My picks last week were a rubbish filled skip fire of the smelliest matter imaginable, where as Dan managed to keep steady and so after two weeks we are both have a fifty percent record. This reminds me that gambling is fundamentally stupid, and would make me wonder why I bother making these picks if it wasn’t for the fact that I love the game. We are also beginning to learn some things about certain teams, whilst others stubbornly remain a mystery so on to another interesting week.

Gee:    Week 2   5-11              Overall   16-16
Dan:    Week 2   8-8                Overall   16-16

Washington @ Giants (-3.5)

I am really looking forward to watching this game to get a proper look at these teams.

The Giants have twice held ten point leads going into the fourth quarter, and yet have an 0-2 record. Odell Beckham came to play against the Falcons, catching a ball on a slant pattern and taking it to the end-zone whilst racking up a further six catches for a total of one hundred and forty-six yards. Although he didn’t throw an interception, Eli Manning fumbled the ball twice with one of those going to the Falcons, and if you combine this with the clock management issues from game 1, then you can see that Eli has not had the best of starts to the season. However, so far their defence has been better than many were predicting before the start of the season, and they were neither the first, nor I suspect the last, defence to fail to cover Julio Jones. They will be desperately looking to get a win this week, particularly as results around them mean they are by no means out of the race for the NFC East, but they need to turn things around quickly.

The results so far have been a pleasant surprise for Washington fans. They played the Dolphins tough in week one, and then got a win against the Rams last week. Their defence has taken a step up from last year, and their offensive line looks better as well, which has enabled them to run the ball effectively both weeks. They are only getting steady play from quarterback Kirk Cousins, but if he can continue to protect the ball then the signs of progress in Washington could well bear fruit.

This is one of those games where I haven’t got a feel for either team compared to each other, but the line isn’t quite high enough for me to pick a road underdog, so I’ll back the Giants in this one. Reluctantly.

Gee’s Pick:      Giants
Dan’s Pick:      Washington

Falcons@ Cowboys (+0.5)

The Cowboys are having the worst 2-0 start to the season you could imagine, having lost Dez Bryant in week 1 to a broken foot, and now Tony Romo is out for at least eight weeks with a broken collar bone. Their defence has played well, but the offence has understandably sputtered, and neither Brandon Weeden nor the recently acquired Matt Cassel exactly inspires confidence. They will hope to do well enough to give Tony Romo something to come back for, but it could be a rough few weeks for this team.

The Falcons on the other hand, have got off to a much improved start when compared to last year as their defence is playing much better under the influence of new head coach Dan Quinn, and Julio Jones continues to give defensive backs nightmares. I have been wrong my fair share of times this season, but I think the Falcons will have too much for the injured Cowboys this week.

Gee’s Pick:      Falcons
Dan’s Pick:      Falcons

Bengals @ Ravens (-2.5)

The Raven have had a curious start to their season as they have fallen to 0-2. The first loss in Denver could be explained by the Broncos frightening defence, which if you are starting the season with another new offensive coordinator is not the game you would have picked for yourself. However, I don’t think anyone was expecting them to lose to the Raiders, and more worryingly, give up so much offence to them. In fact, this was more of a problem for the Ravens than their own offence, which racked up nearly five hundred yards of total offence and three touchdowns. But the Ravens defence gave up three hundred and fifty yards in the air, and although Terrell Suggs is a miss, they have to overcome it if they are going to turn their season round. They will be glad to be back in Baltimore for their home opener, and I have no doubt this will be another close AFC North battle.

The Bengals continued their good start with a second win against the Chargers. I would have liked the run defence to be a little stouter, and Dre Kirkpatrick will have to watch the penalties despite his excellent overall plays, but Geno Atkins is looking like himself again and the defence picked up four sacks with the d-line rotation really coming together. On offence, Andy Dalton is spreading the ball around to all the weapons the Bengals now have on offence, and even when someone misfires like Jeremy Hill did in this game, then someone else steps up. Dalton threw for another three touchdowns to make five on the season without an interception, and Tyler Eifert caught another one as he continues to make a name for himself at tight end.

I am worried about this pick as I think the Ravens are due a win, and will be desperate in their home opener to turn things around, but the optimist is hoping the Bengals’ season continues its good start.

Gee’s Pick:      Bengals
Dan’s Pick:      Bengals

Raiders @ Browns (-3.5)

There are a number of teams that have struggled in recent years that have got a win already this year, and the Browns recovered from a bad loss in their first game to get themselves on the board. The defence got an impressive seven sacks as they gave Titan’s rookie Marcus Mariota a look at the other side of being an NFL quarterback. I’m still not sure what the Browns are going to be on offence, but in Travis Benjamin they got big plays in the passing game to go along with his seventy-eight yard punt return for a touchdown, but both his long touchdown receptions had the hint of the last minute hail Mary pass and so you wonder what will happen against better defences. Manziel looked a bit more like the college player that so wowed people on the long plays to Benjamin, but we still don’t know if he can sustain success in the NFL, and clearly the Browns are not sure as they look to be returning Josh McCown to the starting line up having cleared the league’s concussion protocol.

The Raiders also had their own redemption in week two as having been soundly beaten by the Bengals in week one, they got the win in a big performance against the Baltimore Ravens. The defence doesn’t seemed to have found its feet yet, with Kahlil Mack yet to record a sack from his new position of defensive end, but the offence kept pace with the Ravens to get the job done.

I’m not exactly sure about either side, but I’ll back the Browns with the Raiders travelling all the way across from the west coast, even if it does feel like a coin flip.

Gee’s Pick:      Browns
Dan’s Pick:      Raiders

Colts @ Titans (+3.5)

The Titans got a dose of reality against the Browns as they gave up a lot of sacks on offence, and big plays on defence and special teams. That said, Mariota did steady the ship in the second half, getting a couple of touchdowns as they recovered from being 0-21 down to make it 14-28 at the end of the game. They seem to be heading in the right direction, and whilst it is too early to tell how far this progress will take them this season, how they go in this game could be an indicator.

The Colts have got off to a rotten start, and the disharmony between Chuck Pagano and the front office staff seems to be spilling out into the press alongside criticism of Andrew Luck. There is no denying their franchise quarterback’s talent, and it is admirable that he cares more about winning than his stats, but he has to do a better job of protecting the football if the Colts are going to win. Now in fairness to him, it’s all very well to say that, but given the lack of talent that the Colts have put in front of him in the offensive line, it is not a surprise that he would struggle. If nothing else, apart from drafting Luck first over all, there have been more misses that hits in recent years and the front office has been focussing on toys for Luck rather than bolstering the offensive and defensive lines, which is what this team really needs. This game is a big one, in which the Colts will either begin to rally round, or truly sink into the mire. To their credit, they have played two very good defences, and whilst the Titans are improving, I don’t think this is the game they will win. However, I think it will be a performance that masks the Colts’s deficiencies rather than truly marks a turnaround, and whilst I can still see them winning their division, I don’t see them improving on their playoff performance this season.

Gee’s Pick:      Colts
Dan’s Pick:      Colts

Steelers @ Rams (+1.5)

The Rams seem to have fallen into a classic let down game, having got the good win against their division rival at home, they then travelled across the country and were steamrollered by Washington’s improving offensive line. Their defensive front is very impressive, which makes Washington’s efforts all the more remarkable, but makes it very hard for me to know what to do with them in this game against the Steelers. In Nick Fowles they seem to have a quarterback who can do a bit more in the vertical passing game, but there is a question of which Rams team will show up.

