So, it’s Week Three for the NFL. (In college football yesterday, the only thing you need to know is that the Gators whooped the Volunteers *sses.) We’re starting to see who will be the contenders this season and who is falling behind. Here are this week’s match-ups:
Kansas City (0-2) at Atlanta (1-1): Both teams are coming off of losses last week. I think this season, Atlanta might have been the most underestimated team coming in (they were for me, anyway). But they’ve shown they’re better than expected. Kansas City has been unable to find their groove. Look for the Falcons to win this one. FINAL: Atlanta 38, Kansas City 14
Oakland (1-1) at Buffalo (2-0): This is the Bills best start in sixteen years. Oakland’s been struggling this season — perhaps because of the off-field drama between owner and coach? Hmm. Coach Kiffin is going to need the win today, but Buffalo is on fire, especially with underrated QB Trent Edwards. I think Buffalo will win today. FINAL: Buffalo 24, Oakland 23
Tampa Bay (1-1) at Chicago (1-1): Brian Griese wants to show the Bears they made a big mistake last year. Chicago’s been unable to find a breakout QB to lead the team, although their defense has been consistently strong. The Buccaneers have been unable to show many signs of life since they won the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. Both teams are looking to get a winning streak going here. While Chicago is looking for a leader on the offense, their defense is still superior, and I think they’ll walk away with the victory today. FINAL OT: Tampa Bay 27, Chicago 24
Carolina (2-0) at Minnesota (0-3): The Panthers are the team that no one saw coming. Minnesota’s been a letdown so far this season. Who will emerge victorious? Jake Delhomme continues to be a great quarterback for the Panthers, while Minnesota just can’t quite seem to get it together. The Panthers should get an easy win. FINAL: Minnesota 20, Carolina 10
Miami (0-2) at New England (2-0): The poor Dolphins. They wanted so badly to show that they aren’t still the horrible team we saw last year. And while their playing is indeed better, their record does not reflect that. Meanwhile, the Patriots had to deal with the devastating loss of Tom Brady early on this season, and are trying to show that they’re still a force to be reckoned with. So far, they’ve been successful. Will this week continue their winning streak? Yes. Miami’s simply not good enough to overtake the Patriots, even a weakened Patriots. FINAL: Miami 38, New England 13
Cincinnati (0-2) at NY Giants (2-0): The Giants have been dominating each team that comes their way. This week, another less talented team is up against them: the Bengals. Carson Palmer has been struggling, and the Bengals are just not a good enough team to overcome the powerhouse Giants. New York has got talent all around, with an outstanding defense and a great offense. Eli Manning is showing more and more each week that I’ve been right all along: he’s a much better QB than his brother. He’s just had less to work with. Anyway, the Giants should get an easy win out of his one. FINAL OT: NY Giants 26, Cincinnati 23
Arizona (2-0) at Washington (1-1): Arizona was looking to prove that they are finally contenders, and their 2-0 start is doing just that. Suddenly, the Cardinals are no longer the easy win team. Kurt Warner and Edgerrin James have been able to breathe life into the franchise. The Redskins, however, are struggling to get into a winning streak. I don’t think the Redskins is much more than a mediocre team right now, and the Cardinals should be able to get to 3-0 this week. FINAL: Washington 24, Arizona 17
Houston (0-1) at Tennessee: (2-0): The poor Texans have been the ugly red-headed stepchild of the AFC South since their inception. And it’s likely to stay that way. The real question has been who will be second to the Colts, the Jaguars or the Titans? The Titans came out blazing this year, and it might be a toss-up of who gets to be second to them instead. While Houston will likely make a valiant effort, the Titans will (unfortunately) continue their winning streak. FINAL: Tennessee 31, Houston 12
