With Week 2 of the NFL season now in the books, it appears as if we have a nice little trend developing – there’s points being scored and they’re being scored in bunches. Through the first 2 weeks of the year, there has been over 1500 points registered – which for those scoring at home, is a NFL RECORD up to this point. With rule changes taking place over the course of the past several years….ie….contact downfield by defensive backs & ways in which you can hit the quarterback…..it’s no wonder these scoring numbers are the way they are. Whereas 5-7 years ago you saw more teams running the ball in regularity, more teams today are winging it downfield as they take advantage of rule changes. Teams that have great quarterbacks, most likely will be the teams you see playing in January come 2013.
Ok, now that we’ve established that scoreboards around the league are going to break at some point this season due to point over-load, let’s revisit something that was stated from last week. Now, I don’t like to typically say I told you so, but for the sake of this blog post – I TOLD YOU SO! For those of you that got to high or too low after a week one loss or win, here’s hoping you were able to heed my advice heading into week 2 match-ups. Remember, I am here to be your voice of reason (as well as the voice that you hear all season long presenting you with some of the top NFL merchandise you can’t find anywhere else) and make sure we are taking a look at the NFL landscape with a sane, rational point of view. As hard as that may seem from week to week, I give you case in points:
1. NY (AFC) rolls in Week 1 scoring 40+ points, only to be brought back to earth by Pittsburgh in Week 2.
2. Dallas goes to the road to beat the defending Champs in Week 1, only to go to Seattle with 10 days rest and lose by 20 in Week 2.
I could go on, but you get my point. In today’s NFL, there is way too much parity to not think your teams stands a chance every single week. Just look at Arizona – they were a complete mess in the preseason and now have the opportunity to go to 3-0 with a victory this weekend vs. Philly. The moral of the story is this – there is a lot of football still to be played and nearly every team in the league is on a level playing field. Don’t believe me? Currently there is a record 20 teams that are 1-1 after 2 weeks.
Now that everyone is feeling warm and fuzzy after my inspirational message for this week, let’s now move on with this week’s HSN Football Fan Shop Power Poll.
HSN Power Poll – Week 3
1. San Francisco – Through the first 2 weeks of the season, this one is not even a question. You knock off 2 playoff teams from a year ago and do it in convincing fashion, you deserve to be a top all by your lonesome.
2. Atlanta – A Monday night victory in front of a national audience should do wonders for the overall perception of this team. Your defense utterly confuses one of the best in the biz while your QB continues to show why his name should be thrown around with the other top signal callers in the league.
3. Houston– Though they have yet to be tested by any stiff competition, the Texans are suiting up and doing what you’re supposed to do against inferior teams. Beat them and beat them with ease. The Texans barely had to throw the ball last week to beat Jacksonville.
4. Green Bay – The Thursday night beat down of Chicago was a good sign that the defense maybe turning a corner from the lows of last season. On a night where the offense is still trying to find its groove, Clay Matthews and company sack Jay Cutler 7 times and make you feel sorry for the Bears starting man.
5. Baltimore– Despite them falling on the road to Philly, the Ravens still look more than capable of being a top 5 team on both sides of the ball. Though they tend to whine after a loss, Baltimore had reason to gripe as there was a handful of blown calls by the officials.
The Next 5
6. New England
7. Pittsburgh
8. Philly
9. Denver
10. NY (NFC)
Week 2 Football Musings
* Seriously, how many games have you watched during an NFL season where FG’s end up hitting the cross bar? 3-4? Through the first 2 weeks, we’ve seen it happen that many times in 2 games!! When you think about the width of the bar and the size of the football, the odds of this happening are slimmer than you think.
* Without question, the top team in the NFL through 2 games is the 49ers. It’s not even up for debate. You walk into Green Bay and snap their 15 game home winning streak and then hold one of the league’s most explosive offenses in Detroit to just 1 touchdown – you’re doing something right. So what’s even more impressive about them? How about they now have a 30 consecutive quarter streak without turning the ball over (yes, please go ahead & read that again)! That my friends, is beyond impressive.
* Despite 9 turnovers in 2 games, the Philadelphia Eagles are 2-0. File this under the category of “things that don’t make sense.” We are constantly told by coaches & analysts that if you turn the ball over, you can’t win. The Eagles apparently do not subscribe to this rationale. At this frequency, they are on pace for 72 total turnovers for the season!
* Though they lost this past week to Atlanta on the road, the Broncos seem to be one of the frontrunners in the AFC with Peyton Manning as their QB. Denver fans seemed to have already forgotten about that “Tebow Guy” based on the way #18 has performed thus far. Some fans have even shown their appreciation by creating a massively sized corn maze in honor of their new signal caller.
My Picks this Week
NY (NFC), Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, NY (AFC), San Fran, New Orleans, Wash, Detroit, Indy, Philly, Denver, Pitt, Green Bay, Baltimore
Last Week: 8-8
Overall Season Record: 19-13
Parting Shot
Don’t forget that the HSN Football Fan Shop has 2 airings this coming Monday to wrap up Week 3 of the NFL season. We’ll kick things off on Monday morning at 10am with Tamara Hooks and then get you primed for Monday night football at 6pm with Dallas fan Alyce Caron! Through our first 2 weeks of the season, it’s easy to see why the HSN Football Fan Shop is THEE PLACE to get all your NFL gear. From throw blankets, to t-shirts, to sweatpants, to hats, to gear especially made for the female NFL fan – we’ve got you covered!
That said, mark those calendars & FAN UP!
~Scott
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