This is what you need to know to be in the know around the water cooler this week.

Bears @ Green Bay

The Bears never had a chance in this contest, I am not sure what game line was but I would be surprised if it was less than 10 points and the Packers laid the wood to the Bears. In this young season, it appears as though the Packers will win the division again and Cutler will be playing his consistent second fiddle to Aaron Rodgers. The O-line for the Bears seem to have the same problems as years past, the mediocre Packers pass rush accounted for 7 total sacks and really frustrated the Bears QB.

However, at 1-1 the Bears and Packers need a few healthy weeks and some W’s to show me that they can take the step.

Bucs @ Giants

It should concern Giants fans that the G-men needed 510 yards from Eli and that the vaunted defense allowed 34 points Bucs. This is not last year, 9-7 will not get it done for the Giants! That said, the NFC EAST is looking very suspect at this point and what many people thought to be the most competitive and talented division, it appears as though injury and poor play may deplete the division. The Bucs could have won this game had they been able to assert themselves as a pass rushing team instead of a “pass allowing” team, ELI/NICKS/CRUZ carved them up.

Raiders @ Dolphins

This game surprised me.

Reggie Bush killed me in three of my FF games.

Carson Palmer showed me up and having his wide receivers back, fast and healthy is going to help him out significantly in the coming weeks. Both of these teams need to find for an identity and leading WR before too long. Both will face tough games this week Jets and Steelers, respectively.

Texans @ Jaguars

As everyone’s (INCLUDING ME) preseason pick for post-season success, the Texans appear as though they are the real deal, at 2-0 how can you argue with that? It is not easy to win in this league and the Texans just went into the Jags house and whooped em. They whooped em good. One clear problem with the Texans offense is that Matt Schaub is clearly a game-manager and if the Texans are making a deep run into the playoffs then Schaub is going to have to put them on his back eventually because more defensively skilled teams will stop that run game with 8/9 in the box. The Jaguars are a mess; they were shutout in the first half! Its times like these that I feel bad for guys like MJD and the Stephen Jacksons of the football world, these guys have all of the talent in the world but their teams are perpetual losers. Doesn’t seem fair.

Browns @ Bengals

Was this Trent Richardson’s coming out party?

It sure seemed like it. The Browns first pick running back is running hard, cutting fast and showing fans and ownership exactly what they wanted to see. However, the Browns are still that, the Browns. They will need more skill players and more crucial free agent/draft pickups than just T-Rich to make it out of the AFC North cellar. I hear that Chad Johnson is standing by the phone, waiting to take your call. The Bengals D however, is starting to show some cracks and is starting to underwhelm me; Pac Man Jones and the special teams unit may be this teams X-factor and Andy Dalton is a beast. Does he have a nickname related to his red hair yet?

Chiefs @ Bills

Uhm, what can I say about this game? The Bills crushed. I can’t tell if the Chiefs are that bad or that the Bills were embarrassed from their week 1 spanking and looking for retribution!? Week 1, these teams looked much different then what the score would have us believe for week 2. For now you can’t trust either one for football pick-em pools, eliminator pools or fantasy players either (except CJ Spiller). Ryan Fitzpatrick (Cassel) is going to gets things eventually, although he will serve as a reasonable fantasy backup should you need his services. Dwayne Bowe and Peyton Hillis sighting.

Ravens @ Eagles

The Eagles are 2-0! Lets not get too excited about this,

they have won both games by 2 points…combined!

Obviously, they could easily be 0-2 and frankly the Ravens had a bad game that was “assisted” in its ugliness by the replacement refs. The Eagles had better figure out quickly what their identity is and how they are going to move the ball. Are they a run or pass team, should Vick take the Peyton Manning approach to running the ball or the Cam Newton? Injuries are piling up for the Eagles in the receiving game and this was the coming out party for Brent Celek. Grab him on your fantasy team. The Ravens could/should have won this game and their road woes may continue as the angry and badly beaten Patriots are on the tilt next weekend.

Saints @ Panthers

The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Well, maybe it actually is in this case, the Saints cannot stop anyone when it counts, and even Brees doesn’t quite look recognizable compared to his numbers last season. I am not sure why either, is it that the team misses the leadership of Sean Peyton, the pressure, the matchup or something else? Either way, don’t count them out just yet, the Saints are still the Saints and I will take Drew, the WR’s, Jimmy and defense 9 times out of 10 to make the playoffs. I know that the fan base of the WHODAT nation will never give up, especially now that hurricane season is over. They should bounce back at home against the terrible Chiefs. Cam and the Panthers rediscovered running game will have to continue their mojo as they head into Thursday against the offensive aerial attack minded Giants.

Cardinals @ Patriots

Ouch.

Any Given Sunday, indeed.

