AFC Week 2 Predictions

Top 3 AFC Matchups – Week 2

There was a slight shift in the balance of power in the AFC South in Week 1 after Houston ran roughshod  over Indianapolis in an impressive 34-24 upset as a 2 ½ point home underdog and Tennessee pounded Oakland 38-13 as a 6 ½ point home favorite. Jacksonville even won meaning that for at least a week the Colts are in last place in the division. New England made a statement by routing Cincinnati 38-24 in a game the Patriots were only favored by 4 ½ at home. Baltimore survived Monday night’s slugfest against the Jets with a hard fought 10-9 win as a two point road underdog.

Here is a look at my top three matchups in the AFC for Week 2 of the NFL season. All odds are provided by Sportsbook.com.

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Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans (-5 ½)           Over/Under: 37

Pittsburgh enters its second game without QB Ben Roethlisberger as Dennis Dixon will once again get the start. Last week he turned in a workman like performance, completing 18-of 26 for 236 yards, but could not get his team in the end zone. It was Rashard Mendenhall’s 50 yard TD run in overtime that proved to be the difference in the Steelers 15-9 win over Atlanta

Tennessee QB Vince Young and RB Chris Johnson picked up where they left off last season, leading their team to a big win over the Raiders. Young only threw for 154 yards but tossed two TD’s while Johnson ran for 142 yards on 27 carries.

The Steelers did a good job at shutting down Falcons RB Michael Turner, holding him to just 42 yards, but do not expect the same results this week against Johnson. Big Ben is finally missed as the Titans win this one by a touchdown.

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Baltimore Ravens (-1 ½) @ Cincinnati Bengals Over/Under: 40

Baltimore QB Joe Flacco did not look extremely sharp last Monday night against the Jets, but he was able to convert a number of key third downs to keep drives alive that eventually wore down New York’s defense. He should have an easier time of it this week against a Bengals defense that looked like Swiss cheese against New England.

All the talk coming out of Cincinnati might be beginning to get the best of the Bengals as they suddenly face a must-win game at home and its only Week 2. The offense put up a bunch of gaudy numbers but most of them came after the game was already out of reach. They will have to do a much better job this week against an extremely aggressive Ravens defense.

The Bengals have actually won seven out of the last 10 games in this series both straight up and against the spread, but Ray Lewis and Co. take advantage of an opportunity to create some early separation within the AFC North.

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New England Patriots (-2) @ New York Jets Over/Under: 38

New England’s offense came out firing on all cylinders last week as QB Tom Brady put on a clinic by completing 25-of-35 attempts for 258 yards and three TD’s. WR Wes Welker proved his knee was ready to go, catching eight balls for 64 yards and two TD’s. The defense and special teams even go into the act with Gary Guyton’s 59 yard interception return and Brandon Tate’s 97 yard kickoff return that both resulted in scores.

New York’s defense held up but its offense was downright ugly in Monday night’s loss. QB Mark Sanchez completed 10 passes for 74 yards and their vaunted running game only managed 116 yards. This week will be a true test to see if outspoken head coach Rex Ryan can actually back up all the talk with some better results on the field.

Much like Baltimore, New England smells an opportunity to establish themselves as the team to beat in their division. Bill Belichick and Co. rarely let a chance like this go by and this week should be no exception.

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