NFL Round 2 Open Thread: When You’re Right 50% of the Time…
By Ravens v. Colts (-6.5) Interesting matchup. But since I just don’t see the Painter Bowl as the crime against humanity most people do, I can’t take Flacco over Manning on the road.
Cardinals v. Saints (-6.5) The opposite of San Diego/New York, in which two teams wit very similar styles take off. Warner is a marvel, no question — the quantity will lead to a debate he’ll probably win, but in terms of peak value he’s not just a Hall of Fame QB but an inner-circle one. Still, I see a short week, and then I see a defense shredded by Aaron Rodgers facing Drew Brees in the Superdome…
Cowboys (+2.5) v. Vikings Since I don’t hate Favre so much as I hate the media’s ludicrous treatment of Favre, picking a rooting interest in this unpalatable matchup for nonfans of either team is easy. Seeing Favre continue to stick to high-percentage passes, much less so. I hope it doesn’t happen, but I see yet another agonizing Vikes playoff loss here.
Jets at Chargers (-7.5) The spread gives me pause, especially with Norv Turner at the controls for the favorite. But I think the Chargers are much better suited to face the Jets defense than the Bungles, in that they have multiple credible weapons and can get one or two off Revis Island. Still the Jets D is very good, and if Sanchez plays the way he did last week, you have to like the Jets not just to cover but to win outright. I don’t really like the chances of that, though; I see at least two big turnovers from the Jets passing game, and I don’t think you can afford that against Rivers.