Then we got news that Cam Newton tested positive, which gave us our second postponement of the weekend. There's still a chance Patriots-Chiefs will be able to be played on Tuesday night, but who knows at this point?
The NFL knew that this was a possibility, but two COVID postponements in the same week obviously throws everything into question. And, unlike Baseball, which was able to schedule doubleheaders to make up games, the NFL doesn't have that option. And they're not all going to be as easy to reschedule as Steelers-Titans.
So, it's going to be very interesting to see how this all plays out over the coming weeks, as the NFL tries to chart this incredibly difficult path of trying to manage COVID outbreaks and finish its season at the same time. Fortunately it's only been two games impacted so far (three if you count the Steelers-Ravens game that was also rescheduled). But I have a feeling there will be more.
Thursday Night: Denver (Loss)
Jaguars (1-2) at Bengals (0-2-1): Cincinnati-Joe Burrow came close to getting his first win last week, but apparently it's still an NFL rule that there has to be a random early-season tie every year. The win could come this week, though, as the Bengals host Jacksonville. After the Jaguars beat the Colts in Week 1, there was some hope they might actually be competitive this season. Then they turned in that performance against the Dolphins on national TV and reminded us that they won't.
Browns (2-1) at Cowboys (1-2): Dallas-Dallas may be 1-2 (and could easily be 0-3), but I'm still high on the Cowboys. Playing in a terrible division obviously helps, but they've already been to the West Coast twice and held their own in both close losses. So that 1-2 record shouldn't be cause for alarm. And how about the Cleveland Browns, who are finally above .500 for the first time in six years?! It'll only last one week, though, as they'll drop back down to 2-2.
Saints (1-2) at Lions (1-2): New Orleans-Don't let the Saints' record fool you. They're still one of the best teams in the NFL. And this should be their chance to even their record back up. Because, as impressive as the Lions were last week against the Cardinals, they still aren't in the same league as New Orleans. The Saints rebound after those two straight losses.
Seahawks (3-0) at Dolphins (1-2): Seattle-Every team in the NFC West is over .500, but it's the Seahawks who lead the pack at 3-0. Russell Wilson has looked like an MVP candidate, and the Seattle offense has scored at least 35 points in every game. It's hard not to see that continuing in Miami.
Chargers (1-2) at Buccaneers (2-1): Tampa Bay-Good things are happening in Tampa. The Lightning won the Cup, the Rays won their Wild Card Series, and the Bucs are in first place. It took a little while for them to get going, but we got our first true Bradyesque performance last week in Denver. I think that's what we'll be able to expect from the Tampa Bay offense moving forward. And they'll stay in first place after moving to 3-1.
Ravens (2-1) at Washington (1-2): Baltimore-Believe it or not, Washington is technically in first place (and has been all season). Oh, how the NFC East has fallen! After that Week 1 upset, they managed to score just 35 points combined in road losses to Arizona and Cleveland. Lamar Jackson can do that in a half! The Ravens were outclassed by the Chiefs on Monday night, but should be able to rebound against an inferior opponent.
Cardinals (2-1) at Panthers (1-2): Arizona-Last week, both of these teams surprised me. The Cardinals, who looked awesome in their first two games, lost at home to Detroit. And the Panthers, who aren't very good and played like it in their first two games, went into SoFi Stadium and beat the Chargers. That might've just been a one-week glitch. Or it might've been a sign of a turnaround (on both sides). I guess we'll find out this week.
Vikings (0-3) at Texans (0-3): Houston-If there was ever a must-win Week 4 game, this is it. Based on their early schedule, the Texans being 0-3 right now can't be too much of a surprise. That was a brutal stretch to start the season, and it'll only get easier from here. Minnesota, though, has been extremely disappointing. No one thought the Vikings would be 0-3, and they really can't afford to make it 0-4. Not with the Bears suddenly relevant again. Alas, I think that's exactly what they'll be.
Giants (0-3) at Rams (2-1): Rams-We saw the Saquon Barkley-less Giants for the first time last week, and it wasn't pretty! It's going to be a struggle for them to score all year. The Rams, meanwhile, are undefeated against the NFC Least this season. And, even though they lost to the Bills last week, their offense is firing on all cylinders. That shouldn't change as they play in their new football palace for the first time since Opening Night.
Colts (2-1) at Bears (3-0): Chicago-Can you believe it's been almost 10 years since these two met in the Super Bowl?! It would be a stretch to say they're on track for a rematch in February, but they are both off to surprisingly strong starts. The Colts have rebounded nicely after that opening loss to Jacksonville, while the Bears have gotten the Super Bowl MVP version of Nick Foles. He'll need to keep it up if they want to keep pace with the Packers in the game that was moved to the national game after the Patriots-Chiefs postponement.
Bills (3-0) at Raiders (2-1): Las Vegas-After last week's impressive win over the Rams, people are finally starting to believe in the Bills. The Raiders have gained their share of believers, too. So, I'm actually really looking forward to this game (and only partially because I want to see the beautiful Allegiant Stadium). Trips to Oakland were always difficult for AFC East teams. Will trips to Las Vegas be any different? In either case, expect this one to be close.
Eagles (0-2-1) at 49ers (2-1): San Francisco-San Francisco is 2-0 at Met Life Stadium this season. The problem for the 49ers is, of course, that they don't play any more games in New York, so they'll have to start winning somewhere else eventually. Their first opportunity will be against an Eagles team that has been incredibly disappointing so far. Philly at least avoided losing to Cincinnati, and that tie will take them out of all the tiebreakers, but the Eagles are off to their trademarked slow start.
Falcons (0-3) at Packers (3-0): Green Bay-For all that concern about the Packers' offense heading into the season, I think it's probably safe to stop worrying. I'm sure somebody will slow Green bay down at some point, but it won't be this week. The Falcons haven't stopped anybody all season, and it's not like their offense is doing the job either. Dan Quinn's job wasn't the most secure heading into the season, and he'll really be feeling the heat after the team falls to 0-4.
*Patriots (2-1) at Chiefs (3-0): Kansas City-I'm still acting as if this one will be played on Tuesday. The Chiefs were going to be the favorite anyway, but that's certainly the case now that New England will be without Cam. Obviously the biggest concern here is about whether or not the game will even be played. That uncertainty has got to be the toughest part, especially since they were preparing all week for a Sunday game and now they have no clue when it's happening.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 10-5-1
Season: 36-12-1
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