National Football League

A Pick Six of best shots at 2-0 starts

Published Sep. 17, 2011 3:06 a.m. ET

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There are four games matching 1-0 teams this weekend - Jaguars at Jets, Raiders at Bills, Cardinals at Redskins and Chargers at Patriots.

The odds surely were long that all eight would win on the opening weekend of the NFL season. Let's face it, who picked the Bills AND Redskins last Sunday?

But that's what happened, and there's eight other 1-0 teams - of course - heading into Week 2. All this means is that no fewer than four and as many as 12 teams could be 2-0 heading into Week 3.

The trick in this Pick Six is figuring out which teams have the best chance to remain unbeaten by Sunday night (Monday night doesn't count: it's the winless Rams at the winless Giants).

-Green Bay: The Super Bowl champions hit the road against last year's worst team, the Carolina Panthers. It appears to be a mismatch - Aaron Rodgers and the Pack ran up 42 points against the Saints, while the Panthers lost to the Cardinals. However, if Cam Newton can avoid the wild and crazy pass rush of Clay Matthews & Co., this might not be such a gimme. On second thought, it's a gimme.

-New England: After Tom Brady threw for 517 yards against the Dolphins on the road Monday night, can anyone doubt the Patriots at home against the Chargers? We don't, and we're counting on the Pats' pass rush slowing down Philip Rivers, who can throw for even more yards than Brady if given enough time. We're also counting on the usual special teams breakdown from the Chargers, although one might not be needed.

-Baltimore: A shellacking of the Steelers has this corner believing the Ravens are the complete package, capable of beating everyone. Joe Flacco looks like he's in total control of the offense, Terrell Suggs stepped up with a huge game, Ed Reed had two interceptions and Ray Lewis added a pick. If the Ravens can pummel unprepared Pittsburgh, then the Titans - losers to Jacksonville - and their QB Matt Hasselbeck don't stand much of a chance.

-New York Jets: Feeling pretty solid about this one, too. The Jets defense will have Luke McCown (he's really the Jags quarterback?) wanting to hand off every down (especially if tight end Marcedes Lewis is hampered by a strained right calf). If that happens, it will be up to Maurice Jones-Drew to carry the load. Kneeling won't be an option.

-Buffalo: The Raiders come East, where they don't fare very well (0-3 last season). Bills fans will be pumped for their 1-0 heroes. Could be two good teams in New York this year, and the Giants aren't one of them. The Raiders are fast - very fast - but the Bills may have something going on with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and a confident defense.

-Washington: Yes, there were many others to pick in this spot, but we're showing some love for a team that has been simply horrible the past few seasons. Coach Mike Shanahan has gotten rid of the bad Redskins and brought in good Redskins. And as long as Rex Grossman knows his limitations (don't start flinging the ball all over the field), Washington should handle the Cardinals.

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Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rosenblattap