Buccaneers QB Tom Brady will look to lead his team to their 4th straight victory on Thursday night in Chicago against the Bears. (h/t Getty Images)
Another week, another slate of games to pick. I went 11-4 in Week 4, bringing my total to 20-10-1 on the year. A pretty good week, but there’s always room to improve. Let’s predict this week’s contests.
Buccaneers 28-17 Bears
The Brady vs. Foles rematch we’ve all been waiting for. Both QBs are in different places than the last time they faced off in Super Bowl LII, but they’re both doing similar things. Brady is still putting up incredible numbers down in Tampa, and Foles is still pulling miracles in Chicago. That is, he pulled one miracle. He’ll need another one if he wants to beat this Bucs team, which has one of the most solid defensive units in the league. I like Brady and co. to get the job done quite easily against a Bears team that struggled mightily offensively last week. Perhaps this is the week that Chicago figures things out, but I doubt it.
Panthers 31-28 Falcons
If you told me that one of these teams would be 2-2 and the other would be 0-4 coming into this matchup, I definitely would’ve guessed that the wrong teams had those records. Alas, here we are. The Falcons are reeling week after week, either being outclassed or blowing leads. The Panthers have strung together a couple of really nice wins, and will hope to keep that momentum going on Sunday in Atlanta. I think they will, but I expect the Falcons offense to keep them in the game for a while. Don’t expect WR Calvin Ridley to be a no-show again like he was last week.
Chiefs 38-24 Raiders
I am hoping for the best for Kansas City players after playing against a team now dealing with a plethora of COVID-19 complications last week. Everything appears to be going smoothly, but you never know with the virus. If things proceed normally, then this game will not be very close. The Chiefs offense and QB Patrick Mahomes has only been slowed down by the Patriots this year, and the Raiders don’t have nearly the defense that New England has. I expect this lackluster defense to continue being underwhelming, and Vegas will lose big.
Cardinals 31-13 Jets
The Cardinals have lost back-to-back games and are looking to get back on track ASAP to compete in the toughest division in football. Luckily for them, they get the New York Jets this week. Moreover, the Jets will be starting QB Joe Flacco thanks to the shoulder injury sustained by Sam Darnold last week. This game should not be close at all, and I don’t expect it to be. If the Cardinals prove me wrong again… there will definitely be some questions.
Steelers 27-17 Eagles
The good ol’ battle for Pennsylvania. Two teams that I despise from cities that I despise. I wish they’d both lose. However, I’m practical, so I’ll take Pittsburgh to win this game. The Steelers defense is way too good to give up big plays to nobodies like the 49ers did last week against the Eagles. I expect QB Carson Wentz to struggle greatly and maybe have his worst game of the season. However, I wouldn’t overreact in Philly, as this Pittsburgh team is just straight up better than them.
Rams 31-14 Washington
The Kyle Allen era begins in DC. That physically pained me to type. Oh well. I personally hope we lose this game by 100, but like I said above, I am practical. The Rams are a better team than Washington. Better on offense, better on defense, and much better on special teams. This game should be a blowout. The one thing Washington has going for them is that the Rams might be a bit jet lagged, but I doubt they’ll fall into an early 28-3 deficit again. This game should be a blowout, and I hope that I’m right about that.
Ravens 30-21 Bengals
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson hasn’t practiced much this week, but I doubt that’ll make him play any worse this Sunday. Baltimore is starting to get back on track after their embarrassing loss to the Chiefs, and the Bengals don’t propose much of a challenge. Cincy finally got in the win column last week, and QB Joe Burrow continues to look great on a weekly basis. The kid refuses to go down without a fight, and I don’t think he will this week, even against a team like the Ravens. Despite that, it won’t be enough. If the Bengals can pull off this upset, it’d be pretty great to see, but I just don’t think it’s very likely.
Texans 27-24 Jaguars
Houston finally moved off HC/GM Bill O’Brien, and now Romeo Crennel will lead the team for the rest of 2020. I think his tenure will get off to a good start. Jacksonville has been up and down this year, and I never know what version of the team I’m going to get on Sundays. Regardless, I expect this Texans team to be fired up, as many players have implicitly expressed their relief now that BOB is gone. These teams match up pretty well talent wise, but I like Houston, who has an extra edge going into this game, to come out with the W.
49ers 31-19 Dolphins
San Francisco should be getting their starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo back this week against Miami, and that is reason enough for me to pick them. This offense looked decent under Nick Mullens last week, but he singlehandedly lost them the game in the 4th quarter. With Garoppolo back, this offense will be back to (almost) full strength. Luckily, they face a Dolphins team that didn’t play very inspiring football a week ago. I think this is a great matchup for a 49ers team looking to get back on track. The Fins could linger around for a while, but I like San Francisco to take care of business fairly easily.
