# NFL Predictions - Week 2 (The Reconciliation)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 16, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924 "2005-09-16T04:32:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924/21 "2005-09-19T23:19:15Z")

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Lets review the later half of Sunday’s games. Things weren’t nearly as rosy.

> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> **Atlanta @ Seattle (-1.0)**  
> How good did the Falcon’s D look last week, and I loved the way Dunn was carrying the ball. Seattle is that one team that always gives me fits to predict. One week they look unstoppable, the next they can’t do anything right. I guess the lesson is to never trust Holmgren. The Seahawks secondary is very good and very underrated, though they didn’t show it last week. Go figure. I feel like the Falcons are going to let down after last week’s tough Monday Night game. A game like that to start the season has to take a little out of you, and then having to fly all the way across the country on a short week would suck. Vick of course can offset all of that. Well, crap. I have no idea at all here. Flip a coin.
> 
> The pick: **Falcons (+1)**
> 
> \*\*The outcome: Seahawks 21 - Falcons
> 
> Well, in my defense I said I had no idea… I didn’t have an opportunity to see any of this game, and there haven;t been many highlights, so it’s difficult to assess the results.\*\*
> 
> **St. Louis @ Arizona (-1.0)**  
> I don’t quite know how to pick this one either. I’m not ready bail in the Cards just yet, they played a solid squad last week and gave up 2 special teams TDs. I also don’t think the Rams are quite as bad as you’d expect after that last loss. Call it the Martz factor, he automatically creates a +/- 6 point variance for them, which of course is wholly unpredictable. With the game outdoors and in Arizona I want to favor them, and I’m equally optimistic since I have Arrington n my fantasy team. I like the Rams over that Cards D with Jackson, though I think the pass rush of the Cards will hassle Bulger. In the end I’m going with hope over anything else.
> 
> The pick: **Cardinals (-1)**
> 
> The outcome: Rams 17 - Cards 12
> 
> Another crapshoot that I came out on the wrong end of. Arrington didn’t play which could have altered my predicition, and had the Cards converted at the end we’d be having a different conversation. Certainly was another one that could have gone either way.
> 
> **Miami @ N.Y. Jets (-6.5)**  
> I said it last week; I’m saying it again now. The Jets suck. Miami isn’t exactly in KC’s league, but they’ll do plenty to overcome the Jets. I simply can’t rationalize any reason to expect the Jets to bounce back against Saban and his guys. They dominated Denver, and Denver isn’t the worst team you’ll see this year. I’m expecting Herm’s seat to start getting a little warm.
> 
> The pick: **Dolphins (+6.5)**
> 
> \*\*The outcome: Jets 17 - Dolphins 7
> 
> The Jets still suck, I just made the mistake of trusting Frerotte. Blind squirel and all…\*\*
> 
> **Cleveland @ Green Bay (-6.5)**  
> Oh, oh! I know this one, the Packers blow! Run Romeo, run. That’s the answer against this flimsy team. I know Lambeau can be intimidating, and Favre doesn’t tend to crap away games at home that often, but you can do it. Can Cleveland be the team that gets it done? I don’t know, but I do know that the Pack shouldn’t be favored by nearly a TD. Sherman is the other Mike who you never put money on under any circumstances.
> 
> The pick: **Browns (+6.5)**
> 
> \*\*The outcome: Browns 26 - Pack 24
> 
> This game simply wasn’t this close. The Pack got dominated for about 3 quarters, and a few fluke plays gave them life at the end. Of course these days you can always count on Favre to totally choke on these late-game opportunities. It’s just makes me giddy. Oh, and this Dilfer-to-Edwards thing will be quite something to watch this season. The real deal, book it. \*\*
> 
> **San Diego @ Denver (-3.0)**  
> Think Tomlinson is a little bitter that he was held to 78 yards last week? I do. Think Gates is chomping at the bit to get into the game after sitting one out? I think so too. Does the concept of betting on Marty Schottenheimer scare the ever living shit out of me? You betcha! Lets face it, if the Dolphin’s were able to run roughshod over Denver, you can’t think San Diego’s offense will struggle at all. Also, two words: Jake Plummer.
> 
> The pick: **Chargers (+3)** [sub] Can you believe that I’m getting points?[/sub]
> 
> \*\*The outcome: Broncos 20 - Chargers 17
> 
> Well, I’ll be damned. First push of the season. Well, I was about right with everything here. Nice days for LT and Gates, just wasn’t quite decisive. Schottenheimer kept the Broncos close. One question for him, how do you not throw the ball to LT once in space? Seriously? \*\*
> 
> **Kansas City (-1.5) @ Oakland**  
> Look, I like Randy Moss as much as the next pot-head. I do think having Kerry Collins on your fantasy roster is going to be a great choice. But there’s one detail that gets overlooked. Failed 3rd down conversions don’t show up in many fantasy leagues. They do show up quite often in NFL games however, and I’ve yet to see Collins or Moss have a big impact converting them ever. Moss is the classic 1st down receiver, take a chance and you’ll have a Yahtzee more often than about anyone else. Collins has a strong arm and a drinking problem. Of course, KC was big last week, but that was against a awful, awful team. 6 FUMBLES! Not going to happen this week, but Oakland will make plenty of their own mistakes.
> 
> The pick: **Chiefs (-1.5)**
> 
> \*\*The outcome: Chiefs 23 - Raiders 17
> 
> Quick stat, the Raiders are a whopping 8 for 25 on 3rd down this season. That makes them 5th last, the Falcons are the worst with 5 for 26. Keep an eye on that when predicting games. Quality outing by the Chiefs, but I hope they are able to contain those big plays going forward.\*\*

So there you have it. Went 2-3-1 for the late games, bringing me to 7-6-1 overall. Not exactly a banner day when it was all said and done, once again. Holding firm at 2-1 for my pick 5.

