Pre-season week 2

Well a whole week of pre-season games have been and gone now. So what's next? Ahh, more pre-season games: --- Colts @ Bills: The second annual Curtis Painter Pre-season meltdown extravaganza rolls into Buffalo this week. Well, technically speaking it rolls into Toronto. This is another example of why I like pre-season games. It allows team to host games on the fringes of their market and helps to pull in additional fans. But I digress. Painter must have been on his knees thanking god today when he heard the news that Bills safety Jarius Byrd is out injured for the foreseeable future. That's not to say that things are going to get a whole lot easier for Painter, but every little helps I guess. The Colts back up D needs to take a stride in this game. After giving up yards and scores in chunks to the 49ers, they should have an easier time against the Bills unassuming QB trio. For the Bills it's all about the RB position. With Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch down, it's time to see what the rest of their depth chart at that position is made of. Spiller will probably only get a series, if that, so Chad Simpson and Joique Bell should be able to make the most of their coming opportunity. --- Patriots @ Falcons: The Falcons hardly stunned people with their performance last week. You get the impression watching them that if their starters were to have a rough time with injury this year then the rest of the team will simply fall apart at the seams. Not good for a team widely predicted to have the best shot at toppling the Saints for the NFC South crown (I'm still backing Atlanta to do it). Keep an eye out for RB Dimitri Nance to see whether he can produce a repeat performance for the Falcons. For the Patriots it's about proving the win over the Saints was no fluke and that they do indeed have the depth in their roster that last weeks victory would suggest. Continued success for WR Julian Edleman should be on the cards, unless Belichick decides to play it safe. It'll also be an interesting test for New Englands run defense, given the depth the Falcons do possess at this position. Have a great day everyone.