NFC Week 2 Predictions

Top 3 NFC Matchups – Week 2

The NFC kicked off the 2010 NFL season last Thursday night with a clash between the two best teams in the conference last year. The New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings scored far less points than last year’s NFC championship game as this time around they only managed to put 23 points on the board in the Saints 14-9 win. In another other key conference matchup, Green Bay survived a second half onslaught by Philadelphia with backup quarterback Michael Vick behind center to hold onto a 27-20 win. In a couple of divisional upsets, Seattle ran all over San Francisco 31-6 and Washington took advantage of several Dallas mistakes to win 13-7.

Click Here for more  Free Expert NFL Football Picks

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

vs.

Arizona Cardinals @ Atlanta Falcons (-6 ½)                     Over/Under: 43

It certainly was not pretty, but Arizona did manage to open the defense of its NFC West title with a 17-13 win over St. Louis. Cardinal QB Derek Anderson completed 22-of-41 attempts for 297 yards. His biggest play of the game was a 21 yard TD throw to WR Larry Fitzgerald to give his team the lead with just six minutes to play in the game.

Atlanta’s high powered offense was all but shutdown in a 15-9 OT loss to Pittsburgh. Falcon QB Matt Ryan threw for 252 yards but could not find the end zone and RB Michael Turner was held to 42 yards on 19 carries.

It is hard to believe that Atlanta’s running game will be held in check for two weeks in a row as Turner is due for a big game. The Falcons show their true colors this week with a convincing win in their home opener.

vs.

Philadelphia Eagles (-4) @ Detroit Lions Over/Under: 41

Kevin Kolb’s debut as Philadelphia’s new starting quarterback was a forgettable one, especially by Kolb himself when he left the game late in the first half with a concussion. Backup QB Michael Vick put on a show in the second half that not only almost won the game, but instantly created a quarterback controversy for the Eagles.

Detroit also would like to forget its opener as not only did the Lions lose their QB Mathew Stafford with a separated shoulder, they lost the game to the Bears 19-14 after an apparent game-winning touchdown reception by WR Calvin Johnson was declared incomplete when the ball touched the ground in the end zone.

In a battle of the backups, the Eagles Michael Vick gets the nod over the Lions Shawn Hill as Vick will look to add some fuel to the fire with a monster performance this week.

vs.

Chicago Bears @ Dallas Cowboys (-8 ½)                           Over/Under: 40 ½

Chicago dodged a huge bullet against Detroit last week in a game it should have lost, but in this league a win is win and you take them anyway you can. Much maligned Bears QB Jay Cutler did not necessarily win the game last week, but for the most part he avoided the costly mistakes that have plagued him in the past.

Dallas basically gave away last week’s game against Washington with two huge mistakes. The first was a fumble by RB Tashard Choice on the final play of the first half that was returned for a Redskin’s score and the second was a holding penalty on the final play of the game that negated a game winning touchdown catch by WR Roy Williams.

The Cowboys return home looking to quickly erase the memory of this game. This week they get it right as QB Tony Romo finally gets the offense rolling in a rout of the Bears.

Click Here for more  Free Expert NFL Football Picks