Browns 22-19 Colts
This honestly might be the best matchup of the week.: a fantastic offense vs. a fantastic defense. Both of these teams excelled in those specific phases last Sunday, but it will not be as easy this week. The Browns might struggle offensively in their first game of many to come without RB Nick Chubb. However, I still think they’ll be the team to win this game. Yes, I have been raving about the Colts defense all season long, but they haven’t played an offense as talented as Cleveland’s yet, even without Chubb. I also think the Browns have a pretty good defense of their own. I trust Cleveland’s stars to make the big plays in the big moments more than I trust Indy’s. For that reason, I’ll take the Browns.
Cowboys 38-16 Giants
This game should not be close whatsoever. The Cowboys are very lucky that, in a week filled with scrutiny and slander from the media and fans, they get to play the New York Giants. This offense should have a field day against a New York defense that is pretty bad, despite a very good game against the Rams last Sunday. Dallas’ defense should also have a bounce back week against a Giants offense that has scored 3 offensive touchdowns in 4 games. If the Cowboys somehow manage to lose this game, then it will be time for an implosion in the coaching staff.
Seahawks 34-31 Vikings
This Sunday’s nightcap should be a blast. The Seahawks defense has proven that they cannot stop a nosebleed, and now they welcome to town an offense that has found its groove in the last 2 weeks. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has been putting up great numbers with his WRs Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson starting to get hot. But, the Seahawks have also proven that they can win all the shootouts in the world, which the Vikings have not. QB Russell Wilson will always find a way to win the game for his team, and that’s exactly what I expect him to do on Sunday night. I expect it to be nothing short of a thriller; what else would I expect from the 2020 Seattle Seahawks?
Patriots 27-13 Broncos
Another Patriots game moved to Monday evening thanks to COVID-19 issues. CB Stefon Gilmore tested positive for the virus this week, which means the Patriots’ two best players will likely be out for this game. If QB Cam Newton somehow manages to play in this game, then it’ll be a lot worse than a 14 point game. But, even without Cam, I think New England wins big. They are simply much better than a Denver team that has been destroyed by injuries. HC Bill Belichick is also way too smart to be out-coached or out-gameplanned by Broncos HC Vic Fangio. This game could end up being ugly, which wouldn’t surprise me at all. In any case, the Patriots will win it.
Saints 30-27 Chargers
This one should be fun. The Chargers announced that rookie QB Justin Herbert will be their full-time starter going forward (as if there were any other choice), and he has been red hot to start his career. He just got finished dotting up one of the best secondaries in football a week ago. Next up for him is a secondary that has struggled all year long in New Orleans. I fully expect Herbert to pop off once again, but in typical Chargers fashion, it won’t be enough. The Saints are more experienced, more talented, and better coached. Moreover, WR Michael Thomas is probably returning this week, which will provide a big boost to a New Orleans offense that has yet to find a true rhythm in 2020. If Herbert can lead his team to a victory on Monday night, then hopefully it will shut up any people who still doubt him.
Bills 27-26 Titans
Tuesday night football! This game is now being played on Tuesday the 13th due to more COVID-19 problems in Tennessee. That is, unless the Titans still can’t get their players under control. In that case, this game will likely be canceled. But I’m an optimist, so let’s talk as if everything will proceed in the best case scenario. This is the only battle of unbeatens this week, and it should be very fun to watch. Both of these teams are very solid all around, and are both extremely well-coached. These are two classic franchises who are now both on the track back to success. I’ll take Buffalo to pull this one out by an extremely narrow margin, only because they’ve proven that they can beat some elite teams in this league. Tennessee did have an extra week off to rest and prepare, but I still think that the Bills will come out on top. I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if I’m wrong. Let’s just hope this game actually happens.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers tossed 4 touchdowns in a Monday night rout of the Falcons to improve Green Bay to 4-0.(h/t Mark Hoffman, USA Today)
This week showed us how dominant the top teams in the NFL are, and shuffled around the bottom of the league. Let’s stack up the teams 1-32 now that a quarter of the regular season is over.
1 – Chiefs (4-0)
Kansas City struggled offensively for a while on Monday evening against one of the best defenses in the league, to no fault of their own. Patriots HC Bill Belichick will always gameplan such that you struggle against him, especially with an extra day of planning. But that isn’t enough to make me bump this team down at all. They’re still at full strength and will continue to win games. This game against the Patriots might have been the toughest test they face this year. We’ll find out soon enough, as they take on the Bills in a couple weeks.