The Steelers ran into a buzz saw in the opening game of the season, but put things right against the 49ers with a comprehensive win. The offense is only going to improve with Le’Veon Bell returning to the line up, although DeAngelo Williams has been able backup. However, the difference maker for me is Antonio Brown, who is making a strong case for being the best receiver in the league. He had nearly two hundred yards against the 49ers and I think the Steelers are settling into a good team now.

Gee’s Pick:      Steelers
Dan’s Pick:      Steelers

Chargers@ Vikings (-2.5)

The Vikings looked more like the team we were expecting to see in week two. The rumours of Adrian Peterson’s decline were soundly dispelled with nearly two hundred all purpose yards, and Teddy Bridgewater responded to Mike Zimmer’s tough coaching with a turnover free game and two touchdowns, one through the air and another on the ground. The defence got a pair of fumbles and an interception, and so now we just have to see if the Vikings can sustain this, or if they are going to have an up and down season.

The Chargers are also 1-1, having been solidly beaten by the Bengals, but I was impressed with rookie running back Melvin Gordon, and Danny Woodhead was as dangerous as ever coming out of the backfield. With Philip Rives at quarterback, the Chargers are always going to have a chance, but the defence is still going to be a question, and they only have one sack for the season to go along with a Football Outsiders Defensive DAVE ranking of twenty-fifth.

That said, the Chargers did well enough against the Bengals this week that I think they will have enough going into Minnesota, even if the prospect of Peterson running into the Chargers defence does worry me a lot.

Gee’s Pick:      Chargers
Dan’s Pick:      Vikings

Jaguars @ Patriots (-13.5)

I need to learn my lessons about the Patriots, which is that it’s not that I don’t see the things that I worry about, but the game plan changes so much that you should just have faith in Belichick and Brady until things start costing them games consistently. Even Rex Ryan came out and said he was out coached, although I’m sure part of that was to take the pressure of his team, and you can see why players love to play for Ryan. But whilst they might love playing for Ryan, if you can stomach the way Belichick coaches you get to win a lot of football games. A healthy Rob Gronkowski is a terrifying weapon, and with Julian Edleman catching so many balls their offence is really humming. When one side of the ball is working so well, the other side only has to be good enough, and they certainly were against the Bills and you imagine they will be again against the Jaguars at home.

The Jaguars are another team that has struggled in recent years that managed to get a win this week against a Dolphins team that seems to be suffering various kinds of dysfunction. Whilst getting a win this early is a sign of improvement, and is encouraging given the injuries they’ve had to start the season, there is not getting away from the fact that the Jaguars are still not a good team, which is reflected in the line. I really wanted to take the Bucs last week, but couldn’t bring myself to do it in the face of their week one performance. I’m tempted to take the Jaguars, but let’s be honest here, despite the points, the Patriots and Tom Brady are desperate to prove a point this season so there is only one way I can go with this game.

Gee’s Pick:      Patriots
Dan’s Pick:      Jaguars

Saints @ Panthers (-6.5)

The Panthers are winning ugly. Their defence is playing well, even last week minus Luke Kuechly who is under league concussion protocol, and the offence is getting enough done despite losing their best receiver for the year in preseason. The thing that worries me is how much Cam Newton is carrying his team, not because he can’t in bursts, but because I don’t know how long he can sustain it if he keeps running the ball as much as he does. The flip into the end zone against the Texans last week is all very well, but you just hope for the Panthers’ sake that he can stay healthy.

The Saints look to be heading towards the end of an era. There’s talk that Brees will play this week, but you would worry about his bruised rotator-cuff and there hasn’t been much evidence of moving towards a run based attack. More worrying is the defence, which is not playing well, and as a team that doesn’t travel that well I’m not expecting them to turn things round in Carolina.

I could regret this as we’ve had a lot of upsets this season, but I’m sticking with the home favourite in this one, after all the Saints just got beat convincingly by the Bucs.

Gee’s Pick:      Panthers
Dan’s Pick:      Panthers

Eagles @ Jets (-2.5)

The Jets have got off to a really strong start, and having taken care of the Browns in week one, they had more than enough to see off the Colts in the Monday night game. Tod Bowles has come in and made the most of the secondary that was brought in over the offseason to create a very strong defence that had more than enough to exploit the problems the Colts are having. They have just announced that Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain their starter even when Geno Smith is back healthy, which given how solid the Jets have looked in their opening two games is hardly a surprise. They may miss Eric Decker if, as expected, he misses this game with a knee injury, but the Eagles secondary has not exactly being doing great things so far this season.

The result of the Eagles game really surprised me as their offence looked to be coming together in the second half against the Falcons, and they could have very easily won that game. Instead of them coming out in their home opener and setting things right, they struggled, bringing into question some of the high profile moves that Chip Kelly has made now that he has full power over personnel decision. I think there is an element of Kelly the GM letting down Kelly the coach, as the line is being questioned and an awful lot of talent has been shipped out. It is also interesting to hear people question the coaching and whether his system can work at the NFL. The theory is that now that defensive coordinators have had time to study, that you can’t scheme a win based on spacing if you don’t have players that can win one-on-one matchups. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the season, as I really was impressed with Kelly as an interview last year, and with what I saw on tape. However, I see the logic of their being too many man hours spent in professional coaching to allow you to win on scheme alone, and the price spent on running backs rather than on linemen worried me, as well as the trade for Kiko Alonso who has promptly re-injured his ACL.  The last thing the Eagles need to get themselves right is an away trip to a very good Jets defence, and I think it is about to get worse for the Eagles before it can get any better.

Gee’s Pick:      Jets
Dan’s Pick:      Jets

Buccaneers @ Texans (-6.5)

The Texans appear to not be a very good football team right now. They still have JJ Watt who amassed four tackles, two quarterback hits, and his obligatory sack, but if you look at Football Outsider’s DAVE statistic they are only ranked fifteenth on defence and given where their offence is ranked, this isn’t high enough to get them wins yet. If the defence doesn’t look quite right, the offence is really struggling, which is in part to them missing Arian Foster and not being able to run the ball. For me this make me wonder about their offensive line, which again only ranked twenty-first in the league according to Football Outsiders for run blocking, as both Alfred Blue and Chris Polk looked okay in preseason and are not getting it done. I don’t think the changes at quarterback have helped this team at all, if you pick Hoyer for his consistency, then you have to give him more than three quarters before you yank him out of his first year with an offence. I’m not a huge Hoyer fan, but he was solid at the Browns and given we’ve seen Mallett miss training through over sleeping and mimic Cam Netwon’s Superman celebration having scored a touchdown, whilst losing, I don’t have a lot of faith in Mallett as a replacement.

This week the Texans welcome a Buccaneers team who vastly improved on their performance in week one. On offence Jameis Winston was able to protect the ball in throwing for over two hundred yards and a touchdown whilst not adding to his interception total from his debut, and in the running game they got over one hundred and thirty-nine yards. Meanwhile on defence the Bucs looked to have a better handle on Lovie Smith’s cover 2 system, generating a total of three turnovers, but causing five fumbles even if they only recovered two of them. Fumble recovery is one of those things that is entirely random, but causing fumbles can be taught and is something Smith has always focussed on as this is why he plays the softer coverage in his cover 2 system, it protects you from deep plays, but also allows defenders to keep an eye on the ball and try to intercept/rip it out.

It is hard to say for certain who is going to win this game give we have only played two games, but I don’t see why the Texans should be giving six and half a points away, and so despite risking the wrath of JJ Watt, I’m going to back the Bucs to cover in this one.