New Orleans (1-1) at Denver (2-0): Both teams had close calls last week. For the Broncos, it was a one-point hard-fought victory. For the Saints, it was a game they should have had in the bag with a nine-point lead that they squandered to a loss. New Orleans has a dangerous pass rush, but the Broncos are much stronger on offense, and their defense is nothing to shake a stick at, either. This should be a tough game, but I think the Broncos will pull out the win. FINAL: Denver 34, New Orleans 32
Detroit (0-2) at San Francisco (1-1): Amazingly, there is a team worse than the 49ers and the Dolphins this year, and that is the Lions. J.T. O’Sullivan will be looking to restore glory to the Niners, and he should have an easy time of it this game. The Lions are terrible all around. San Francisco should have an easy win this Sunday. FINAL: San Francisco 31, Detroit 13
St. Louis (0-2) at Seattle (0-2): Seattle should’ve beaten San Francisco last week with an early 14-0 lead, but they dropped the ball. The Seahawks are a better team than we’ve been seeing. The Rams, however, are absolutely miserable and wrecked with injuries. Their offensive line is especially terrible. Look for the Seahawks to redeem themselves this week. FINAL: Seattle 37, St. Louis 13
Cleveland (0-2) at Baltimore (1-0): This is Cleveland’s second divisional showdown, and last week, they suffered a miserable loss to the Steelers. Rookie QB Joe Flacco should do well against the Browns meager defense, especially considering he had a week off because of Hurricane Ike. The Ravens should win this one. FINAL: Baltimore 28, Cleveland 10
Jacksonville (0-2) at Indianapolis (1-1): Talk about your disappointing starts. Both of these teams should be doing better so far this season. For the Jaguars, a potentially explosive offense has been stalled behind an offensive line destroyed by injuries. Can they overcome that? However, the Colts have lost several key players on their offensive line as well, most notably Jeff Saturday, and they’re also without Bob Sanders on defense. David Garrard and Fred Taylor have both had outstanding games against the Colts in the past, and the Jaguars are known to win the impossible games. So, because of that, and because the Jaguars are MY team (and I need a win, here, people!), I’m betting on the Jags to pull an upset. PLEASE! FINAL: Jacksonville 23, Indianapolis 21
Pittsburgh (2-0) at Philadelphia (1-1): Can I just say, I am very much looking forward to this game. These are two great teams, and it should be a tough, tough game. The Eagles just barely lost on Monday Night Football last week, and the Steelers barely escaped Cleveland with a win. Ben Roethlisberger is suffering from some kind of injury that the Steelers are reluctant to name, and so the Eagles will likely take advantage of that with an extra-physical defense. The big test, though, will be the Steelers defense vs. the Eagles offense. Which is better? I think the Steelers will edge out a victory here. FINAL: Philadelphia 15, Pittsburgh 6
Dallas (2-0) at Green Bay (2-0): Like the Eagles vs. the Steelers, this should be a great game. You’ve got two undefeated NFC teams, both of which will be in the playoffs at the end of the year. But who will continue their winning streak? In all honesty, both of these teams are great, and in my opinion, picking the winner of this game is like picking the winning side of a coin toss. I’m going with the Packers. FINAL: Dallas 27, Green Bay 16
NY Jets (1-1) at San Diego (0-2): The Chargers are a good team who barely lost to the Broncos last week. The Jets will be looking to Brett Favre to recover from last week’s loss to the Patriots, and Brett Favre has a history of playing exceptionally well on Monday Night Football. As time goes on, Favre will be getting more and more comfortable with his receiving corps, and I think he’ll lead the Jets to victory again this week.
Consider this an open thread.
UPDATE: A note on Peyton Manning. I think this season is proving me right about him. He’s thrown two interceptions in the past two games, and I am blaming it on the massive holes in his offensive line. Granted, any quarterback gets shaky when their offensive line is weak. However, the difference in Manning’s performance is astounding. I think it just goes to show that Peyton Manning is not the playmaking QB leader everyone makes him out to be. As I’ve always said, Manning is a good but not great quarterback who absolutely relies on his offense to make him look good. And I think these first three games of the season have shown that.
See:
NFL Week One
NFL Week Two
fronclynne says: 
2 Comments