2 – Packers (4-0)
As I said yesterday, Aaron Rodgers is still a very bad man. The Packers QB thew 4 touchdowns in a dominating victory over the Falcons. Green Bay continues to look extremely solid on both sides of the ball, even when they’re missing their top 2 receivers. Who knew Robert Tonyan would be a viable weapon on offense? They’ll likely be getting WR Davante Adams back after their bye week. Next up for the Rodgers and the Pack: Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. I can’t wait to see that.
3 – Seahawks (4-0)
Seattle is still annoying me. QB Russell Wilson continues to cook, but this team continues to have no defense. They need to beat teams like Miami by more than just 8 points. I trust this team to win games for as long as Russ is the QB, but if they truly want to cement themselves as a Super Bowl contender, then they need to go out and get a pass rusher. They have Jamal Adams as an anchor in the secondary and Bobby Wagner as one in the box, but they have no presence on the defensive line. If they don’t find it, then the likes of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will have field days against this team.
4 – Bills (4-0)
Buffalo could honestly be higher than this, but I’m ok with keeping them at 4 for another week. QB Josh Allen has played every game this season masterfully, and WR Stefon Diggs is looking like one of the best offseason pickups in the NFL. Diggs now leads the NFL in receiving, and Allen is 2nd to only Cowboys QB Dak Prescott in passing yards (if only Dak didn’t love statpadding so much). The defense also showed up when it needed to on Sunday, forcing a turnover that led to a touchdown to all but ice the win for Buffalo. This team now faces back to back unbeaten teams in Tennessee and Kansas City. It’s time to see if the Bills are truly a contender.
5 – Buccaneers (3-1)
I’m starting to sound like a broken record here. The Bucs are improving every week, still. Tom Brady’s chemistry with his weapons offensively is increasing, still. This team did get off to a sluggish start on Sunday with a Brady pick 6 and the defense giving up bombs to Justin Herbert and the Chargers, but they controlled the game from being down 17 until the final whistle, in large part due to 5 Tom Brady TD passes. Now this team has shown us that they can play from behind, and they can win games with both their offense and their defense. I’m not sure what else I can say about this team. They are much better than anyone in the media is giving them credit for.
6 – Ravens (3-1)
Baltimore took the short trip down to Landover on Sunday for a contest with Washington and came out with a… somewhat unconvincing win. Yes the Ravens lead wire to wire, but they were gifted some short fields and got very lucky on a risky fake punt conversion when they were only up 7. They only outgained Washington by 7 yards on offense. It seemed like Washington was controlling the tempo for a while, but those aforementioned mistakes/gifts helped the Ravens put the game away early. It’s not like they needed to do much to win that game, but it was simply unconvincing. I’m sure they’ll be fine and blow out teams in these next few weeks, but I’ll have to see it myself before I bump them up again.
7 – Steelers (3-0) 1
The Steelers got COVID’d thanks to the Titans and now look ahead to taking on the cross-state rival Eagles. I think they should dispatch of Philly quite handily. This is a team that is still very good on both sides of the ball. And they now had an extra week off to rest and prepare. They’ll be fine
8 – Titans (3-0) 2
This team is lucky I bumped them up after almost ruining the league with COVID-19 issues. But they were the beneficiary of teams above them losing games. Not much I can say about the Titans here. I’m interested to see how they play against the Bills this weekend. That is, if they play against the Bills this weekend.
9 – Rams (3-1)
Going into Sunday’s game against the Giants, the Rams were 12.5 point favorites. They didn’t even score that many points until they were 54 minutes into the game. Yes, LA went home with a win, but it was very ugly, slow, and sluggish against arguably the worst team in football. It was very uncharacteristic of a team that had put on 3 consecutive impressive outings, especially offensively. I’m fairly confident in saying that this will be a one-time thing for a team coached by Sean McVay, but you never know. This week, they travel east again to take on a Washington team with a fairly solid defense. I personally hope they score 100.
10 – Patriots (2-2) 3
I will honestly admit that I am being very harsh on the Patriots this week. Their starting QB Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19, leading to very poor QB play in KC on Monday night by backups Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham. This team looked absolutely fantastic defensively, and they probably would have won that game if Cam was healthy. Unfortunately, their terrific defensive performance meant nothing. But it has proven that this team can compete with anyone in the league as long as they have this defensive personnel and Bill Belichick wearing a headset. Star CB Stefon Gilmore did test positive for COVID-19 today, which could set the defense back just a bit, but I still think they’ll be fine in the long term.
11 – Saints (2-2) 1
The Saints finally got back to looking like the Saints on Sunday afternoon in Detroit. New Orleans got off to a slow start and found themselves in a 14-0 hole thanks to a tip drill INT by the Lions defense, but scored 35 straight from there on out and never looked back. Now this team gets WR Michael Thomas back ahead of a very intriguing Monday night showdown against one of the league’s most compelling teams in the Chargers, led by QB Justin Herbert. That should be quite a fun game to watch.