Gee’s Pick:      Buccaneers
Dan’s Pick:      Buccaneers

49ers @ Cardinals (-6.5)

The Cardinals are staking a claim to be the best team in the NFC West this year. They are 2-0, but have only faced the Saints and Bears so far, but welcome divisional rivals the 49ers this week. They are ranked inside the top ten for both defensive and offense according to statistics, and whilst it is hard to read too much into that given that Football Outsiders are not adjusting for opponents yet and who they have played, the Cardinals have looked very good on offence and should have more than enough defence to cope with the visiting 49ers.

The 49ers came back to Earth with a bump against the Steelers last week. There are very few teams that are going to find it easy to cope with the Steelers offence, but they were unable to get a sack or force a turnover in that game, so you worry about them facing a Carson Parmar who has looked very good so far this season. On offence, they only had one turnover themselves, but conceded five sacks and Kaepernick fumbled the ball twice. What is more, Kapernick was also their leading rusher and this is not likely to a recipie for long term success.

You would normally expect divisional games to be close, but I think that Cardinals are in a different class to the 49ers.

Gee’s Pick:      Cardinals
Dan’s Pick:      Cardinals

Bills @ Dolphins (-2.5)

The Dolphins eked out a win in game one, and then lost to the Jaguars. The defensive line has not been as good as was expected, with Cameron Wake fighting an injury which has limited his productivity, which has meant teams have been able to focus on Suh. Let us not forget that this unit fell apart at the end of last season, and have not looked that great this season. More worrying perhaps though is the lack of offence that the Dolphins have had. The offensive line is struggling at both guard positions, and am injury to Lamar Miller means that the running game looks set to continue to struggle, whilst Tannehill hasn’t been as efficient as he was last year whilst being asked to do a lot because of the lack of run game.

Unfortunately for the Dolphins, this week they welcome the first of a pair of good defences that they face over the next two weeks. The Patriots may have put up huge numbers and points on the Bills, but make no mistake, this is a very good defence who will have a point to prove and one suspects Rex Ryan will be doubly focussed in this game. The Bills offence is also likely to benefit from not having to keep up with Brady and co. this week, so I can see this going very wrong for the Dolphins.

I know that Dan always likes to pick his team, but I think that unless they can turn things round very quickly, it could be past the bye week before the Dolphins get another win. Sorry Dan.

Gee’s Pick:      Bills
Dan’s Pick:      Dolphins

Bears @ Seahawks (-14.5)

Not all 0-2 teams are created equal, as this game nicely demonstrates. The Seahawks lost a surprise game against the Rams, but no one can really blame a team for losing to the Packers in Green Bay. However, whilst the Kam Chancellor hold out has ended, which should help with their defensive problems, there are issues on offence that might not be addressed this season. The line is struggling, which is not a surprise if you trade a when healthy Pro-Bowl centre and don’t invest in his replacement. This might be part of the explanation for their struggles running the ball, although maybe farther time is sneaking up on Marshawn Lynch. The failure of Jimmy Graham to impress is indicative of a problem the Seahawks seem to have in offensive game planning. I’m not sure Graham’s problems are that surprising given that the Seahawks singularly failed to integrate Percy Harvin into their plans, but if the difficult personality he has mitigates that failure, Golden Tate has been very good for an up and down Lions team and he did not look like that playing in Seattle. It shouldn’t be that hard to integrate a talent like Graham into your offence, even if you don’t want to make him the centre piece of your game plan, but he was only targeted twice against the Packers last week, and given that you traded number one picks and a centre to get him, you would have thought that he would have been expected to make a difference to your team.

Turning round the Bears looked like it would be a long process before the season, and so far it certainly has lived up to that impression. On the other end of the 0-2 spectrum, the Bears lost respectably to the Packers in week one, and then got thumped by the Cardinals last week. To make matters worse, they lost quarterback Jay Cutler to a hamstring injury, and as yet we don’t know if he will play Sunday. This could easily turn into a season of losses where the Bears fans start studiously studying the quarterbacks likely to declare for the draft rather than concentrate on the team on the field.

Seattle is not the place to visit if there are questions about your quarterback, and with Kam Chancellor returning to the fold and likely playing, I fear for the Bears in this one. The points make me pause, but in the end they lost by twenty-five points last week and I suspect Seattle’s 12^th man will be raucously desperate to make their voices heard in their team’s home opener.

Gee’s Pick:      Seahawks
Dan’s Pick:      Bears

Broncos @ Lions (+4.5)

The Lions have got off to a rocky start on the road, losing a lead in the fourth quarter to a surging Chargers team in the first game, and going behind in the first quarter against the Vikings to fall to a second loss. The defence hasn’t rebounded from losing Suh yet, and are still missing DeAndre Levey to injury, whilst the offence is having familiar problems with their offensive line. They couldn’t get anything going on the ground against the Vikings’ defence, and Matthew Stafford is carrying some kind of rib injury which may account for his inaccuracy with the ball.

The Broncos stole a second win against the Chiefs, in a game they very easily could, and possibly should, have lost. All the talk is about Peyton Manning and whether he is done, but whilst he is well past his best, when the Broncos ran his offence Manning was effective moving the ball, and I’m not sure there isn’t some compromise on the scheme coming. The real problem with the offence is going to be if they can’t get the offensive line to gel and establish a run game that takes the pressure off him, but as long as the defence continues to look like one of the nastiest in the league then they will always have a chance.

The Lions are getting four and a half points, but I don’t see them being able to move the ball on the Broncos so I don’t think they will cover.

Gee’s Pick:      Broncos
Dan’s Pick:      Broncos

Chiefs @ Packers (-7.5)

The Packers lost a major piece on offence in the preseason, and lost Eddie Lacy last week to an ankle problem, but Aaron Rodgers is so good that it hasn’t slowed them down at all. The good news is that Lacy’s injury doesn’t seem to be too bad, and James Starks is a more than capable backup who ran for ninety-five yards of his own last week. On defence it looks like BJ Raji is beginning to find some form, and Clay Mathews has stiffened their run defence by switching between playing his favourite outside linebacker spot inside on running downs. The ageless Julius Peppers is still giving them a pass rush, and you have to think that they will win at home this week.

The Chiefs are a good team, but they couldn’t put the Broncos away at home, and even with their excellent defence, you have to worry about them visiting Green Bay. They have the pass rushers to trouble Aaron Rodgers, and Marcus Peters has been very impressive in his rookie season at corner back, but I don’t think they will be able to keep up with the Packers in Lambeau field where Rodgers hasn’t thrown an interception in something like two seasons.

I think that if this was played on a neutral field or at Arrowhead then the Chiefs might have a chance of getting an upset, but I fear they will fall short this week and fail to cover.

Gee’s Pick:      Packers
Dan’s Pick:      Packers

I am going to avoid writing about last night’s Broncos at Chiefs game in case you’re trying to catch up with it without hearing the score. I will write it up over the weekend as it is a good one, but for now let’s take a look at the rest of the week 2 games.

Falcons @ Giants (-2.5)

The Giants managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of a victory that I was really not expecting them to be in a position to get. In fairness, whilst they did okay in the run game, the passing game did not go as well as you might expect and the Cowboys offence outgained them by one hundred and forty-six yards. This can be highlighted by Odell Beckham’s modest forty-four yards on five catches, but the real story is that they were in a position to win the game, but bad clock management between Eli Manning and head coach Tom Coughlin gave Dallas enough time to go seventy-two yards in seventy-six seconds.

