Last week I got back to winning ways with a 13-3 outing, considerably pleased with that result I gotta say.

I called the Steelers to beat the Ravens last Thursday night and I stayed up late to watch my favourite team lose at home to the Ravens. Damn you Josh Scobee.

I'm starting off 0-1 thus far, I also tweeted earlier that I called the Jets to beat the Dolphins in London. They're leading at the moment, I hope that continues.

The rest of the weekend's games are here

Texans @ Falcons:

VERDICT: Falcons

Giants @ Bills

VERDICT: Bills

Raiders @ Bears

VERDICT: Raiders

Chiefs @ Bengals

VERDICT: Bengals

Jaguars @ Colts

VERDICT: Jaguars

Panthers @ Buccaneers

VERDICT: Panthers

Eagles @ Redskins

VERDICT: Eagles

Browns @ Chargers

VERDICT: Chargers

Rams @ Cardinals

VERDICT: Cardinals

Vikings @ Broncos

VERDICT: Broncos

Packers @ 49ers

VERDICT: Packers

Cowboys @ Saints

VERDICT: Cowboys

Lions @ Seahawks

VERDICT: Seahawks

Falcons@ Cowboys

VERDICT: Falcons

Colts @ Titans

VERDICT: Colts

Raiders @ Browns

VERDICT: Browns

Bengals @ Ravens

VERDICT: Bengals

Jaguars @ Patriots

VERDICT: Patriots

Saints @ Panthers

VERDICT: Panthers

Eagles @ Jets

VERDICT: Jets

Buccaneers @ Texans

VERDICT: Texans

Chargers @ Vikings

VERDICT: Chargers

Steelers @ Rams

VERDICT: Steelers

49ers @ Cardinals

VERDICT: Cardinals

Bills @ Dolphins

VERDICT: Bills

Bears @ Seahawks

VERDICT: Seahawks

Broncos @ Lions

VERDICT: Broncos

Chiefs @ Packers

VERDICT: Packers

The elephant in the room. 6-10 last week. 6-10? Absolutely dreadful, and legitimately the worst weekend of NFL predictions I've ever put together. Week 2 of the 2015 NFL season was the perfect storm of upsets. Amongst others, the Buccaneers, Raiders, Redskins, Browns and Jaguars all won last weekend. Do you know the last time all 5 of those teams won on the same weekend? Never. It's literally NEVER happened before and I would feel reasonably confident in saying that it won't happen again. I can take solace in the fact that the majority of genuine NFL pundits (as opposed to me) performed similarly but my wallet is upset with me regardless.

My confidence has been well and truly rocked but I'm not giving up on this (mirroring my start to the Fantasy Premier League season).

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Redskins @ Giants

I was made to look like a right arse by Washington last week, here's a direct quote from my preview of their game against St. Louis last week:

"I'm predicting an easy win for the Rams (cue the Redskins hammering them)."

It would appear that my sarcasm knows more about these games than I do. Moving on to Week 3, if you look at the stats through the first two weeks of the season you'll see that Washington ranks first in Total Defense thus far, ranking second in passing yards allowed (164 ypg) and fourth in rushing yards allowed (70.5 ypg). Not only that, they top the rushing rankings with an average of 171.5 yards per game. In fairness, those stats are padded by the anaemic offensive units of St Louis and Seattle over the last two weeks. When you compare them to New York's numbers over the opening weeks of the season you can tell why New York might be nervous coming into the game.

The Giants rank dead last in pass defense BUT they're the third best rush D in the league at the moment. They were beaten through the air the last two weeks by Dallas and Atlanta and only lost those games due to poor clock management by a total of 3 just points. The (Week 1) Cowboys and the Falcons are better teams than the Redskins, Kirk Cousins has only 299 yards through 2 games and I don't see them overcoming the Giants at the Meadowlands.

VERDICT: Giants  

Week 2 - Sunday

Patriots @ Bills

The Bills were masterful on defense last week against Andrew Luck and the Colts, shutting them out for the majority of the game. Tom Brady and the Patriots are a different kettle of fish but this promises to be a close game all the same. I think the biggest battle in this game comes down to how the Bills defensive line deals with Brady, if he gets time on the ball this game will be very difficult for Buffalo. I didn't have enough faith in Tyrod Taylor and the Bills last week and they made me look stupid, the Patriots D is better than Indy's though, I don't see them surprising me again this week.