12 – Browns (3-1) 5
Cleveland’s rise to not only relevance, but stardom, is almost complete. This team has looked absolutely spectacular in the last 3 weeks, scoring 35, 34, and 49 points respectively. Their defense is also improving by the week, led by superstar DE Myles Garrett, who might be the best defensive player in football right now. Don’t let the defensive stats from Sunday’s game in Dallas fool you, since most of the Cowboys’ yards came in garbage time. This team is figuring out how to run their offense to perfection, especially by integrating WR Odell Beckham Jr. more. Star RB Nick Chubb unfortunately got placed on IR this week, but they still have a great back in Kareem Hunt to carry the load for the next month or so. HC Kevin Stefanski has figured out how to get things going on both sides of the ball in Cleveland, and it is working wonderfully.
13 – Colts (3-1) 5
I will now give Indianapolis all the credit they deserve. The Colts boast a defense that might be the best in football, even without S Malik Hooker. This team leads the NFL in PPG and YPG defensively and has given up just 18 points in the last 9 games. The Bears only put up 3 points the in the first 58 minutes against them on Sunday. The offense also continues to do its job by scoring however much they need to. QB Philip Rivers only has 1 TD in every game so far this year, but that formula works just fine because the defense is that good. This is certainly a playoff team that might contend with the Titans for the AFC South title.
14 – 49ers (2-2) 3
Sunday night’s loss to Philadelphia was an inexcusable one for this 49ers team, but I’ll cut them some slack. They were missing their starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo and were extremely thin defensively, especially in the secondary. They did not get any help from QB Nick Mullens, who put up a stinker against a bad Eagles defense. Once Jimmy G comes back, this team will be fine and be back to winning games in normal fashion, which is why I’m still giving them the benefit of the doubt and keeping them up here.
15 – Raiders (2-2) 1
The silver and black fell victim to another tough loss against a great team on Sunday, so I wont’ penalize them too much. Buffalo is a very tough team to play, even at home, and the Raiders played them very close for most of the game. Even when the Bills made it a 2 score game late, Vegas almost mounted a comeback. I’m still very confident in what this team can do offensively, but their defense has looked very suspect this whole season. If they don’t tighten up defensively, then it will cost them many close games like on Sunday and could hurt their chances at a wild card spot.
16 – Cardinals (2-2) 3
As I said yesterday, it appears that the Cardinals were tricking us. Back-to-back losses against teams that they should have beaten easily if they played like the Cardinals of weeks 1 and 2. This team is still very talented on both sides of the ball and very well coached, but they are not playing like it at all right now. Hopefully for them, this is just a cold spell, and they’ll be back to winning games very soon. If not, then this is not a playoff team like we all thought a few weeks ago.
17 – Bears (3-1) 2
Chicago looked absolutely dreadful offensively against the Colts on Sunday. Yes, they were playing an elite defense, but only being to muster 11 points the whole game is a bit embarrassing. This team has talent all across the board, and they really should be playing a lot better than they are this season. The one thing they can’t seem to figure out is the QB position. I don’t think there is a clear cut right choice between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles, but regardless of who is under center, they should lead their team to better performances than what we saw at Soldier Field last week. It doesn’t get any easier, as they welcome Tom Brady and the Bucs into town on Thursday night for what will likely be another offensive struggle.
18 – Panthers (2-2) 8
Carolina is another team that I will start to give a lot more respect. After a slow start to 2020, this team has strung together back to back impressive wins against 2 good football teams. QB Teddy Bridgewater is playing some good football, even without his main weapon, RB Christian McCaffrey. HC Matt Rhule’s system is starting to take place and work very well. I can only imagine how well it’ll work once McCaffrey returns. I don’t think this is a playoff team, but they won’t be horrible by any means. They have impressed me.
19 – Chargers (1-3)
The Chargers did that thing where they almost win the game but then lose due to a series of unfortunate events for about the millionth time in franchise history. Los Angeles lost their 3rd consecutive game by 7 points or less. They looked to be in control after taking a 24-7 lead, but they got Tom Brady’d. Rookie QB Justin Herbert continues to look spectacular as he was throwing dime after dime downfield against a very solid Tampa secondary. Alas, it wasn’t enough once again. You can give the Chargers a new QB, move them to Los Angeles, give them new unis, and it still won’t matter. They will always be the Chargers.