This week the Giants host a Falcons team coming off an impressive win in Philadelphia, although the Eagles did come back strongly against them in the second half. They are still making changes to their offence line, which is a worry, but the Falcons have a true franchise quarterback and receiver Julio Jones was amazing against the Eagles, amassing one hundred and forty-four yards from nine receptions and with the Giants’ questions in the secondary, this will be a match up to watch. The Falcons were setup to let the Eagles have the short throws and were betting they couldn’t sustain enough drives to win, which was a bet that paid off for them. We don’t know how typical this approach will be as it is too early in the season, but the defence is already looking better than last season.

I am still not convinced by the Giants, and whilst there are still questions around the Falcons on both sides of the ball, I just think they have enough talent to beat this Giants team.

Gee’s Pick:      Falcons
Dan’s Pick:      Falcons

Patriots @ Bills (+0.5)

The Bills defence were as impressive as we were expecting, with the changes Rex Ryan made paying off, but they also executed their plan successfully on offence as well as defence. The Bills offence ran the ball successfully, Tyrod Taylor looked after the ball, and he made enough big passes and runs to get them the win. However, it was Rex’s pressure on Andrew Luck that meant he wasn’t able to perform in the way we have come to expect. It will be fascinating to see what plans Rex Ryan has to deal with the Patriots offence.

The Patriots got the win against the Steelers, but whilst their offence was working very well, they were going against a defence in transition that was having all sorts of communication issues, and not just due to headset problems. I very much doubt that we will see Rob Gronkowski that open in this game. The other thing that struck me about the Patriots was that their defence seemed to be functioning much more of a bend don’t break principle, and whilst you would expect them to improve as the Patriots usually do through the season, they looked soft against the run game and the Steelers had no problems in the passing game until they got near the red zone.

I could regret this one, but I am getting a half point for a home team with a defence that is nasty, and a team that I think will be able to run the ball against the Patriots. No one should take a quarterback with as few starts as Taylor against Tom Brady, but that is what I am going to do this week.

Gee’s Pick:      Bills
Dan’s Pick:      Patriots

Cardinals @ Bears (+2.5)

The Bears are a team in transition, and they may have lost their opener to their hated rivals the Green Bay Packers, but a 31-23 loss does not seem that bad in the grand scheme of things. There are questions all round this team, but they ran the ball well and generated over four hundred yards of offence, even if Jay Cutler did throw one of his obligatory interceptions. The Packers didn’t exactly light up the Bears defence if you look at the statistics, but Rodgers is a great quarterback and still managed to throw for three touchdowns. It is going to be a long season, but this is not a team that I think will suffer the meltdowns they had last year.

The Cardinals had questions about their defence having lost Tod Bowles as defensive coordinator, and their offence given that Carson Palmer was coming back from a season ending injury. However, whilst the questions may remain about the defence, Carson Palmer looked good, throwing for three touchdowns without an interceptions, and over three hundred yards. This is a coaching staff that I still believe in, and I think even though they are on the road, that they will have too much for the Bears.

Gee’s Pick:      Cardinals
Dan’s Pick:      Cardinals

Chargers @ Bengals (-3.5)

The Bengals couldn’t have got off to much of a better start last week against the Raiders. Their offence was clicking, with the offensive line remaining as good as they were last year, and the players returning from injury meant that they just had too many weapons for the Raiders defence to stop. There was a real effort in the offseason to improve the depth as the tight end position, but Tyler Eifert really caught the eye with his two touchdowns, and one hundred and four yards, on nine receptions. The other side of the ball also played well, with the defensive line rotation continuing to look better than last season, and the secondary looked strong as well. The Raiders were 33-0 down going into the final quarter and the Bengals were playing a lot of backups in that final quarter.

In their home opener they welcome a Chargers team who won their opening game, but whilst Philip Rivers looked good, even whilst throwing two interceptions, there still are questions about their defence. In the game against the Lions they outgained Detroit by one hundred and eighty-one yards, but only won by five points.

I’m trying not to be too much of a Bengals fan about this one, but I like how the team look right now, and whilst the Chargers offence is going to be good, I think there are enough questions about their defence that I think the Bengals will take care of business in their home opener, particularly as they are still carrying a grudge from the post season loss two years ago.

Gee’s Pick:      Bengals
Dan’s Pick:      Bengals

Titans @ Browns (+1.5)

The Browns took a lead in the second quarter, but by half time they had surrendered it to the Jets in what was eventually a lopsided loss. The passing defence that was so good last year seemed to regress back to average and the Jets were able to run for one hundred and fifty-four yards. Whilst on offence they lost Josh McCowan to a concussion on the opening drive as he dived for the end zone, the Browns did manage to put up over three hundred yards with Johnny Manziel in the game. However, whilst he looked better than last year when he was simply horrendous, there are still questions about Manziel and his play was uneven to say the least. He managed to couple four fumbles, all of them lost to the Jets, and an interception, with his first NFL touchdown pass. The Browns are finding out Friday morning if McCowan will pass the league’s concussion protocol, and will start if he does, so we don’t really know what to expect this week except that the offensive line didn’t do a great job at the Jets and the running game was not that great. One of their big problems is that there are not a lot of their recent first round picks working out at the moment, and you can’t win if you routinely don’t hit often enough in the early rounds of the draft.

For the second season in a row the Titans got their season started with a win, but it was a real beat down they gave to the Bucs last week. Marcus Mariota looked good as he threw for four touchdowns without an interception, as Ken Wisenhunt used a number of familiar Oregon concepts to help his rookie quarterback settle into the NFL. It helped that the Bucs played with a lot of easy to identify coverage concepts, but already the decision to pick Jameis Winston is getting questioned. Part of that was the reads Winston had to make against an improving Titans team that added Dick LeBeau into the defensive brain trust in the offseason.

I don’t want to get too carried away with the start the Titans made, but they already look a more interesting team than last year, and I fancy them to get a win against a Browns team that just can’t seem to get everyone pulling in the right direction.

Gee’s Pick:      Titans
Dan’s Pick:      Titans

Lions @ Vikings (-2.5)

The Vikings were a team we were all expecting to make a step up again this year, and whilst it is too early to say that they won’t, it was no the start they would have wanted losing to the 49ers who had so much turmoil in the offseason. The offensive line problems that hampered them last year were not much better this year, and Adrian Peterson did not run the ball like he has in past years, although he didn’t get the number of carries he would usually expect. This perhaps is not that surprising as the Vikings defence gave up nearly four hundred yards, and I would imagine that Mike Zimmer will furious about the two hundred and thirty yards they gave up on the ground to the 49ers.

The Lions went into half time with an eleven point lead, and then watched it disappear in the second half, with Matthew Stafford throwing two picks to go with his two touchdowns. The Lions ran the ball modestly, but Ameer Abdullah got his first career highlight with a move on Eric Weddle that left him helpless as Abdullah fizzed past him to run in his first career touchdown. The defence is still adjusting to the offseason personnel changes, and they will be hoping that DeAndre Levy gets back from his hip injury quickly.

I’m a little worried about this pick, but whilst I think that the Vikings will do okay this season, and that Mike Zimmer will at least stiffen their defence again, I’m not sure that things will turn quickly enough for this game as they are on a short week, so I’m reluctantly taking Matthew Stafford on the road..

Gee’s Pick:      Lions
Dan’s Pick:      Lions

Rams @ Washington (+3.5)

The team from Washington might have got the result that I was expecting, but perhaps they were not quite the team I thought they were. The defence was improved on last year, but more impressively they were able to run the ball effectively with Alfred Morris running for over one hundred and twenty yards. They are still a mess at quarterback with Kirk Cousins throwing two interceptions, but they kept the game close against a team that may were tipping for the playoffs before the start of the season.

