Article:The Sports Brief's Week 2 NFL picks

Well it’s Friday and we’re just two days away from Week 2 in the NFL. A few interesting matchups lie ahead, particularly the Pats-Jets, Broncos-Chargers, Browns-Steelers and of course, the Cowboys and Eagles on Monday night. Meanwhile, will teams like the Jaguars, Colts, and Seahawks drop to 0-2? And how will the Patriots fare without Tom Brady as they visit, as Keefe so aptly put it, the New York Bretts.

Random Ron took it down last week with 12 correct picks, while myself (6) and Keefe (5) turned in miserable efforts. As in golf, honors go to Ron, whose picks this week come from my girlfriend Tara. I e-mailed her the matchups with spreads and asked her to BOLD her picks. She chose to highlight them in pink and send them back. The picks were sent to her at 2:16pm and I received them at 2:18pm; that should give you an idea as to how much time and effort she put in.

Random Rob: Last week: 12-4 Redskins (-0.5) over Saints Jaguars (-6.5) over Bills Raiders (+3.5) over Chiefs Bengals (-1.5) over Titans Colts (-1.5) over Vikings Giants (-8.5) over Rams Bears (+3.5) over Panthers Packers (-2.5) over Lions 49ers (+8.5) over Seahawks Bucs (-8.5) over Falcons Jets (-2.5) over Patriots Cardinals (-6.5) over Dolphins Chargers (-3.5) over Broncos Steelers (-5.5) over Browns Ravens (+4.5) over Texans Cowboys (-6.5) over Eagles

Keefe’s picks: Last week: 5-11 Saints +.5 over Redskins Even without Colston I like the Saints to grab a road win.

Bills +6.5 over Jaguars Bills were impressive vs. Seattle, and Jax is the most overrated team in football, in my opinion.

Chiefs -3.5 over Raiders Damon Huard another back up getting the start, but did you see the Raiders last Monday?

Titans +1.5 over Bengals No Vince Young may actually help Tennessee, and Cincy is a mess.

Colts -1.5 over Vikings Colts can’t lose back-to-back NFC North games, can they?

Giants -8.5 over Rams Just when you thought the Raiders were the worst team in football… here come the Rams.

Bears +3.5 over Panthers Bears D came to play against the Colts, maybe they’re not done.

Packers -2.5 over Lions Let the Aaron Rodgers band wagon continue to grow.

49ers +8.5 over Seahawks Who is going to catch passes in Seattle?

Falcons +8.5 over Buccaneers Garcia says he’s healthy, but still not getting the start. Let’s see if Michael “the Burner” Turner can keep it rolling.

Patriots +2.5 over Jets So weird to see the Pats as underdogs. No Brady, but still a plethora of Pro Bowlers on this team to take down the New York Bretts.

Cardinals -6.5 over Dolphins Miami has to travel cross country to go to 0-2. Pennington makes them much more respectable than last year, but it Cards still beat them up.

Broncos +3.5 over Chargers Good rivalry here. Cutler gets his favorite target back in Brandon Marshall, to pair with last week’s favorite Eddie Royal. Also Shawn “Lights Out” Merriman… is out.

Browns +5.5 over Steelers Not sure the Browns will win this game, but they keep it close.

Texans -4.5 over Ravens Now a Monday night game, I’ll take the home team with their crowd.

Cowboys -6.5 over Eagles A Terrell Owens TDs, gives the Cowboys the cover.

Besse’s picks: Last week: 6-10

Saints (+0.5) over Redskins Colston is out, but Reggie put on a show last week. Expect to see another one. Redskins offense will look better this week, but not good enough.

Jaguars (-6.5) over Bills I expect the Jaguars D to thwart the Bills at home here. The offensive line is a bit banged up, but Garrard should find himself with plenty of options to throw to.

Chiefs (-3.5) over Raiders How bad did the Raiders look on Monday night? Chiefs played tough in New England and should cover here with plenty of LJ and TG.

Titans (+1.5) over Bengals VY going down was great timing for Week 2. Kerry Collins could light up Cincy, and Palmer and Co. should have just as much trouble with the Titans D as they did with the Ravens last week.

Colts (-1.5) over Vikings Tavaris Jackson sucks.

Giants (-8.5) over Rams The Rams offense is surprisingly bad. The defense is expectedly worse. Manning (of the Eli variety) could have a career day.

Bears (+3.5) over Panthers Interesting matchup here. I don’t think the Bears win. But I think a late field goal or garbage Matt Forte TD helps them cover.

Packers (-2.5) over Lions The Lions are brutal. I question if this is a trap game, but I can’t help but hope Rodgers can pull this one out. Jennings, Driver and Grant in a dome could turn into a track meet against that D.

49ers (+8.5) over Seahawks Hasselback is out of receivers. And he doesn’t have a running back either. Tough.

Falcons (+8.5) over Bucs Veteran back-up against a promising rookie. I think Griese should pull out the win, but not by 9. Ryan has a dynamic duo in the backfield taking pressure off of him right now and allowing him a chance to limit mistakes in the passing game. Tough D this week, but I like them to cover.

Patriots (+2.5) over Jets I can’t root against New England here.

Dolphins (+6.5) over Cardinals Oddly enough, this could be a shootout. Big fan of Pennington to Fasano, and Warner should have be a great fantasy QB all year long.

Broncos (+3.5) over Chargers With Merriman out, this Chargers D is in trouble all year long. Marshall is back for Denver, so Cutler has a nice array of receivers with Eddie Royal making a splash.

Steelers (-5.5) over Browns Browns were banged up against Dallas and the Steelers are a solid team. I expect to see Big Ben air it out a bit more this week.

Ravens (+4.5) over Texans Not sure how the Ravens are getting 4.5 here. This could be a low scoring affair if the Ravens D has its way. Regardless, Flacco should be able to keep it close against a porous D.

Cowboys (-6.5) over Eagles Mcnabb won’t be lighting it up against this pass defense. Romo and TO will make sure the Cowboys make a statement at home on Monday night.

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-Bess