As the NFL's 100th season reaches the quarter-pole, there are still seven undefeated teams (the week started with eight, but the Packers lost on Thursday night) and seven that are winless, with everybody else somewhere in the middle. That's going to change this week, though. We've got matchups of undefeated teams in Detroit and Buffalo, and a battle of winless squads in Cincinnati.
So, with the 3-0 49ers and 0-3 Jets on their bye week, we know there will at least be two of each as the calendar turns to October...
Thursday Night: Green Bay (Loss)
Titans (1-2) at Falcons (1-2): Atlanta-I still don't know what to make of the 2019 Atlanta Falcons. I also don't know what to make of the 2019 Tennessee Titans. The Titans crushed the Browns, then lost two division games. The Falcons, meanwhile, only have one win, but it was against a good Eagles team. Yet they're both still only a game back in their division. A 2-2 record obviously looks a lot better than 1-3, and the Falcons' win came in their only previous home game, so I'll give them the edge.
Patriots (3-0) at Bills (3-0): New England-Who would've thought that the Week 4 Patriots-Bills game would be for first place? Sure, Jets, Giants, Bengals isn't exactly the cream of the NFL crop, but 3-0 is 3-0. And that defense is legit! Unfortunately, it will likely all come crashing back to Earth after Bradicheck's annual visit concludes. New England has allowed 17 points all season. Maybe we should start talking about their defense, too.
Chiefs (3-0) at Lions (2-0-1): Kansas City-With the Packers' loss, the Lions are currently in first place. And this doesn't appear to be a fluke either. After blowing the Cardinals game, they've posted impressive wins over a pair of playoff teams from last season (the Chargers and Eagles). Can they pick up another against Kansas City? It'll be tough. Especially if Matthew Stafford misses the game.
Raiders (1-2) at Colts (2-1): Indianapolis-Game two of the Raiders' six-week Magical Mystery Tour takes them to Indianapolis. This road trip isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, and the fact that it starts with the Vikings and Colts doesn't make it any easier. The Minnesota game didn't go well. And I don't think this one will go much better.
Chargers (1-2) at Dolphins (0-3): Chargers-Last night on NFL Network, they showed the "Epic in Miami," that outstanding Divisional Playoff game between these two from the 1981 season. This will NOT be an epic. What it is, though, is an opportunity for the Chargers to right the ship after back-to-back losses (and an unimpressive overtime win in Week 1). That juggernaut Miami offense has scored a whopping 16 points all season! Break up the Dolphins! If the Chargers don't win this game, they might as well drive back to the West Coast. Because the flight would be long enough.
Redskins (0-3) at Giants (1-2): Giants-Ladies and gentlemen, the Daniel Jones Era has begun! That was quite a comeback against Tampa Bay, proving that it was the right decision moving forward. Now, in his home debut, he faces a bad Redskins team that got absolutely smacked on Monday night. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for Jones to impress the home fans.
Browns (1-2) at Ravens (2-1): Baltimore-Some of that early enthusiasm for the Ravens has died down, but they still lead the AFC North (due mainly to the other teams' struggles). This is a chance for the Browns to show they're the division challenger everyone is expecting, though. Cleveland only other non-primetime game in the first five weeks of the season didn't go very well. They got crushed by the Titans on Opening Day. But a division game is something different. This will be a battle. And a Browns win will technically give them the division lead.
Panthers (1-2) at Texans (2-1): Houston-Carolina was badly in need of a win last week, and they got it. Even more impressively, they did it without Cam Newton. That was against the Cardinals, though. The Texans are a completely different animal. And I think they'll definitely have some problems with that Houston defense. They haven't exactly played the best football in the league this season, but they're 2-1 and in a good position in the AFC South.
Buccaneers (1-2) at Rams (3-0): Rams-Bruce Arians does have Tampa Bay moving in the right direction. They've still got a long way to go, though. And back-to-back road games against the Rams and Saints (before they head to London) aren't exactly going to help. The Rams have a couple of big games coming up, including a short week before a trip to Seattle. They'll go into that game 4-0.
Seahawks (2-1) at Cardinals (0-2-1): Seattle-Maybe people were a little too quick to jump on that Cardinals bandwagon after they rallied for that tie in the season opener. Seattle's early 2-0 start might've been a bit of a mirage, too. Although, that humbling loss to the Saints might've been a good thing for them. Because it was a wake-up call. If they're going to hang with the Rams (and, to a lesser extent, the 49ers), they need to beat teams like Arizona.
Vikings (2-1) at Bears (2-1): Minnesota-Prior to Thursday, the NFC North was 9-2-1 collectively, with the only losses coming when these two teams met Green Bay. That's obviously not going to continue, but it does place extra importance on winning division games. Which is something Minnesota couldn't do against Chicago last year. The Bears swept the Vikings last season, including a win in the season finale that knocked Minnesota out of the playoffs. Don't think the Vikings forget that. They send a message here.
Jaguars (1-2) at Broncos (0-3): Denver-Denver being 0-3 is a little surprising, but also not when you consider their opponents so far. Basically what I'm saying is that the Broncos' 0-3 is a lot different than the Dolphins' or Redskins' 0-3. Vic Fangio deserves to get that first win as an NFL head coach, though, and I think it comes this week. The Jaguars aren't as lost without Nick Foles as I thought they would be (and Gardner Minshew actually looks like he's got some potential), but, after that tough start, this one's been circled as the first win of the Fangio-Flacco Era.
Cowboys (3-0) at Saints (2-1): New Orleans-NBC has a good one on Sunday Night Football. Dallas is 3-0, but hasn't really faced a true test yet. New Orleans, meanwhile, has already shown a lot. They spent two full weeks on the West Coast, lost Drew Brees while they were out there, and still came back 1-1 after winning a game no one thought they would in Seattle. Now it's back to the Big Easy for a third tough matchup against a 2018 playoff team in a row. It seems everyone is picking Dallas, but I've got a feeling the Saints will show the Cowboys what's up.
Bengals (0-3) at Steelers (0-3): Pittsburgh-They were joking at the end of the game last Monday night that when they say "someone's gonna lose their 0," they're usually referring to two undefeated teams playing each other, not the other way around. Yet that's the situation Pittsburgh and Cincinnati find themselves in. Not that either one is a big surprise. Here's the thing, though, the AFC North is still winnable. It's significantly less winnable at 0-4 than it will be at 1-3, however. Both teams know this. And, for some reason, I just can't picture the Steelers being 0-4. Mike Tomlin will have his guys ready to "lose their 0" on Monday night.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 30-18-1
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