The Rams play the Seahawks tough at home, but they did a little more than that in week one, getting one of the results of the first week. There do appear to be problems with the Seahawks secondary and line, but the Rams defence got six sacks with Aaron Donald getting two whilst being very disruptive at defensive tackle. If the Rams defence was as good as we had expected, the play of Nick Foles shows there may be some hope for the Rams offence this season, throwing as he did for nearly three hundred yards and a touchdown without any interceptions. Add to that a run game that generated over a hundred and twenty yards, and a time of possession advantage of nearly nine minutes and you can see how this team beat the Seahawks.

They may be coming across the country to play this game, but I think they have enough to win in Washington.

Gee’s Pick:      Rams
Dan’s Pick:      Rams

Bucs @ Saints (-9.5)

The Saints travelled to Arizona and lost against a good Cardinals team. They threw the ball more than I was expecting, and did look effective doing it, although Drew Brees threw an interception to match his touchdown. The running game stuttered with them only gaining fifty-four yards at 2.7 yards per carry so you can perhaps understand their sticking with the pass. However, if the offence continues to put up over four hundred yards, it will have to be more efficient in their opponent’s half as they only managed one touchdown in this game, and were forced to kick four field goals. All of this as their defence gave up one hundred and twenty yards and a touchdown against the run, and over three hundred yards and three touchdowns in the air.

The Buccaneers had an awful start to the season and for once it doesn’t seem sensationalist to write that a coach could be on the hot seat after game one. Their first round quarterback threw a pick six on his first NFL play, and threw a second later in the game as the Bucs were thoroughly out played. Worse still was the defence, which was picked apart by a rookie quarterback for four touchdowns. The defensive problems are even more concerning given that Lovie Smith is a defensive coach, and it could be a very long season for the fans in Tampa Bay.

I am pretty certain that the Saints are going to win the game, and the points scare me, but as much as I want to take the Bucs to cover, they just lost by twenty-eight points to the Titans and so I can’t bring myself to do it.

Gee’s Pick:      Saints

Dan’s Pick:      Saints

49ers @ Steelers (-6.5)

The Steelers looked good on offence, moving the ball well despite their suspensions, but ran into an angry Patriots team that simply does not lose at home very often. Their defence though was a real mess in coverage, and whilst I’m sure this will improve over the year, it will continue to worry when they are giving as many points as this.

The 49ers came out in their Monday night game and physically dominated the Vikings, running the ball very effectively and containing the Vikings’ offence. I’m not sure how good they will be across the season, but they are not going to be the car crash that many were predicting. That said, there still are doubts about Colin Kaepernick in the pass game, even having spent the offseason working with Kurt Warner, but if NaVorro Bowman continues his impressive return to form on defence, then this team will be a tough one to face each week.

This is a tough travel week for the 49ers, coming across country after a late Monday night game, but whilst I think the Steelers will win this game, I think that between their defence and the missing offensive starters, the Steelers won’t cover this spread.

Gee’s Pick:      49ers
Dan’s Pick:      49ers

Texans @ Panthers (-3.5)

The Panthers ran out comfortable winners in their opening game despite losing Luke Kuechly to a concussion. However, the offence I was worried about was actually outgained by the Jaguars, but they took better care of the ball and got the job done. However, I’m still worried about their receivers, Cam Newton ran the ball more than you would want, and whilst the front seven of their defence looks good, the secondary doesn’t inspire confidence yet.

We don’t know how this team have practiced, so we can’t put too much stock in the comments we saw in Hard Knocks, but it is interesting that after seeing Hoyer be told he wouldn’t be on a short leash when given the starter job, he was pulled in the opening game. The Texans gave up five sacks to the Chiefs, Hoyer only threw one interception, but Bill O’Brien was clearly not happy with what he saw. On defence, JJ Watt got two sacks and was his usual disruptive self, but the team still gave up three hundred and thirty yards and three touchdowns.

I’m finding this a hard game to pick as I don’t really trust what I think about either team yet. The Panthers have injuries to deal with, but the Texans are in a mess at quarterback again and don’t have their Arian Foster in the running game. However, that extra half point just pulls me towards the Texans and JJ Watt.

Gee’s Pick:      Texans
Dan’s Pick:      Panthers

Ravens @ Raiders (+6.5)

The Raiders start to the season was horrible on both sides of the ball. There is plenty of time to turn things round, but there must be a real sense of not again floating around Oakland right now.

The Ravens fell in a close game to the Broncos and lost Terrell Suggs for the season to an Achilles tear. The defence is still going to be solid, but this is going to weaken their linebacker corp. Their offence however is thing that could be a cause of concern. It is best not to overreact to their week one showing given how good the Broncos look to be on defence, but there seems to be a lack of weapons in their offence and even the line was not at their best last week.

However, it is going to take a lot more points that this for me to back the Raiders against a good team.

Gee’s Pick:      Ravens
Dan’s Pick:      Ravens

Dolphins @ Jaguars (+6.5)

The Jaguars actually outgained the Panthers in their first game, but it was a familiar result for them, and they won’t win with Blake Bortles throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Living in the UK you hear a lot about the Jaguars because of their commitment to playing over here, but they really need to do something to convince me that they are going to turn the corner that we keep hearing they might do.

The Dolphins made hard work of beating Washington, and didn’t exactly set the world on fire on either side of the ball. You can understand why they paid Suh the money they have, but the Dolphins won’t want him overstepping the line of hard play into dirty like he did against the Washington. That said, this is a game for them to get things going again, and I am not picking the Jaguars again until they can prove to me they have earned it.

Gee’s Pick:      Dolphins
Dan’s Pick:      Dolphins

Cowboys @ Eagles (-4.5)

The Eagles had a slow start in the first half of this game, and finished strongly, but couldn’t quite climb out of the hole they had dug for themselves. Perhaps more worrying was how they struggled to cover Julio Jones, and the play of Byron Maxwell will be a concern given the amount of money they gave him in the offseason. However, things really clicked in the second half for the offence, and the front seven of their defence looks very good.

The Eagles welcome a Cowboys team that stole a win from the Giants last week. The defence is still a concern, and you have to wonder how they will cope against the fast paced Chip Kelly offence if gets into gear again. However, in addition to the defence, the running game did not look good last week against the Giants, and the injury of Dez Bryant is huge, and I really hope they don’t’ rush him back as he has the same fracture that did for Kevin Durant’s season in the NBA this year.

The amount of points worries me in this game, but I have a lot of questions about this Cowboys team who were lucky to win last week, and so I’m sticking by the Eagles for now.

Gee’s Pick:      Eagles
Dan’s Pick:      Cowboys

Seahawks @ Packers (-3.5)

The Packers got their win against the Bears to start the season, and Aaron Rodgers was his usual other worldly self, resuming his chemistry with James Jones despite no offseason working with the receiver, as he threw for three touchdowns but only one hundred and eighty-nine yards. Despite losing Jordy Nelson, the worry for this team could well be on defence. They lost middle linebacker Sam Barrington for the year so they could well be thin there, and giving up four hundred yards to the Bears is not exactly encouraging, particularly giving up one hundred and eighty-nine of them against the run when the Seahawks are coming into town this week.

However, there may be some cracks appearing in the Seahawks this year. On offence it might be time to invest some time in their offensive line as they struggled last week against a good Rams front, but it would have been worse if Russell Wilson wasn’t such a mobile quarterback, and he was still sacked six times. If that wasn’t enough, the hold out of Kam Chancellor, and the depth at corner means that there are now questions about the Seahawks secondary for the first time in years, I was not expecting them to move Richard Sherman into the slot when playing nickel.

