WEEK 2 PREVIEW

San Diego at Carson City
Starting out 0-2 in the division is not the best way to start a season, but unfortunately for one of these teams it may become a reality. The defending Western conference champs need to find some hope after an abysmal week 1 performance. It was a whole team effort last week that resulted in the least points in the league and getting blown out by 54. Only Payton Manning scored in double digits, and Urlacher was hurt for the year. The Bunnies are looking for a spark to get their once high flying offense back off the ground. As for the Heat, they have their own injury issues with Anthony Gonzalez and Troy Palomalu going out with extended injuries in week 1. This puts them thin at safety and a bit iffy at WR until their returns and they only have 1 year left to work with under the cap. The Heat weren’t awful in their loss last week, and as long as their RB tandem of D. Williams and Westbrook continue to produce they should be fine, but they are one more significant injury away from major problems. I look to Carson City’s offense to turn it up this week and show that week 1 was a fluke.
Bunnies by 5
Boston at Las Vegas
The Beavers head west to the desert to take on Las Vegas, where they won last year 102-96. A year ago, the Nuggets defense was their weak spot, recording only 24pts that week. This year their defense is improved, but it was their top ranked offense that carried them in week 1 behind the rejuvenated arm of Tony Romo. Their WR’s are by far the best in the league so far, with all three totaling double digits last week. The running back situation has been a concern, and the team has decided to give one of their rookie RB’s, LeSean McCoy, a starting shot this week. The Beavers had a habit a year ago of pulling out the close games. However, week 1 was not so kind to them, losing in the closest game of the week by 12 points. With the way the Eastern Conference was last year, and the way it’s shaping this year, they cannot afford to drop to 0-2. Matt Forte and Philip Rivers both draw tough defenses in week 2, so they may need others to step up and fill the hole. Last year it was Boston with the golden horseshoe in close games, while Vegas ended up with the shaft in just about all their games decided by 5pts or less. I see the close game law of averages kicking in and a reversal of fortune this year for both teams.
Nuggets by 2

Portland at Compton
Think Predator 2 only in LA. The new Portland owner will be taking his team down the coast for the first road game of the young franchise. He will need all the weapons he can carry to take on the #1 ranked Burger Kings in the ghetto. Compton slaughtered the Bunnies in week 1, scoring a league best 64 defensive points. This could be a dangerous game for the Kings, since they are already looking past this game and preparing for a tough week 3 opponent, the Toast. They look to be without their star rookie RB James Davis for the game, so finding enough offense to win without him may be difficult. The Predators are still looking for their first win after their 30 point blowout to the Sasquatch in week 1. Special teams was their strong suit last week, both their kicker and punter scored in double digits, but they hope to get the rest of their team involved in week 2. Both Aaron Rogers and Chris Johnson are going against easier defenses than they did last week, but injuries to a few key starters could spell trouble. I expect this game to be closer than it would appear and Portland to put up a valiant effort, but come up just short of a victory.
Burger Kings by 6

Jacksonville at Mount Savage
The Meth Addicts go into the forest to hunt Bigfoot in this matchup. Of course you can’t believe a methhead when he says he swears he saw a big hairy creature out of the corner of his eye walking between the trees in the distance, right before he passes out. After a loss in week 1, Jacksonville hopes to stay awake long enough to take down the champ, who hasn’t lost a game since week 13 last year. The Meth put up a solid effort in week 1, scoring over 100pts in a loss, with more than 50pts scored on both offense and defense. They also managed to make it through week 1 with no significant injuries, and if Steven Jackson ever gets back on track, they could be a dangerous team. The Sasquatch picked right up where they left off last year, demolishing their week 1 opponent behind the arm of Drew Brees. Their running game could be cause for concern with MJD nursing an injury and Slaton’s disappointing week 1 performance, but as long as Brees continues his 6TD’s per game average and the D line scores a TD every week, they will be unstoppable again this year. Jacksonville is a dangerous team that could break out and any time, and Mount Savage is due for a loss, but I just don’t see this as the week it happens.
Sasquatch by 10

Birmingham at Champaign
The Monkey Butt franchise has moved a bit farther south this season so it is no longer a downstate rivalry, however, after the Baconators’ week 1 performance, both teams appear to be contenders in the Eastern Conference. Behind the performance of Adrian Peterson last week, who justified his #1 fantasy pick status, and Jeremy Shocky’s return from obscurity, the Baconators put up the 2nd most points in the league. They still have some issues at QB and WR, but their defense was solid, scoring the 3rd most points in the league. Andy Lee also stepped up from a completely awful 2008 season to score double digits for the Bacon in week 1. For the Toast, week 2 of 2009 is a much happier place than week 2 of 2008. Tom Brady made it through his opening game without injury, and in fact, no starters from last week have been put on IR yet. For a team that was #1 in the Power rankings last year despite their franchise QB going down in week 1, this could spell trouble for the rest of the league. The team put in a workman-like performance in week 1, with most starters scoring their expected weekly averages. There are some concerns on the WR and DL fronts, but as long as the team as a whole stays consistent, the Toast should be able to keep up with the Eastern Conference big dogs this year. Birmingham had a few eye opening performances in week 1, so it’s expected to see them come down to earth a bit in week 2. This will probably be a close game, possibly with home field advantage even becoming a factor.
Toast by 1