Showing posts with label Week 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Week 3. Show all posts

Sunday, September 21, 2014

NFL Week 3 Predictions

Falcons over Buccaneers: This victory for the Atlanta Falcons came as no surprise, yet the final score may have shocked many people. Atlanta played incredibly well on both sides of the ball, and with Julio Jones healthy, the Falcons could very well have the best passing game in all of football.

Bills over Chargers: The San Diego Chargers are coming off of an incredible upset over the Seattle Seahawks last week, yet in a typical trap game, they will have to fly to the east coast for a game against Buffalo. The Bills are 2-0 this season, and second year quarterback EJ Manuel has done really well with rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins on offense. Plus, the Bills defensive line continues to get better and better.

Bengals over Titans: The Cincinnati Bengals held the Falcons offense to just 10 points last week, which should come as no surprise seeing how dominant the Bengals are at home. Tennessee will be playing Cincy on the road, so in the mortal lock of the week, we pick the Bengals to beat Tennessee pretty handily.

Ravens over Browns: Since 2000, the Browns have had 19 different starting quarterbacks, but Brian Hoyer is the only one with a winning record (4-1). The Ravens will certainly be tough to beat, even if the game is to be played in Cleveland.

Packers over Lions: The Green Bay Packers are coming off of an epic comeback against the New York Jets on the road, where Jordy Nelson went for 209 yards and a touchdown. The Detroit Lions lost to Carolina on the road in Week 2, where it seemed like Matthew Stafford tried to force WAY too many passes to star receiver Calvin Johnson instead of looking for other options.

Colts over Jaguars: Even with Jacksonville at home, the Jaguars really don't stand a chance to Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. In just two games, Andrew Luck has already thrown for more than 500 yards and 5 touchdowns, and with the Luck-Wayne connection stronger than ever, the Colts are likely to dominate on the road.
Patriots over Raiders: After their atrocious start to the season in Miami, the New England Patriots responded by trouncing the Minnesota Vikings, even though they were without Adrian Peterson. The Raiders are a slightly more talented team than Minnesota without All-Day, but Oakland will still struggle on either side of the ball.

Saints over Vikings: Last week, we saw how important Adrian Peterson is to this Minnesota Vikings offense, where his absence led to just 7 points on offense against the Patriots. Peterson will not be playing once again, and it doesn't help that the Vikings are set to play the Saints in New Orleans. There is no doubt in my mind that New Orleans will beat the Vikings at home.

Giants over Texans: The New York Giants have yet to win a football game in the 2014 regular season, mostly because they are struggling to put points on the board. Eli Manning has improved his completion percentage from last season, but he is still on track for 32 interceptions if he continues to throw 2 interceptions per game. The Texans are also not faring well at quarterback, and with the game being played in New York, the Giants should be able to get their first win of the season.

Eagles over Redskins: After RGIII left the game with an ankle injury, back-up quarterback Kirk Cousins stepped in against Jacksonville, leading his team to victory. The Eagles will be a much more difficult opponent, especially with the matchup being played in Philly. Plus, Philly's running game has been nearly unstoppable as of late due to the combination of Darren Sproles and LeSean McCoy.

Cowboys over Rams: Ever since Sam Bradford suffered his season ending injury in the offseason, the Rams have been frantically looking for a solid replacement. Back-up quarterback Sean Hill ended up getting injured in the season opener as well, meaning Austin Davis will be the man to step in and hopefully win games for the St. Louis Rams. This matchup against Dallas does not look good for Rams fans, and I expect the Cowboys to win on the road.

49ers over Cardinals: The Arizona Cardinals experienced a shocking development this past week, where running back Jonathan Dwyer was accused of abusing his wife and infant son. These distractions may have gotten in the way of their preparations for the San Francisco 49ers, and I predict the Niners to trounce Arizona, even though the Niners are on the road.

Dolphins over Chiefs: The Kansas City Chiefs have not played well in 2014, which is surprising seeing how Andy Reid managed to send this team into the playoffs last season. Running back Jamaal Charles did not look like himself in Week 1, and the high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 2 will likely mean he is not 100% for the Miami game. As of right now, it looks like the Dolphins are the odds on favorite to win.

Game of the Week: Seahawks over Broncos: In what might be the regular season game of the year, the Denver Broncos look to avenge their blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks in this Super Bowl rematch. The Denver Broncos might have Wes Welker return from his suspension, as he will join offensive threats like Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas. The Seahawks are coming off of an atrocious performance against the San Diego Chargers, and they look to respond by beating the Broncos once again, this time at home. The Seahawks managed to beat Peyton and the Broncos in a neutral location last season, so it will be even harder for Denver to win in the most difficult away stadium in all of football.
Seahawks over Broncos 23-21
Panthers over Steelers: Even with Cam Newton playing in his first game since suffering a rib injury during the offseason, the Panthers managed to beat the Detroit Lions in Week 2. The Steelers will be a slightly easier opponent, and I expect to see a similar result as last week.

