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Picking 3 NFL Week 2 Winners

Today’s forecast.

Here it is, the moment you’ve been waiting for all week. As I do every Thursday, I will handicap 1 game, give you my 3 best bets, and also provide my picks for EVERY game. So sit back, relax and enjoy.

My 3 best bets are:
Bears – 11.5 over Chiefs
Jaguars -10.5 over Falcons
Bengals -6.5 over Browns

Bears over Chiefs
As both combatants in this weeks Soldier Field duel between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs would likely attest, it is difficult to win football games without scoring touchdowns.

The Bears and Chiefs were two of four NFL teams that failed to find the end zone last week, joining the Buccaneers and Falcons, and each member of that quartet finished Week 1 in the loss column.

Chicago did not put together a complete effort in its first meaningful action since a Super Bowl XLI loss, falling to the San Diego Chargers by a 14-3 count.

The Bears turned the ball over four times in the defeat, with two of the miscues charged to quarterback Rex Grossman (one interception, one fumble), and running back Cedric Benson and special teamer Brandon McGowan also responsible for turnovers that kept the offense from moving toward the San Diego end zone.

Adding insult to injury (and vice versa) were season-ending knee injuries suffered by Bears defenders Mike Brown and Dusty Dvoracek in the setback.

Kansas City fared no better, going to Houston and laying a 20-3 egg that left many Chiefs stakeholders lamenting the erosion of what was recently one of the NFLs great offenses.

Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson, fresh off signing a lucrative multi-year contract, carried only 10 times for 43 yards in the loss. Johnson had an NFL- high 416 rush attempts in 2006.

Quarterback Damon Huard, starting the first season-opener of his career, threw two interceptions as part of Kansas Citys four-miscue day.

Winning will be the primary objective for both the Bears and Chiefs this week, and putting together their initial touchdown drives of 2007 will likely be viewed as part and parcel of that effort.

Historically Speaking

Chicago has a 5-4 advantage in its all-time series with Kansas City, but was a 31-3 road loser when the teams last met, in 2003. The Bears won the previous meeting, taking a 20-17 decision at Soldier Field in 1999. The Chiefs are 1-3 all-time in Chicago, with their only win there coming by a 21-10 count in 1990.

Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards is 0-1 all-time against the Bears, with his Jets losing by a 20-13 count at Soldier Field in 2002. The Bears Lovie Smith will be meeting both Edwards and the Chiefs for the first time as a head coach.

Smith and Edwards both served on Tony Dungys staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 through 2000.

Summary

The Chiefs haven shown any offensive signs of life since the start of training camp, and playing the defensively stout Bears is not an antidote for their deficiencies. Kansas City is going to have to win this game on defense, where its talent is average and its opponent is likely to come out firing after a rough go in Week 1. All signs point to a Chicago romp before a relieved group of home fans.

Favorite Spread Underdog My Picks
PANTHERS 6.5 Texans PANTHERS
JAGUARS 10 Falcons JAGUARS
Colts 7 TITANS TITANS
RAMS 3 49ers RAMS
GIANTS Off Packers None
STEELERS 9.5 Bills STEELERS
Bengals 6.5 BROWNS Bengals
Saints 3 BUCS Saints
LIONS 3 Vikings LIONS
Cowboys 3.5 DOLPHINS Cowboys
Seahawks 3 CARDINALS Seahawks
RAVENS Off Jets None
BEARS 12 Chiefs BEARS
BRONCOS 9.5 Raiders Raiders
PATRIOTS 3.5 Chargers Chargers
EAGLES 7 Redskins Redskins


Good luck with your action tonight!




by Johnson