NFL 2015 Week 3 Preview

The Giants had a 10 point lead entering the fourth quarter and blew it, again. They really need to start finishing. They are a team that could be 2-0 and be in great shape in that Division (with Dallas losing Tony Romo for the next eight weeks), however, they are 0-2. Washington had an impressive win on Sunday against the Rams, who seem to be nursing a hangover from their win over the Seahawks the week before. Washington’s defense seems to be better than I thought it would be this year, but I think Eli and company finally finish a game and get the win.

Giants 28 Washington 20

The Falcons were able to come from behind and beat the Giants on Sunday and look to improve to 3-0 this week against an injured Cowboys team. The Falcons have already knocked off 2 of the 4 NFC East Teams. The Cowboys have played the same two opponents (Giants and Eagles), and are going to try to scrape out a win against the Falcons without Tony Romo (Collar Bone) or Dez Bryant (Foot). Brandon Weeden looked good going 7/7 for 73 yards and a touchdown while replacing Romo, but I don’t think he is going to be able to repeat that performance.

Falcons 24 Cowboys 10

Quarterbacks

1. Tom Brady (38/59 466 yards 3 Touchdowns 0 interceptions)
2. Joe Flaco (32/45 384 yards 2 Touchdowns 1 interception)
3. Ben Roethlisberger (21/27 369 yards 3 Touchdowns 0 interceptions)

Running Backs

1. Adrian Peterson (29 carries 134 yards 0 Touchdowns)
2. Jamaal Charles (21 carries 125 yards 1 Touchdown)
3. Matt Jones (19 carries 123 yards 2 Touchdowns)

Wide Receivers

1. Antonio Brown (9 receptions 195 yards 1 Touchdown)
2. Allen Robinson (6 receptions 155 yards 2 Touchdowns)
3. Larry Fitzgerald (8 receptions 112 yards 3 Touchdowns)

The Colts need to figure something out. They can't afford to fall to 0-3 and be 2 games behind in the division so early. They have been awful offensively through the first two week, but I feel like that is going to change. The Titans were shown up by the Browns on Sunday, but the way the Colts are playing the definitely have a shot. Andrew Luck is 6-0 vs the Titans in his career, I think he'll make it 7-0.

Colts 33 Titans 16

Both of these teams are coming off wins this week. The Raiders, more impressive than the Browns, but yet they both still won. The Raiders were able to beat the Ravens this week, improving their record to 1-1 on the season. Derek Carr was sensational (30/46 351 yards 3 touchdowns 1 interception) on Sunday while leading his team to a touchdown with 26 seconds left in the game to take the lead. Johnny “Football” Manziel wasn’t as impressive (8/15 172 yards 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions) in the Browns’ win on Sunday, however, he was able to successfully manage the game. The Browns certainly have a decision to make this week with Josh McCown coming back from injury. I don’t think it will matter.

Raiders 24 Browns 13

Tyler Eifert is awesome, and I’m not just saying that because I am from Fort Wayne and played against him in High School. He has the 18^th most receiving yards (153) in the NFL and is tied for 2^nd in receiving touchdowns (3). He had his season cut short last year by injury, but he is the young, big, talented target that Andy Dalton needs, as security blanket. The Ravens are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Raiders, but are in desperation mode this week. It’s too early in the season to say it’s a “Must Win” but they will have a really hard time making the playoffs if they go down 0-3. I think the Ravens will get it done at home, they need it more.

Ravens 27 Bengals 24

Jaguar fans everywhere (ok, not everywhere, they aren’t good enough to have fans everywhere) are celebrating a win against an in-state rival, Miami Dolphins. The game was tied at 20 going into the fourth quarter and the Jaguars were able to get a field goal to win in the final minute of the game. None of that matters, because the Patriots are the best team in the league right now, and it kills me to say it. They won’t have any issues bullying the Jaguars on Sunday.

Patriots 38 Jaguars 20

Was it just a bad week for the Saints or is Drew Brees looking old. Brees was outplayed by the number one overall draft pick, Jameis Winston. That wasn’t the only issue for the Saints, they committed 10 penalties for 115 yards. Bad quarterback play plus penalties and turnovers (3) is not a solution for winning football. The Panthers were able to defend their home turf against the Texans. Cam Newton was beating the Texans in every way. The Texans have a great defense, the Saints do not. The Panthers will win this game.

Panther 27 Saints 17

The Eagles looked awful on Sunday. They were able to total 7 rushing yards… Yes, 7. They need to get their offense figured out because it doesn’t look anything like it did during the preseason. I still don’t want to overreact too much yet, but they are a loss away from needing to panic. The Jets defense looked great against the Colts, but that’s becoming a trend, you play the Colts and you look good. I think they will be able to defend the pass against the Eagles and contain the run. I like the Jets in this one.

