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Dr. Z's Forecast
Updated: Wednesday September 19, 2001 5:00 PM By Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated A nation begins to heal and a sport tries to get cranked up again. Here's a look at this week's NFL games. Giants to upset Chiefs. New York cornerback Jason Sehorn (right knee injury) missed the opener and Broncos quarterback Brian Griese toasted his replacement, rookie Will Peterson. Sehorn might still be sidelined, but the Chiefs' wide receivers also seem to be out of the equation. That group accounted for one catch against the Raiders. Rams over 49ers. The Niners generate more of a pass rush these days, and their new middle linebacker, Derek Smith, is a serious run stopper, but their defense still has a ways to go. Bears to upset Vikings. Just a hunch. Chicago gave the Ravens all they could handle for a half, and the Bears' dink offense will fare much better this week. Dolphins over Raiders. Do you believe what you saw Miami do against Tennessee? Well, I do. Kind of. Their Dolphins' defense is a lot better than people think. Jets over Patriots. New York still has to figure out a way to stop the run, but that hasn't worried New England opponents since Curtis Martin left, in 1998. Falcons over Panthers. Atlanta was beating the 49ers until its secondary lost two people. With the varsity defense intact, the Falcons will bring the Panthers back to earth. Running back Jamal Anderson showed real zip; he's almost back to where he was before the knee injury. Packers over Redskins in the Monday nighter. Normally you'd say that a Marty Schottenheimer-coached team would bounce back hard from the kind of defeat that San Diego handed it, but instability at quarterback surfaced far sooner than anyone expected. Green Bay, meanwhile, is moving right along under Brett Favre. Chargers over Cowboys. Dallas fans are ecstatic over the strong showing the defense turned in against the Bucs, but rookie quarterback Quincy Carter could find only two people to catch his passes, the longest of which went for 11 yards. I say San Diego's defense feasts on this mishmosh. Eagles over Seahawks. On paper this one looks close, but the same formula applies. I'll take a tough, veteran defense over a young, inexperienced quarterback. Browns to upset Lions. The Detroit secondary is a shambles, and Ty Detmer is replacing Charlie Batch at quarterback. Do the Browns have enough punch to exploit all this? We'll see, as the NFL's premier rivalry of the 1950s (six championships between the two teams) is revisited in subdued fashion. As for the rest, no surprises are anticipated, although we know something strange is bound to happen. Quickie picks: Colts over Bills, Ravens over Bengals, Broncos over Cardinals.
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