Slow and steady improvment from 8-8 to 9-7 to 10-6 leaves me at 27-21 on the year. Hoping it's the loss numbers that drop, not the wins as we head into bye weeks.
NFC
SF vs ATL- San Fransisco, the underwhelming team of the year have played the Saints tight, and lost badly to two teams that weren’t supposed to be good…but now stand at 2-1 and 3-0. I’m not going to give up on them, they could show some fire, but they’re also not a team to bet on with their foot shooting tendencies, and especially not against the Falcons. Yes, they were aided by a missed 29 yarder in OT, but they still showed the ability to play with the Saints. Of course, so did San Fransisco. Okay, so the jury is still out on the Falcons, but I’m sold on them at least this week.
SEA vs STL- Any team more enigmatic over three weeks than the Seahawks? Total underdogs in week 1, they blow out the 49ers. Following that performance, you think they’d handle the Broncos, only to lose. Once we thought they were the Seahawks again, they manage a win over the Chargers, albeit on two kickoff returns. The Rams have shown some potential, although shown by losing two close games to bad teams and edging out the Redskins and their disappointing defense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them take another progressive step and top the Hawks, but in a game of two unpredictable teams, I’ll go with my gut and take the Seahawks.
DET vs GB- Detroit helped the previously inept Vikings to their first win, bringing into doubt how much they have progressed as a team, at least without Matthew Stafford. On the other hand, no worries about the Packers, despite the Bears surprising me again. Packers win.
CAR vs NO- Jimmy Clausen didn’t help the Panthers against the Bengals. Don’t expect him to save them from the Saints either. New Orleans wins.
WSH vs PHI- In the much anticipated Philadelphia return for McNabb, the bigger factor could be the Eagles new QB. I mentioned earlier that my memories of Eagles/Redskins games is largely the Skin’s defense bailing out their inept offense time and time again, and McNabb being completely unable to move the ball. With Vick, a much more dynamic playmaker, and a much less daunting version of the Redskins defense (as much as I hate to bail on them so quickly after my gushing praise post week 1) the Eagles offense should do much better than before. With McNabb at the helm, the Skins offense should also do better. So basically, I have to throw out my plethora of Philly/Washington experience when making the call on this one. I want to write off the Redskins due to them losing to the Rams, but they also took the Texans to OT and were great against the Cowboys. Okay, decision time. It’s a close game, but ultimately……..the Redskins defense isn’t top notch enough to stop Vick and co. who have been converting opportunities and finding the end zone (no FG attempts the last two weeks) Eagles win.
CHI vs NYG- This one’s got me stuck in a circle of logic. It seems obvious enough that the surprise Bears who keep establishing themselves as legit should be able to handle the struggling Giants. But the surprise teams don’t keep winning forever. 2009 Broncos anyone? With a team like the Bears, it doesn’t seem to be a matter of finding a team good enough to beat them, it’s a matter of the breaks starting to roll back on top of them. Something about the iffy Calvin Johnson drop, the slow starting Cowboys offense, and the penalty aided game winning drive gives me qualms about seeing the Bears as a 3-0 powerhouse. Giants pull the upset.
AFC
CIN vs CLE- The people who expected the Bengals to step up and play extremely well this year are still waiting. Sure they pulled out a tough win against the Ravens, but the high flying passing offense hasn’t shown up yet. As for the Browns, they’re going to win a few games eventually, and they’ve been competitive, especially with the emergence of Peyton Hillis as a possible stud, following the preseason expectation of Harrison and Hardesty to do big things on the ground. I like the potential I’ve seen from Cleveland, but have yet to see anything materialize. In this meeting, I take the Bengals. The next?
NYJ vs BUF- Sanchez seems to have completely shaken off that dreadful start, and the Jets are looking formidable. Meanwhile, the Bills have held the lead for a total of 8 minutes and 13 seconds in all three games combined. Jets win.
DEN vs TEN- I’m not impressed with the Broncos yet, and I’ll give the Titans a free pass against the Steelers defense. Titians win.
BAL vs PIT- Classic example of a game that comes one week to early. With the way the Steelers defense is playing, it doesn’t take a whole lot of support from the offense to feel good about them, but against the Ravens, a team that can play both defense and offense with the best of anyone (if they decide to show up), Charlie Batch doesn’t cut it. Play this game a week later with Ben Roethlisberger, and I take the Steelers, but as is, Ravens win.
IND vs JAC- The Jaguars offense has sputtered. If you thought their defense looked bad against the Chargers and Eagles, it’s about to get worse with the Colts coming to town. Colts tally another win.
HOU vs OAK- I’m realizing that I might have jumped a little too much when the Texans beat the Colts, as their defense got shredded by…the Redskins? And their offense looked bad last week. Nevertheless, I still think they’re a good team not to be written off against another contender, and we shouldn’t have to worry much about the Raiders.
NE vs MIA- I’ve been impressed with the Dolphins so far, their only loss coming against the Jets. I’ve been much less impressed with the Patriots, especially their defense (30 points against the Bills?). I’m crossing my fingers, holding my breath and grimacing, cause betting against the Patriots offense is playing with explosives, but if the Dolphins defense can hold up, they’ll be able to put up some points. Dolphins win.
INT
ARI vs SD- Despite a 1-2 start, I’m very impressed with San Diego and their ability to move the ball offensively and score. It took a missed 29 yard FG for the Cardinals to beat the Raiders, so I doubt they’ll be able to do much against the Chargers. San Diego improves to 2-2.