Jets 17 Eagles 14

The Buccaneers shocked everyone with their win over the Saints. Jamies Winston was pretty good, he did much better in his second game than his first. The Bucs will need to continue to run the ball well to help out the young quarterback. That’s a task that is easier said than done against the Houston Texans who have one of the best, if not the best front seven in the NFL. If Ryan Mallett can settle down and make some plays this Texans team could be pretty good. I think they’ll get their first win on Sunday.

Texans 21 Bucs 17

Will Adrian Peterson back up his performance from last week with another outstanding game? If the Bengals backup running back Giovani Bernard can go off for 123 yards, I think AP can too. Peterson had 192 total yards from scrimmage and I think he is just getting started. The Chargers had a tough time with the Bengals defense, and I think they may struggle again this week. It is like the Chargers to struggle at the beginning of the year, anyway. I like the Vikings.

Vikings 31 Chargers 14

The Steelers rolled over the 49ers last week, where the Rams followed up their impressive week 1 win over the Seahawks with an equally disappointing loss. The Steelers are one of the most explosive teams in the league, but how could you not be with Antonio Brown on your team. He TORCHED the 49ers with 9 receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown. The Rams are certainly capable of being good, but being capable doesn’t mean that it always show on the field, and it certainly didn’t against Washington. I think the Rams will bounce back, but they won’t bounce far enough and come up short.

Steelers 30 Rams 24

Cardinals. Give me the Cardinals, they are playing great football in all aspects of the game right now. Their defense is sharp, their offense is on fire, and their special teams is rolling. The 49ers just gave up 43 points and I think they may do it again. Carolos Hyde was disappointing in week 2 after his incredible week 1, but that is to be expected when you’re down 29-3 at halftime, you’re not really permitted to run the ball if you want a chance.

Cardinals 38 49ers 22

The Bills did their best to make a fourth quarter comeback against the Patriots but fall short. Going into the fourth quarter the Patriots were up 37-13, and won 40-32. The Dolphins struggled against the Jaguars, who are not very good, and I think they are going to struggle at home this week against the Bills. The Dolphins will need to get the running game going if they want a chance against the Bills or they are going to focus solely on shutting down the pass, like they did against the Colts. I don’t think they’ll have much luck.

Bills 24 Dolphins 16

The Bears will be without Cutler this week, which some may say isn’t a bad thing. However, when you’re backup is Jimmy Clausen, you are hoping Cutler is fine. The Seahawks are trying to avoid going 0-3, which shouldn’t be too difficult to do, now that they are playing an injured Bears team at home. This is the home opener for the Seahawks and I am pretty sure that crowd is going to be going nuts.

Seahawks 35 Bears 17

We saw some bad, some good, and some really good Peyton Manning last Thursday. Manning threw a pick six for the second straight week, but then had a pretty solid game, while making some pretty amazing throws. The Lions are now 0-2 and trying to avoid starting 0-3. A playoff team last year, they haven’t looked like a playoff team so far. Maybe the loss of Ndamukong Suh had a bigger impact on their defense than they thought it would. I like the Broncos on the road with that tough defense.

Broncos 33 Lions 13

The Packers were able to get a rare win against the Seahawks in the spotlight on Sunday Night Football. The last time Aaron Rodgers threw an interception at home Nelson Mandela still had a year left in his life. December 2, 2012 was the last interception thrown in Lambeau by Rodgers, which doesn’t bode well for opponents traveling to Green Bay. The Chiefs are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Broncos, maybe they shouldn’t have run the ball, and just played for over time. I don’t think the Chiefs get back on track this week.

Packers 37 Chiefs 21

Predictions Actual

Giants 28 Washington 20 Giants 32 Washington 21

Falcons 24 Cowboys 10 Falcons 39 Cowboys 28

Colts 33 Titans 16 Colts 35 Titans 33

Raiders 24 Browns 13 Raiders 27 Browns 20

Ravens 27 Bengals 24 Bengals 28 Ravens 24

Patriots 38 Jaguars 20 Patriots 51 Jaguars 17

Panther 27 Saints 17 Panthers 27 Saints 22

Jets 17 Eagles 14 Eagles 24 Jets 17

Texans 21 Bucs 17 Texans 19 Bucs 9

Vikings 31 Chargers 14 Vikings 31 Chargers 14

Steelers 30 Rams 24 Steelers 12 Rams 6

Cardinals 38 49ers 22 Cardinals 47 49ers 7

Bills 24 Dolphins 16 Bills 41 Dolphins 14

Seahawks 35 Bears 17 Seahawks 26 Bears 0

Broncos 33 Lions 13 Broncos 24 Lions 12

Packers 37 Chiefs 21 Packers 38 Chiefs 28

14-2 this week!

Total 28-19-1