20 – Vikings (1-3)
Minnesota finally got in the win column on Sunday against a reeling Texans team. It was a good win for a team that needed the confidence boost. QB Kirk Cousins is returning to form, and his WRs Adam Thielen and rookie Justin Jefferson are starting to put up some big numbers. RB Dalvin Cook is also continuing to do his thing as a top 5 rusher in the NFL. This team will be fine, and will likely still fight for a wild card spot this season, but they need to continue stringing together some wins. Sunday’s win was a step in the right direction.
21 – Cowboys (1-3) 5
I really don’t want to waste my time talking about this team. You can refer to yesterday’s excerpt about their game against Cleveland for how I feel about the Cowboys. In short: very talented offense, abysmal defense, head-scratching coaching decisions, and mind-boggling game trends. There is no reason for this team to start every game so lethargically just for them to statpad/”come back” in the end. It’s pretty exhausting, and I feel like they’re better than this. Of course, it doesn’t bother me, since I am ALL FOR Dallas losing games.
22 – Dolphins (1-3) 1
Miami put up a good fight against the Seahawks on Sunday, as every team seemingly does. It was a very “Ryan Fitzpatrick” game for the Dolphins and their current starting QB, resulting in calls from a lot of fans to start rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa. I don’t know if it’s time for that just yet, as they want Tua to learn the system first, but I do think his time is coming soon. Although this team has a lot of talent, it’s not like they will be competing or contending any time soon. Might as well wait it out with Tua, much like the Chiefs did with Mahomes a few years ago.
23 – Bengals (1-2-1) 6
Congratulations to QB Joe Burrow for getting his first NFL win. He was due. Burrow and the Bengals offense looked very good on Sunday, racking up over 500 yards of total offense. RB Joe Mixon had himself a day with 3 total touchdowns. If Burrow can consistently get this kind of help from the weapons around him, then this team will win a lot more games. Cincy fans have to be delighted that they have found their franchise QB. I am very happy for those fans, and for Burrow himself. Both parties deserve it.
24 – Eagles (1-2-1) 4
QB Carson Wentz and Philadelphia finally decided they wanted to win a football game this year, and it was honestly fairly impressive. Wentz led his team to a 4th quarter comeback victory surrounded by a bunch of practice squad players who honestly might have side hustles bagging groceries. Seriously, who the hell is Travis Fulgham? The Eagles did get some help from San Francisco QB Nick Mullens, who pretty much gifted them a victory in the 4th quarter. Philly now sits atop the NFC East, which isn’t very impressive, but a division lead regardless. Next up is a very tough Steelers team that will likely put the Birds back in their place.
25 – Texans (0-4) 4
Houston dropped to 0-4 after a very tough home loss against the previously-winless Vikings, and decided to finally HC/GM Bill O’Brien. I went into the move yesterday, so check that out for my in-depth reaction to that. Romeo Crennel now has the keys to the Texans car, and will look to keep it on the road for the next 12 weeks. Luckily for Houston, they still have good offensive talent and can get themselves a great new HC this offseason. Unluckily, they are completely deprived of 1st and 2nd round picks for the next 2 years. Perhaps they should make some moves to get those back. If not, it’ll be a long rebuild for this team.
26 – Falcons (0-4) 4
Atlanta lost their fourth game in four tries in 2020, but at least they did it in style. Seriously, those all-white unis looked absolutely gorgeous under the Lambeau lights. It was an expected blowout loss for the Falcons, but I did not expect their offense to look so lethargic. Maybe it was the 9pm start, maybe it was the long road trip, or maybe it was the lasting effect of back to back blown leads, but this team did not look good at all. I’ll still keep them above some other 1-win teams because I simply think they’re better than those teams, but slowly, week by week, the Falcons are proving me wrong.
27 – Jaguars (1-3) 3
Jacksonville is back to their losing ways, but I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault in particular. They have simply been playing better teams. QB Gardner Minshew II is still putting up big numbers, which means the Jaguars are left out of the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™ for another week. Sunday’s game is a reflection of how much of this season has been and will go for the Jags: staying in the fight but coming out on the losing side. This team is a couple of pieces away from being truly competitive, but I don’t think they have it this year.
28 – Lions (1-3) 3
Detroit needs to make some changes. With Sunday’s loss after being up 14-0, the Lions became the first team in NFL history to lose 6 straight games in which they were up double digits. Yes, that definitely is in the nature of Detroit sports, but that doesn’t mean changes can’t be made to help remedy it. HC Matt Patricia is now 10-25-1 in his Lions tenure. It’s time for him to go. The Lions have some good pieces on offense, but have struggled mightily on defense in 2020. They need to improve that area of the team in this rebuild if they want to be competitive in the future. Based on this team’s history, I do not see it happening.
