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NFL Pick – Week 2

Game Overview

If anyone had any lingering questions about Peyton Manning’s health they should have been answered last Sunday after he led the Broncos to a very impressive 31-19 victory over Pittsburgh as 2.5-point home favorites. The total went OVER the 45.5-point line. In his first regular season start since 2010, Manning completed 19-of-26 attempts for 253 yards and two touchdowns. He looked very comfortable in his new surroundings and took firm control of the offense especially when running it out of a no-huddle formation. Denver’s running game was a nice complement with a total of 94 yards.

The Broncos now have to go on the road against an equally potent offense, so this game could come down to which team’s defense holds up the best. Denver held the Steelers in check for most of the game and limited Ben Roethlisberger to 245 yards through the air. Most importantly, it won the battle on the scoreboard in the second half after trailing 10-7 at halftime.

In an equally impressive performance behind center, Matt Ryan led the Falcons to a relatively easy 40-24 win over Kansas City on opening day as one-point road favorites. The total went well OVER the 43-point line after Atlanta took a 34-17 lead into the final quarter. Ryan ended the day with 299 yards passing and three touchdowns while completing a rock-solid 74.2 percent of his passes.

The one area of concern for Atlanta could be a running game that averaged just 3.65 yards per carry on 23 attempts. Michael Turner only touched the ball 11 times for 32 yards and he was the team’s leading rusher. The Falcons’ defense also had some issues stopping the run and gave-up a total of 152 yards on the ground to the Chiefs. Fortunately in this matchup the pressure will be put on the pass rush and secondary, which both did a good job containing Matt Cassel and the Kansas City passing attack.

Prediction:

This game should be an aerial circus given how much each team likes to put the ball up in the air. Despite a solid performance in Week 1, Manning still feels he has something to prove and will have that chip on his shoulder all season long. Take the Broncos to catch the Falcons napping on Monday night with a straight-up win on the road. Denver 31 Atlanta 28