Here we go again.  The first week of projections, I wasn’t very good.  Last week, I was sweating it early, but finished up okay (not great), with two out of three correct.

If I had only trusted my gut, and not been afraid of being called a homer for picking the Cardinals, I would have had all three!  Oh well, live and learn.

Let’s see if we can finally get a 3-0 week!

This week’s Lock of the Week (2-0).

This week’s schedule has made this an easy pick.  The hapless Jacksonville Jaguars must travel to the scariest place in the league, to play the best team in the league, the Seattle Seahawks.

Is there really anyone out there that thinks the Jags have a chance in Cleveland of winning this game?

All you need to look at are two numbers, and you can see the outcome as clear as a bell.  Jacksonville has scored a total of eleven points in their first two games.  Seattle has allowed a total of ten points in their first two games.

Those numbers by themselves demonstrates the difference in talent levels of these two teams.  Now throw in the fact that the game will be played in the loudest arena in the league, and you have a potential slaughter on your hands.

This one is over before it begins.  Seattle plays its bench in the second half and still wins by three TDs!

This week’s Upset of the Week (0-2).

I should have trusted myself last week and gone with the Cardinals over the Lions.  Instead, I find myself 0-2 in this category.  So you’d think I’d go with a no-brainer this week to get back on track, right?

But NOOOOOOOO!  (A little John Belushi humor there!)

I’ve decided to go with a real upset.  I’m taking the Baltimore Ravens over the Houston Texans.

Why is this an upset, you ask?  After all, the Ravens are the reigning champs.

That’s a very good point.  However, this is not the same team that won the Super Bowl last year.  They lost several key player on defense and their top receiver (no, not Torey Smith.  I’m talking about Anquan Boldin.)

As a result, they will be lucky to make the playoffs, let alone win their division.  Meanwhile, the Texans should walk away with their division and grab one of the top two spots in the AFC.

There’s only one problem.  The Texans have yet to play a full four quarters this season.  At best, they are averaging two quarters per game.  Now, against San Diego and Tennessee, they can get away with that.

But they are playing a better team this week, and they are on the road.  Even though the Ravens are not as good as last year, and they are pretty dinged up right now, I’m looking for them to deliver the first punch against the Texans, just like the Chargers and Titans have done.

The big difference is, they won’t let the Texans take the game over and mount a mighty comeback.  The Ravens hang on for a single-digit victory.

This week’s Game of the Week (1-1).

Unlike last week, this was a difficult game to pick this week.  First of all, there are about five games that could have been chosen as the game of the week, for varying reasons.  As a result, you may think my choice is rather strange

I’m going with the New York Giants at the Carolina Panthers.

I can hear you now.  “Are you nuts?  These two teams are both winless.  Why in the world would you consider this the game of the week?”

I’m glad you got that out of your system.  I hope you feel better.  And, I’m glad you asked.

You see, both of these teams have the potential to light up the scoreboard.  The Giants have actually done a pretty good job of doing just that.  The problem is their defense has not been able to stop much of anything.  Oh, and there’s that minor detail of turnovers.  They have ten of them in only two games.

Meanwhile, the Panthers haven’t been horrible, they just haven’t been able to get the offense (aka Cam Newton) going yet.  Look for that to change this week against a Giants defense that hasn’t been able to stop much of anything so far.

I see a huge shootout coming in this game, with the last team in possession winning it in the end.

I think New York will be that team, winning by a score of 48-45, give or take a field goal!