This should be a cracking game, but with Green Bay playing at home, and I would imagine desperate to make amends after the horrible playoff loss last season, I am backing them to get the win at Lambeau.

Gee’s Pick:      Packers
Dan’s Pick:      Packers

Jets @ Colts (-6.5)

The Colts really struggled last week against the pressure that Bills’ defence got against them, even if it only yielded two sacks, Andrew Luck threw for twenty-six completions on forty-nine attempts with two touchdowns and two interceptions. I am still stunned that they didn’t pick an offensive lineman until the seventh round, and in my opinion they had enough depth at receiver that they could have addressed this need in the first round rather than picking the receiver they did. The other worrying thing for Colts fans was the familiar one hundred and forty-seven yards they gave up on the ground against the Bills. This was a real problem for the defence last year, and this could be a tough second week for them given that they are playing a very similar team in the Jets.

The Jets also have what looks to be a tough defence, and an offence very capable of running the ball. The defence might not rush the passer as much as Ryan’s Bills last week, but you have to imagine that they have seen the tape and will be looking at trying to disrupt the middle of the Colts line again. They also ran for over one hundred and fifty yards last week on offence, and while Ryan Fitzpatrick might not have the legs of Tyrod Taylor, his best years in Buffalo were under current jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.

I’m not sure if I would go as far as to predict a win for the Jets, but I’m not sure the Colts are worth this many points at home, and so I’m backing the Jets to keep this game close.

Gee’s Pick:      Jets
Dan’s Pick:      Colts

It has been a thoroughly frustrating couple of weeks as I’ve made it a little over half the games I wanted to see of the preseason, but my actual paying jobs has been kicking me round the place and sadly this endeavour does not pay my mortgage.

I always try to bring you things I’ve seen or my opinions rather than parroting conventional opinion so I shall dive straight into a preview of week one, and the return of the picks competition from Dan, who I think is still smarting from his narrow loss last season. Once more we’ll be taking the lines from the ESPN Pick ‘Em game and I will be using this to judge how I feel about the game.

Remember, the default line between two equal teams is -3 to the home team

Steelers @ Patriots (-3.5)

All I want to say about deflate gate, and the ongoing saga of NFL administrative incompetence is that we now have an extremely motivated all time great quarterback starting in the opening game of the season. The defensive overhaul in the offseason, shedding the high cost secondary and appearing to focus instead on rushing the passer, is the kind of tactical flexibility that Coach Belichick is known for and so I am less concerned about this than I would be for many other teams. Time will tell if they can pull it off, but I for one will want to see an extended downturn before I believe it.

The Steelers have a terrifying offence, but a huge part of that is on paper only this week given Le’Veon Bell’s suspension, and we saw in the playoffs how much trouble Bell’s absence can cause. Add to this the injury of Maurkice Pouncey and you do start to have concerns about what should be the better side of the ball. The Steelers’ secondary worries me, and as they transition to a more cover-2 based scheme, which is what Mike Tomlin is more usually associated with, I think they will suffer again this season on the defensive side of the ball as they work things through.

I don’t think there can be too many places that a team in this situation would less like to visit than Foxborough so I’m going for the Patriots to cover.

Gee’s Pick:      Patriots
Dan’s Pick:      Patriots

Colts @ Bills (+2.5)

The Bills certainly increased their media presence with the hire of Rex Ryan as their head coach, but what he will be able to do with their already fearsome defence shall be fascinating to watch. The question will be if Greg Roman can get enough out of the offence to get them into the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Having won the quarterback competition, it will be interesting to see if Tyrod Taylor can give them the play that this team have been searching for over recent years, and make the most out of second year receiver Sammy Watkins.

The Colts have the opposite problem in that they have their quarterback, and a few other good players, but I’m still not convinced by the way this team is run despite the pair of shellackings they gave the Bengals last year. In Andrew Luck they have a player who can carry a team on his back, but with plenty of other areas to develop I’m not sure that a receiver in the second round was really necessary given their existing depth and issues on both lines. I think they are in with a very good chance of winning their division again this season, and may well win this game but I just have a feeling that the Bills will keep this one close.

Gee’s Pick:      Bills
Dan’s Pick:      Colts

Packers @ Bears (+5.5)

The Packers offseason was what we expected, Ted Thompson knows what he is doing, and so no one was surprised when they held onto their own, drafted solidly and will again be a contender this year. Such is the faith in the infrastructure in Green Bay that people are remaining calm about the loss of Jordy Nelson for the season to a torn ACL. There is depth at receiver, and so whilst there is no doubt that it will hurt the Packers, Rodgers is such a good quarterback that as long as their depth doesn’t get tested too much further then the Packers should be fine. It will be interesting to see whether the Clay Mathews experiment at inside linebacker becomes a staple this year as it certainly helped them last year, but the return BJ Raji could also help here as well.

The Bears are a team in transition after a mess of a season last year, but whilst I would not want Jay Cutler as my franchise quarterback, given the dysfunction that was surrounding the team and coaching staff last season you have to hope he won’t be that bad again. That said, they have lost Brandon Marshall and it remains to be seen whether the line has improved. Meanwhile the defence is transitioning schemes and it would seem to me that it will be a multi year project to turn them round. I have faith that John Fox will at least return this team to respectability, and he has a great record in improving defences, but I think it will take time. I am sure that John Fox will want to make a statement against the old enemy in his first game in charge, particularly as it is in soldier field, but I just don’t think they have the players to do it this early in the project.

Gee’s Pick:      Packers
Dan’s Pick:      Packers

Browns @ Jets (-3.5)

The Jets are an interesting proposition this year as I have a great deal of respect for Todd Bowles, the offseason looked to be building nicely and I think they are going to have a really good defence this season having put together a secondary to go with their great front seven whilst somehow stealing what for many was the best player in the draft. However, the recovery took the most Jets like of stumbles when before he could he even take a snap of the 2015 regular season, Geno Smith’s jaw was broken by a team mate with a locker room sucker punch. Once more it is a familiar story for Jets defence, a great defensive coach with a really good defence, and a questionable offence.

That said, they welcome a Browns team who have a turgid set of skills players on offence behind a good offensive line that have two players who would start on pretty much any other team’s offensive line. I’m really not sure what the plan is for this team’s development, and they certainly have missed on an awful lot of first round picks recently. Coach Pettine is a really good defensive coach, but this is another team who have too much dysfunction to succeed consistently. I think a lot of their problems on offense followed the Alex Mack injury, but it says something about a team when the only quarterback who has played for them recently with a winning record, and a native of Cleveland, is now playing for another team. The fans of Cleveland have been so loyal to this team, and deserve better, but I think this will be another season of frustration for the city.

Gee’s Pick:      Jets
Dan’s Pick:      Browns

Chiefs @ Texans (-1.5)

This is one of those games that I have gone back and forth on.

I have been watching the Texans on hard knocks all season and have seen the first three of their preseason games. It’s not exactly a secret that I’m a huge fan of JJ Watt, and I would love to see Jadeveon Clowney make a difference this season, but a lot is resting on the performance of Brian Hoyer at quarterback, but having watched him play I feel that you can win with him and this team has more around him than the Browns team of recent years. It remains to be seen if they can cope with the loss of Arian Foster, who is hugely important to them when fit, but in JJ Watt they have one of the few defensive players who can make enough of a difference to turn a game on his own.

The Chiefs are a solid football team that in case you hadn’t heard, struggled getting the ball to their outside receivers, but they have strong defence with a pair of great pass rushing linebackers and one of my favourite defensive tackles who I am very worried about as back injuries are never easy to come back and I really want to see Dontari Poe causing havoc in the middle of the Chiefs defence again. They also have one of the leagues great rushing backs in Jamaal Charles. I’m really looking forward to seeing them in London this year and I think that they should be in the playoff hunt again this year.

