Two weeks in and still a lot of storylines yet to unroll. But, for right now, the narrative is dominated by the surprises of the Vikings and Bills at 2-0 and the Broncos, Jets, Panthers, and Cowboys at 0-2.
Thursday Night
N.Y. Giants (2-0) at CAROLINA (0-2) – Vegas: Panthers -1
I think the Giants are a considerably better team than Carolina. However, I think this is a pretty tough spot for them. First of all, as fellow BSB contributor, Gross often points out, Thursday night games seem to disproportionately favor the home team because of the short week and the lost day of practice due to travel. Plus, the Giants have a huge showdown with the Eagles in Week Four, so they may have a slight eye on that one, which would exaggerate the difficulties in playing on Thursday night. Now, the Giants do match up really well against the Panthers offense because the d-line is good enough to contain Cam, but this seems like a bit of a trap game for Big Blue, and Vegas even agrees. Panthers (close)
Sunday, Early Afternoon
St. Louis (1-1) at CHICAGO (1-1) – Vegas: Bears -7.5
The Bears have 10 days to prepare for a home game against a bad Rams team. The fact that Vegas is only giving 7.5 here gives me a little pause, but it could just be a bad line. The Bears should roll. Bears (easy)
Buffalo (2-0) at CLEVELAND (0-2) – Vegas: Bills -1
The 2-0 Bills get to play a Cleveland team that is still getting to know one another on offense. But, things are rarely easy in the NFL. The Bills might be smelling themselves a bit by now, and may also be looking ahead to a showdown with the Pats next week. Cleveland isn’t the easiest place to come in and get a W. I think the Brownies should be able to steal one here. Browns (close)
Tampa Bay (1-1) at DALLAS (0-2) – Vegas: Cowboys -9
After two tough losses, the ‘Boys should be able to take out some frustrations at home on an inferior Tampa team. Then again, if Witten, Bryant, and Austin are still banged up, this game looks tougher. Cowboys (moderate)
N.Y. Jets (0-2) at MIAMI (1-1) – Vegas: Dolphins -1
The ‘Phins could be sneaky this year. And, things can snowball in New York. With the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets losing their first two games, this trip to Miami could be a tipping point in their season. It should be interesting to see how 0-3 is handled on the back pages. Dolphins (close)
San Francisco (1-1) at MINNESOTA (2-0) – Vegas: 49ers -5.5
The 2-0 Vikings are the talk of the NFL, but not for long. The Niners should be able to bring the Vikes back to reality here, whether or not Adrian Peterson is ready to go. 49ers (moderate)
Kansas City (1-1) at NEW ORLEANS (2-0) – Vegas: Saints -7
The tough offseason for the Saints may cause problems, but nothing a relatively soft early schedule can’t hide. I actually really like the Chiefs this year as a potential sleeper in the AFC, but a trip to the Big Easy is never fun for a team that struggles to score. You know Brees & Company will get their, and the Chiefs probably can’t keep pace. Saints (moderate)
Cincinnati (1-1) at WASHINGTON (0-2) – Vegas: Redskins -1.5
One of these teams went to the playoffs last year, while the other finished in last place at 5-11, and you might be hard-pressed to know which is which if you listened to public opinion on the two teams. Everyone is buying the Redskins, while, at the same time, seemingly forgetting just how good the Bengals were last year. Well, I think Cincy is a much better team than Washington and should only be getting better. RG3 still has some growing up to do, while Andy Dalton could be ready to really step up in Year 2. I am going to take the better football team here, even on the road, because I just can’t find a reason not to. Bengals (close)
Detroit (1-1) at TENNESSEE (0-2) – Vegas: Lions -1
Both teams are coming back from long unsuccessful trips to the West Coast in Week Two. But, at least the Titans got to play an afternoon game, as the Lions were the Sunday Night game in San Fran. Now, they go on the road. I expect this to be a very heavy Chris Johnson day, as he could TEAR up the Detroit defense and keep that potent offense on the sidelines all day. It won’t be pretty, but I’ll take the home team here. Titans (close)
Jacksonville (0-2) at INDIANAPOLIS (0-2) – Vegas: Colts -3.5