Verdict: Patriots

Texans @ Panthers

The Panthers are undoubtedly the better team at quarterback here, Cam Newton easily outmatches Hoyer, Mallett or anyone else that Texans can field behind center. However, Luke Kuechly (2013 Defensive MVP) is out for today's game which puts a significant dent in Carolina's defensive solidity. 2014 Defensive MVP is more than fit for the Texans and he has a much better supporting cast around him to start with. The Panthers only allowed 169 yards through the air against Jacksonville last year but Blake Bortles' troubles are well-documented. I fancy Mallett (not Hoyer, thank you Cork Admirals AFC for correcting me) to hook up with DeAndre Hopkins for at least one TD and I expect Houston's D to carry the team out of Bank Of America stadium with a hard-fought win.

Verdict: Texans

Cardinals @ Bears

The Bears pushed the Packers hard last week but were never going to win. They have the bones a great team but they're very much in transition this year (again). Granted, Aaron Rodgers is probably the NFL's best quarterback but he marched down the field several times virtually unopposed. Carson Palmer is no Aaron Rodgers but his offensive line should give him time and space against an underwhelming Bears D. The Cardinals secondary look good for at least one pick against Jay Cutler. I fancy the Cardinals to win a close game.

Verdict: Cardinals

Chargers @ Bengals

San Diego started horrendously last week against Detroit and showed great character to pull off a big win. If they start slowly against Cincinnati they'll be dead and buried by the half. The Bengals barely needed to get out of second gear to deal with the Raiders last week and have some fantastic players on both sides of the ball. Both teams are healthy and I reckon the Bengals defense will keep the win in Cincy.

Verdict: Bengals

Titans @ Browns

Marcus Mariota won the battle of the rookie QBs last week and I'm excited to see how he does in a road game. I like Cleveland, I want to see them do well but there's a reason they're the punchline to most NFL jokes. They have a quality defense (including the delightfully named Barkevious Mingo at Linebacker) which will ask more questions of Mariota than the hapless Buccaneers did last week. The Titans were top notch last week but they are no world-beaters and will realistically one of Cleveland's best chances of pulling off a W this year, this could legitimately go either way but my money's on Tennessee. Just. 

Verdict: Titans

Lions @ Vikings

Minnesota were pretty toilet on offense last week in San Francisco. Luckily for them, however, the Detroit Lions were "Sunday at a music festival" toilet on defense in San Diego. Trust me, that's a considerably worse toilet. I like both of these teams and in Calvin "Megatron" Johnson (Lions WR) and Adrian "AD" Peterson (Vikings RB) this game boasts two of the league's bona fide stars. The Vikings persisted last week with the shotgun formation which limited All-Day's involvement so the winning of this game comes down to how much the Minnesota coaches learned from that loss. I'm pulling for the Lions in this one, if they can keep Bridgewater and Peterson relatively quiet they should have too much for the Lions offense. Matthew Stafford has broken my heart on countless occasions though.

Verdict: Lions

Buccaneers @ Saints

Tampa Bay were comprehensively outplayed by the Titans in Jameis Winston's first NFL game. The #1 draft pick threw a pick-6 with his first pass. His first pass. That's not ideal. New Orleans pushed the Cardinals all the way in Week 1 and Drew Brees oozes class at QB. I fancy #9 to send the Bucs home empty-handed.

Verdict: Saints

Falcons @ Giants

The Falcons are healthy coming into this game and that spells trouble for the New York secondary. Matt Ryan throwing to Julio Jones and Roddy White would strike fear into any competent defense and the Giants are barely competent at the best of times. Eli Manning is no slouch at QB but he'll be without Victor Cruz at WR leaving Odell Beckham Jr to pick up the slack. Luckily for Eli, OBJ is top-tier quality but if Atlanta can cover him while keeping Rashad Jennings quiet they'll leave the Meadowlands with a win.

Verdict: Falcons

49ers @ Steelers

I fancy the Steelers here. They played well against the Patriots in New England last week in a game they could easily have won. The Niners D had a good day against a misfiring Minnesota lineup while Carlos Hyde had a career day running the ball. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are a considerable upgrade on their Viking counterparts while Markus Wheaton should also enjoy his time today. It doesn't even matter that I'm a Steelers fan, I'm calling a Pittsburgh win.

Verdict: Steelers

Rams @ Redskins

The Rams pulled off a great win in overtime last week against Seattle and are simply monstrous on defense, Aaron Donald standing out in particular. The Redskins are rubbish, they were adequate last week on defense against the Dolphins but they are simply not good enough on the offensive side of the ball. I'm predicting an easy win for the Rams (cue the Redskins hammering them).

