Don’t bet the house (. . . or the Raiders)

Week 2 NFL predictions yet to be seen by human eyes, other than those of my editors and Bill Belichick’s sideline video spies:

Jaguars over Falcons

* How to Tell That Your Coach Might Prefer Somebody Besides You: Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee strained a quad in last Sunday’s opener, an injury that, according to doctors, could sideline him for up to six weeks. This prompted the Jaguars to sign the longtime dependable John Carney as temp help. Scobee then began telling reporters he thinks he’ll be ready to return in two weeks, followed by Scobee’s coach, Jack Del Rio, telling reporters not to listen to that, the team wants Scobee to take his time rehabbing that injury -- all six weeks, if need be. Carney’s tryout must have gone very well.

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Steelers over Bills

* Excerpt from Ben Roethlisberger’s “Be More Careful on the Motorcycle Diaries:” “In Week 1 against the Browns, I passed for four touchdowns. That’s four more than I had through Week 5 last season.”

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Bengals over Browns

* Fact: In an NFC that appears as hapless as usual, Seattle stood out in Week 1 with a solid and balanced 20-6 defeat of Tampa Bay. Fact: Charlie Frye appeared as hapless as usual in Week 1, completing only four of 10 passes for 34 yards and a 10.0 quarterback rating in Cleveland’s 34-7 loss to Pittsburgh. Hours later, the Browns sent Frye across conference lines in a trade with the Seahawks in a none-too-veiled attempt to quell a potential NFC uprising this season. It’s all an insidious AFC plot.

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Packers over Giants

* With quarterback Eli Manning and first-line running back Brandon Jacobs both possibly out with injuries, the Giants might have to start this one with a quarterback-running back combination of Jared Lorenzen and Derrick Ward -- a.k.a. “They Might Not Be Giants.”

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Panthers over Texans

* Houston considers moving defensive end Mario Williams, averaging 38 yards and a touchdown per carry so far this season, to running back.

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Saints over Buccaneers

* The Buccaneers this week released wide receiver David Boston two days after police produced results of a urine test that showed Boston had ingested a depressant known as GHB. Otherwise known as a performance-reducing drug. Otherwise known as overkill. Boston already played for Tampa Bay. He needed another depressant besides that?

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Rams over 49ers

* The Rams are coming off a disheartening loss at home. They have a vastly overpaid quarterback and a possibly overrated running back. They just lost their best offensive lineman for the season with a torn rotator cuff and they just had a defensive tackle suspended for four games for violation of the league’s substance abuse program. It’s as if they never left!

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Cowboys over Dolphins

* Thirty-five years ago, the Cowboys defeated the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. After the game, CBS broadcaster Tom Brookshier asked Dallas running back Duane Thomas, “Duane, you don’t look that fast the way you run, but then you’re able to outrun the defensive players -- are you really that fast?” To which the taciturn Thomas tersely replied, “Evidently.” Will this current generation of Cowboys defeat the Dolphins in the 2007 rematch? Evidently.

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Lions over Vikings

* Line from USA Today’s preview of this one: “Vikings QB Tavaris Jackson will again be asked to simply manage the game as long as Minnesota doesn’t fall behind by more than a score.” Line from Vikings fan reading this line: “Who says that is simple?”

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Seahawks over Cardinals

* Once a Trojan, always a Trojan: Marking the occasion of USC taking a break in its schedule, Matt Leinart did the same on Monday. Unfortunately for Leinart’s current team, the Cardinals were engaged on Monday with four quarters of football against the 49ers. Leinart wound up ranked 32nd among 32 NFL quarterbacks for his alleged role in Arizona’s defeat.

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Bears over Chiefs

* Bears fans and football historians are equally excited about this moment in time! Sunday afternoon, in the second game of the 2007 NFL regular season, Rex Grossman will not be the worst starting quarterback on the field! That’s not hyperbole. You could look it up in the current league quarterback ratings. Grossman is ranked 29th at 53.7. Kansas City’s Damon Huard is ranked 30th at 53.6.

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Ravens over Jets

* New York tabloids and talk shows have gotten a little over-excited, and a bit confused, about the prospect of Kellen Clemens starting in place of the hobbling Chad Pennington. “Clemens to pitch for New York! Clemens to pitch for New York!”

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Broncos over Raiders

* Lesson learned after JaMarcus Russell ended the longest holdout by an NFL No. 1 draft choice in more than two decades by signing with the Raiders for $61 million for six years: A quick way to resolve a stalled contract negotiation is to open your season with a home defeat to Detroit.

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Colts over Titans

* Before the game, Peyton Manning pulls Vince Young aside and wraps an arm around the second-year pro with the “Madden ‘08” cover contract and the 47.9 quarterback rating, 31st in the NFL. “Kid,” the wizened veteran tells Young, “the next time you choose an endorsement gig, be very careful.”

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Patriots over Chargers

* There are rumors of the Chargers playing a great practical joke during Sunday’s game in Foxborough. Bill Belichick’s video spies zoom in on the Chargers sideline, where they spot Shawne Merriman holding up a sign mocking the Patriots’ bid for another Super Bowl ring: “A rolling Moss gathers no stone.”

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Eagles over Redskins

* Donovan McNabb on Monday will become the third quarterback to start at least 100 regular-season games for the Eagles -- and Ron Jaworski, the franchise leader with 137, is there! None of the three (Randall Cunningham, with 107, is the other) has ever won the Super Bowl. On the other hand, Jaworski now gets free admission to all NFL games so long as he promises to sit through all four quarters next to Tony Kornheiser.

-- Christine Daniels