NY Giants at
Carolina
If you blinked watching the Buccaneers-Giants game last
Sunday, you missed either a controversial play or a huge touchdown pass. The
Giants looked down and out early in the third quarter, but managed a miraculous
comeback victory to salvage one win in their opening two game homestand. The
fireworks were not over when Michael Boley intercepted a Josh Freeman pass that
clearly ended the game, as the Buccaneers bull rushed the Giants offensive line
knocking Eli Manning to the ground. In my opinion, Greg Schiano is completely
wrong. It is called Victory Formation for a reason. Teams, as they have since
the game was invented, have conceded defeat when other teams have lined up to
take a knee. Regardless of week two controversy, expect fireworks in Carolina
in a week three NFC showdown. The Giants will look to slow down Cam Newton. If
there is a team to slow down Newton’s playmaking abilities, it is the G-men.
The athleticism they have on defense, specifically Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin
Tuck, and Mathias Kiwanuka, should combat the big play specialties of Newton.
Giants in a high-scoring contest.
NY Giants- 42
Carolina- 38
St. Louis at
Chicago
Most GM’s and coaches would like and appreciate having an
overly confident quarterback with a big arm that can make all the throws. There
are not many GM’s and coaches that would accept what Jay Cutler did during the
Bears Thursday Night Football game and the comments he made afterward. Lovie
Smith needs to sit Cutler down and remind him that this is a team game. Smith
also needs to remind him the colors of the Bears franchise as Cutler thought
they were Packers green and gold. So long as Cutler continues to turn the ball
over, the Bears will not be able to take the next step like they were hoping to
this season. Despite my dislike for the way Cutler handled the situation, I
think his play was simply an aberration. However, I also don’t think that the
Rams play has been an illusion either. Sam Bradford thinks its 2010 again,
playing at a level similar to when he won Rookie of the Year. Playing at
Soldier Field though against a Bears defense that leads the league in takeaways
is a different animal. Bears by two touchdowns
St. Louis- 17
Chicago- 31
Buffalo at
Cleveland
Explosive isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind when
discussing the the Bills and the Browns. However, explosive can certainly
define C.J. Spiller and Trent Richardson. Both runningbacks have made multiple highlight
reel plays and give their offense big play ability on every play. This much
anticipated mathup between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Weeden will be won by
the team that does not turn the ball over and that plays better defense. Bills
win.
Buffalo- 26
Cleveland- 20
Tampa Bay at
Dallas
Greg Schiano may very well be the man to solve Tampa
Bay’s problems and bring them back to relevance, but what he did Sunday is not
the way to do it. He has to understand the unwritten rules of the game, despite
his argument that it has worked four times in five years. He should first teach
his players how to win, and not how to lose in a classless way. It should be
interesting to see what happens this Sunday when Tony Romo is kneeling the ball
to end the game. I truly thought this was going to be the year that the Cowboys
remained consistent the whole season and didn’t confuse us into thinking they
were contenders one week and pretenders the next. And then they got crushed by the
Seahawks. This is the most inconsistent team of this decade. As they return to
Dallas this week, I expect Romo and the offense to vault the Cowboys to a much
needed win.Dallas- 34
Detroit at
Tennessee
Matt Ryan, QB. Mario Manningham, WR. Matt Cassell, QB.
What do they all have in common? They all have more rushing yards so far this
year than Chris Johnson. But it isn’t just Chris Johnson that should be getting
a negative wrap so far; it is the entire Titans offense. The Titans rank 31st
in total yards, last in rushing yards, and are averaging 11.5 points per game.
Combine the abysmal offense with a defense allowing 36 points per game and you
have a recipe for disaster. The Lions enter this game looking to make a
statement after losing to the 49ers in week two. Expect Matt Stafford and
Calvin Johnson to light up the Titans secondary, pushing Tennessee to an 0-3
start.
