Anthony Stalter (under TheScoresReport) and I (under fantasytips) will be tweeting throughout Week 2. Feel free to ask us questions, call us names, whatever…
Category: External Sports (Page 536 of 821)
Here are my top 4 plays to fade in Week 2 of the NFL:
Ravens at. Bengals +2.5, 1:00PM ET
Odds makers claim that they don’t lay traps for bettors. Well then, what do you call this game, you undeniable witchdoctors? Am I really not going to take the Ravens minus less than a field goal against a Bengals team that the Patriots shellacked in Week 1? Pssh. Well, I’m not. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer took the blame for the Bengals’ defensive effort last week, which he should have. He couldn’t have telegraphed where he was sending pressure any more than he did against Tom Brady, who picked Cincy’s defense apart. This week, however, he’s going to come better prepared and now it’s up to the Bengals’ players to execute. I say they rise to challenge. The Bengals beat the Ravens twice last season and have something to prove after last week. They win this game outright.
THE PICK: BENGALS +2.5
Bills at Packers –13, 1:00PM ET
I try to not make it a habit of taking teams who lay double-digit points in the NFL, but I can’t help myself here. The Packers are that good and the Bills are that bad. The loss of Ryan Grant (out for the season) certainly hurts, but some people are acting like the Packers just lost Walter Payton. Brandon Jackson is a serviceable starter and besides, the passing game is still the focal point of the offense in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers was shaky last week, but he shouldn’t face as much pressure on Sunday as he did last Sunday in Philadelphia. That means big plays to Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley in the passing game. Green Bay rolls in this one.
THE PICK: PACKERS –13
Texans vs. Redskins +3, 4:15PM ET
Here’s another example of why odds makers are full of crap. The Texans are coming off a huge win in which Arian Foster rushed for over 230 yards and are now only laying 2.5 points to a Redskins team that still has plenty of doubters. Why not take Houston here and lay the measly 2.5 points? Because the NFL is a fickle bitch when it wants to be – that’s why. The Texans are coming off an emotional win over the Colts and now have to travel to D.C. to play a very beatable Redskins team. And while Washington did beat Dallas by holding the ‘Boys to just one touchdown, they’re still lacking believers. For at least one week, I believe.
THE PICK: REDSKINS +3
Rams at. Raiders –3.5, 4:05PM ET
I don’t like this matchup one bit for the Rams. They have a rookie quarterback making his first road start of his career in a hostile environment and a less-than 100% Steven Jackson. Plus, I don’t think the Raiders’ defense is as bad as it showed last week in Tennessee and the Rams don’t have enough pass-rushers to make Jason Campbell uneasy in the pocket. Not having Michael Bush hurts Oakland, but the Raider defense should force a turnover or two to put the offense in good position to score a couple of times. Taking the Raiders when they’re favored makes my stomach hurt, but I feel pretty good about this one.
THE PICK: RAIDERS –3.5
The Texas-Texas Tech matchup was being billed as the best game in Week 3, but it certainly didn’t live up to the hype.
That’s because the Longhorns’ defense held Tech to 144 total yards and forced three turnovers in a 24-14 victory.
The Tech offense never really got going and even when it started to show signs of life, somebody would turn the ball over. A Jarvis Phillips 87-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first quarter was huge because Texas was driving for another score already up 14-0. But even when Tech tied the game 14-14 on a Lyle Leong 15-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Potts early in the second, the Raiders still couldn’t drum up much offense against UT.
The decisive blow for Tech came in the fourth quarter when Garrett Gilbert orchestrated a 23-play, 80-yard drive that took 9:25 off the clock and resulted in a Barrett Matthews 1-yard touchdown catch. Even with over nine minutes left on the clock, you got the feeling that the Raiders were finished.
Tech rushed for minus-16 yards on the night, which was their worst total since October 24 (also against Texas). Ouch.
Welcome back, Mark Ingram. Thanks to Trent Richardson and the 19 other All-Pro backs that your football program has, you weren’t necessarily missed over the last two weeks but it was certainly nice to see you running around again.
And run you did.
In a 62-13 lambasting of Duke on Saturday, Ingram went berserk in his first game since having knee surgery three weeks ago, as he rushed for 151 yards on just nine carries. He also scored twice and on his first handoff (which came on the first play of the game) he broke off a 48-yard run.
Of course, when a team scores 62 points it usually has more than one hero, which the Tide did. Quarterback Greg McElroy threw for 258 yards on 14-of-20 passing for three touchdowns and one interception, while the aforementioned Richardson chipped in 61 rushing yards on seven carries and one score. He also broke free on a long ride himself, as his went for 45 yards.
Fun fact: With Duke’s loss today, ACC schools are now 0-7 against reigning BCS national champions. So, yah, ACC teams.
Temple and UConn played during the day today, but the game definitely continued some dark days for the state of Big East football.
The Owls, who a little more than a week ago could be seen trading costly gaffes and fumbles with MAC foe Central Michigan, defeated UConn 30-16. It’s another huge blow for the Big East, which has already had sub-standard results this season.
UConn was thought by some national media types to be the favorite in the Big East, but after this loss and the Week 1 drubbing at the hands of Denard Robinson and Michigan, the Huskies definitely don’t look like a team that should finish on top of any BCS conference. Cincinnati, the defending Big East champion, has looked about as pathetic — minus the loss to a MAC team, that is — losing to Fresno State and NC State. With Oklahoma coming up next week, the Bearcats, who were unbeaten in the regular season a year ago, are staring 1-3 straight in the face.
West Virginia appears to be the most competent team in the conference, but even the Mountaineers needed overtime to beat Marshall. They do have a chance to earn the conference some respect, however, next week at LSU. With Les Miles coaching, who knows what could happen there, but if I had to put money on it now, I’d go with the Tigers.
With the emergence of non-automatic qualifying conferences, namely the Mountain West, you’d think the Big East would need to start proving itself to keep its spot among the six power conferences. Sadly, money probably won’t allow them to fall out of that, or let the MWC move up, even though it’s looking more and more superior to the Big LEast with each passing week.
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