Before I get to this week's picks, a few comments about the Thursday night game. 1) As much as I hate the "Color Rush," the Rams' all gold uniform was awesome! 2) They've had white horns for two weeks, and I already miss the Rams' old helmets. Terrible idea to change the horn color.
And with that, we move on to the rest of Week 3...
Ravens (2-0) vs. Jaguars (1-1): Baltimore-Jacksonville's annual "home" game in London...which will still draw more than any of their home games in Jacksonville. You know my thoughts on the London games, so I'm not gonna get going on that now. But this is the first of four games being played across the pond. None of which is really that good a matchup. Maybe that's why the NFL didn't even bother putting this one on actual TV. Everyone can watch it for free on Yahoo! though. Yippee! We get to watch the Ravens win at 9:30 a.m., then get on to the games people might actually want to see.
Broncos (2-0) at Bills (1-1): Denver-Of the eight teams that are 2-0, Denver's got to be the most surprising. The Broncos absolutely crushed the Cowboys last week, and looked mighty impressive while doing it. The defense that won them a Super Bowl two years ago sure looks like it's firing on all cylinders again. With the Raiders, Chiefs and Broncos, the AFC West is absolutely the best division in football right now. We know how good the AFC East is. The Bills went to Carolina last week and put a whopping three points on the board! Can you really see them doing much more against the Broncos defense? I can't.
Steelers (2-0) at Bears (0-2): Pittsburgh-Chicago isn't the worst team in football, but they're definitely one of the worst. In the NFC, I have only the 49ers rated below them. We saw what the Steelers did to a good NFC North team last week. (OK, it wasn't the Packers or Lions, but the Vikings are still significantly better than the Bears.) Even in Chicago, do you think this week will be much different?
Falcons (2-0) at Lions (2-0): Detroit-One of these 2-0 teams will suffer its first loss of the season (yes, I know, there can be a tie). Atlanta has shown no signs of Super Bowl hangover, but it's the Lions who've been truly impressive. They put up 35 points on Arizona, then completely dominated the Giants on Monday night. Head Coach Jim Caldwell has already been given an extension, and it's easy to see why. I think Detroit wins this one, too.
Browns (0-2) at Colts (0-2): Indianapolis-Just like Falcons-Lions will result in somebody's first loss, either the Browns or Colts is (most likely) guaranteed a win. I saw a poll asking which 0-2 team was the most likely to win this week, and with these two playing each other, it's obviously got to be one of them. If this game was in Cleveland, the Browns might actually be favored. Even with the game in Indianapolis, it's not inconceivable to see them winning. But since it's in Indy, I'm taking the equally not-good Colts.
Buccaneers (1-0) at Vikings (1-1): Tampa Bay-I don't know if it was that Week 1 bye or playing the Bears or a combination of both, but the Bucs made me look awfully good for picking them to win the NFC South last week. Their first road trip takes them to Minnesota for a matchup with a Vikings team that's been a mixed bag over the first two weeks. Really good against New Orleans, really bad against Pittsburgh. Which Vikings team shows up? I'm not sure it matters. Because I like the Bucs either way.
Texans (1-1) at Patriots (1-1): New England-Last year in the playoffs, the Texans actually played the Patriots a lot closer than the final score indicated. You can't help but wonder how different that game would've been had J.J. Watt played. Well, Watt will be in the lineup this time. Except the Patriots beat Houston twice last season, including that Thursday night shutout during Brady's suspension, and both of those games were at Foxboro. Where's this one?
Dolphins (1-0) at Jets (0-2): Miami-The first-place Dolphins look to pad their division lead, as they play the Jets in their home opener. Everybody knew the Jets weren't going to be any good, but I don't think anyone anticipated they'd be this bad either. Sure, it's just two games and they were both on the road, but they're as close to unwatchable as any team in the NFL. The Dolphins will get their win and get on that flight from JFK to Heathrow with a 2-0 record.
Giants (0-2) at Eagles (1-1): Philadelphia-It's early. It's only Week 3. But I think the Giants are close to pushing the panic button. One touchdown in two games, and they haven't scored 20 points since last November. (And the crazy thing is they're only the second-worst team in New York!) It doesn't get any easier in Philadelphia, where the Eagles are a couple bounces away from being 2-0.
Saints (0-2) at Panthers (2-0): Carolina-An NFC South game in September? Did the schedule-maker screw up somehow? So many people like to talk about New Orleans as this sleeper playoff team, but I don't see how in this division. The Panthers, Falcons and Bucs are all better than them. Yes, Drew Brees and Co. are capable of putting up a ton of points. But so is Cam Newton, and, unlike New Orleans, the Panthers actually have a defense.
Seahawks (1-1) at Titans (1-1): Seattle-Seattle's road woes are well-publicized, and they barely beat San Francisco at home last week. Their first road game was in Green Bay, so they get a pass there, but it's their offense that I'm really getting worried about. This definitely isn't the Seahawks team that went to back-to-back Super Bowls. Yet for some reason I see them winning this game. I still need the Titans to prove it to me.
Bengals (0-2) at Packers (1-1): Green Bay-Cincinnati opened the season with two home games, lost them both, and didn't score a touchdown in either one. So they fired their offensive coordinator. Unfortunately for them, things aren't going to get any easier with a trip to Lambeau. They've had 10 days to prepare, but is that enough? I doubt it. The Bengals are in for a long afternoon.
Chiefs (2-0) at Chargers (0-2): Kansas City-Just think, if the Chargers had a better kicker, they could be 2-0 (they'd definitely be at least 1-1). As the fourth team in the ridiculously good AFC West, wins were already going to be hard to come by. They're trying to build a fan base basically from scratch (if their home opener is any indication, SAN DIEGO Charger fans aren't making the two-hour drive north), and a 2-0 record would've made it a lot easier to jump on board. As it is, they're staring at 0-3 instead. Although they probably won't lose on a missed field goal this week.
Raiders (2-0) at Redskins (1-1): Washington-Al Michaels was really excited for this Sunday night matchup, mainly because the Raiders and Redskins almost never play (only once every four years). It's still somewhat interesting that NBC and the NFL chose this one for a Sunday nighter, though, since the Redskins aren't really that good. The Raiders definitely deserve the Sunday night spotlight, especially after their dominant first two games (I'm aware they played the Jets last week). But can they fly cross country and steal a win? That I'm not so sure. Even though Oakland's the better team, I think Washington pulls the upset.
Cowboys (1-1) at Cardinals (1-1): Arizona-On Monday night, we've got Dallas heading to Arizona. Which Cowboys team will show up? The one that dominated the Giants in Week 1 or the one that got thoroughly throttled in Denver? Arizona, meanwhile, got rocked in Detroit and needed overtime in Indianapolis. So why am I picking the Cardinals then? Because they're finally getting to play a home game. That's why. No 1:00 start this week. I think we might actually see the real Cardinals team as a result.
Thursday Night: Rams (Win)
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 12-4
Overall: 24-8
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