I can see this being a tight game between two teams in that tier just below the teams you expect to make the playoffs, but I just have more faith in the Chiefs as a team and Alex Smith as a quarterback. I’ve changed my mind multiple times as I’ve written about both teams, including during this conclusion, but last year taught me to trust my first instinct in cases like this so with a great deal of worry, not to mention betrayal of my man crush, I will reluctantly back the Chiefs in this one. I would not put money on this game!

Gee’s Pick:      Chiefs
Dan’s Pick:      Texans

Seahawks @ Rams (+3.5)

The Seahawks have had an interesting offseason, dominated by contract talks with their starters and in particular Russell Wilson. They also pulled off a trade to bring in Jimmy Graham, and whilst Kam Chancellor is still holding out, there is an awful lot of talent on this roster. It may take them time to get going as a number of important players are coming back from injury, but the Seahawks once again have to be considered one of the elite challengers in the NFC. It will be interesting to see how they transition from a team who can pack their roster thanks to having a cheap quarterback playing at a high level, to one that has to pay that quarterback, but for now I have faith that Pete Carroll will be able to keep this team on the right track.

I’m really not sure what to make of the Rams this year. Their defensive front looked terrifying on paper last year, but between a scheme shift and injury, it took a long time for them to get going, but in the offseason they managed to increase their depth with the addition of Nick Fairley. However, I’m not at all sure of how Nick Foles is going to play, and they are awfully banged up at running back right now. I think that Jeff Fisher will pull out the stops to give them another solid season, but I’m not sure they will turn the corner, and whilst they usually play the Seahawks tough at home, I have to go with the visiting team in this game.

Gee’s Pick:      Seahawks
Dan’s Pick:      Seahawks

Dolphins @ Redskins (+2.5)

There is real hope for Dan and his Dolphins team, but whilst I’m not sure I would have invested the amount of money in a non quarterback that the Dolphins gave Ndamukong Suh, I can understand why they did. They have a young promising quarterback who is still on his rookie deal, and Suh is a hard worker who will set the tone for that defence and help a pass rush and run defence that went missing down the stretch. I can also see Ryan Tannerhill taking another step forward, in fact I’m fairly sure it was the progress he made in his first year under Bill Lazer as Offensive Coordinator that kept Joe Philburn his job. There was talk that this was the year that they could perhaps topple the Patriots in the AFC East, but now that Brady’s ban has been overturned, I think it could be a tough ask.

That said, there are worse places to start your campaign than in Washington. What started off with a solid draft and a promising looking approach to the offseason has once again become bogged down in the status and play of Robert Griffin. This is another team where there is a continued stretch of dysfunction and I think that this is going to be another long season for the fans in Washington.

Gee’s Pick:      Dolphins
Dan’s Pick:      Dolphins

Panthers @ Jaguars (+4.5)

The Jaguars have been building through youth for a while, and it feels like this was supposed to be the year that some of the promise finally began to show through. So it was a real kick in the teeth when their first round pass rusher Dante Fowler didn’t even make it through OTAs before tearing his ACL and being done for the season. Their big free agent signing Julius Thomas is battling some combination of a broken finger and tendon issues, and so I would imagine that Jaguar fans could well be fearing the worst. However, I still feel they are heading in the right direction, and for Gus Bradley it is probably a do or be fired season.

It didn’t feel like the Panthers of this season were too much different from the team of last season until they lost Kelvin Benjamin for the season to another of this preseason’s rash of ACL tears. There seems to have been more rookie wide receivers make an in impact in their rookie years recently, much like Benjamin did last year, but whilst I can see the logic of drafting a big target as Devin Funchess as a target for Cam Newton who is not the most accurate of quarterbacks, I don’t think he is the kind of polished receiver prospect you would want to be relying on to fill the void having lost your number one receiver. The defence will play well again this season, but I have a feeling that this game will be tight, and that the Jaguars will cover at home.

Gee’s Pick:      Jaguars
Dan’s Pick:      Panthers

Lions @ Chargers (-2.5)

I’m really not sure about either of these teams.

The Chargers appear to have secured the future service s of Phillip Rivers, and there is no way that their offensive line can be as beaten up as they were last season so the offence can hopefully recapture some of their best form from last season once Antonio Gates comes back from his four game PED suspension. However, apart from Eric Weddle, there just aren’t a lot of defensive players that really inspire me and I wonder how they are going to cope this year. That said, if Rivers can sustain his early season form behind a healthier line then this could be a team to keep an eye on.

The Lions will be a team to watch, but possibly for different reasons. Last season’s return to the playoffs was brought about by a new disciplined approach that Head Coach Jim Caldwell was able to bring to the team in his first year in charge. However, this is a very different roster than the one last year as not only did they lose Ndamukong Suh, but lost Nick Fairley, and it will be interesting to see how their defence rebuilds itself around Haloti Ngata. Having watched Ngata over the years in division games, I know what a good player he has been, but a gap controlling 3-4 nose tackle, even one as good as Ngata, does not really replace the two players the Lions have lost. I also have questions about Matthew Stafford, who never seems to win the big games when they count. If Calvin Johnson can stay healthy, then a pairing of him and Golden Tate will be one of the more fearsome starting receiver pairs in the NFL, but there are questions at running back and the offensive line has to do a better job than last year if this team are going to build on the previous season’s success.

I’m not convinced by Stafford on the road, and so despite the points I am going to back Phillip Rivers at home to get the job done with his offence.

Gee’s Pick:      Chargers
Dan’s Pick:      Lions

Saints @ Cardinals (-2.5)

The Cardinals stumbled into the playoffs last year despite the carnage at quarterback, but have lost Todd Bowles to the Jets as Head Coach, and there are still questions about their running backs and offensive line. The return of Carson Palmer should help the offence if he can stay healthy. The real test will be how they adjust on defence to the shift in personnel in the secondary and their new defensive coordinator, but after what Bruce Arians and his staff managed to do last season, I have faith that they will be competing for a playoff place once again this season.

The Saints on the other hand, are a team that’s in flux and I have mixed feelings about them. It was a surprise to see them trade away Jimmy Graham, the tight end that has been the centre piece in what they have done in the last few years, but it appears that Sean Payton is trying to take some of the load off Drew Brees’s shoulders and if anyone can pull this off successfully it is Payton. However, this is also a team who have been badly managing their cap for years, and I worry about their talent on defence. I’m not sure Roby Ryan is going to be able to turn it round this year, which could make things very tough for a team trying to run the ball more to extend the career of their great, but aging quarterback.

The Saints really struggled last season, and I’m not sure how much better they are going to be this one so whilst I’m a little nervous about the pick. I’ll back the Cardinals to be too strong in their home opener against the Saints.

Gee’s Pick:      Cardinals
Dan’s Pick:      Cardinals

Bengals @ Raiders (+3.5)

After years of horror, there was actually some hope for Raiders fans last season. Khalil Mack shone in a linebacking group that I thought was coming together nicely, and Derek Carr did enough to suggest he may be their quarterback for years to come. It will be interesting to see what effect Jack Del Rio will have on the team, but in drafting Amari Cooper the Raiders are clearly trying to give Carr every chance to succeed. They were a tough team to play at the end of last season, and their fans will be hoping that this continues into this season.

