Week 3. New narratives are being born, old narratives are dying, and some teams are putting distance between themselves and the rest of the league. For a select few, some games are practically already decided.
Locks
Lock: Cardinals-Jaguars
Even if my faith in Urban Meyer didn’t wane by the day, Arizona is still one of the hottest teams in the league. Kyler Murray has 7 TDs and 3 interceptions in 2 games, and Jacksonville seems to continue the trend of being one of the worst teams in the league (barring a miraculous 2016 season). Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence is struggling to adjust to the NFL level. My heart bleeds for Lawrence, but the fact is that the Jaguars aren’t very good, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they went 0-17.
Safe Bets
Safe Bet: Raiders-Dolphins
I’m starting to like the Raiders more and more. Derek Carr and Co. played the Ravens close and beat Ben Roethlisberger in his own stadium. Meanwhile, Tua is out with bruised ribs. And so, the signal-caller is {checks notes} Jacoby Brissett. For the time being, the Raiders look like they have a legit defense. Then again, the Raiders tend to collapse late in the season, so it is to be seen if they can remain consistent over 16 (now 17) games. For the time being, however, I like Vegas’ odds (ironic, I know).
Safe Bet: Broncos-Jets
I didn’t expect the Broncos to be 2-0 at this point in the season, but I CERTAINLY didn’t expect Zach Wilson to have 2 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. Denver was touted as having a great defense going into this season, and they have proven this correct so far. On one hand, they’ve held both teams they’ve played to 13 points each. On the other, those teams were the Giants and the Jaguars. The Jets aren’t great either, so while Denver will likely be 3-0 soon, it is admittedly relatively unconvincing.
Safe Bet: Ravens-Lions
Even if I was convinced by Jared Goff, the problem is the Ravens are a team that is a playoff team. If QBs were all that mattered, I’d take the Lions because Goff has more playoff wins since 2018. Also, he’s led his team to a Super Bowl. The NFL is a team-centric league where every player is important, however, and any and every weakness will be exploited. To paraphrase Zach Brown’s pregame speech in 2019, which is infamous among Eagles fans, you want the ball in Jared Goff’s hands. You want to make him beat you. Unfortunately for Detroit fans, Marvin Jones Jr. and Kenny Golladay left in the offseason, so the cupboard is somewhat bare. Deandre Swift is a killer running back (quite possibly literally) and TJ Hockenson is a stud, but is that enough to beat one of the most lethal rushing attacks in the NFL? The Lions rank in the middle of the pack regarding stopping the run, so it’s possible, but I don’t see it happening.
Safe Bet: Bears-Browns
Browns fans know what it’s like to suffer through quarterback uncertainty. There is optimism around Justin Fields going into his first career start, but he is an unknown at the NFL level. Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski played two future Hall of Famers (Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes) to the wire. Between two games, Cleveland averages 30 points. That’s going to be hard to match, especially given that this is Fields’ first start. If the Bears have a chance, it’s stopping the Browns’ one-two punch of Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb. The latter is one of the best running backs in the league, and that’s not even mentioning that the Browns have a top 5 offensive line. Cleveland is turning into the team the NFL thought they would be two years ago.
Safe Bet: Panthers-Texans
Sam Darnold has had a resurgence after getting free of QB-killer Adam Gase. Good for him. Meanwhile, Tyrod Taylor is injured and Davis Mills is being thrown to the wolves. Good luck to him. Jokes aside, Houston is probably better than we thought, but we’ve seen Darnold win games in Carolina. We’ve hardly seen Mills throw a snap on the NFL level. Weird as it is to say, Darnold is more proven in the NFL. Last week, Mills had a chance to play against the Browns, and he was 8/18 with one touchdown and one interception. Meanwhile, Darnold was 26/38 with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception against the Saints. Good luck to the Texans rookie, but I’m taking Panthers.
Safe Bet: Chiefs-Chargers
I’m excited for this game. This is the beginning of what could be a great rivalry between two great young QBs. The fact that these two are in the same division makes me salivate. Here’s the thing, though: Mahomes has lost nine games since 2018, including in the playoffs. I don’t think #10 is coming against a QB that has more interceptions than TDs, no matter how bad Kansas City’s defense is. People are in love with Herbert’s playmaking and physical traits. I don’t blame them, I am too. However, he needs to prove that he wasn’t a one-year-wonder that is rendered average by proper gameplanning.