Bears over Jets: The Chicago Bears pulled off quite possibly the best comeback of the season thus far, as they beat the San Francisco 49ers in the first game at Levi's Stadium. Chicago will now be playing their second straight road game, this time against the New York Jets, who were the victims of a comeback victory by the Green Bay Packers. The Chicago Bears have plenty of offensive weapons, enough to beat this young, talented defense in New York.
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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Week 4 Power Rankings (1-10)

1. Atlanta Falcons (3-0): The offense under quarterback Matt Ryan has been thriving in Atlanta, ranking first in touchdowns passing touchdowns (8) and third in points (31.3). Their first three games  have proved they can handle a difficult schedule, and the Falcons have shown no signs of slowing down.

Aaron Rodgers
2. Houston Texans (3-0): The Houston Texans have all but clinched the AFC West at 3-0, with an absurdly talented defense leading the way. Even the offense is doing well in the broad scheme of things, especially with one of the best running backs in the league in Arian Foster.

3. San Francisco 49ers (2-1): A loss to Minnesota in Week 3 shocked the league, but San Francisco has already proven they can overtake talented teams. A deconstruction of the Packers defense in Week 1 was not there last Sunday, but they now have the chance to prove themselves on the road against the Jets.

4. Baltimore Ravens (2-1): A win over New England in Week 3 overshadowed their loss to Philadelphia two weeks prior. Ray Rice needs to stay healthy, otherwise the game plan would put too much pressure on Flacco. However, the passing game has taken major stride since 2011, and hopefully they can refine it by the end of October.

5. New England Patriots (1-2): For the first time since 2003, the Patriots have found themselves with a 1-2 record, with a not-so-easy game against Buffalo in Week 4. Tom Brady is not necessarily playing like he did in 2011, but he remains an elite quarterback in terms of leadership. Patriots fans should have nothing to worry about, as it is a given that New England reaches the playoffs once again.

6. Arizona Cardinals (3-0): Personally, I do not believe the Arizona Cardinals deserve to be in the top 10, and that they will fade out of the picture by the time December rolls around. However, I did say the same thing abut San Francisco last year, and as we know, my prediction turned out to be false. If the Cardinals deserve to be 3-0, they shouldn't have any problem against Miami this upcoming Sunday.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1): A dramatic increase of turnovers is the main contributing factor of last weekends loss to Arizona. Michael Vick has not yet proved he is consistent enough to lead this team into the playoffs. Once he finds his groove, however, Philadelphia has a legitimate shot at winning the competitive NFC North.

8. Green Bay Packers (1-2): Who would have thought the Green Bay Packers would start off the 2012 regular season below .500 by Week 4. Similar to New England, I believe the Packers have to look forward to an easy stretch of games, and from there they might be able to gain some momentum. Also, Aaron Rodgers is not playing like we, the fans, were expecting from him. As soon as he returns to form, Green Bay will find themselves atop the NFC.

9. New York Giants (2-1): The reigning champs were not able to begin Week 1 the way they would have liked, but since their loss to Dallas, the team has been clicking on all cylinders. Their demolition of both the Panthers and the Bucs (more so Carolina) proved they are ready to defend their title.

10 Seattle Seahawks (2-1): Seattle's past two wins this season have come against two highly talented teams, and in both instances the defense was the difference maker. Their eight sacks in the first half against Green Bay really set the tone, and it will be hard for any quarterback, no matter what skill level, to dominate when he spends most of the time on the ground.
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Friday, September 21, 2012

Game of the Week: Patriots @ Ravens

     Last Sunday's game was one of the most sloppiest performances witnessed by Patriot fans in recent memory. Tom Brady struggled to put points on the board against Arizona, and his messy play forced Gostowski to make all of his kicks. Sadly, the one kick he missed was with no time left on the clock. Their Week 3 match-up is against a very talented Ravens team, who is also coming off of a Week 2 loss. Similar to Brady, Joe Flacco was not the same quarterback who showed up to play in Week 1. Both teams are highly regarded when it comes to this year's playoff race, but only one can exit Week 3 with a winning record.

New England Patriots: Three and a half quarters went by before the Patriots were even able to score a touchdown. The Patriots, a team with one of the most lethal passing games in the NFL, was unable to score more than one touchdown in Sunday's game, which put a lot of pressure on their kicker. Last week's performance made Arizona's defense look like one found in San Francisco or Baltimore. Compared to Brady's 2011 start (2 games, 940 passing yards, 7 TDs), the Patriots' quarterback has not yet found his groove, but it is expected he succeeds later on in the season. Baltimore will truly test this offense, and if prove to us if Brady can overcome such a talented squad. A division title is almost expected from New England, but I doubt they wish to start the year 1-2.

Baltimore Ravens: After an impressive victory over Cincinnati in Week 1, Baltimore fell short of the 2-0 mark by losing to Philly on the road. Baltimore had multiple chances to win the game, whether it be a 10 point lead, a controversial incomplete pass, or an overturned 4th quarter touchdown, the Ravens seemed like the better team throughout the duration of the game. Joe Flacco is projected to dominate this Patriots defense, as is Pro-Bowl running back Ray Rice. Baltimore's motivation will overpower the Patriots team as a whole.

Offensive Edge: Baltimore Ravens

Defensive Edge: Baltimore Ravens

Prediction: Ravens over Patriots 17-10
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