Week 3 has a few very intriguing match ups this Sunday.
Lets start with Eagles at Cardinals; both teams are 2-0 and both have very good defenses. The Cardinals were able to shut down the Patriots in New England last week which gives me good reason to believe they can shut down Philadelphia’s high powered offense. This game will rely on Michael Vick and his propensity for turning the ball over. The first two weeks he has thrown 6 interceptions and if he can keep those in check and use LeSean McCoy between 18-25 times the chances of winning will drastically increase. But the Cardinals’ secondary is much improved, with Patrick Peterson turning into a shut down corner more and more each week and with the addition of William Gay they are very impressive. I am anxious to see the DeSean Jackson against Patrick Peterson match up, pure speed against pure speed. I believe the Eagles will win by a late field goal to go to 3-0.
Houston at Denver is another great match up. The Texans have looked very impressive these first two weeks, both offensively and defensively but this will be their toughest game yet. Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos will look to rebound off the loss against the Falcons on Monday night, where Peyton threw 3 first quarter interceptions that gave the Falcons a lead that the Broncos couldn’t surmount after a late fourth quarter rally. I believe Denver will play much better at home on Sunday afternoon and Champ Bailey will cover Andre Johnson while the front 7 of the Broncos, featuring Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil, will control the running back duo of Foster and Tate. I pick the Broncos to win 24-17.
New England at Baltimore might be the game of the day since both teams are coming off tough losses and are in need of a big win. Baltimore surrendered a big lead in the second half to lose to the Eagles last week and New England missed a potential game winning field goal with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter; two heartbreaking losses and I am very interested to see who rebounds the best. Tom Brady lost Aaron Hernandez last week to a high ankle sprain so I am expecting Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker to step up and have big games. This will force the defense to think pass so running back Stephan Ridley can break a few long runs. Joe Flacco has looked really good at times this year, but disappointed last week when he had just under two minutes left and could not lead his team down the field for a game-winning score. He overthrew a few passes and a few were batted down; not the things you look for in a quarterback who wants to be regarded as elite. I am predicting the Patriots to win by a touchdown
Green Bay at Seattle should be a great Monday Night Football game. The Seahawks are flying high after their big win over the Cowboys last week at home, the defense shut down the running and passing game of the Cowboys and won 27-7. I really like Seattle’s defense, they may have the best secondary in the league to compliment a big front line. The Seahawks’ offense is still developing under rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, but they do have Marshawn Lynch who is a monster at times. The Packers’ defense was great last week against the Bears, while Aaron Rogers and the offense didn’t look so hot. I am interested to see how Jordy Nelson and Gregg Jennings (who might not play with a knee injury) will do against the Seattle secondary. I am predicting another upset with Seattle 28 – Green Bay 24.
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