8:30 PM - Dallas wiped Cleveland clear into Lake Erie last week, dominating them, 28-10. The score could have been worse as Tony Romo threw his only interception of the game into the Browns' end zone late in the contest. By the 4th quarter, Dallas looked like they were going through drills in practice.

They won't have that luxury against Philly, 38-3 home winners over the Rams last Sunday. The Eagles' defense knows Dallas well and will pressure Romo much more than the Browns did, which was basically not at all. And on offense, Donovan McNabb is off to his usual good start. It's just a matter of when he's going to be injured, as he hasn't played a full season since 2004. He should make it through this game, though, and knock off the Cowboys in their own yard.

Prediction: Eagles 24 Cowboys 21

All times Eastern - Click here for early games

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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