Week 3
Week 3
Carolina at Tampa Bay – Both teams have yet to win a game this season, but I think the Bucs will pull this one out. Last week, the Vikings pulled off a fake FG against the Panthers to ultimately win the game. Tampa Bay struggled against the Falcons, but it seems that they are starting to read from the same playbook now. WR Steve Smith insists that he is not holding out, but until he comes back, the Panthers will have to look to Keyshawn.
Chicago at Minnesota – Vikings lucked up in a win over Carolina. Don’t look for trick plays to work against this Bears defense. Chicago’s defense has only allowed 7 points this season. Don’t look for Brad Johnson to have a big day this week. Instead, look for Grossman to continue to hook up with WR Berrian in the endzone.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh – Shocker on Monday? Not really. The Steelers were “upset” by the Jaguars on Monday night by the score of 9-0. Fragile Ben just couldn’t manage to get it going. Why not start Batch? I’m sure Cowher’s hindsight is 20/20 right about now. This year, Cincinnati has the offensive and defensive tools to handle their division rival. Let’s see if Roethlisberger blames a poor performance on his health again this week.
Green Bay at Detroit – After being blown out and repeatedly picked off in game 1, Favre came back last week and lit up the Saints in a losing effort. Ahman Green continues to be a non-factor, but WR Driver had nearly 170 total yards on only 8 catches. Detroit just can’t manage to get it together yet. Their only score was on a QB keeper by Kitna. The Packers do not have a great defense, but this is easily negated by lack of Detroit’s offense.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis – Are the Jags the team to beat? After the past two weeks, it sure seems like it. They shocked the reigning Super Bowl Champs last week with a shutout. Peyton was named the AFC Player of the Week. He threw for 400 yards with 3 TDs and no picks against Houston. The Jaguars’ defense might not let that happen, but look for Peyton to shock this D with another stellar performance.
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo – Takeo Spikes is scheduled to return to the Bills’ defense. This is bad news for Pennington. Without having a legitimate running game, look for the Jets’ running backs to pick up more blitzes than focus on getting any rushing yardage. Chad continued to show that he has recovered from previous injuries. The Bills were not tested last week in their bout against the Dolphins. It should be a little different with this interstate matchup.
Tennessee at Miami – With QB Volek recently being traded to San Diego, this is Kerry Collins team for the ruining. Collins has looked terrible in his first two games as a Titan. We may see Vince Young a little earlier than expected. On the other hand, Culpepper has shown some signs that he might pull this Dolphins team out of the gutter. His indecisiveness will be his downfall. He must return to the Daunte of old. This Daunte should reappear in this game against the Titans.
Washington at Houston – The Deadskins are in serious trouble! They need this game to gain some confidence. After losing in Dallas last week, they have to return to the state of Texas to regain some sort of dignity. Houston showed they could put some points on the board against the Colts last week. Hopefully, this will be the Redskins turn to show the world (and themselves) that they know how to score offensively.
Baltimore at Cleveland – GO BROWNS!! Cleveland can easily win this game. Nearly all of the Ravens are listed as questionable. But who honestly believes what is listed on the injury reports? Everyone seems to get up for this game, whether they are hurt or not. Cleveland will have to pressure McNair from the start. He will test this ailing secondary throughout the entire game. If he has time to look deep, this will be a long day for Browns’ fans.
N.Y. Giants at Seattle – Seattle has a great defense, but when is the offense going to report to camp? Don’t get me wrong, they scored against Arizona’s suspect defense, but couldn’t manage to get into the endzone against Detroit in week 1. The Giants continue to improve week to week.
Philadelphia at San Francisco – Philly will bounce back after the loss to the Giants in OT. Stallworth continues to look like a man reborn. Westbrook is listed as probable once again this week. WR Antonio Bryant looked like a man possessed against the Rams secondary. He had 131 yards and 1 touchdown on 4 passes. Philly’s defense will contain him this week.
St. Louis at Arizona – Even though the Cards were stifled by Seattle’s D, they should get out early on St. Louis. The Rams defense appears to have “Swiss cheese” tendencies. Niners Gore and Bryant were too much for them last week. They will have their hands full with Fitzgerald and James this week.
Denver at New England – Jake “the Shake” (my head) needs to sit! I know a win is a win, but Mike Shanahan needs to reconsider his thoughts on Plummer. The Broncos squeaked out a pathetic win over Kansas City 9-6 in overtime. If you can’t score against a Chiefs’ D, you are going to have your hands full with the Patriots. Brady continues to get the job done despite not having a true superstar on his team right now.
Atlanta at New Orleans – This is the home opener in New Orleans. The fix is in! When was the last time a team with the second pick in the draft in the previous year was allowed to play on MNF? I wouldn’t be surprised if the score isn’t 100-3 in the first half. Deuce proved his worth against the Packers with 2 TDs. He needs to keep it up to keep a job. Vick ran all over Tampa Bay last week. He rushed for 127 yards with one touchdown, while Dunn rushed for 134 yards. The Saints will have to control the Falcons ground game to get through this one.
Bye week: Dallas, Kansas City, Oakland, and San Diego.