Verdict: Rams

Dolphins @ Jaguars

The Jaguars are much better on defense than offense but that's like saying I'm better at kick-boxing than hang-gliding (I'm not good at either). The Dolphins have a great defense this year and I see this as being another long day for the Jags.

Verdict: Dolphins

Ravens @ Raiders

The Baltimore Ravens struggled offensively last week in Denver but this game should prove to be a lot easier for them. They lost defensive leader Terrell "T-Sizzle" Suggs for the year last week (which severely limits any Superbowl run) but they should have more than enough in the tank to deal with Oakland. 

Verdict: Ravens

Cowboys @ Eagles

The Cowboys were lucky to beat the Giants last time out and they've lost their star wide receiver Dez Bryant for 10-12 weeks after he broke a bone in his foot. The Eagles, on the other hand, were unlucky to lose out to the Falcons in Week 1. Philly were moving the ball down the field with ease in the second half against Atlanta and they should find joy against a Dallas defense missing Randy Gregory for the next few weeks, Eagles running back DeMarco Murray will be fired up against his old team, I fancy the Eagles here, it could be a close one though, Tony Romo is still throwing from the top shelf.

Verdict: Eagles

Seahawks @ Packers

This game promises to be a stonker. The Packers are without the services of Jordy Nelson (on IR) against the Legion Of Boom who suit up again minus contract rebel SS Kam Chancellor. If there is any QB who would relish a battle against the Seahawks defense it's Aaron Rodgers. The game's premier quarterback can make every throw and dissect any defense. He moved the ball with considerable ease against division rival Chicago last week and he will have it a lot tougher this time out, Green Bay are also missing starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga which will make things tougher than they'd like. Russell Wilson looks to be developing a good understanding with Jimmy Graham, it'll be interesting to see where Clay Matthews III lines up in short yardage situations.

Verdict: Packers

Week 2 - Monday Night Football

Jets @ Colts

The Colts will be looking to rebound after they stunk the house out last week in Buffalo. They won't have it easy at home to the boisterous Jets defense and if they lose here it will be a long season for Andrew Luck and co. For what it's worth I think they have the tools to get it done in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Jets are a decent team and won well against the Browns at home last week but they weren't entirely convincing while doing it, I wouldn't be quaking in my boots at the prospect of facing their offense either (that said, I thought the same about the Colts last week and look how that turned out.

Verdict: Colts

Dave runs the social media and the website for RedFM and he's very good at it and isn't bad to look at either. He also definitely didn't write this part. Tell him just how clever/stupid he is on twitter here.

Thursday Night Football

Broncos @ Chiefs

I have an unashamed adoration for Peyton Manning. Watching himself and Tom Brady tear up the league is a close comparison to Ronaldo & Messi and there are arguments to be made for both as the best QB ever.

That said, Manning was toilet last week against Baltimore.(both teams seemed to be contriving not to win) and the only touchdown he threw was a pick-6.

The Chiefs were very impressive in their defeat of the Houston Texans last week and Arrowhead is not an easy stadium to visit. Peyton might beat the odds and make me look foolish but I think the Kansas City D will be putting him on his back early and often, I'd love to be proven wrong on this one though.

VERDICT: Chiefs

Dave runs the social media and the website for RedFM and he's very good at it and isn't bad to look at either. He also definitely didn't write this part. Tell him just how clever/stupid he is on twitter here.

Colts @ Bills

I love Andrew Luck, he's arguably the best QB playing football at the moment and if this game was being played this time last year I'd have put my house on Indy. It's 2015 though and the Bills have improved hugely, adding RB LeSean McCoy to the roster among others. Rex Ryan is a great defensive coach and is blessed with a fearsome defensive line. The Colts will need their offensive line to hold their own if they're going to have any chance here, I think that's where this game will be won or lost, if Luck gets time he'll make the throws needed to win this. The Bills are not exactly blessed at quarterback with Tyrod Taylor getting the nod and even though they have homefield advantage I see the Colts winning this one.

VERDICT: Colts. Don't be surprised to see it go the other way though.

Packers @ Bears

Aaron Rodgers has lost Jordy Nelson for the year to a torn ACL but will have more than enough in his locker to see the Packers through against the underwhelming Bears. Eddie Lacy is a top-tier RB and Chicago will have their hands full with him, expect Rodgers to profit on play-action looks at Soldier Field. Chicago have a good roster but good isn't enough in this league.

VERDICT: Packers to win comfortably.