Avoid
Avoid: Buccaneers-Rams
Two teams that are not only great, but have visions of Super Bowls in their head. The returning champs vs. the peppy upstart. If you twisted my arm, I’d say that the Rams would be the winners because Antonio Brown will likely be unavailable this Sunday. Apart from Rob Gronkowski, that was the receiver that allowed Tom Brady to take the Buccaneers over the top in 2020. This is going to be a heavyweight bout, but I’ll be bold and pick the Rams to eke out a close game vs Brady and the Bucs. Fun Fact: Tom Brady did not throw a touchdown to a single player in the Super Bowl apart from Antonio Brown and Robert Gronkowski
Other Picks
Football Team- Bills: Bills
Josh Allen is yet to show the greatness that he showed in 2020. Unfortunately, so has Washington’s vaunted defense. So, this might be a battle of one-year-wonders. That makes this next to impossible to predict, but a good throw beats good coverage every time, and so I’m going with the flash-in-the-pan offense over a flash-in-the-pan defense every time.
Colts-Titans: Titans
One of the dirtiest words in the NFL regarding Quarterbacks is “inconsistent.” The Colts haven’t been playing well the past few weeks (even though they’ve faced two very difficult teams). However, Tennessee’s defense has been consistently bad. Castigating them for giving up 38 to Kyler Murray and 30 to Russell Wilson is unfair. However, lackluster defense is a spillover from 2020. Thus. Tennessee could have been a get-right game for Indianapolis, but Carson Wentz might be out with two sprained ankles. I’m also somewhat skeptical that the Colts defense will be able to slow down the Titans offense. There’s just too much uncertainty around the Colts right now to put any money on them.
Saints-Patriots: Patriots
Jameis Winston has thrown for under 150 yards in both games he’s played. His inconsistencies make it hard for me to bet on him since he’s managed to throw 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions one game, and then 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions another. You never know if you’re going to get Famous Jameis or Jameis WINTston on any given week, and no amount of Lasik can fix that. Besides, I have the Patriots defense in fantasy.
Falcons-Giants: Giants
Neither of these teams are good. However, something is pulling me in the direction of New York. Maybe it’s because of Atlanta’s awful defense and nonexistent pass rush, maybe it’s because Danny Dimes had a good game last week, maybe it’s because it’s going to be a mess that one team will unfortunately have to win. Atlanta has a better offense, but New York has a better defense, so It’s hard to say for certain who has the edge. Even though my pick flies in the face of my “good offense beats a good defense every time” statement, Atlanta has been a team on the verge of collapse for three years, so I’ll go with the Giants.
Bengals-Steelers: Steelers
Cincinnati earned my respect by beating Minnesota during week 1. However, I think that picking Pittsburgh is the safe bet (assuming Juju Smith-Schuster doesn’t dance on any logos pregame). I am uncertain whether Burrow or Rothelisberger is a better quarterback at this point in their careers, but I do know that last time each one met, Cincinnati lost 10-36 (the QB that beat Rothelisberger in 2020 was Ryan Finley). Rothelisberger is reportedly nursing an injury, but I am still of the opinion that Pittsburgh has the overwhelmingly superior team. Let’s see how long that opinion persists.
Seahawks-Vikings: Seahawks
Early season Russell Wilson is one of the most lethal players in the league. For no explicable reason, he throws for 1000 yards and 10 TDs every week, and then he completely falls off in the latter half of the season. It makes no sense, but that’s just how Russ cooks. Speaking of Cook, he has apparently missed the last few days of practice for the Vikings, so it is uncertain whether or not he will be available for Sunday night. Considering that he is Minnesota’s best weapon, barring perhaps Adam Thielen, pulling out a victory will now be a Rubik’s Cube more than an uphill battle.
Packers-49ers: 49ers
Garoppolo has a better team, but Rodgers is a better QB. With that said, Green Bay and San Francisco met twice in 2019. Once in the regular season, once in the NFC Championship Games. Not only did Rodgers lose, he lost in ugly fashion. Twice. In the same place (Levi Stadium). In fact, a quick prayer for anyone whose fantasy teams are Packer-centric. Green Bay is playing @ San Fran, so I predict an ugly game.
Eagles-Cowboys: Eagles
On an emotional level, there’s no way I, as an Eagles fan, am picking the Cowboys over the Eagles. On an intellectual level, the only way I can see the Eagles winning is if we manage to slow down a loaded Cowboys offense. Fortunately, that might have been done for us already. Michael Gallup is on IR, Amari Cooper is Injured, Ezekiel Elliott is not the same running back anymore, and the Eagles defense has allowed fewer than 20 points in both games to start the season. The Cowboys defense could be a problem, though, as they have managed to force turnovers, which is an area where the Eagles have struggled. Ezekiel Elliott was the big reason we lost in the past, and unless Tony Pollard can step up, I have the Eagles winning so long as we take care of the ball.
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Dylan Patrowicz is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Dylan, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