29 – Broncos (1-3) 1
Denver got their first win of 2020 in exciting fashion on Thursday night against the Jets behind a decent outing from temporary starting QB Brett Rypien. Of course, anyone can look good when they face a team like the Jets. This team is still pretty bad, but they showed a lot of good flashes, especially rookie WR Jerry Jeudy and new RB Melvin Gordon. They might be in some games this year, but I don’t expect them to win many more in 2020.
30 – Washington (1-3) 3
Good God in heaven, if I could rank this team 32nd I absolutely would. Today’s decision to bench QB Dwayne Haskins for the foreseeable future in favor of backup QB Kyle Allen is one of the most upsetting decisions this team has made in a very long time. Haskins is a guy that has now been through 3 head coaches (none of whom have wanted him), 3 systems, has not even started a full NFL season’s worth of games, has been ridiculed by fans and the media for playing “poorly” when he was getting the job done, and has now likely played his last game in a Washington uniform. He is coming off one of the best games of his career in which he played perfectly fine, despite what some people might have you believe because of a couple of checkdowns here and there. It’s not Haskins’ fault that OC Scott Turner’s plays and designs are absolutely awful and limit what this team can do on offense. And for someone who has been labeled as “careless with the football”, he has only had 1 multi-turnover game as a starter. Additionally, Haskins has absolutely nothing to work with. He has a true WR1 in Terry McLaurin, and that’s about it. His starting tight end is a converted QB for crying out loud. This move is a testament to the incompetence and impatience of HC Ron Rivera, who knew exactly what he was getting with Haskins at QB, and a franchise who refuses to develop their young QBs, so they leave them out to die. It’s absolutely disgusting and heinous. Now, Kyle Allen gets the keys to the offense. Allen is a true turnover machine, unlike Haskins (who has been turnover-less in 3 of 4 games in 2020). Allen was 2019’s WORST GRADED PASSER according to PFF, and had as bad as 4 INT games last season. He gets the chance because he “knows the system” better and because the NFC East is so bad that Rivera thinks this team can win enough games with Allen to win the division. Yes, the division is bad, but we were already in first place for almost the entire season with Haskins playing the way he was playing. His confidence was going up, his chemistry with his receivers was going up, and this team was poised to start winning again. Instead, we get Kyle Allen. I genuinely hope we lose every game that Allen starts, and Haskins is able to go somewhere that he can truly be appreciated and developed into a winning QB. It’s what he deserves. I will always love him and appreciate what he had to offer in DC. It’s a shame that Dan Snyder and Ron Rivera didn’t. Today is one of the saddest days in recent memory with this team, and I am embarrassed to be a Washington football fan right now.
31 – Giants (0-4)
The Giants put up a much better fight than I ever could have imagined they would on Sunday in Inglewood. They were in that game from start to finish, and it wasn’t until a Daniel Jones turnover in the final minute that they were officially out of it. As I said when talking about the Rams, I think this is a one-time thing, but still, it must be a good confidence boost to not get absolutely curbstomped. This team still isn’t winning any games anytime soon, and is a real contender in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™, but I am proud of the fight they put up this week.
32 – Jets (0-4)
Yeah. You know what it is. The New York Jets, Adam Gase torture victims, ruiners of Sam Darnold, leaders of the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™, permanent residents of the #32 spot on Raza’s weekly power rankings. Why isn’t Adam Gase fired yet? Who knows. All I know is that Sam Darnold is being wasted, as is the time of Jets fans. I’m sure they’ll enjoy watching Joe Flacco start the next couple of games at QB.
Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. had a monster game against the Cowboys with over 150 total yards and 3 total touchdowns. (h/t AP Photo, Brandon Wade)
Another week, another slate of games filled with offense and storylines. Let’s get into it.
Broncos 37-28 Jets
This game was much more entertaining than I ever could have imagined. Maybe I should’ve expected this from 2 teams playing for absolutely nothing. The game got off to a very exciting start with Jets QB Sam Darnold ripping off an incredible 46 yard TD run that probably should never have happened, but the Broncos were watching Trevor Lawrence highlights in the locker room and didn’t want to play defense. Broncos QB Brett Rypien got the call for his first career start, and was playing fairly well for most of the game. He found rookie WR Jerry Jeudy for a long TD and spread the ball out all over the field to a completely depleted offense. He did throw a pick 6 to get the Jets back into it late; New York even took the lead with 6 minutes left. But, a late field goal and dagger TD gave Denver their first win of 2020. This was an ugly game for the Jets defense, who committed so many personal fouls that Broncos HC refused to let his players shake hands with any New York players. Nothing says “a Gregg Williams defense” like no discipline and dirty play. The Jets have strengthened their grip on the Trevor Lawerence Sweepstakes™.