Detroit- 35
Tennessee- 20
Jacksonville at
Indianapolis
If I am a Jaguars fan, I am hoping Blaine Gabbert is too
injured to play Sunday. Fortunately, I am not a Jaguars fan. How long will the
Jaguars wait before they look to make a move at that position? Jacksonville
should look to their opponent in week three to figure out how to scout
quarterbacks. In 1998, Indianapolis drafted future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning
with the first overall pick and in 2012 they selected Andrew Luck with the
first overall pick. They are hoping Luck can carry on the dominant quarterback
legacy Manning left and eventually become a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback. The
final drive in week two against the Vikings demonstrated
Luck’s incredible talents. In week three, the Colts ground game will set up the
play action abilities of Luck leading the Colts to consecutive wins.
Jacksonville- 24
Indianapolis- 27
NY Jets at
Miami
Tony Sparano forgot that football games were 60 minutes
long. He only scripted the first drive before the game and hoped that would be
enough. I truly do not understand what the Jets were doing on offense.
In week one, Tebow was a crucial part of the offense; not for the number of
touches he received, but because of his presence on the field. In week two, New
York must have thought it was the pre-season again and tried to hide how they
would use him. Miami, on the other hand, had a gameplan in week two and stuck
to it. To alleviate the pressure put on rookie Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins
focused on the ground game giving Reggie Bush ample opportunities to make big
plays. He pulled through. Bush and the Dolphins rush attack will pull through
again in week three against a Jets opponent that has surrendered 4.8 yards per
rush. Dolphins take charge in the AFC East after week three.
NY Jets-20
Miami-23
San Francisco
at Minnesota
Alex Smith has quietly gone from a game manager to a leader
of the best team in the NFL. It is curious how the quarterback of the best team
in the league can do anything quietly, especially in today’s media driven
league. The reason for this is that Smith won’t put up huge numbers and he won’t
provide any commentary for the media to focus on. Smith does exactly what is
necessary for the 49ers; he maintains possession of the football and does not
put his defense in bad situations. Jim Harbuagh has the 49ers playing football
like it’s the 1970’s. In an era of the spread offense and quarterbacks, the
49ers dominate with defense and ball control offense. Don’t expect the Vikings
to be a threat to the 49ers winning ways.
San Francisco- 28
Minnesota- 16
Kansas City at
New Orleans
There is no doubting that the New Orleans Saints miss
Sean Payton. But even when Payton was Head Coach, he had little say as to what
went on defensively. Right now, defense is the Saints biggest problem. In the
past, New Orleans managed to score a ton of points and force turnovers. In
2012, the Saints have recorded only one turnover, given up 922 yards in two
games, and yielded 12.5 yards per passing attempt to opposing defenses. Those
are impossible statistics to overcome even if Drew Brees is their quarterback.
However, not every offense they play will run the option offense like the
Saints saw against the Redskins and Panthers. The Saints will overcome their
defensive difficulties in week three and send the Chiefs to their third
consecutive loss to open 2012.
Kansas City- 21
New Orleans- 42
Cincinnati at
Washington
If not for Josh Morgan’s incredible stupidity at the end
of the Redskins week two game, Washington could be tied with Philadelphia atop
the NFC East with a 2-0 record. Instead, a 62 yard field goal fell short and the
Redskins are sitting with 20 other teams in the league at 1-1. Washington’s
Sunday got even worse after the loss when news broke that both Brian Orakpo and
Adam Carriker would miss the remainder of the season. Robert Griffin III might
be an offensive rookie of the year candidate and the quarterback Washington
hoped for, but he doesn’t play defense too. I expect there to be some defensive
lapses this Sunday for the Redskins from the injury fallout, opening the door
for a big day from Benjarvus Green-Ellis.
Cincinnati- 30
Washington- 29
Philadelphia at
Arizona
While football is a complicated game in terms of X’s and
O’s, the idea of how to win a football game is fairly simple. The Eagles have
defied the accepted logic of how to win games. Nine turnovers. 19 penalties.
