Sunday, September 21, 2003

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Steelers (1-1) at Bengals (0-2)
1 p.m.

This is one of those games that doesn't look good if you're a Steelers fan. Cincinnati is winless, but the Bengals actually got a lift from the way they performed in a three-point loss in Oakland last week. On top of that, the Bengals are playing good pass defense, an essential quality when trying to defeat the Steelers. Of course, returning a kickoff and an interception for a touchdown, and darn near taking a punt return to the house are other important factors in beating the Steelers. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, a Fort Cherry High School graduate and a former Steelers assistant, will be certain to remind his players of the passion he has to beat his former boss. The Steelers would have been better off if the Bengals had beaten the Raiders. Then they wouldn't be so thirsty for a victory. The Upset Special.
Prediction: Bengals, 24-21

Buccaneers (1-1) at Falcons (1-1)
1 p.m.

Each of these NFC South Division teams is kicking themselves for the way they lost last week. Especially Tampa Bay, which had two field goals and the winning extra point blocked against Carolina. Atlanta blew a big lead to the Redskins and ended up losing, 33-31, but it can't compare to the way the Buccaneers ended up losing in overtime. Tampa Bay has won the past four meetings with the Falcons and held the Birds to just 16 points in two games last season, each with Mike Vick at quarterback. The second victory, in Tampa Bay, stopped the Falcons' streak of eight consecutive games without a loss (7-0-1). People in Tampa know Falcons quarterback Doug Johnson. He was a second-round pick of baseball's Devil Rays in 1996.

Prediction: Buccaneers, 17-16

Vikings (2-0) at Lions (1-1)
1 p.m.

Only nine teams in NFL history have opened a season with three consecutive division victories (the Steelers opened with three consecutive division losses in 2000). Minnesota is trying to become the 10th after opening with wins in Green Bay and against Chicago. And the Vikings have won six in a row against Detroit when Daunte Culpepper has been the quarterback. Culpepper has been very efficient in each of the first two wins, primarily because he is not under directives to get the ball to Randy Moss under the so-called Randy Rule. The result: Culpepper has been going through his checks much better, and Moss is still productive. Let's see, if Minnesota beat Green Bay in the opener, and the Pack beat the Lions, that means the Vikings should beat the Lions. Exactly.
Prediction: Vikings, 27-24

Chiefs (2-0) at Texans (1-1)
1 p.m.

Picking road teams to win in the NFL is like looking for snakes in wet basements -- it's no way to make a living. Even when the road team is Kansas City, which, aside from Buffalo, appears to be the best team in the NFL right now. But those are two big words -- right now -- because the season is just two weeks old. If the first two weeks are any indication, the Chiefs appear to have it all -- running game, passing game, aggressive defense and a return specialist in Dante Hall. And their coach still cries after a regular-season victory. But, after back-to-back games on the road, Houston finally opens at home. The Texans have found some new weapons for quarterback David Carr, particularly rookie wide receiver Andre Johnson. But, after not allowing a sack in the opener in Miami, the Texans let Carr get dropped five times against the Saints.
Prediction: Chiefs, 24-14

Jaguars (0-2) at Colts (2-0)
1 p.m.

Nobody is safe on the Jacksonville roster. Jack Del Rio, the new Jaguars coach, keeps making changes to the 53-man squad after each loss. The most tired person in the city is the Jaguars equipment man, who has to keep changing names on the back of uniforms. When the Steelers special teams stink, Bill Cowher hints he might make a few changes on the coverage teams. When the Jaguars special teams stink, Del Rio gets out the pink slips and starts calling the travel agent. Del Rio was a linebacker for the Vikings when Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy was Minnesota's defensive coordinator, and he certainly didn't inherit his impulsiveness and intolerance from Dungy. The Colts, who have never lost to the Jaguars (4-0), are trying for a 3-0 start for the first time since 1996. They'll get it.
Prediction: Colts, 34-13

Jets (0-2) at Patriots (1-1)
1 p.m.

After being pummeled by the Bills in the opener, 31-0, New England turned around and hammered Philadelphia, 31-10, a team many thought to be a serious Super Bowl contender. The 52-point swing represents the drastic disparity the Patriots exhibited in the first two games. Now, will the real Pats please step forward? This is the home opener for New England, which has won six of the past home openers by nearly a 2-to-1 margin (198-100). Since leaving the Patriots, Jets running back Curtis Martin has six 100-yard games against his former team. The Jets are 6-0 in those games. The Jets have won five of the past seven against the Patriots, but they had won nine of their past 10 against Miami before last week, too.
Prediction: Patriots, 27-21

Saints (1-1) at Titans (1-1)
1 p.m.

Jazz and country clash in a battle of South Division teams (AFC & NFC), with New Orleans making its first appearance in Nashville and Steve McNair making his first appearance against the Saints. It also should be a homecoming for Saints wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who played at the University of Tennessee. After holding Oakland to 20 points in the opener, the Titans thought they had re-discovered their defense. That is, until the Colts put up 33 on them last week. The Saints play well on the road under Jim Haslett, posting a 16-9 away record the past three years. But country music isn't the only loud noise in Nashville. So is the din emanating from The Coliseum. By the way, the only other team McNair has never faced is Denver.
Prediction: Titans, 21-17

Packers (1-1) at Cardinals (0-2)
4:05 p.m.

