Another tie? Say it ain’t so. After Mason Crosby missed a potential game winning field goal in regulation, former Vikings kicker Daniel Carlson matched that result at the end of overtime to cap his rough 0-3 day from the field. Meanwhile, the GOAT Tom...I mean Blake Bortles and the Jags showed that Jacksonville may be the new team to beat in the AFC. And did anyone see Keelan Cole’s amazing sideline snag? We also learned that A.J. Green is good. His three touchdown Thursday Night Football performance seems like ages ago but it could be a precursor to the Bengals evident resurgence.
Week 2 Prediction Record: 7-8-1
Total Prediction Record: 18-12-2
Week 2 Awards:
Game of the Week: Chiefs vs Steelers
Upset of the Week: Buccaneers over Eagles
Player of the Week: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (326 yards, 6 TDs)
Team of the Week: Kansas City Chiefs
Rookie of the Week: Darius Leonard, LB, Colts
Week 3 Predictions
So close, yet so far for the Bad News Browns. I was speaking to my suitemate after Tyrod Taylor threw an absolute DIME to former Gator Antonio Callaway on fourth down with under two minutes to go to tie the game. I told him, “Watch, he’s (Zane Gonzalez) gonna miss it.” As fate would have it, the extra point went wide left and the Browns went on to lose after a frantic final ninety seconds. Now, they get a chance at redemption in primetime as they take on the Jets who fell back to Earth against Miami. After dominating his first start, Sam Darnold will attempt to get back on track against a Cleveland D that has looked legit for the better part of two weeks. I think the dominate defenses negate the subpar offenses in this contest. In a tight one, this is CLEVELAND’S time! The Browns win their first game since Week 16, 2016.
Cleveland Browns 14, New York Jets 13
Vontae Davis essentially encapsulated what the Bills 2018 season has been like up to this point, retiring at halftime during Buffalo’s 31-20 loss to the Chargers. That has to be the biggest “C’mon Man” moment of all time. At least finish the game… Anyway, Kirk Cousins has been on fire as the Vikings looked poised to make another deep postseason run. Stefon Diggs is entrenching himself as a top 10 receiver with a strong start to the season. WR Kelvin Benjamin has pretty much disappeared off the face of the earth with just three receptions so far. It’s going to be a lost season for Buffalo anyway so it makes sense to give Josh Allen the reps. He did alright for his first start but there's room for major growth. There is certainly hope for the future...just not in Week 3.
Minnesota Vikings 34, Buffalo Bills 16
Houston needs to get back on track quickly. This is a team I thought had Super Bowl potential with Deshaun Watson at the helm. Unfortunately, his team has been underwhelming so far. To their credit, they did play two AFC playoff teams on the road to start off the season so I’ll give them a pass for now. The Giants look pretty lethargic. Saquon Barkley looks legit but Mike Shula’s offense needs to realize that quick passes are the key to success. Any play longer than three seconds isn’t gonna pan out with this current O-Line. Ironman Eli was manhandled last week and if that continues, backup Kyle Lauletta will be seeing snaps by midseason. Up next, JJ Watt and the Texans. Good luck with that one.
Houston Texans 23, New York Giants 14
Adrian Peterson’s newfound magic evaporated against Indy’s surprisingly stout run D, rushing for just over twenty yards on the ground. They’ll need to get him going against Green Bay to have a chance at the upset. If not, they can continue to utilize Chris Thompson (13 REC vs IND) who may be their most dynamic offensive weapon for an Alex Smith led team. Leading up to their bye week, Green Bay’s next four games are very winnable. They take on the floundering Lions and Bills following this game before welcoming San Francisco to town. This may be the Packers toughest test until then so this could be a big game for momentum. I think the Redskins defense is solid enough to make this interesting but ultimately I think Green Bay pulls through.
Green Bay Packers 28, Washington Redskins 20
If there is one knock on the Chiefs so far, I’d have to say their defense is a bit concerning. I doubt Mahomes is going to be able to put up 35+ points for 17 straight weeks. Besides that, Kansas City looks like the real deal. Andy Reid finally got a quarterback that fits his system and now it is paying dividends early. I can’t tell if Matt Breida is actually going to break out or he was a product of a bad Lions rush D. Probably a little bit of both. The 49ers will need a repeat performance if they want to knock off the hot Chiefs. San Francisco probably won’t have enough firepower to keep up with Mahomes and Co on the road.
