PML Pick Ems’ is going to be a weekly segment featuring Greeny, Arod, Cammy, Burn, and myself where we predict the winners for every PML game. We will also have excerpts each week from each of us, but these excerpts will feature different topics each week. This week we are focusing on each matchup and discussing around the league in the PML.
Through 16 games of PML football, Fallen and Greeny are tied at 12-4 while Cammy rounds out last place at 9-7. One of the biggest upsets of the week was the Los Angeles Rams over the Seattle Seahawks. Each one of our predictors chose the Seahawks in this matchup and it was the only game where we had a 100% consensus and the group predicted wrong, so congratulations to CookieBoy and the Los Angeles Rams for proving us wrong!
Week 2 Matchups –
Greeny –
Minnesota 38 – Philadelphia 28:
Wimmy has notoriously had a better defense than offense and HD has notoriously better offense then defense. They say defense wins ball games and that’s the way I’m leaning here. The Eagles team sure is scary but the team struggled to stop the Patriots in week one.
Green Bay 42 – Atlanta 24:
HypeMike and the Packers looked pretty good week one with a division victory. Atl also got a dub but it wasn’t as impressive. The falcons ran the ball well but struggled a bit in the passing game and that’s not a good sign when you must play one of the better user defenders in the league. I think Nef can scheme up enough to throw up a couple touchdowns, but I think the Packers pull away and win by multiple scores in the end
Las Vegas 31 – Buffalo 21:
King mike came off a bad division loss where his team looked outmatched. He’s a top coach who I just can’t see falling to 0-2. He will have the worse team here in this matchup but will find a way to win. I think Tae gets going early and the run game finishes off late. Buffalo gave up over 200 yards rushing week 1 so it will be interesting to see if Mike attacks that. Beast comes into this matchup after a tough loss in week 1. His offense looked well-oiled but his defense gave up 42 to a coach not known for his offense. I think it will be a good game but giving the edge to the PML vet who just knows how to win games.
Burn –
Cincinnati 27 – Baltimore 24:
The Ravens couldn’t have possibly played a worse game than week 1. With the fastest quarterback in the league, they threw the ball 25 times with Lamar, while only rushing with him 4 times. The result, a 5-interception thrown game.
As for the Bengals, they were getting beat by the Browns, only to come back and almost get the win. Burrow played well throwing for 344 yards, with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The offense put up 39 points on one of the best defenses in the league on paper. This bodes well for Goose going forward.
I feel like this is a game that can go Arod’ s way if he proves that he can limit Lamar’s interceptions. Arod needs to run the ball, and score some points, while Goose needs to make a stop on defense. When it comes down to it and what we saw in week 1, I think that Goose will step on the defense to go with the offense he displayed and take the victory in a close game. 27-24 Bengals.
Seattle 30 – Detroit 23:
This is a game that going into the regular season you would have thought might be a blowout, but after that week one Lions victory we may need to hold the phone on that one. The Lions, without their best wide receiver put up 33 points on one of the best teams and users in the league. He will need to continue that same type of performance in week 2. If Goff starts throwing interceptions, it may spell trouble for that Lions offense.
We haven’t seen Seattle play their week one game yet, but we have seen Z with a similar roster from last cycle. He made the playoffs and had a good run each season and he is the favorite to win the division this season. His chances of winning this game based on last cycle’s performance are high. He will need to start and finish the game strong to put Fallen away. We have seen many times that Fallen can be a couple of streak touchdowns away from winning the game.
All in all I think that this will be a good game from both teams. I think that the Seahawks defense will watch for the deep ball as well as limit the running back in the passing game and force Fallen to find a different target. This will result in some interceptions, which will lead to a 30-23 victory for the Seahawks.
Houston 24 – Indianapolis 10:
This is an interesting week 2 matchup from division teams who are both 1-0. The Texans have a great coach, but a poor team on paper. This made no difference versus the Ravens in week 1. The Texans did everything that you want to do against Lamar Jackson perfectly. You want to force him to pass instead of running the ball and they did, which led to 5 interceptions for their defense. If they can do this versus a stacked Ravens team, just imagine what they have in store for some of the lesser talented teams.
The Colts, like the Lions, were week 1 underdogs who came out victorious. They handled the passing attack of one of the better coaches in the league and held the Jaguars to just 13 points while doing just enough on offense. This is the same approach they need to take in this week 2 game. The Texans don’t have the firepower on offense, so they rely on the defense to force turnovers. Richardson has to be smart with the football, unlike his 3 interceptions in week 1.
I feel like the Texans are going to feast on another coach who is prone to throwing interceptions. This mixed with Richardsons inaccuracies will cost the Colts the game. I do think that the Colts defense will keep them in the game but at some point, they will try to air it out and take themselves out, leading to a 24-10 victory for the Texans.
AROD –
Chiefs 31, Jaguars 27 So I do expect this to be a bit closer than you would think. Tbandit is able to match firepower with the best of them. I don’t see the Jaguars holding a lead beyond the 1st quarter, if any, but I do expect them to keep the game close throughout. The skillset of Patrick Mahomes and the speed of Pacheco will prove too. The spread was set at -5 for the Chiefs. Look for the Jaguars to cover.