Game of The Week: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts
Picks for Week 2: 12-4
Carolina at Tampa Bay – Both teams have yet to win a game this season, but I think the Bucs will pull this one out. Last week, the Vikings pulled off a fake FG against the Panthers to ultimately win the game. Tampa Bay struggled against the Falcons, but it seems that they are starting to read from the same playbook now. WR Steve Smith insists that he is not holding out, but until he comes back, the Panthers will have to look to Keyshawn.
Chicago at Minnesota – Vikings lucked up in a win over Carolina. Don’t look for trick plays to work against this Bears defense. Chicago’s defense has only allowed 7 points this season. Don’t look for Brad Johnson to have a big day this week. Instead, look for Grossman to continue to hook up with WR Berrian in the endzone.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh – Shocker on Monday? Not really. The Steelers were “upset” by the Jaguars on Monday night by the score of 9-0. Fragile Ben just couldn’t manage to get it going. Why not start Batch? I’m sure Cowher’s hindsight is 20/20 right about now. This year, Cincinnati has the offensive and defensive tools to handle their division rival. Let’s see if Roethlisberger blames a poor performance on his health again this week.
Green Bay at Detroit – After being blown out and repeatedly picked off in game 1, Favre came back last week and lit up the Saints in a losing effort. Ahman Green continues to be a non-factor, but WR Driver had nearly 170 total yards on only 8 catches. Detroit just can’t manage to get it together yet. Their only score was on a QB keeper by Kitna. The Packers do not have a great defense, but this is easily negated by lack of Detroit’s offense.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis – Are the Jags the team to beat? After the past two weeks, it sure seems like it. They shocked the reigning Super Bowl Champs last week with a shutout. Peyton was named the AFC Player of the Week. He threw for 400 yards with 3 TDs and no picks against Houston. The Jaguars’ defense might not let that happen, but look for Peyton to shock this D with another stellar performance.
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo – Takeo Spikes is scheduled to return to the Bills’ defense. This is bad news for Pennington. Without having a legitimate running game, look for the Jets’ running backs to pick up more blitzes than focus on getting any rushing yardage. Chad continued to show that he has recovered from previous injuries. The Bills were not tested last week in their bout against the Dolphins. It should be a little different with this interstate matchup.
Tennessee at Miami – With QB Volek recently being traded to San Diego, this is Kerry Collins team for the ruining. Collins has looked terrible in his first two games as a Titan. We may see Vince Young a little earlier than expected. On the other hand, Culpepper has shown some signs that he might pull this Dolphins team out of the gutter. His indecisiveness will be his downfall. He must return to the Daunte of old. This Daunte should reappear in this game against the Titans.
Washington at Houston – The Deadskins are in serious trouble! They need this game to gain some confidence. After losing in Dallas last week, they have to return to the state of Texas to regain some sort of dignity. Houston showed they could put some points on the board against the Colts last week. Hopefully, this will be the Redskins turn to show the world (and themselves) that they know how to score offensively.
Baltimore at Cleveland – GO BROWNS!! Cleveland can easily win this game. Nearly all of the Ravens are listed as questionable. But who honestly believes what is listed on the injury reports? Everyone seems to get up for this game, whether they are hurt or not. Cleveland will have to pressure McNair from the start. He will test this ailing secondary throughout the entire game. If he has time to look deep, this will be a long day for Browns’ fans.
N.Y. Giants at Seattle – Seattle has a great defense, but when is the offense going to report to camp? Don’t get me wrong, they scored against Arizona’s suspect defense, but couldn’t manage to get into the endzone against Detroit in week 1. The Giants continue to improve week to week.
Philadelphia at San Francisco – Philly will bounce back after the loss to the Giants in OT. Stallworth continues to look like a man reborn. Westbrook is listed as probable once again this week. WR Antonio Bryant looked like a man possessed against the Rams secondary. He had 131 yards and 1 touchdown on 4 passes. Philly’s defense will contain him this week.
St. Louis at Arizona – Even though the Cards were stifled by Seattle’s D, they should get out early on St. Louis. The Rams defense appears to have “Swiss cheese” tendencies. Niners Gore and Bryant were too much for them last week. They will have their hands full with Fitzgerald and James this week.
Denver at New England – Jake “the Shake” (my head) needs to sit! I know a win is a win, but Mike Shanahan needs to reconsider his thoughts on Plummer. The Broncos squeaked out a pathetic win over Kansas City 9-6 in overtime. If you can’t score against a Chiefs’ D, you are going to have your hands full with the Patriots. Brady continues to get the job done despite not having a true superstar on his team right now.
Atlanta at New Orleans – This is the home opener in New Orleans. The fix is in! When was the last time a team with the second pick in the draft in the previous year was allowed to play on MNF? I wouldn’t be surprised if the score isn’t 100-3 in the first half. Deuce proved his worth against the Packers with 2 TDs. He needs to keep it up to keep a job. Vick ran all over Tampa Bay last week. He rushed for 127 yards with one touchdown, while Dunn rushed for 134 yards. The Saints will have to control the Falcons ground game to get through this one.
Bye week: Dallas, Kansas City, Oakland, and San Diego.
Game of The Week: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts
Picks for Week 2: 12-4