Multiple red zone mistakes. Surprisingly, the Eagles have won games with
defense; something they forgot how to play in 2011. Now, imagine what will
happen when Michael Vick and the offense doesn’t turn the ball over. Imagine if
the defense continues to play the way it has and Michael Vick makes good
decisions. We will find out what happens when the Eagles take on the Cardinals at
the University of Phoenix Stadium. Eagles improve to 3-0 and remain atop the
NFC East.
Philadelphia- 33
Arizona- 24
Atlanta at San
Diego
The Atlanta
Falcons defense shocked the league Monday night as they forced Peyton Manning
to throw three interceptions due to their personnel groupings, coverage
disguises, and blitz packages. However, it is also important to point out how
the Falcons let the Broncos back into the game. Atlanta got away from their
gameplan of quick play-action passing and attempted to run the ball for a majority
of the fourth quarter. Identity crisis was a key concern for the Falcons in
2011. They have to remain consistent if they want to prove themselves true
contenders. Traveling to the West Coast and beating the 2-0 Chargers would be
another solid step for Atlanta in proving that point. For the first time under
head coach Norv Turner San Diego has gotten off to a fast start. This should be
an excellent football game. Matt Ryan will continue his outstanding play as
Head Coach Mike Smith improves to 6-0 when playing on the west coast.
Atlanta- 31
San Diego- 27
Pittsburgh at
Oakland
The Raiders were marked by some as an under the radar
team to look out for at the beginning of the 2012 season. Someone please tell
the Raiders it is week three of the regular season and that they’re about as
close to the radar as Michael Turner was to the speed limit Monday night….The
Raiders have all but shed themselves of that negative image they had in the
early 2000’s, but now it is time for this team to start putting together wins.
27 points in two games and 54 rushing yards by Darren McFadden
is not the way to win games. The last team a struggling offense wants to
welcome into their home stadium would be the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Raiders
themselves will collapse into their own “Black hole” and fall to 0-3.
Pittsburgh- 24
Oakland- 13
Houston at
Denver
We get it, we get it. Peyton Manning had a horrible first
quarter. But like every coach, teacher, and parent should say; “It’s not about
where you start, but about where you finish”. Manning may have dug the Broncos
in a huge hole on Monday night, but he brought them back into that game too.
While it took him three quarters to do so, Manning finally got back into the
groove we are used to seeing him in. In week three, Manning will face what has
been the best statistical defense up to this point in 2012 as the Broncos
welcome the Houston Texans to Mile High Stadium. This will be the best pure
football game of the week. An offensive genius in Manning against a defense
allowing 196 yards per game and 8.5 points per game. Manning will bounce back
in week three leading the Broncos in the fourth quarter to capture victory.
Houston- 20
Denver- 21
New England at
Baltimore
One of these two AFC powerhouse teams is going to be 1-2
after the first three games of the year. That team will be the New England
Patriots. Over the past three seasons, Tom Brady has been getting sacked at an
exponential rate. In 2009 he was sacked 16 times, 2010 25 times, and in 2011 he
was sacked 32 times. So far in 2012, Brady has been sacked 5 times and each of
those sacks has been against pressure from four men or fewer. If you understand
all that, it is obvious that the time that Tom Brady has to throw the ball is
getting lesser and lesser each year. Is this the year the Patriots franchise
starts to fade after its decade-long dominance? Absolutely not. But the ease
with which the Patriots used to put away teams is no more, particularly when
those teams have strong defensive fronts. Patriots offensive line meet Haloti
Ngata and Maake Kemoeatu. The pressure the Ravens will put on Tom Brady will
force him to make uncharacteristic mistakes.
New England- 24
Baltimore- 27
Green Bay at
Seattle
The Seahawks most recent victory over the Cowboys was
probably the most complete game a team has played so far this season. They beat
the Cowboys in nearly every facet of the game and illustrated a superior
rushing attack piling up over 180 yards. The Seahawks also have an extra advantage
playing at home when the “12th man” gets involved in games. That “12th
man” will quiet down quite a bit as Aaron Rodgers tears apart the Seahawks
secondary. It was only a matter of time before Rodgers caught fire again. The
Seahawks are just playing the Packers the wrong week of the year.
Green Bay- 37
Seattle- 23
