After a wild start to the NFL season, we’re back with week 2 picks. A little more information this week to base picks on but don’t get too carried away with surprise teams from last week. Good teams always bounce back and bad teams always come back down to earth. (Are we taking about the Bills or the Raiders?)

This week’s featured games are Oakland @ Buffalo, Chicago @ New Orleans, San Diego @ New England, and Philly @ Atlanta.

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NFL Week 2 2011 Picks

Straight Up

MATCHUP	Vegas Vinny	BostonMac	RJ	Peso*	Actual
Chiefs @ Lions	Lions	Lions	Lions	Lions
Bucs @ Vikings	Vikings	Bucs	Vikings	Bucs
Raiders @ Bills	Bills	Bills	Bills	Bills
Cards @ Redskins	Cards	Cards	Redskins	Redskins
Packers @ Panthers	Packers	Packers	Packers	Panthers
Browns @ Colts	Colts	Browns	Browns	Colts
Bears @ Saints	Saints	Saints	Saints	Saints
Seahawks @ Steelers	Steelers	Steelers	Steelers	Steelers
Jaguars @ Jets	Jets	Jets	Jets	Jaguars
Ravens @ Titans	Ravens	Ravens	Ravens	Ravens
Cowboys @ Niners	Cowboys	Niners	Niners	Niners
Texans @ Dolphins	Texans	Texans	Texans	Texans
Bengals @ Broncos	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos
Chargers @ Patriots	Patriots	Patriots	Patriots	Patriots
Eagles @ Falcons	Falcons	Falcons	Falcons	Eagles
Rams @ Giants	Giants	Giants	Giants	Giants
Prev Week	10-6	6-10	8-8	7-9
Overall	10-6	6-10	8-8	7-9

Against the Spread

MATCHUP	Vegas Vinny	BostonMac	RJ	Peso*	Actual
Chiefs @ Lions (-9.5)	Chiefs	Lions	Lions	Lions
Bucs @ Vikings (-3)	Vikings	Bucs	Bucs	Bucs
Raiders @ Bills (-4)	Bills	Raiders	Bills	Bills
Cards @ Redskins (-4)	Cards	Cards	Cards	Cards
Packers @ Panthers (+10)	Packers	Packers	Packers	Panthers
Browns @ Colts (+2)	Colts	Browns	Browns	Colts
Bears @ Saints (-7)	Saints	Saints	Saints	Saints
Seahawks @ Steelers (-15)	Seahawks	Steelers	Steelers	Seahawks
Jaguars @ Jets (-11.5)	Jaguars	Jets	Jaguars	Jaguars
Ravens @ Titans (+6)	Ravens	Ravens	Ravens	Titans
Cowboys @ Niners (+2.5)	Cowboys	Niners	Niners	Niners
Texans @ Dolphins (+2.5)	Texans	Texans	Texans	Texans
Bengals @ Broncos (-4)	Bengals	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos
Chargers @ Patriots (-7)	Patriots	Patriots	Chargers	Patriots
Eagles @ Falcons (+2.5)	Falcons	Falcons	Falcons	Eagles
Rams @ Giants (-6)	Giants	Rams	Giants	Rams
Prev Week	8-7-1	4-11-1	7-8-1	6-9-1
Overall	8-7-1	4-11-1	7-8-1	6-9-1

Locks of the Week

Vegas Vinny: (1-0, Balance =$1,050) Much like the Detroit Lions, I’m off to my best start since 2007. Or maybe not. This is a game of what have you done for me lately and this week, I’m giving you a winner so strong you should have to call a 1800 number and listen to some cheesy dickhead name Doug “The Locksmith” Wynns for it. In fact, the pick is so good and so simple, I’m starting to question the whole thing as if it were some sort of Vegas trap.