After a lackluster performance in the opener -- the first half, anyway -- Green Bay rebounded with an impressive showing against the Lions. Arizona, of course, came back from a sound thrashing in the season opener with an even worse thrashing against Seattle (38-0). And it might not get much better for the Cardinals. Their quarterback, Jeff Blake, is injured, and he has been the only bright spot along with rookie wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who has 18 catches and 279 receiving yards in his first two NFL games. The key for the Packers is Ahman Green, who had his 15th 100-yard game with the Packers against the Lions. The Packers are 15-0 in those games. And they are 22-3 when scoring first under coach Mike Sherman.
Prediction: Packers, 30-20

Rams (1-1) at Seahawks (2-0)
4:05 p.m.

This is a chance for Seattle to make a statement. If the Seahawks think they are contenders in the NFC West Division, and it appears they are, they need to prove it to the other teams in the division. They can start with St. Louis, a team they easily handled, 30-10, when they met last year in Seattle. Not only have the Seahawks forced a league-high 10 turnovers in two games, but they haven't committed one. What's more, their offense, which produced 38 points against the Cardinals, has scored 20 or more in nine consecutive games, dating to last season. Any questions about the defense were answered with the first shutout since 1998. Marc Bulger will make his second start of the season for the Rams -- he is 7-1 lifetime as a starter -- but that whole quarterback situation will lead to another Rams implosion in 2003.
Prediction: Seahawks, 27-17

Giants (1-1) at Redskins (2-0)
4:05 p.m.

It appears Washington has found a quarterback to run Steve Spurrier's Fun 'N Gun offense. Patrick Ramsey has won his past four starts and has the Redskins seeking a 3-0 start for the first time since their 1991 Super Bowl season. Ramsey passed for 356 yards and led the 'Skins back from a 17-point deficit in the victory at Atlanta. But they have been doing it with more than just offense. Their defense held the Falcons to just 7 yards rushing in the second half. Meantime, New York is trying to recover from the mental lapses endured Monday night by coach Jim Fassel, who, in order, 1) left too much time on the clock when the Giants kicked the go-ahead field goal; 2) ordered a squib kick on the ensuing kickoff that went out of bounds. Those became the most questionable decisions in New York since Fred "The Hammer" Williamson was added to the MNF booth.
Prediction: Redskins, 24-23

Ravens (1-1) at Chargers (0-2)
4:15 p.m.

San Diego, which hasn't been able to stop anybody, gets the chance to stop Jamal Lewis, who wasn't about to be stopped by Cleveland. Lewis rushed for an NFL-record 295 yards against the Browns, but also set a league standard for most linebackers felled with a stiff-arm. It was just what Baltimore needed, especially as the Ravens endure some of the growing pains of rookie quarterback Kyle Boller. If the Chargers have any of Lewis' friends on the team, they would be wise to avoid challenging him on the phone. That, though, is not likely to happen. It's not because the Chargers don't have any players who know Lewis. It's because they don't challenge anybody.
Prediction: Ravens, 20-16

Browns (0-2) at 49ers (1-1)
4:15 p.m.

Cleveland's equipment manager had a busy week -- he couldn't get the tire marks off the jerseys of the Browns linebackers. Jamal Lewis ran over, around and through the Browns' defense, which is supposed to be a Cleveland strength. Mapquest couldn't have found as many easy routes as Lewis did in his record-setting performance. The Browns don't have to worry about one back doing that to them against San Francisco, mainly because the 49ers employ two running backs -- Garrison Heart and Kevan Barlow. Jeff Garcia hasn't thrown a pass longer than 26 yards in two games, and he might not have to against the Browns, either. Especially if the NFC's No. 2 rushing attack finds some of the same gaping holes in the Browns' defense. By the way, did you realize Kelly Holcomb has produced just one touchdown in two starts?
Prediction: 49ers, 24-21

Bills (2-0) at Dolphins (1-1)
8:30 p.m.

Two years ago, Buffalo won only three games. Two years later, they might lose only three games. It would be nice to consider the Bills one of the surprise teams of 2003, but they had the best turnaround in the league last year and they've added four good starters to this year's defense. The Bills are playing in Florida for the second week in a row, a strange scheduling quirk that would make more sense if these games were in December. To be sure, they were not bothered by the heat in their easy victory in Jacksonville. And the worst heat in Miami is on the Dolphins, who don't want to fall two games behind the Bills, even this early in the season. The Fish responded well last week, winning in New York for only the second time in the past 11 meetings.
Prediction: Dolphins, 28-27

Raiders (1-1) at Broncos (2-0)
9 p.m. tomorrow

Denver is unbeaten, mainly because the Broncos opened with the winless Bengals and Chargers. And, if Oakland doesn't get an interception return for touchdown from cornerback Phillip Buchanon, the Raiders might be winless, as well. The Raiders won for the first time in eight years in Denver in 2002, but that was because Rich Gannon set an NFL record with 21 consecutive completions. Gannon, though, has not been able to produce the same numbers this year, and was held to just over 100 yards passing in the 23-20 victory against the Bengals. This is the home opener for the Broncos. Nobody is ready to pronounce them a playoff team, but they have a good chance to remain one of the league's unbeatens.
Prediction: Broncos, 27-21

The Dulac Scorecard
Last week: 7-9
Season record: 18-14 (.563)

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