Opinion corner: Week 2 tough to figure

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Aye-carumba!

I was about as good at picking NFL games this weekend as Bart Simpson is at doing his homework.

A 7-8 weekend left me scratching my head after a few shockers like the Cardinals beating the Patriots and the Saints dropping to 0-2 on the season, though I did pick it correctly.

The old cliche says that the NFL stands for Not For Long. I think we’re certainly seeing that early on. After all, the Cardinals are 2-0. Philadelphia bounced back after a close shave with Cleveland to beat Baltimore, while the Vikings showed why they’re one of the bottom-tier teams in the league. And Seattle beat Dallas for crying out loud. If you’re like me, then the crying out loud was tears of joy.

The picks:

Kansas City (0-2) at New Orleans (0-2): Look for a big game from Drew Brees, who will likely take out his frustrations on a Chiefs defense that was crushed by Buffalo last week.

Cincinnati (1-1) at Washington (1-1): Hard to believe Robert Griffin III led the Redskins to a win over the Saints the first week, but fell to the Rams last week. Griffin comes back with a win here. Redskins 34, Bengals 31

Detroit (1-1) at Tennessee (0-2): Detroit played tough against the 49ers last week. Tennessee’s still finding an identity. Lions 31, Titans 17

San Francisco (2-0) at Minnesota (1-1): This would be the game the Vikings win. Just watch. I can’t pick it, though. 49ers 34, Vikings 13

Jacksonville (0-2) at Indianapolis (1-1): Andrew Luck looks like the real deal. The Jaguars don’t look very good at all. Colts 27, Jaguars 13

St. Louis (1-1) at Chicago (1-1): Could the dysfunctional Bears fall apart to the suddenly hot Rams? Why not? Rams 27, Bears 24

Buffalo (1-1) at Cleveland (0-2): Cleveland running back Trent Richardson looked good last week. Buffalo looked even better. Bills 44, Browns 38

Tampa Bay (1-1) at Dallas (1-1): It’s hard to figure Dallas out after it lost to Seattle last week. Tampa Bay is rejuvenated under new coach Greg Schiano. Bucs 17, Cowboys 7

N.Y. Jets (1-1) at Miami (1-1): AFC East games are always pretty competitive, but the Jets are going to be eager to show us they’re better than that loss to Pittsburgh. Jets 30, Dolphins 17

Atlanta (2-0) at San Diego (2-0): Undefeated teams square off, but Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan looks like he’s about to become an elite quarterback. Falcons 37, Chargers 31

Philadelphia (2-0) at Arizona (2-0): The other undefeated game. The Eagles looked like contenders. The Cardinals are still pretenders. Eagles 37, Cardinals 24

Houston (2-0) at Denver (1-1): Peyton Manning showed his age Monday night. Houston is showing it might be the most complete team in the league. Texans 23, Broncos 20

Pittsburgh (1-1) at Oakland (0-2): The Steelers are usually a model of consistency, which would be the opposite of the Raiders, who appear to be a mess. Steelers 21, Raiders 10

New England (1-1) at Baltimore (1-1): Both teams lost games they were favored in last week. Both will be hungry. Hard to bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Patriots 34, Ravens 31

Green Bay (1-1) at Seattle (1-1): I’m assuming ESPN wishes it could opt out of this game for the Sunday night game on NBC (Ravens-Pats). Packers 38, Seahawks 13

Last week: 7-8

Season: 17-13

Sun sports writer Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, nfl, football