Chiefs @ Texans

This is something of a toss-up, it could go either way really. I realise that's not ideal as a prediction but I'm all about the Texans. JJ Watt is an absolute monster on defense and Vince Wilfork and Jadeveon Clowney are no slouches either. Arian Foster is injured long-term which hurts the Texans at running back but Alfred Blue is more than capable of stepping up. I really rate the Chiefs and Jamaal Charles is stonkingly good at running back (yes it's a word) but I think the Texans are going to edge this.

VERDICT: Texans in a close game.

Panthers @ Jaguars

The Panthers are depleted at wide receiver, the Jaguars are perennially rubbish. I think in 2-3 years the Jags will improve greatly (because they get so many early picks in the draft due to being rubbish) but for the moment I think they don't have the players to compete at the same level as Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly.

VERDICT: Panthers. Could go either way, both teams will probably be rubbish.

Browns @ Jets

The Browns are generally rubbish but I think they're in the strongest division in the NFL which doesn't help their cause at all. Every time the Browns win a game I'm surprised and it'll be a long time before I favour them in an away game. I don't think the Jets are ever up to much either but they'll have enough to see off Cleveland here. Surely.

VERDICT: Jets in a dreadful game.

Seahawks @ Rams

The Rams could pull this off I reckon. Seattle always have trouble in St. Louis and they're without their holdout safety Kam Chancellor. The Legion Of Boom are still a top-tier secondary without him but he'll be missed, This will be a great game to watch if you're a fan of defensive football and I'm excited to see how Nick Foles does for his new team. Seattle will be the favourites here but I fancy the Rams to shock some people at home.

VERDICT: Rams. But only if Foles plays well.

Dolphins @ Redskins

The Redskins are a bit of a basket case. Kirk Cousins will start at QB while face of the franchise RGIII has been playing at safety in the practice squad. That's not a typo. The Dolphins are getting better every year and I expect them to dismiss Washington handily.

VERDICT: Dolphins.

Saints @ Cardinals

Drew Brees is still a top quality QB but he has lost his favourite target Jimmy Graham in the off-season. Marques Colston and co will have a tough day against the Cardinals secondary. Arizona always play well at home in the desert and I expect them to have too much in the tank for New Orleans.

VERDICT: Cardinals

Lions @ Chargers

I don't see the Lions winning this game. I really like Matthew Stafford and I LOVE Calvin "Megatron" Johnson but their defense has regressed in the last year. San Diego are always a good prospect as long as Philip Rivers is throwing the ball, Eric Weddle is one of the best safeties in the league and Keenan Allen should find some joy against the Lions' secondary.

VERDICT: Chargers

Ravens @ Broncos

I love Peyton Manning. For the last two seasons the Broncos have been in "Win Now" mode, paying a lot of money to seasoned veterans and they could win a Superbowl but they're probably going to be absolute toilet in 3 years time. None of that matters now obviously, I think they'll have too much quality around the field for the Ravens. I know I'm a Steelers fan but I do think the Ravens are a top-drawer team, I just don't think they'll be able to come out of Denver with a win. 

VERDICT: Broncos

Bengals @ Raiders

This could actually go either way, the Raiders have been in serious rebuilding mode over the last couple of years. Cincinnati have one of the best defenses in the league and AJ Green is up there with the best wide receivers but they have Andy Dalton at quarterback. I really like Amari Cooper at WR for the Raiders and I think the Raiders will be looking to him to do more work than RB Latavius Murray if they're going to win this. I think home field advantage counts for a lot in this sport and that could push Oakland to the W but Cincy will surely have enough to pull this off.

VERDICT: Bengals

Titans @ Buccaneers

The rookie QBs do battle. Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston will both suit up in their first NFL games today and whichever of them performs better will pull their team through. I fancy Winston to do the business and he has a better supporting cast around him.

VERDICT: Buccaneers

Giants @ Cowboys

The Giants' secondary is a dumpster fire. Injuries have left them badly wanting at Safety and Tony Romo will have a great time with Dez Bryant and co, Joseph Randle starts at running back for the Cowboys but realistically even I could probably do a decent job at RB for Dallas, their offensive line is that good. A long day ahead for Eli Manning I reckon.

VERDICT: Cowboys

Eagles @ Falcons

I can't wait to see Chip Kelly's new look Eagles squad. They've got injury-prone former #1 pick Sam Bradford starting at QB and DeMarco Murray comes in at RB after a stellar season with the Cowboys. I think the Eagles offensive line and secondary give them the better defense but the Falcons are far and away the better equipped team at WR with Roddy White and Julio Jones forming a fearsome tandem. I fancy the Eagles to establish the running game and grind this out on the road.