Kansas City Chiefs 34, San Francisco 49ers 24
Did you know in the last ten games that Ryan Tannehill has started, the Dolphins are 9-1. Miami was slept on for good reason in the offseason. Now, the joke may be on us as the Fins are rolling. The Raiders, on the other hand, are not. Derek Carr has not been sharp up to this point. If he doesn’t improve, a cross country trip does not bode well for the visitors. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gruden get his first win here especially under desperate circumstances. Alas, the Dolphins slide past Oakland for their first 3-0 start in five years.
Miami Dolphins 20, Oakland Raiders 17
Darius Leonard? Who? 18 tackles you say? The Colts may have a future defensive stud in their grasp if his performance against the Redskins tells us anything. At the beginning of the season, I was saying how Indy didn’t have a true defensive threat that teams had to prepare for. If Leonard keeps up his torrid pace, watch out! Philly Philly. Dilly Dilly. The Eagles are getting Carson Wentz back after being medically cleared this week. Nick Foles is a solid quarterback but the Eagles need Wentz to make a deep postseason run for a second straight season. The Eagles D surprisingly had a letdown game so they’ll be looking to get back on track there. The Colts will have a tough time on the ground as they’ll need rookie Jordan Wilkins to maneuver through Fletcher Cox, Haloti Ngata, and Derek Barnett. Not gonna happen. Indy is a much better team than I anticipated but here in Philadelphia, the Super Bowl champs take it.
Philadelphia Eagles 27, Indianapolis Colts 21
Playing New England apparently brings the best out in Blake Bortles. If he plays like he did on Sunday, the Jaguars will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Atlanta this February. For the real Jaguar fans, this has to feel sooo good. Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook look legit. The defense is legit. And Blake Bortles is legit. Yes, I said it. In Nashville, Tennessee got a huge win over Houston with Blaine Gabbert under center. While they haven’t looked spectacular, their special teams are showing up in a big way. Darius Jennings and Dane Cruikshank. Have you heard of them? Well, they are the reason Tennessee is in decent shape right now with their special team touchdowns on a kickoff and fake punt return respectively. Give special teams coach Craig Aukerman a raise please. The fun is likely to end against Jacksonville though. It’s a divisional game so I’d never etch anything in stone but if Mariota is out again this weekend, expect a bigger beatdown that what I have projected.
Jacksonville Jaguars 23, Tennessee Titans 13
Carolina allowed their first 100 yard rusher in 22 games as Matt Ryan rushed for two touchdowns in the Falcons win. It was an indictment of the uncharacteristic type of game the Panthers had. With all that, they still had a chance to send the game into overtime on a Hail Mary pass. Rookie receiver D.J. Moore showcased his potential with a 51 yard TD reception on his first career reception. Another rookie in safety Jessie Bates III has performed admirably with 11 tackles and an interception to start out his rookie campaign. Both the Panthers and Bengals should be in the playoff picture all season long and this game could very well be a decider down the road. The Bengals are playing well but the Panthers usually defend Bank of America Stadium with ease. I’ll take Carolina in a tight one.
Carolina Panthers 28, Cincinnati Bengals 24
At some point, Case Keenum will need to cut down on the turnovers if the Broncos want to be a contender. The efficient running game headlined with RB Philip Lindsay is clicking on all cylinders. Currently, he ranks in the top five in rushing yards, surpassing the likes of Melvin Gordon, Alvin Kamara, and even Todd Gurley III. The Ravens new core of receivers are impressing me. Willie Snead, Michael Crabtree, and John Brown fit well in this offense. Like Keenum, the Ravens will go nowhere if Flacco is tossing ducks up into the stratosphere. Who wins here? Give me the hometown Ravens to edge Denver.