Bengals 33-25 Jaguars
Just as I predicted, QB Joe Burrow got his first win on Sunday. The Bengals rookie signal caller looked great once again, becoming the first rookie QB to throw for 300 yards in 3 consecutive games. He got a ton of help offensively (for once), especially from RB Joe Mixon, who ran for over 150 yards and accounted for 3 total touchdowns. The Jags didn’t play a poor game by any means. QB Gardner Minshew II threw for 351 yards and 2 scores, both to WR DJ Chark. But they could not keep up with the Cincinnati offense, which played its best game of the year with over 500 total yards. If the Bengals attack can play this well consistently, then there are plenty of games to be won.
Browns 49-38 Cowboys
Oh my, where to begin with this one. The Browns came out of the gate firing, scoring first on a trick play that saw WR Jarvis Landry launch a touchdown to WR Odell Beckham Jr. Dallas retaliated to gain a 14-7 lead, including a long touchdown to an emerging star, rookie WR CeeDee Lamb. Cleveland then ripped off an unimaginable 34 unanswered points. The Browns had a whopping 24 point second quarter en route to a 17 point halftime lead, and they didn’t look back (for a time). QB Baker Mayfield was dotting the Cowboys defense and the Browns running game was relentless. Unfortunately, star RB Nick Chubb was rolled up on and injured. Chubb will likely miss up to 6 weeks, but luckily, Cleveland still has Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson, who was somehow the Browns leading rusher on Sunday. After going up 41-14, the Browns defense kinda gave up, allowing QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys to do that thing they always do in the 4th quarter where they score a bunch of points and try to come back and make the loss look much less embarrassing than it is. Dallas scored 24 unanswered points to cut the lead to just 3. Then, the Browns put the game away in spectacular fashion. Odell got his number called on a reverse play on which he broke tackles and left Dallas defenders in the dust en route to a 50 yard touchdown to finally put the game away for Cleveland. The Browns are now 3-1 and the offense looks fantastic. HC Kevin Stefanski has finally realized the potential of this team. The Cowboys are now 1-3, and should 100% be 0-4 if the Falcons weren’t, you know, the Falcons. This team is very talented offensively, as Dak Prescott is on pace to break records and has put up great numbers so far this year, but why do they only play well offensively once they’re down by a huge margin? They start super slow, the defense (which is absolutely dreadful) get them in a major hole, and then Dak statpads to an impressive statline and they make the loss look “respectable”. This team needs to make some changes if they want to improve. I personally hope it doesn’t happen.
Saints 35-29 Lions
We need to start giving the Lions more crap for not being able to hold on leads. With their blown 14 point lead on Sunday, they made some incredible NFL history. The Detroit Lions are the only team to blow six (6) straight double digit leads and lose. They are 0-6 in their last 6 games in which they were up by 10+ points. How is that even possible? Maybe it’s because Matt Patricia is a horrible head coach. He is now 10-25-1 in Detroit with several blown games and awful performances. The Saints scored 35 straight points after the Lions started the game up 14-0. For being a “defensive” head coach, his defenses have been atrocious. Yes, the Lions made it a game in the end, but they didn’t really. Even up 14-0, it never felt like the Lions had a grip on this game. Saints QB Drew Brees shook off an early interception and played a good game, leading his team to victory in what was likely their last game without star WR Michael Thomas. The Saints need every win and weapon they can get this season, as their schedule doesn’t get much easier. The Lions need to hit the reset button if they want to have a chance to win more than 5 games a year. Patricia needs to go.
Seahawks 31-23 Dolphins
This game went along fairly predictably. Seattle was in control from wire to wire, but Miami stuck around due to the Seahawks nonexistent pass rush, allowing QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to rack up over 300 yards passing. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson continued to put up big numbers as well, tossing for 360 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 16 TDs through 4 games tied the NFL record, equaling Peyton Manning’s total through 4 weeks in 2013. There’s not much to be said about this game, but I can think of 2 major takeaways. First, it’s time to start preparing rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa to play in Miami. Fitz gets the job done to an extent, but Tua will give this team the hope and “pizzazz”, if you will, that this team needs. It’s a talented group that needs that spark. And second, how does Tyler Lockett only have 2 catches Russ? My fantasy team did not appreciate that.
Buccaneers 38-31 Chargers
This was quite the game down in Florida. LA jumped out to a 24-7 lead behind some incredible throws by rookie QB Justin Herbert and a long pick 6 of Bucs QB Tom Brady. Herbert continued looking like the quarterback of the future in Los Angeles, as he found WR Tyron Johnson for a long TD on a drop dead gorgeous throw. The Bucs slowly worked their way back into the game, as Brady became the living embodiment of the going from leaning back to leaning forward in your chair meme. Brady tossed 5 touchdowns to 5 different receivers and threw for 369 yards to bring his team back and lead them to victory. The Chargers did regain the lead late in the 3rd quarter behind another beautiful deep touchdown throw from Herbert, but Tampa controlled the game the rest of the way. It was the 222nd regular season win in Tom Brady’s career, giving him the most wins of any player at any position in NFL history. It was a great QB battle between two players born 21 years apart from each other. The Bucs continued to look like one of the best teams in the NFL, and the Chargers have to be excited about their future with Herbert at the helm.