VERDICT: Eagles

Vikings @ 49ers

The 49ers seem to have lost the core of their team's roster due to a myriad of reasons. Star linebacker Patrick Willis was the first of many to announce surprise retirements, Mike Iupati, Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree were the biggest names to move on to greener pastures while Head Coach Jim Harbaugh also left the team in acrimonious circumstances. Adrian Peterson returns to the field for Minnesota following a 12-month suspension and he's my primary reason to root against the basket case that is the San Francisco roster. I do think Jarred Hayne will be exciting though.

VERDICT: Vikings

Finished with just over an hour to spare. GET IN.

Dave runs the social media and the website for RedFM and he's very good at it and isn't bad to look at either. He also definitely didn't write this part. Tell him just how clever/stupid he is on twitter here.

You don't care about that though, you're here to;

• learn a bit more about the sport (hopefully)
• dismiss my thoughts as codswallop (probably)

The summer's headlines have been dominated by Handsome Tom Brady and the "Deflategate" scandal (sidenote: It irks me when people add "gate" to news stories - it just doesn't follow logic). If you haven't heard of Deflategate then consider yourself lucky. Essentially there were reports of New England Patriots quarterback (and face of the franchise) Handsome Tom Brady having arranged for several footballs to be deflated below permissible standards in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts last January, thus garnering a negligible advantage. The league handed down a 4-game ban to Handsome Tom which was considered heavy-handed (considering the regular season only lasts 16 games) and following various appeals the ban has since been rescinded (I love that word) meaning Handsome Tom is free to suit up tonight against the Pittsburgh Steelers. By now you probably think I'm a Patriots fan given my unashamed love for Handsome Tom but I'm actually a Steelers fan.

ANYWAY, here's my preview of the first game in Week 1. I'll do the Sunday games tomorrow if you're nice to me.

THURSDAY

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots

The Steelers are blessed with the best offensive triumvirate in the game at the moment. Big Ben Roethlisberger is in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks, Le'Veon Bell is arguably the best running back in the league and Antonio Brown is, for my money, the best wide receiver playing football. As a trio they are top notch and with an electrifying corps of young receivers allied with a decent offensive line Pittsburgh is poised to have a great year on offense. However... Le'Veon Bell will miss the first 2 games of the season having collected himself a DUI, wide receiver Martavis Bryant is suspended for 4 games due to a substance abuse violation and star center Maurkice Pouncey is due to miss a large portion of the season after being injured in pre-season.

The Steelers defense is something of a mixed bag at the moment. This year saw them say goodbye to Hall Of Fame-bound Safety Troy Polamalu as well as fan favourite defensive end Brett "Fear The Beard" Keisel. There's a more important development though, legendary defensive co-ordinator (and I don't use that term lightly) Dick LeBeau parted ways with Pittsburgh and has since joined the Titans as assistant Head Coach. The 78 year-old (credited with the conception of the zone blitz defensive scheme) is responsible for much of the Steelers' defensive success in his time with the team and incoming DC Keith Butler will be under a lot of pressure to deliver results with his young defense.

Many teams would have found it hard to ignore the Deflategate (that's the last time I say it, I promise) controversy but if there's one coach who can focus his team during a scandal it's Bill Belichick. The reigning Superbowl champs will be in buoyant mood following the vindication of their talisman Handsome Tom Brady and are always a difficult prospect when playing in Foxborough. No team in the NFL has a higher winning percentage at home than New England in Gillette Stadium and in the last 13 seasons they have had an undefeated season at home 6 times in that span.

The Patriots are not without their own problems though. Center Bryan Stork misses out through injury leaving the offensive line depleted, running back LeGarrette Blount is serving a one-game ban and wide receiver Brandon LaFell will also miss the opening game due to injury. All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis has left the team after collecting his Superbowl ring and heads back to familiar territory with the New York Jets which leaves the Pats' secondary with as many question marks as Pittsburgh's.

All in all I think the Patriots will be able to replace Blount's production better than the Steelers will be able to replace Bell's. Brady will come out all guns blazing and aim for Gronkowski all night so Steelers cornerback Cortez Allen will have his hands full trying to deal with #87. Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman are more than capable of holding their own against the Pittsburgh secondary and the home advantage will count for a lot for New England.

My heart says Steelers but my head says Patriots

VERDICT: Patriots

Dave runs the social media and the website for RedFM and he's very good at it and isn't bad to look at either. He also definitely didn't write this part. Tell him just how clever/stupid he is on twitter here.