Here’s a look at week 3 of the NFL. We again finished 10-6 last week and that brings our yearly record to a nice 20-12. Big shocking wins for Miami, Chicago and the New York Jets really hurt our record.
Tennessee (1-1) at NY Giants (1-1): Both these teams can play some defense. The turnovers killed Tennessee’s chances against Pittsburgh last week, and the Giants offensive line just crumbled against the Colts. Look for this to be a low scoring affair. This game is hard to judge, cause we are not sold on either team. We will call this game the Vince Young factor. If he can play ok, the Titans should win.
Cincinnati (1-1) at Carolina (0-2): Surprised that Bengals pulled the win against the Ravens last week, but they always play their division well. Panthers are just bad, and so bad they are starting Jimmy Clausen. The former golden domer should be in for a rough day as the Bengals take this one fairly easily.
Dallas (0-2) at Houston (2-0): A lot of people probably thought these records would be reversed, but the Texans seem to have a lot of people jumping on the old bandwagon. The Cowboys are simply just bad right now. If they can’t produce a running game soon, they could be looking at 0-3 pretty easily. We think Houston shows some growing pains, and the Cowboys will win this game.
San Francisco (0-2) at Kansas City (2-0): The 49ers nearly pulled the upset on Monday night, while the Chiefs narrowly got out of Cleveland to go 2-0. The biggest question is will the 49ers have a hangover from the game or will everything that clicked in the 4th quarter Monday night carry over? Second to that being, is KC for real or are they benefits of a soft opening schedule? The 49ers need this game for any chance at playoffs. Look for them to win this one, but it will be close.
Pittsburgh (2-0) at Tampa Bay (2-0): If people in Tampa have been dreaming big after a 2-0 start, then prepare for your worst nightmare. Pittsburgh comes to town with its scary defense. True the Steelers have some questions at quarterback, but Charlie Batch has filled in nicely for the Steelers in the past. We don’t see any reason why the Steelers don’t win this game, and we don’t see any reason to not think the Steelers are probably the best team in the league right now.
Buffalo (0-2) at New England (1-1): Buffalo just got killed last week against the Packers as predicted by us. Don’t look for it to be any easier against a Patriots team that is coming off a loss to the Jets. Buffalo is starting a rookie quarterback versus the defensive guru. This should be a walk in the park for New England.
Cleveland (1-1) at Baltimore (1-1): These games have been suprising competitive over the last few seasons, but we think once Baltimore can get its offense in synch that it will be unstoppable. The Browns hung tough with Kansas City last week, but this isn’t a boy band video. The Ravens will say bye bye bye and win this one pretty easily.
Detroit (0-2) at Minnesota (0-2): Did aliens finally return the real Brett Favre to planet earth or is it just rust from no training camp? Getting the Lions should be a nice cure for the Vikings. The Lions have been surprising this season, hanging with the Bears and Eagles. No word on who starts this game, but if it is Shaun Hill look for the game to be competitive. He nearly lead the 49ers to a victory last year in this same building. Vikings will get on track and pick up a win.
Atlanta (1-1) at New Orleans (2-0): The Falcons looked awesome last week against the Cardinals, while New Orleans struggled to beat a 49ers team that they should have owned. Did the 49ers give the rest of the league a blueprint on how to stop New Orleans or was it a fluke. This game will go a long way towards deciding the NFC south. We think that New Orleans is a bit worn out after two tough games. Atlanta will pull the win in this one.
Washington (1-1) at St. Louis (0-2): Sam Bradford is quickly looking like the real deal for the Rams, and this could be the spot where he picks up his first win of his career. The Redskins are a team that are always hard to gauge. This is a game that they should win. We think they will. Donovan McNabb is just too good to let this one slip by.
Philadelphia (1-1) at Jacksonville (1-1): And so begins the Micheal Vick era in Philadelphia. But, he does make them a better team when he is in the game. Andy Reid is going with momentum and starting Vick. Jacksonville is coming off a butt kicking against the Chargers. The Jaguars are a hard team to gauge. The Eagles seem to be the better team in this game, so we think they will win this one.
Indianapolis (1-1) at Denver (1-1): Now that was the Colts that we are familiar with. After easily beating the Giants, the Colts get an easy one against Denver. The Broncos were a bit of a surprise against the Seahawks last week. If they can run the ball, they have a chance. And pretty much anyone can run on the Colts. The Colts are such a better team, we don’t see this one turning out any other way then a 3-1 record for the Colts.
Oakland (1-1) at Arizona (1-1): The Raiders had their hands full with the Rams last week, while the Cardinals didn’t even show up against the Falcons. This is one of those games that is impossible to pick, because there are so many question marks. We don’t believe either teams are that good. But Oakland might just be a little better in this one.
San Diego (1-1) at Seattle (1-1): Both of these teams played week two how we thought they would play in week one. Now we get to see which way it really is going to go. Seattle is always tough at home, and San Diego is still missing parts. The Chargers are so much better than the Seahawks it hurts, but this could be a trap game for them. We think they will win, but the Hawks won’t make it easy on them.
New York Jets(1-1) at Miami (2-0): The Jets looked great last week. If that team shows up every week, book the tickets to Dallas. But missing all world CB Revis in this weeks game could hurt bad, with Brandon Marshal on the other side of the ball. We are not firm believers in the Dolphins yet, and we think that the Jets defense is just too good. Chad Henne will have some issues and the Jets win a close one.
Green Bay (2-0) at Chicago (2-0): Few people thought this would be a battle of the unbeaten, but sure enough it is. The Bears defense has looked just outstanding, but gets a big test with the Packers. The Packers are looking much better after an easy win against the Bills. We think the air comes out of the Bears a bit and they lose this one. It could be a tight one, these games usually are.
