Jacksonville surprised me with how well they played against the Colts last weekend. A little closer than I like to see my "Stone Cold Lock" prediction be, so I'll go with a game that should be a little easier on my heart this week. Look for Tennessee to pick up right where they left off with last week's come-from-behind thriller at home against the Eagles. They'll face another NFC East opponent this week - a much weaker opponent in the Dallas Cowboys. The Pokes lost to the expansion Texans - 'nuff said! (No disrespect to the Texans - they played a helluva game!!!)
Upset Special of the Week: The Bills over the Vikings
All the hype around Drew Bledsoe's arm and the Bills come out with a ground game in Week #1. Look for the Bills to rumble into Minnesota this week and leave Mike Tice with a winless streak of TWO! Pay close attention - last week's upset special featured the Broncos over the Rams.
Game to Stay Away From: Green Bay @ New Orleans
Green Bay got lucky at home last week by digging out of a big hole against Atlanta. Is Atlanta that good or that bad? What about the Packers? And the Saints dismantled a Tampa Bay team that everyone expected to be much improved. Only time will tell...and there aint enough of that between today and this week's game...stay away from it! Last week I predicted that the team that touched the ball last in the Jets/Bills game would be the victor. I feel the same way about the Packers/Saints matchup - although I gots a sneakin' suspicion that turnovers will play a significant factor in this game. If you gotta pick here, keep in mind that the Pack doesn't play well with a roof over its head!
Player(s) to Watch:
I expect a couple of QBs to come out this week with terrific games - both of which watched big leads evaporate as their teams fumbled excellent opportunities to win on the road.
Donovan McNabb leads his banged up crew into Washington for a Monday Night Match Up with the Fun-N-Gun Bunch of Steve Spurrier. Donovan will give the Skins and Spurrier a rude welcome to the new NFC East...they aint all like the Cardinals, you know! Expect a lot of running by McNabb and a new best friend in Antonio Freeman stepping up this week!
Michael Vick played splendidly for the Falcons for much of the game last week - only to watch Brett Favre work his magic. This week he'll play an even better game against just as formidable opponent in those Chicago Bears. The home fans in Atlanta will be pleased to know that Jim Miller is no Brett Favre and it will show this week. Vick reminds me of...um...well, nobody. We've NEVER seen anything like before in the NFL. He's a real treat to watch!
That is all from Clarkie for this Week!