It’s amazing to think the NFL is already a quarter of the way through the season. It’s also crazy to think that some teams are where they are (Chiefs 1-2, Broncos/Panthers 3-0, Colts 0-3). Some of the better teams in the league will now start to be tested, and some will slowly watch their playoff aspirations due before their eyes.
Lock
Titans-Jets
The Jets are who we thought they were. Through the first three weeks of the season, New York has given little reason for optimism, not even registering 15 points once in three weeks. Meanwhile, Tennessee is looking to put distance between themselves and the rest of the division. It’s hard to imagine the Jets stopping Derrick Henry, even with AJ Brown out with a hamstring injury.
Safe Bets
Chiefs-Eagles
Let’s be real: this is probably going to be ugly. Philadelphia scored 21 points against Dallas, but seven of those were defensive and another seven were in garbage time. Granted, the Chiefs defense is not good and has trouble stopping the run, and Philadelphia put up 32 the last time it faced a bad defense (week one vs. the Falcons), I’d be satisfied if they recreated their week one performance, though I imagine Tyrann Mathieu will have something to say about that. All I can really say to Philadelphia is, “good luck.”
Giants-Saints
The Giants just lost to Atlanta. The Saints just scored 28 points against Bill Belicheck. I’ll give credit where it’s due: Daniel Jones hasn’t been as bad as he’s been in years prior. He even exposed the fraudulent Washington defense in week two. However, Winston has only had one game this season that suggests he’s worthy of the “Famous Jameis” moniker. Winston has gotten off to an impressive start. Meanwhile in New York… well, I don’t think Jones is getting that contract extension.
Steelers-Packers
All is not well in Steeler nation. Rothelisberger can’t push the ball down the field anymore, and he’s going against, in the words of Shannon Sharpe, the greatest thrower of the football this game has ever seen. Barring one ugly game in the beginning of the season, Rodgers has played about as well as you can expect, including against his Boogeyman from 2019. In a contest of two future Hall of Famers, I’m taking the one who’s playing his best ball right now.
Avoid
Cardinals-Rams
This is my game of the week. Not only is this a matchup of two quarterbacks in the best division in football, this is a battle between two MVP candidates. I wouldn’t touch this game with a ten-foot pole. I’ll say that the Rams will win this game because they’re overall the better team (better defense, better head coach, better receivers with Deandre Hopkins out). Stafford also just beat the returning NFL champions handily, so there’s that.
Other Picks
Bengals-Jaguars: Bengals
I thought the Bengals offensive line was going to get Burrow killed, but he’s held up so far. Picking Jamarr Chase over Penei Sewell was… I’m not sure it was the right choice, but Burrow and Chase seem to have picked up where they left off at LSU. Lawrence, however, is getting destroyed by the week by his environment the same way Burrow was last year. Cincinnati seems to have a better defense than I originally thought, and so I imagine that Lawrence will continue to struggle.
Washington-Falcons: Washington
Good on Atlanta for beating the Giants. Unfortunately, they can’t play teams like New York every week. Washington’s defense might be overrated, Heineke might’ve had a few too many Bud Lightickes before
Texans-Bills: Bills
Texans are better than I expected. So is Josh Allen. That is to say, he’s showing that he can go off for five touchdowns any given week. Mills doesn’t command that level of attention, at least not yet. Maybe one day, but for now, I like the Bills over the Texans. Not just the quarterback, but the entire team.
Lions-Bears: Lions
Justin Fields isn’t ready. I need to own that I told the Bears to start him if Dalton struggles. Well, Dalton is injured, and Fields had an opportunity to assert himself. He underwhelmed, throwing for under 200 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception in the past two weeks. COMBINED. Goff is at least decent, so I expect him to do just enough to win.
Panthers-Cowboys: Cowboys
Here’s an example of me being glad to be wrong (assuming Dallas loses). Carolina’s record is somewhat unconvincing, but they’ve beaten everyone they’ve come across. Meanwhile, Dallas has had a rough opening to the season. And yes, I’m counting Philadelphia in there, as they were a top 10 defense when Dallas came to town. Meanwhile, Darnold has beaten two New York teams (not the good one) and Jacksonville. Darnold has beaten Dak with a bad team before, let’s see if he holds up this week For now, however, I’m taking Dallas.
Colts-Dolphins
If the Colts aren’t in desperation mode now, they should be. Staring at the prospect of an 0-4 start, the Wentz era in Indianapolis may end before it even has a chance to get started. For Eagles fans’ sake, they’d better hope that the Colts win, as well. Losing four straight might result in Wentz getting benched, even though he’s not playing poor (or at least not nearly as bad as last year). Plus, if the Colts win, Miami’s draft position gets worse, and Philly owns their first round pick next year thanks to the Devonta Smith trade.
Browns-Vikings
This is tough, tougher than I thought it’d be. Minnesota just beat Seattle without Dalvin Cook, but the only game that Cleveland has lost so far has been to the Chiefs, who won 33-29. Cousins is severely underrated, and he’s proving that this season, but Cleveland is a far way away from the 3-36-1 era of 2016-17. I’m taking Cleveland in this one. At some point, they became a team that you’d be foolish to bet against, and I’m honestly glad for the Dawg Pound.
Seahawks-49ers: 49ers
Y’know, I understand that Wilson is a better QB than Jimmy Garoppolo, but the 49ers did just play the Packers in a tightly contested game, while Wilson just put up 16 points against a Minnesota defense ranked 20 overall by lineups.com. Not to be too harsh on Wilson, but his team goes as he goes, and if he doesn’t show up for a game, the Seahawks don’t win that week. That’s a lot to put on one person, franchise QB or not, but the Seahawks just aren’t built like the 49ers are. While I don’t foresee a blowout, I do predict the 49ers will be too much for Wilson to beat single-handedly.
Ravens-Broncos: Ravens
Baltimore will be Denver’s biggest test of the year. Lamar… I’m not sure what happened last week, but he had to rely on a record-breaking field goal from future Hall of Famer Justin Tucker to beat Jared Goff and the 0-3 Lions. I don’t expect more of the same, but if Lamar loses this game or has an ugly performance, expect me to bet against him week 5.
Buccaneers-Patriots: Buccaneers
Mac Jones isn’t outdueling Tom Brady. That said, nobody knows Tom Brady better than Bill Belichek. However, Brady also knows Belichek better than anyone. I’ve got a feeling Brady will be out to embarrass his former head coach. It will either be a massacre in Brady’s favor, or it will be a low-scoring slog fest. Either way, I don’t see Belichek coming out with a win.
Raiders-Chargers: Raiders
This is going to be another good one. I didn’t end up watching the Chargers-Cowboys game in week 2, but I heard that both Dak and Herbert played well, despite the low score. Raiders are another team that haven’t scored less than 25 points through three weeks, so I like their odds this week. LA will likely keep LV’s receivers in check (if Tyreek can’t get open, nobody can), It’s still early in the season, and the Raiders tend not to collapse until fans have hope, but we’ll see if Carr can keep the positive momentum he’s built over the past three weeks.
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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.
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