Bears 27, Buccaneers 10 This could very well be the breakout game for El Jefe and the Bears. After a slow start week 1, they will force Mayfield into early turnovers and get it done in the ground as Justin Fields is finally let loose as he shows his dual threat potential. If the Bears bottle up Tampa’s rushing attack, look for turnovers galore leading to a big victory on the road for Chicago.
Chargers 35, Titans 17 As I write this article, the Titans and Saints game plays in my television and it’s not looking too great for Tennessee. The Titans roster is not where Dlloyd needs them to be if he wants to compete this season and are in need of playmakers on both sides of the ball. The Chargers carry over momentum from their week 1 victory in Miami and cruise to their 2nd straight win to start the campaign.
Cammy –
Arizona 31 – New York Giants 21:
There’s no way Que is going to let burn beat him. This has nothing to do against Burn cause I don’t think he’s a bad madden play but i think after the loss to vet week 1 Que will not let him lose to his arch nemesis in burn week 2. If Que does end up losing his morale is going to go straight to the gutter.
Los Angeles 28 San Francisco 24:
I think this is going to be a very tight defensive game and it’s all going to come down too if Brock Purdy can get the job done against that Los Angeles defense. Cookie boy may not have the ratings but he’s a very talented defensive player and can confuse you with the looks he gives you pre snap. I think Cookie will continue the hot start and go 2-0 in his division to start the season which is very impressive.
Dallas 42 – New York Jets 35:
This will be an offensive showdown and I have Dallas picking up the win at the end of it. Both teams have very good offenses but I think what sets Dallas apart from the Jets is that Dallas has a defense that will constantly apply pressure and make sure you make correct reads throughout the whole game our you are going to get punished. I don’t know if Greeny can play a perfect game yet considering we are only in week 2.
Fallen –
Denver 28 – Washington 10:
Cammy was a lone wolf in week 1 when he bet against the Denver Broncos in favor of the Las Vegas Raiders, but DK proved that he still has one of the best passing attacks in PML. Kellen Mond completed 67% of his passes, threw 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, that’s extremely impressive for a 62 overall quarterback. It didn’t take long for the fans and coaches in Denver to give up on the Russell Wilson experiment. Vet provided the league with another upset when he completely dominated Que and the Arizona Cardinals. Sam Howell showed poise and pinpoint accuracy with each of his throws completing 80% of his passes, but midnight is striking soon for Vet and the Commanders because they are a 15.5 underdog to win this game according to PML Sportsbook. This is one of the true underdog matchups of week 2, but it is not going to be pretty UNLESS Vet can dial of the pressure, but if Kellen Mond isn’t on his back before he takes his three step drop back, expect a completion more often than not.
New England 24 – Miami 21:
The Philadelphia Eagles had a lot to say about the Patriots before kickoff, but SPDot and his Patriots silenced all the doubters. Mac Jones threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns against a Philadelphia defense full of superstars, but what caused the meltdown? New England may lack athleticism and speed on offense, but the league is on notice because their defensive backfield is loaded with speed.. Ameer Speed. New England has four cornerbacks 93 speed and above, so I like their chances against the Dolphins this week. Tua and the Miami Dolphins struggled to push the ball down the field against the Chargers, I mean, how does Tyreek Hill finish the game with just two catches for 15 yards? Unacceptable. You must put the ball in the hands of your dynamic weapons to win in PML. This game isn’t going to be the kind of game that lights up the scoreboard, expect the Patriots to play off-coverage but send the heat on third downs. Tua has proven his inability to play under pressure and until he can stand in the pocket and deliver a strike in traffic, Miami is going to struggle against the top tier coaches in PML.
New Orleans 20 – Carolina 14:
Our group had a mixed consensus for the Saints and the Panthers in week 1, in fact, four of us selected the Saints to win and four of us selected the Panthers to lose.. The lone wolf approach didn’t favor well for Arod or Cammy in those respective matchups. You have a highflying New Orleans team ready to bury the decaying corpse of Bryce Young. The Panthers have gotten a glimpse of what life is going to be like in the NFC South and Bryce Young can’t afford to turn the ball over against his division rivals, but I don’t like the matchup this week. The Saints have too talented of a defensive back group for the Panthers to find the rhythm needed on offense to push the ball down the field. This game is going to be close because of Christian McCaffrey, but when the game is on the line, expect Bryce Young to reel the game in but come up just short of a fourth quarter comeback.
Cleveland 35 – Pittsburgh 17:
Deshaun Watson had his name dragged through the mud before the start of the season. Coaches and analysts questioned his talent in contrast to his fully guaranteed contract. Could Watson deliver for the Browns? Well, his performance in week 1 against Cincinnati showed that he has the talent to win, but a 68% completion rate isn’t going to consistently find him at the top of the passing leaderboards. The AFC North is going to be competitive, well only in games against each other, but I like the tenacity of this division. You have four coaches that are thought to lose against any other competition outside of the AFC North and so far that’s proven true, but the Browns are favored to win the division. I hope Curt proves me wrong in this game, but Kenny Pickett looked awful against the 49ers and the Browns have an even better pass rush, so unless Pittsburgh miraculously enhanced their offensive line, I am predicting Cleveland to scathe away with 6 sacks in this game.
