NFC West Week 2 Preview & Picks

NFL NFC West Week 2 Preview

Three of four NFC West teams will be on the road this week, except for Denver who plays a Seattle team that surprised the NCF Champion Cardinals, in their home-opener on Sunday. Here I take a quick look at each Week 2 match up. Don’t forget to check back every week, as I will be giving you my free picks for the AFC West all season long right here on sportbooklists.com.

SUN, SEP 19 TIME (ET)

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Arizona at Atlanta 1:00 PM FOX – The Cardinals pulled off a close one over in St. Louis edging out the Rams 17-14. It was an ugly win as QB Derek Anderson’s debut was dotted with miscues including coughing up one of Arizona’s four fumbles.

Anderson silenced the critics at least a little, completing 22 of 41 passes for 297 yards and a single TD, hooking up with Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald three times for 43 yards including the game-winner.

In the meantime, the Falcons struggled against a powerful Pittsburgh defense, in a 15-9 overtime loss. The difference was the Steel Curtain’s ability to shut down the Atlanta rushing attack, holding RB Michael Turner to 42 yards on 19 carries.

The Cards running game didn’t fare any better as running back Tim Hightower carried 13 times for 54 yards and lost two fumbles. He will likely be replaced in this weekend’s match up with preferred starter Beanie Wells who sat out due to a sore knee. His presence could ease the demand for Anderson to carry the load.

Ryan (27 of 44 passes for 252 yards) is not likely to receive that same reprieve, as Turner will run into a brick wall when he faces an Arizona defense that held Rams’ Stephen Jackson to just 49 yards.

The Cardinals have dropped their last four visits to Atlanta since a 27-10 win in the 1993 season finale, but I think this year breaks the streak.

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Seattle at Denver 4:05 PM FOX – Seattle’s defense came to the rescue holding division favorite San Francisco to just two field goals as QB Matt Hasselbeck threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, as the Seahawks rolled over the 49ers 31-6.

It was a good day for new head coach Pete Carroll who after 11 years made his return to pro football.

Over in Jacksonville the Jags were taking advantage of a Broncos defense that just couldn’t contain QB David  Garrard, who could be heralded as one of Week One’s biggest surprises, tossing  for 170 yards while completing 16 of 21 passes and three TDs as he dissected the Broncos’ secondary in a 24-7 win.

Offensively Denver wobbled, as the O-line offered a tasty treat to the Jags defense, sacking QB  Kyle Orton not one, not two, but three times. Not to mention taking a pounding on a couple of other occasions. Despite the abuse, Orton soldiered on finishing 21 of 33 for 295 yards with a touchdown, but eventually succumbed in the final minute, when under a heavy pass rush, threw a game-changing interception squashing the Broncos chances for a comeback.

The Broncos secondary led by Pro Bowler Champ Bailey stumbled against Garrard and the Jags.

If the pass rushers cannot find a way to get Hasselback, the end result won’t be a good one.

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St. Louis at Oakland 4:05 PM FOX – Well it wasn’t the return of the “Greatest Show on Turf,” but rookie QB San Bradford made quite an impressive NFL debut despite falling to division rival Arizona 17-13 in Week 1.

Bradford finished the game tossing 55 balls and completing 32 for 253 yards and a touchdown. His performance however was spoiled by three INTS, but the rookie did display his ability to take command and become the leader that the Rams so desperately need.

Meanwhile, the Raiders defense did a good job containing Titans’ explosive RB Chris Johnson early on, but imploded after Johnson broke out for a 70-yard run in the second. They did however get a decent pass rush on QB Vince Young, sacking him twice for considerable losses.

Raiders’ QB Jason Campbell had a rough debut as the Oakland O-line offered him up for a total of four sacks. Campbell, despite running for his life, still completed 22 of 37 for 180 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

One of the highlights for the Raiders was the offenses’ ability to execute the running game. RB Darren McFadden had 95 yards on the ground, and 55 yards receiving.

Now he will now go head-to-head with the Rams’ Stephen Jackson, who racked up just 81 yards against the Cardinals.

The Raiders will need to control the running game, both offensively and defensively. If they can force the Rams to throw early, it could result in key turnovers considering Bradford’s three INTS in last week’s contest.

MON, SEP 20 TIME (ET)

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New Orleans at San Francisco 8:30 PM –  The Saints got off to a good start with a 14-9 victory over Minnesota last Thursday, winning a rematch of the NFC title game.

The defense, which held the Vikings scoreless for three quarters has shown mass improvement over last year’s late game fades and was the difference in this one.

New Orleans finished with 308 yards, while 2009 Super bowl winner MVP Drew Brees completed 27 of 36 and opened the scoring with a 29-yard TD pass to Devery Henderson.

Niners’ Alex Smith didn’t fair as good and will need to play much better than his Week 1 outing against Seattle if he wants to out-gun Brees in San Francisco’s home-opener. Smith threw a pair of decisive interceptions as the 49ers gave up 28 points over a seven-minute span falling to Seattle 31-6.

The Niners were held to just 263 total yards while Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore was virtually non-existent, finishing with an anemic 38 yards on 17 carries.

New Orleans has beaten San Francisco the last five times the two have met, with the Saints most recent trip to San Francisco, resulting in a 31-10 victory Oct. 28, 2007.

The Saints need to score early, as San Francisco is not a team that plays well when they are behind. The Niners will want to run the ball, keeping Smith from having to force passes. Brees should be able to spread the field with multiple-receiver sets, scoring early and forcing the 49ers to abandon the run to try to catch up.