Baltimore Ravens 21, Denver Broncos 17
New Orleans was a popular pick to not only do well this season but win the entire thing. Through two games, they look like the worst team in the division. A loss to the division rival Bucs was shocking but now we have seen how well they are playing. However, at home against the perpetually bad Browns and only scoring three points for three whole quarters? That is inexcusable. Props on the win but they have problems on both sides of the ball that need to be corrected if they expect to contend for much longer. Meanwhile, the Falcons got their groove back with an impressive win against Carolina. They enforced their will on the ground with Coleman and rookie Ito Smith. In this NFC South battle, Atlanta handles Brees and Co.
Atlanta Falcons 31, New Orleans Saints 20
The Battle of Los Angeles! The Rams are who we thought they were. A dominate defense with a complementary offense that can make big plays of their own. WR Brandin Cooks is making the trade worth it with 246 yards receiving up to this point. No one has mentioned Philip Rivers lately but he is quietly having one of the best starts in his career as he currently sits at a 119.6 QB rating with six touchdown passes so far. I’m super excited to see this one. Both teams in my eyes are Super Bowl contenders. Two premier RBs (Gordon, Gurley) and QBs (Rivers, Goff) should prove to be an epic show. I’ll flip a coin and say the Rams take the first “Battle for LA” matchup.
Los Angeles Rams 27, Los Angeles Chargers 24
The Monsters of the Midway are BACK! The Bears lead the NFL with ten sacks so far and Khalil Mack alone has produced better stats than the entire Raiders D. I’m beginning to believe that if Chicago can continue to fine tune their offense and involve all of their weapons (Howard, Cohen, Robinson, Gabriel, Miller, Burton), this team can make a wild card run. It will be tough to do in the NFC that I believe has nine or ten realistic shots at the playoffs. It’s early though. The Cardinals look listless, averaging a pedestrian 3 PPG through two games. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Arizona get shut out in back to back weeks, opening the door to the Josh Rosen era.
Chicago Bears 20, Arizona Cardinals 9
It all started at the one yard line. Since Super Bowl 49, Seattle just hasn’t been the same. It seems that the championship window has vanished. On MNF vs Chicago, they were a victim of five first half sacks. What’s worse than five sacks? Six! Demarcus Lawrence and the Boys’ generated half a dozen sacks against New York on Sunday Night Football. That does not bode well for the Seahawks this weekend. Their offensive line is near the bottom of the NFL in terms of talent and Russell Wilson is paying the ultimate price. Dallas is sure to inflict some serious damage in this one. Still, I can’t see the Seahawks going 0-3, especially in their home opener. If Seattle can minimize Ezekiel Elliott’s impact on the ground, I think my first #UpsetSpecial comes to fruition.
Seattle Seahawks 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
The Lions rebounded in Week 2 in a narrow loss in San Fran. However, this is the Patriots coming off a tough loss of their own. The only saving grace for Detroit is they get to play this one at home. They desperately need to get a running game moving. Kerryon Johnson looks to be their best option as Blount has looked uninspiring to say the least. The Patriots finally got to see their first-round pick in action in a supporting role. Sony Michel could be the third running back to break through against a Lions team that has allowed two consecutive 100 yard rushers (Crowell, Breida). This is my lock for the week. A team that can’t run the ball or stop it is a rough combination. New England is one of just three teams I have projected to win on the road this week, joining the Bears and Packers.
New England Patriots 31, Detroit Lions 17
Who would’ve thought that after two games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would sit alone at the top of the competitive NFC South? Certainly not me. Fitzmagic is alive and well and if his Bucs can knock off the Steelers in primetime, Jameis Winston may be riding the bench for the foreseeable future. We know Pittsburgh still has it on offense, even without the aforementioned Le’Veon Bell continuing his holdout. Leading the way in Week 2 was JuJu Smith-Schuster. He surpassed a career high in receptions with thirteen on Sunday. The Killer B’s may need to slide over to fit in another member. So far, I’m 0-2 picking Buccaneers games so far this year. To avoid making the same mistake, I’ll ride the momentum and take Tampa Bay on Monday Night.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
Game of the Week: Buccaneers vs Steelers
Upset of the Week: Browns over Jets (because anytime the Browns manage to win, it’s an upset)
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