For much of the summer, Mark Sanchez was regarded as an afterthought for the New York Jets.
The incumbent starter temporarily quieted critics with a phenomenal week one performance as the Jets throttled the Buffalo Bills. Sanchez will have to prove he is more than just Tim Tebow’s rival as New York faces the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The contest, slated for Sunday, 16 September, at 3.25pm Cayman time on CBS, pits a pair of teams that once battled for a spot in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh and its vaunted defence are out to prove their week one defeat to Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos was a fluke. Expect Troy Polamalu and company to get in Sanchez’s face often via the blitz.
As impressive as New York looked against Buffalo, Pittsburgh represent a real test. The Steelers have too much pride to let another quarterback toy with them. Look for tons of terrible towels to be waved in a 10-point Pittsburgh victory.
Sunday’s other major week two contest pits the Detroit Lions against the San Francisco 49ers at 7.20pm on NBC. Both had varying performances on their way to being 1-0. While Detroit struggled to beat the St. Louis Rams, San Fran made a statement against the Green Bay Packers.
A popular storyline may be last year’s infamous postgame handshake, but the real drama rests with Detroit’s offence. The Lions defence could give up about three touchdowns so the question is whether quarterback Matthew Stafford can keep pace. The smart bet is that Detroit will falter by 14 points.
It should also be noted that Thursday, 13 September, features a promising match-up between the Chicago Bears and the Packers at 7.20pm on the NFL Network. Chicago, with Jay Cutler at the helm, has the firepower to keep up with Aaron Rodgers but it’s the defence that could earn a surprise seven-point victory.
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