I’m a big fan of emotion. Following the emotional play is usually the smart idea when teams are so close in talent. But unless Baltimore has an emotional breakdown this week or Tennessee signed a bunch of talent this week no one knew about, there’s such a wide gulf between the Ravens and the Titans that I can’t believe it’s only a 6 point spread. If the Titans can’t stop MJD and Luke McCown, how in the world are they ever going to stop Joe Flacco and Ray Rice even a little bit? This has the makings of a 34-10 blowout, with the last 7 points for Tennessee coming in garbage time. Put it down: $110 on the Ravens (-6) to win $100.

BostonMac: (0-1, Balance =$945) I almost can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m going to take (as Burton so pointedly referenced on the show) the team that LOST AT HOME TO THE WORST TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. For those of you scoring at home, that would be the Cleveland Browns, who completely laid an egg against the Bengals in Week 1. I am one who thinks the Browns are going to be a hot team this season under Pat Shurmer, and that Bengals game isn’t going to define their season. Indy, however, is in real trouble. It wasn’t just their first non-Peyton Manning start since “The Puerto Rican Day Parade” episode of Seinfeld was still allowed to air. They somehow forgot how to block, how to tackle, how to play any kind of special teams, and most of all how to compete. This year is when the fringes of Tony Dungy finally unravel under Jim Caldwell. The Mannequin could keep the ship afloat with Dungy’s program for a few years, but now it’s all going to hell. Next week Burton can rail against Indy as “the team that lost to the team that lost to the worst team int he history of the National Football League.” After a horrendous Week 1, I’m getting back in the game with $220 to win $200, less on CLEVELAND (-2) to win than Indy to hit rock bottom.

RJ: (0-1, Balance =$945) After all of the epic match ups and record-breaking passing totals in Week One, the NFL has decided to punish us with this week’s slate of games. No rivalries are playing this week (unless you’re stuck in 1993 and are looking forward to DAL-SF—although no Summerall and Madden) and most of the games seemed to have been determined by Goodell’s dart board. A lot of these coin flip games are hard to pick as well, either by virtue of an unfamiliar match up (not a huge book on KC-DET or SEA-PIT) or incredibly low point spreads. Most games seem to fall in the 2-4 pts range, so there are essentially pick-’ems across the board. Not liking a lot of those, I do like the bigger spread in the GB-CAR game. Despite playing a road game in what will probably be a balmy day in Charlotte, the Packers looked virtually unstoppable in their Super Bowl celebration victory over the Saints. Aaron Rodgers threw where he wanted, when he wanted and with little resistance by a Saints defense that is much better than Carolina, who we be playing without leader John Beason for the rest of the year. The Packers’ defense should be able to do more to contain Cam Newton, and GREEN BAY (-10) should have a field day in Dixie. $55 to win $50.

Burton: (0-1, Balance =$890) Take everything Ryan said, step it up a notch (THE BROWNS LOST TO THE WORST TEAM, BY FAR, THIS SIDE OF THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES), and switch the bet to INDY (+2) $220 to win $200. I mean, seriously, THEY LOST TO CINCINNATI!

RJ: (0-1, Balance =$945) After all of the epic match ups and record-breaking passing totals in Week One, the NFL has decided to punish us with this week’s slate of games. No rivalries are playing this week (unless you’re stuck in 1993 and are looking forward to DAL-SF—although no Summerall and Madden) and most of the games seemed to have been determined by Goodell’s dart board. A lot of these coin flip games are hard to pick as well, either by virtue of an unfamiliar match up (not a huge book on KC-DET or SEA-PIT) or incredibly low point spreads. Most games seem to fall in the 2-4 pts range, so there are essentially pick-’ems across the board. Not liking a lot of those, I do like the bigger spread in the GB-CAR game. Despite playing a road game in what will probably be a balmy day in Charlotte, the Packers looked virtually unstoppable in their Super Bowl celebration victory over the Saints. Aaron Rodgers threw where he wanted, when he wanted and with little resistance by a Saints defense that is much better than Carolina, who we be playing without leader John Beason for the rest of the year. The Packers’ defense should be able to do more to contain Cam Newton, and GREEN BAY (-10) should have a field day in Dixie. $55 to win $50.