NFL Rundown - Week 2

This column being written while watching Starship Troopers. This columnist is currently wishing TNT hadn't edited out the juicy parts (and by that I mean the gratuitous shots of Dina Meyer's modest-but-attractive bosom).

Week 1 Recap

Most Surprising Team: Seattle Seahawks
Sure, Seattle was playing the woeful Rams, but it was the way that the Seahawks (4-12 last season) manhandled St. Louis that was surprising. Particularly impressive was Julius Jones' 117 yards and a TD, his first 100 yard game since week 3 of last season, also against the Rams. Honorable mentions go to San Francisco (beating last year's NFC Champion Cardinals) and both Buffalo and Oakland (showing serious moxie against the heavily favored Patriots and Chargers).

Most Disappointing Team: Houston Texans
The Texans were a trendy preseason pick to make the playoffs, but they laid an egg against a Jets team starting a rookie QB in Mark Sanchez. Steve Slaton had his second worst game as a pro, and the Texans were doubled up by the Jets in first downs and yards. Dishonorable mention goes to the Panthers, who were pounded by the Eagles.

Offensive Player of the Week: QB Drew Brees, Saints
He threw six touchdown passes. Who cares if it was against the Lions? That doesn't happen every day. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, during their record breaking seasons, only did it once each. He spread the ball around, too, as 5 different receivers scored.

Defensive Player of the Week: DE Osi Umenyiora
The NFL gave the award to his teammate Justin Tuck, but it's Umenyiora, who had the play of the game by stripping Washington QB Jason Campbell and returning the ball 37 yards for a TD in his first game back after missing all of the 2008 season, who deserves the recognition here.

Top 10:
(as a matter of policy, at least for this week, you have to have won - there's 16 undefeated teams right now, and none of the 0-1 teams deserve to rank above 7 of them)

1. Pittsburgh (1-0) - The defending champs didn't exactly win in convincing fashion, but they faced a tougher opponent than their main competitors in the AFC.
2. New York Giants (1-0) - They're still working out the kinks in their offense, but the play of the receiving corps against Washington was encouraging. Still, if defense wins championships, the Giants are a serious contender.
3. New England (1-0) - They took a while to get going, but when it came to crunch time, Tom Brady got in his groove. Ben Watson's clutch catches have to be encouraging.
4. Philadelphia (1-0) - The Eagles absolutely manhandled the Panthers, but they lost McNabb for a couple of weeks in the process. Still, the biggest weakness this team seems to have right now is the fragility of its skill position players.
5. Indianapolis (1-0) - Given their history against the Jaguars, it's hard to penalize the Colts too much for not blowing out Jacksonville. Despite the absence of Bob Sanders and Ed Johnson, the Colts defense was surprisingly stout.
6. Minnesota (1-0) - It's damn hard for a team to be a Super Bowl contender by relying almost entirely on their running game. Just ask the 90s Lions. But there haven't been many running backs like Adrian Peterson - perhaps there has never been one.
7. Atlanta (1-0) - Matt Ryan showed that his outstanding rookie season wasn't just a fluke, and so far he's got a good thing going with new TE (and future Hall of Famer) Tony Gonzalez.
8. Green Bay (1-0) - The offense was inconsistent early, but Rodgers came through with a big play at the end. The defense's transition to the 3-4 seems to have been as smooth as anyone could have anticipated.
9. New York Jets (1-0) - What a debut for Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan. This weekend they'll have one of his biggest tests of their season against the Patriots.
10. San Diego (1-0) - It wasn't pretty, especially against one of the most inept franchises in the NFL, but in the end they played clutch football and came out ahead. Like the Steelers, Patriots, and Colts, they know how to win football games.

Week 2 Predictions:
-Texans at Titans - I actually think the Texans will bounce back and make it respectable this week. They'll still be no match for a Titans team that feels like it could have beaten the defending champs in week 1.
-Saints at Eagles - This is based on the fairly safe assumption that Donovan McNabb doesn't play. Despite any opinions to the contrary by disgruntled Eagles fans, the team does perform much better with their franchise QB.
-Cardinals at Jaguars - The Jaguars are another team that feels like they could have beaten one of the best teams in the league last week. The Cardinals seem to be back to being a middling team.
-Raiders at Chiefs - If the Chiefs have Cassel they have a legitimate shot at winning this one, but he's still very questionable.
-Bengals at Packers - There is something seriously wrong with the Bengals offense, and I'm not entirely sure what it is.
-Vikings at Lions - Judging from their week 1 performances, this could end up being an epic beatdown.
-Rams at Redskins - I believe that St. Louis is better than they showed in week 1 against the Seahawks, but I still can't see them beating any of the NFC East teams.
-Patriots at Jets - This is my upset special of the week. I like the attitude and swagger that Rex Ryan has brought to the Jets, and Kerry Rhodes, unlike Anthony Smith, can back up his talk with his play.
-Panthers at Falcons - If Jake Delhomme can't pull it together, he won't be long for Carolina. He'll put together a respectable performance this weekend, but the Falcons are too good a team.
-Buccaneers at Bills - The amount of media coverage of Owens after week 1 was absurd given how innocuous his comments were. The guy could say he prefers Coke to Pepsi and ESPN would say it's causing a rift in the locker room.
-Seahawks at 49ers - Both teams were impressive in week 1, but I can't help feel like San Francisco is going to go on a run.
-Ravens at Chargers - No Tomlinson? No problem. Darren Sproles has been more effective for a while now.
-Steelers at Bears - The Bears are hurting right now, having lost Urlacher for the season and having endured a stinker of a first game by their new QB. I don't know what the cure for what ails them is, but it sure as hell isn't playing the Steelers.
-Browns at Broncos - The Broncos got lucky in week 1. I still don't like them as a team. I don't like the Browns much either, but not with the same depressing abandon.
-Giants at Cowboys - What better way to open their new stadium than with a game against the hated Giants? How about opening it against a team that won't pressure Tony Romo, run all over their defense, and beat them? Just saying.
-Colts at Dolphins - Since 2005, the Colts are 7-1 against the AFC East, with their lone loss coming by just 4 points to the 2007 Patriots. The return of Ed Johnson should help a defense that was solid against the Jaguars in week 1.