Both teams are really, really bad on offense, but only one of these teams is even worse on defense, and that is Indy. The Colts defense is very, very bad, while Jacksonville’s is actually somewhat decent. Unless Blaine Gabbert flat-out loses this game, I actually like the Jags, on the road here, to pull the upset. This is another interesting spread where I would consider taking the points right now. Jaguars (close)
Sunday, Late Afternoon
Philadelphia (2-0) at ARIZONA (1-1) – Vegas: Eagles -3.5
The last two times the Eagles visited Glendale were borderline tragic. The 2010 NFC Championship Game debacle followed by last year’s utter collapse in a regular season loss that still haunts Eagles fans to this day. PARKER JUMPED! PARKER JUMPED! HE JUMPED EARLY – EAGLES LOSE! Anyway, I do not see the Eagles losing two years in a row – not with this roster. Eagles (moderate)
Atlanta (1-1) at SAN DIEGO (2-0) – Vegas: Chargers -3.5
If the Falcons weren’t coming off a short week after a tough Monday Night game against the Broncos only to have to fly 3,000 miles for this one, I might consider picking an upset here, but with that working against them, I do not see them going into San Diego and stealing one. Chargers (moderate)
Houston (2-0) at DENVER (0-2) – Vegas: Pick ’em
Can Peyton Manning really start 0-3 with his new team? Imagine the hysteria on every highlight show in America. Well, I think they can and will, as the Texas are a very, very good team. And, I think it might take a little while for the Denver offense to click. Unfortunately, with this schedule, they don’t have that kind of time. Put me down for an 0-3 Broncos start…anyone wanna take a bet on that? Texans (close)
Pittsburgh (2-0) at OAKLAND (0-2) – Vegas: Steelers -3
Pittsburgh is coming off of a tough game with the Jets, but the Raiders are coming back from a long trip to Miami. The Steelers are a veteran team, who should not be bothered by the travel. Give me the Stillers on the road, entering their bye week. Steelers (moderate)
Sunday Night
New England (2-0) at BALTIMORE (1-1) – Vegas: Patriots -1.5
Prime time is when the Ravens usually show up. At home, against the hated Patriots. The only question is – do they have the horses this year? I’m not really sure. This is a very tough game to pick here, but I think that this might be the year where Ray Lewis and Ed Reed show their age without being covered up by the great Terrell Suggs. This could actually be a shootout, which favors the Pats. Plus, the Ravens are coming off two tough games in 6 days, and have to do it all over again this coming Thursday. I wouldn’t put it past this group of winners, but it would take quite the effort, even at home. Patriots (close)
Monday Night
Green Bay (2-0) at SEATTLE (1-1) – Vegas: Packers -6
The Seattle homefield advantage is more than just about anywhere else, but the best quarterback on the planet with 11 days to prepare for an underrated, but still developing defense makes it somewhat hard to really make the case for the ‘Hawks here. Packers (moderate)
Standings After Week Three
NFC EAST:
The Eagles go a game up on the Giants in preparation for their huge showdown on Sunday Night
3-0 Eagles
2-1 Giants
1-2 Cowboys
0-3 Redskins
NFC NORTH:
The Pack is expectedly 3-0, but the Lions in last place is a tough site for fans who thought last year was a turning point
3-0 Packers
2-1 Bears
2-1 Vikings
1-2 Lions
NFC SOUTH:
The Saints are a full 2 games up on the entire rest of the division through just 3 games – couldn’t have asked for a better start
3-0 Saints
1-2 Bucs
1-2 Falcons
1-2 Panthers
NFC WEST:
The Niners probably take the lead in the division for good…
2-1 49ers
1-2 Cardinals
1-2 Rams
1-2 Seahawks
AFC EAST:
The Pats get another huge win, while the 0-3 Jets are dominating the headlines in New York; nice 2-1 starts for the other two teams
3-0 Patriots
2-1 Bills
2-1 Dolphins
0-3 Jets
AFC NORTH:
The Ravens have now spotted Pittsburgh two games – could be tough to make up
3-0 Steelers
2-1 Bengals
1-2 Browns
1-2 Ravens
AFC SOUTH:
Houston continues to roll with a nice win in Denver; the Jags and Titans are both on the board with their first Ws
3-0 Texans
1-2 Jaguars
1-2 Titans
0-3 Colts
AFC WEST:
The Chargers are off to a terrific start in the division, as they are 2 games clear of KC and 3 games of the other two…wow
3-0 Chargers
1-2 Chiefs
0-3 Broncos
0-3 Raiders