I was shocked at the outcome of this one. It appears that the Patriots were outworked, the cliché that the Cardinals “just wanted it more” rings true here. Some will say that the NFC West is legitimate because of this win and their 4-0 weekend against quality opponents and “back” but it is likely more true that the Patriots overlooked this game in advance of the tilt next week against the rival, quality opponent Ravens. The Cardinals really had no business winning this game and will have a letdown against the Eagles at home this week. The Patriots shouldn’t lose a step without Aaron Hernandez, plenty of talent to go around, the Welker situation should be more of a concern for fans and fantasy owners. The Cards should start to worry about Fitzgerald’s involvement…like now.

Vikings @ Colts

Andrew Luck’s first win, AP is officially back, the Vikings are going to stink. Add AP to the list of hall of fame running backs that I feel sorry for because they are on such terrible teams. That’s all.

Redskins @ Rams

It seems like Jeff Fisher has Sam Bradford in the position that his Heisman winning, overall first draft pick pedigree would indicate, #WINNING. That’s a good thing for St Louis, the emergence of Amendola and WR corps to back Bradford is the shot in the arm that the team needs, RB Stephen Jackson will be back and healthy because he is used to hammy and groin injuries. Rams could go 8-8 this year if they keep this effort up. On the other side of the ball,

RGIII is totally legit,

2 weeks in a row he has surprised us all and will continue to with his incredible athleticism. Bad news for the rest of the NFL defenses is that RGIII found out that he could also be dangerous with his legs. What a blazer! The bad news for the Redskins, are the devastating Orakpo and Carriker injuries, both are done for the year.

Cowboys @ Seahawks

After the week 1 victory over the Giants, the Cowboys looked like they had turned the corner that we were all waiting for them to do for years. They have now proved to us all that they are directionless. The Seahawks absolutely crushed them, I watched this game and they were relentless with interceptions, special teams and the doomed Cowboys D-line were just SOME of the glaring issues that stick out in my mind. I don’t know what else to say about the Boys. Russell Wilson is a real threat to RGIII for early rookie of the year honors, the WR corps looks serviceable, Marshawn looks great and Dez Bryant looks terrible. What’s next in Big D? Who the hell knows? I like what Seattle is doing though, Pete Carroll is a good coach and the fans are inspiring.

Jets @ Steelers

Like my fantasy football team this weekend, the Jets ran into a buzz saw and like my fantasy team, they were trounced soundly by an angry Pitt team looking for some revenge after last weeks loss to the Peyton led Broncos. The Steelers backfield is a patch work of talent and do not look like world beaters by any stretch, if this team has to rely on Big Ben for all of the offense, the Steelers will be watching the playoffs from home. However, with

Ben’s performance in mind, the WR corps for the Steelers looked very good

, and all of them came out of the game healthy. If there were ever a team that needed a fantastic RB, it would be the Steelers; they are pining for the days of The Bus! We will see what happens to the offensive posture when Rashard Mendenhall returns this week. The Jets are another team that is looking for their identity and I am not sure when they found it after being shutout in the second half by the Steelers D. The Jets face Miami in Miami this week and they had better come out looking for the win and come out of it with an identity. No more wildcat from that backup QB either, who is that guy?

Titans @ Chargers

This is a game that the Chargers had to win, home game, out of division, confidence builder and home opener. They won and they won without Gates or Mathews. Great win for the Bolts. As great as it was for the Chargers, the game was just as equally devastating for the Titans, who are in for a long season. Jake Locker is the solution, just not this year and Chris Johnson is a major drain on the team and is not the tailback that he was 2 seasons ago. Not by an inch. I don’t know what is wrong with him but it is glaring that has lost confidence in his blocking line and himself. The Titans offense looks like a world-beater on paper and the reappearance of a healthy Kenny Britt and breakout TE Jared Cook will continue to perpetuate that allusion.

Lions @ 49ers

The “handshake gate” game was more of a “punch in the face contest” then anything else, these squads were hammering each other all game and both had clear, solid game plans heading in. The effort to take away the others considerable and obvious strengths worked well but

the Niners outworked this talented Lions team.

However, if a couple of passes had been completed in the second half by the lions, this could have been a much closer affair but as it is and as it should have been, the issue was never in doubt, the Niners are a contender. A Smith had a great game and is a hell of a QB. Is Matt Stafford a victim of 2 tough defenses in a row or does he have some adjustments to make? The Detroit defense needs a tweak or two; the CB’s are suspect and running game a mess.

Broncos @ Falcons

The 3 interceptions in the first quarter by Peyton sealed the fate of the Broncos early on. This would have made for an incredible game if the Broncos had been able mount a comeback earlier than the mid-fourth quarter but the damage was done. On the other side of the ball, it looks like the Matty Ice Show is in full effect and the Defense is buying in to their considerable skill.

Back-story: the replacement refs were awful; they made this game go on FOREVER.

What was the final time? I am not sure, but I know this, Football is a game built for television; a two hour first half does not make for good television.

-The Kommish