Man, last week sure brought some QB carnage, didn't it? Jayden Daniels? Out. Caleb Williams? Out. Jaxson Dart? Out. It's crazy how Week 2 can sometimes make or break a season. Yet, I have a feeling that's exactly what happened for the Commanders, Bears and Giants last week. How will they rebound without their starting quarterbacks in Week 3?
Thursday Night: Green Bay (Loss)
Chargers (0-2) at Bills (2-0): Buffalo-The Bills weren't going to lose the first game in their new stadium, and they wanted to make sure everybody knew that immediately. Their second game at Highmark Stadium should go nearly as well. The Chargers lost two home games to teams they feel like they should've beaten. Now they have to travel cross country and face an actual good team for a 1:00 kickoff. Jim Harbaugh's never been 0-2 before. He's about to be 0-3.
Panthers (1-1) at Browns (1-1): Carolina-Cleveland's win in Tampa was definitely the most surprising result last week. The Panthers allowing only a field goal to the Falcons after the Bears scored at will on them in Week 1 was also a surprise. Which is it? The Browns certainly don't have an offense that's anywhere near Chicago's caliber. So, does that mean we get the Week 2 Panthers defense for the second straight game?
Jets (1-1) at Lions (1-1): Detroit-Maybe there is something to this Jets team. They followed up a Week 1 win in Tennessee with a very good performance in an overtime loss to Green Bay. (Although, are the Packers even that good?) The Lions have given up 30 and 41 in their two games, but their offense has at least done its part, scoring 31 in both. And a game against the Jets (and their former DC Aaron Glenn) at home will give their defense a chance to catch up.
Texans (0-2) at Colts (0-2): Houston-My preseason pick to win the AFC South--Houston--hasn't exactly lived up to that billing so far this season. Two home games, two losses, albeit to good teams (Buffalo and Cincinnati). The Colts gave the Chiefs a scare last week and almost pulled that one out, but they're 0-2 just like the Texans. Houston has won five straight in the series. Make that six.
Chiefs (2-0) at Dolphins (0-2): Kansas City-After looking so good in Week 1, the Chiefs barely survived and only won on literally the last play of the game against Indianapolis. Now, they hit the road for the first time to take on a Dolphins team that played two games on the West Coast and looked bad in both of them. Being at home should only make a slight difference. The Dolphins aren't good. The Chiefs are.
Titans (0-2) at Giants (1-1): Giants-This might've been the softest landing the Giants could've gotten for their first game without Dart (who won't play on a Sunday afternoon all season). All of those quarterback injuries show the value of a quality backup. The Giants have one in veteran Jamies Winston, who's the starter now. For one start, at least, the Giants are in good hands.
Bengals (2-0) at Steelers (1-1): Pittsburgh-Cincinnati is a surprise 2-0 team. It's not just that the Bengals won their first two games. It's how they won them. They beat Tampa Bay in Week 1, then absolutely dominated Houston on the road. The Steelers, meanwhile, got their butts kicked in Foxboro after such a good Week 1 win. Still, I expect them to bounce back and hand Cincinnati its first loss of the season.
Seahawks (2-0) at Commanders (0-2): Seattle-Washington wasn't good with Jaylen Daniels. The Commanders won't be good without him. Especially when compared to Seattle. The Seahawks have given up 17 total points this season. So, they're once again riding the defense that carried them to a Super Bowl title last season. It could be a long day for Marcus Mariota.
Patriots (1-1) at Jaguars (1-1): New England-That was some bounce back! The Patriots recovered from their season-opening loss in Seattle by dominating Pittsburgh last week. New England controlled that game from start to finish, and the result was a 20-3 victory. Jacksonville is pesky, especially at home, so I expect this to be a tough matchup. In the end, though, I do see the Patriots coming away with the win.
Cardinals (1-1) at 49ers (2-0): San Francisco-Has anybody looked better in the first two games than San Francisco? The question was how the 49ers would follow up that excellent performance in Melbourne. Quite well, in fact. It was against the Dolphins, but still. Arizona had a really strong Week 1 win, but came down to earth last week against Seattle. Division games will be tough for the Cardinals since those other three NFC West teams are all among the best in football.
Vikings (2-0) at Buccaneers (0-2): Minnesota-Minnesota has been one of the most impressive teams in the league over the first two weeks. The Vikings are 2-0 with a pair of division wins already in their pocket, which can be huge when you play in the NFC North. Now they play a non-division opponent for the first time, a Bucs team that really needs a win after two losses to the AFC North. They can't afford to go 0-3, even in the NFC South, but I fear that's exactly what'll happen.
Ravens (1-1) vs Cowboys (1-1): Dallas-For its first-ever game in Rio, the NFL picked a good one. Having Dallas in an international game is rare enough since most teams protect their home game against the Cowboys. Getting a Dallas-Baltimore matchup in an international game is something that was once thought unfathomable. Now, we're not only getting it, we're getting it as the 4:25 national late game on CBS. So, not only are they expanding the international schedule, every network gets one, as well. As for who'll leave Brazil with a victory, I'm going with Dallas. The Cowboys looked much more like themselves last week than the Ravens did.
Raiders (2-0) at Saints (1-1): New Orleans-Who would've thought that Raiders-Saints would actually be a worthwhile matchup in Week 3? Las Vegas has looked really good thru two games. Maybe Kirk Cousins has something left in the tank, after all. I'm really surprised about New Orleans, though. I expected the Saints to be one of the worst teams in football this season. They've been anything but. They could even be 2-0 if they'd made that two-point conversion against the Lions.
Rams (1-1) at Broncos (1-1): Rams-It's the third week of the season, and the Rams are already on their third different game day. And all three in prime time. In case you couldn't tell, the NFL is going all-in on the Rams this season. After playing like they didn't care in Australia (with an idiotic travel plan that Sean McVay finally admitted was a mistake), they looked like the team everyone expects them to be against the Giants on Monday night.
Eagles (2-0) at Bears (1-1): Philadelphia-Last year, when these two met on Black Friday, it was the Bears making a statement. They were no fluke. They were actually a team to take seriously. This season's matchup comes much earlier and with Chicago missing its quarterback. Which Bears team will show up? The one that was unstoppable against Carolina? Or the one that couldn't move the ball in the rain against Minnesota? I'd imagine it'll be something in the middle. Which isn't enough to beat the Eagles.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 18-15
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