Enjoy the MNF games, we have 2 to enjoy. Go Saints and Cowboys, woo.

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**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924/22 "2005-09-19T23:21:19Z")

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> [@Ellis Dee](#):
>
> You make a compelling case; include the over/unders and I’ll go with yours. (That was the main reason I went over to the _Post_ to check the spreads.

I’ll start including O/U numbers. Historically I’ve been in pools that only consider picking winners, so I don’t focus on the O/U as much. Will be fun to play with.

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**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924/23 "2005-09-20T08:49:02Z")

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> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> Monday, Spet. 19th  
> **Washington @ Dallas (-6.0)**  
> I’m inclined to pick Washington here just because my gut tells me so, but all the other indicators point to Dallas at home. 6 points is probably more than they deserve, but the Brunell experiment is likely to be an unpleasant experience. It’ll be interesting to see how successful the running game is for the Cowboys against this defense. And if it struggles it’ll be curious if Bledsoe is able to step up without it. I’m not going to ignore how solid the Cowboys played against a good san Diego team. This game is rife with perils for Dallas, but I’m going to trust in Parcells to out coach Gibbs.
> 
> The pick: **Cowboys (-6)**
> 
> \*\*The outcome: Redskins 14 - Cowboys 13
> 
> Whoops. Thought I had this one in hand. Gotta put a big chunk of the blame on Parcells and the kicking game. Something that might be a factor in weeks to come. Made me look kinda silly, not that I need much help. \*\*
> 
> **New Orleans @ N.Y. Giants (-3.0)**  
> It’s more than a little pathetic that this game is being played in New York. Think Tags is getting a little taste of the action here? Did they really need to make a snap decision immediately after the fact, or could they have held off a little and arranged for a game to be played in a southern/neutral location. No way should a team get an extra home game; they’d better be giving away tickets to every single evacuee in the tri-state area. Anyways, to the game. All season long I expect the Saints to give everyone fits. They looked really tough and determined last week. They handled a very solid team in Carolina last week, and come to town to face a somewhat unpredictable Giants team. The Giants got 14 special teams points, not a feat I think they’ll repeat. So I’m going to look at that last victory as being a little closer than it was. Nonetheless, the time away from home has to wear on the Saints. I think Deuce will be a force, and Brooks will be erratic as usual. The real question I have is the capabilities of the Giants offense. I just don’t have a good read on them. They weren’t impressive on 3rd down, and didn’t sustain many drives. Based on those factors I’m going to side with the Saints
> 
> The pick: Saints (+3)
> 
> \*\*The outcome: Giants 27 - Saints 10
> 
> Well, looks like the honeymoon is over. The Saints just look totally out of sorts. They couldn’t have had more bad things happen to them. After it’s all said and done, we’re two games in and I have no idea what to make of the Giants except they keep getting huge breaks going their way. Of course, it’s not pure chance that the Saints kept turning the ball over in their own territory, nor that Horn would have that bizzare fumble into the pylon, the Giants D did contribute, but for the most part they were pretty flukey. I still like the Saints chances in situations where Brooks doesn’t have to force things. I still think a good D will make the Giants O look very pedestrian. \*\*

Summary: Another bad week for me. 7-8-1 overall for week 2. Giving me a grand total of 15-15-1 for the season. A whopping 2-3 on the pick 5, making me exactly 10-10 there on the year.

All kinds of average, plain ole unspectacular. Well, crap. I’m guessing that being .500 after the haphazard first two weeks of NFL football might be better than average. We’ll keep it up.

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**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924/24 "2005-09-22T07:32:29Z")

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Hey **Omni** , just wanted to pop in quickly and say your analysis is great. Maybe not your results, but hey, who’s counting? 😃

[size=1]And this, kids, is why we don’t bet on sports. The vig must be bleeding Omni dry.

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**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924/25 "2005-09-22T07:34:52Z")

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Ok it’s late and I can’t code. Good night.

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**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924/26 "2005-09-22T09:42:33Z")

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Gracias. Stay tuned for the upcoming thread tomorrow, at least that’s the goal. Now we’ve got a couple data points perhaps the analysis will get a little more fact based and (I hope) accurate. We’ll see.

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**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924/27 "2005-09-23T04:31:24Z")

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> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> Gracias. Stay tuned for the upcoming thread tomorrow, at least that’s the goal. Now we’ve got a couple data points perhaps the analysis will get a little more fact based and (I hope) accurate. We’ll see.

Well?

You’re killing my post-ER plans. (The show, not an actual emergency.)

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**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-predictions-week-2-the-reconciliation/321924/28 "2005-09-23T04:43:36Z")

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Working on it now…that fucker takes a while!

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