Then Bengals look to be loaded on offence this year, with a number of players back from injury and once again it will be playoff win or bust for them. They have a tough schedule and this is not exactly the start Marvin Lewis would have wanted, but whilst I still have some concerns about the defence, the pass rush looked markedly better in preseason, and whilst it was a blow to lose Terrance Newman, you can see why the Bengals did as first round picks Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard have looked good as they work into the rotation alongside Adam Jones and Leon Hall.

I think the Raiders will make this a tough game, and the points give me a slight pause, but the optimist in me sees the Bengals taking care of business this year, and getting off to a good start in Oakland.

Gee’s Pick:      Bengals
Dan’s Pick:      Bengals

Ravens @ Broncos (-4.5)

The Broncos have had an interesting offseason as John Elway has brought in a coach in Gary Kubiak that he knows very well, and whom he believes will make sure that the Broncos go out with a fight rather than a whimper. The nervousness will still surround how much Peyton Manning has left, and whether he will be more willing to relax his legendary work habits to protect his body a bit more. Between the scheme change, and the rebuilt offensive line there are a lot of questions, and it hasn’t helped that as good as Elway has been in free agency, the draft has not yielded a lot of high quality players recently. That said, the defence looks to have improved and if Manning can’t live up to his legendary past, it appears that he might not have to as the defence has the tools to make sure that he doesn’t have to score thirty points a game to win. I think they should have another competitive season, but there is going to be a hint of the circus surrounding this team until Manning finally calls it a day.

The Ravens are now on their third offensive coordinator in three years, and although I only saw a little bit of them in preseason, their receivers worry me and at some point all this change has to catch up with them. They are a really well run franchise, and have been managing to re-tool effectively around Joe Flacco’s enormous contract. Their defence front continues to be excellent, but I’m not sure that their secondary that was truly awful at the end of last season due to injury, will be fully back to where they want it this season. I expect another black and blue AFC North battle this year, and the Ravens are going to be there or there abouts, but I just expect the Broncos to take care of business at home on opening day.

Gee’s Pick:      Broncos
Dan’s Pick:      Broncos

Titans @ Buccaneers (-3.5)

This is the battle of first round rookie quarterbacks. The Buccaneers were seen by some as a trendy sleeper pick last season, but this team who had apparently won in the free agency race had a truly rotten season. Despite a trade to get Logan Mankins and signing swing tackle Anthony Collins who had always played well for the Bengals, the o-line didn’t gel and the only bright spot was the play of Mike Evans who managed to mass over one thousand yards in his first season in the NFL. Things however, were not a lot better on defence, and it is a sign of the offseason problems that both high price free agents the Bucs prised from the Bengals are no long the team with Anthony Collins being cut and is a free agent, whilst Michael Johnson has returned to the Bengals and is still being paid by the Bucs. However, a new season brings new hope in the shape of first round pick Jameis Winston, a player who can make all the throws, but was constantly questions about off the field issues during the draft process. Time will tell if he was a good pick, but I’ve not heard too much about the Bucs this offseason and there is a lot to put right.

The Titans were one of the most anonymous teams in the NFL last season, but were the source of constant speculation during the offseason before they finally picked quarterback Marcus Mariota. He was not an obvious fit for Ken Wisenhunt’s offensive system, but there has been a real buzz surrounding him this preseason. The addition of Dick LeBeau and his famous zone blitz to the coaching staff is a fascinating move that in combination with possibly finding a franchise quarterback seems to be giving this team an identity. The proof will be in how they perform this season, but the Titans traditionally have been better than their recent malaise and I’m not sure what the Bucs have done to get an extra half point at home. I have a feeling that the Titans could well pull this game out and win the battle of the rookies.

Gee’s Pick:      Titans
Dan’s Pick:      Titans

Giants @ Cowboys (-5.5)

The Cowboys have had an interesting offseason. I can see the logic in them not resigning running back DeMarco Murray to a huge contract given that he’s not had a history of staying fit and had basically four hundred and fifty touches last season. This is particularly understandable as whilst their restrained draft strategy has yielded one of the best offensive lines in the league, their cap management has been a mess and they only had the money to resign one of their big free agents and it really had to be Dez Bryant. However with the o-line still looking excellent, a healthier Tony Romo it is not the offense that worries me about the Cowboys. I was not the only one who was expecting their defence to be a disaster last season, but somehow coordinator Rod Marinelli managed to bring together a unit that did enough for the Cowboys to get into the playoffs. However, whilst the pass rush will be improved with the risk that unfortunately paid of in their signing of number 76 as his suspension was reduced to four games, the secondary worries me, particularly with the injury to their cornerback Orlando Scandrick who is out for the season.

The Giants made some progress on offence last year as Eli Manning bedded into the new offensive system of Ben McAdo, but the real bright spot was the play of Odell Beckham. Unfortunately, that might be all the Giants fans have to hold onto this season as there are questions about their offensive line, and a real dearth of talent on the defence. This wasn’t helped by the firework accident that Jason Pierre-Paul suffered that resulted in him voluntarily having his index finger amputated in an attempt to be ready for the season, a decision that doesn’t seem to have paid off.

I’m not sure whether the Cowboys are going to repeat their performance of last year, but at home I think they have more than enough to cover these points against the Giants.

Gee’s Pick:      Cowboys
Dan’s Pick:      Cowboys

Eagles @ Falcons (+0.5)

The Falcons were a mess last season, not helped by a wave of injuries to their offensive line, they finished 6-10 and it was time for a change. With a franchise quarterback in place ownership chose to go for defensive in their decision to bring in Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. This would seem to make sense as the Falcons defence, and in particular their pass rush was a mess, and by giving Kyle Shanahan the best probably the best quarterback of his NFL career the offence should take care of itself. I’m not as familiar with their offseason moves as I should be, but it will be fascinating to see what aspects of the Seattle defence he brings with him as he tries to turn round the defence, and what impact his rookie pass rusher Vic Beasley will have.

If the Falcons have been a bit quiet in the offseason, at least to my eyes, the Eagles have been making all kinds of headlines. No one can accuse Chip Kelly of being hesitant with his knew front office role, and whilst I would question some of the ways he has chosen to spend his money, there is not doubting his talent as a coach. The team has looked excellent in the preseason and they are favourites to be challengers in the NFC. There is the question of whether Sam Bradford can stay healthy, but I shall look forward to finally seeing this team on coaching tape, and I think they should win this one comfortably, even if they are on the road.

Gee’s Pick:      Eagles
Dan’s Pick:      Eagles

Vikings @ 49ers (-2.5)

The turmoil of the offseason for the 49ers has left their fans reeling. With the loss of so many players to retirement, this a remade roster, and the hiring of internal candidate Jim Tomsula was not the kind of signing to excite the fans. There is still a good level of talent on the team and so I do not expect the atrocious season that some were predicting, but it is going to be a tough year. The big questions are whether this team will be able to remake the defence having lost so many players, and whether spending time with Kurt Warner will have helped Colin Kaepernick make the developmental steps that are needed for him to progress as a player. It will also be interesting to see how Jarryd Hayne fairs having made the roster, but when he has the ball in his hands the Australian rugby league player is a dynamic runner, and a natural punt returner.

The Vikings are so many peoples’ sleeper team this year that they don’t even count as a surprise any more. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has really looks to have taken another step in his development this preseason, and Mike Zimmer is continuing his excellent run with defences. The hire of Norv Turner as an offensive coordinator seemed like a really smart decision last year, and I think the Zimmer/Turner combination is going to continue to get results this season. I feat they may just miss out on the playoffs, but this is a team on the rise and I think they start with a win against the recovering 49ers.

Gee’s Pick:      Vikings
Dan’s Pick:      Vikings