Ravens 31-17 Washington
The Washington Football Team put up a good fight on Sunday against one of the best teams in the league. It may have looked like Washington got off to a slow start, but the offense was actually moving along nicely. A fumble on a great play by Ravens DB Marlon Humphrey and a missed field goal spotted the Ravens 2 short fields and resulted in 2 touchdowns. Yes, the Ravens offense looked very surgical from start to finish, but they finished with only 7 more total yards than Washington. QB Dwayne Haskins played one of the better games of his career, statistically, completing 71% of his passes and racking up 314 passing yards. Haskins hit WR Terry McLaurin on a beautiful deep ball and ran for a score late, showing flashes of good play, and hopefully boosting his confidence after a rough outing last week in Cleveland. Another bright spot for Washington was rookie RB Antonio Gibson, who accounted for 128 total yards and scored a touchdown. This team did not play too poorly in a game that I thought they would look lifeless in. They’re slowly improving, and rallying behind HC Ron Rivera is helping bring this team together. They get Chase Young back next week, which will greatly help the defense. I wouldn’t count Washington out yet.
Panthers 31-21 Cardinals
It’s official. The Cardinals were tricking us. In back-to-back weeks they have lost to two teams who really had no business winning. I do think the Panthers are better than many people, myself included, were giving them credit for, but without RB Christian McCaffrey, the fact that they won this game is shocking. After 2 very convincing wins to start 2020, the Cardinals have not looked like the same team in the last 2 weeks. The offense has not been able to get going as QB Kyler Murray threw for just 133 yards on Sunday. RB Kenyan Drake also got knocked out of the game, hurting the run game for Arizona. For the Panthers, QB Teddy Bridgewater looked great, throwing for 276 yards and 2 TDs, as well as running in his first touchdown since his awful knee injury 4 years ago. The Panthers don’t look like a bad team at all, and I think they’ll win many more games this year, especially once McCaffrey returns. Arizona, on the other hand, needs to return to form if they want to keep up in the NFC.
Vikings 31-23 Texans
The Winless Bowl had some pretty big ramifications. The game itself was controlled by Minnesota from wire to wire, although the Texans almost mounted a comeback late. Kirk Cousins had another nice game, throwing for 260 yards and a touchdown with no picks. Houston played a good game offensively and almost tied the game, but the referees ruled a would-be touchdown incomplete to end things. The Vikings left NRG Stadium with their first win of 2020, and the Texans decided to fire HC/GM Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start. It was a move that was seemingly a long time coming, as the trades that gave away WR DeAndre Hopkins and multiple first and second round picks made zero sense and have set this team back drastically. The fans and players seem very pleased about it on social media, and I think that is completely justified. Yes, under BOB this team was winning and in the playoffs, but they never had that signature win to cement them as an elite team. They could have had it last year in Kansas City, but Patrick Mahomes said no. This is the right move for Houston, and I hope it pays off.
Rams 17-9 Giants
This is one I did not see coming. Yes I picked the Rams to win, but I predicted a 35 point win, not an 8 point one. Both offenses struggled mightily all game long on Sunday, outside of the Rams’ opening drive. I’m not sure how an the offense, which has looked so good through the first 3 games of the year, played so poorly against a Giants defense which couldn’t even stop Nick Mullens last week. But, they still got the job done thanks to a late, long catch-and-run touchdown from WR Cooper Kupp. I, for one, hope the Rams struggle just as much if not more than they did against the Giants when they roll into the nation’s capital next Sunday. But, I don’t think Sean McVay will let that happen.
Colts 19-11 Bears
Perhaps Mitch Trubisky wasn’t the problem. Or maybe the Colts defense is just that good. New Bears starting QB Nick Foles struggled quite a bit against Indianapolis, who has proven to have one of the best defenses in football. They statistically lead the league in yards allowed per game and points allowed per game. They held Chicago to just 3 points for over 58 minutes on Sunday. The offense did what it needed to do as well, scoring a touchdown and netting 4 field goals to control the game from start to finish. This is not a flashy team by any means, but the Colts are very solid all around. They have the roster to compete with many top teams in the AFC. Don’t be surprised if Indy is the team to play spoiler against some AFC favorites later in the year en route to a playoff appearance.
Bills 30-23 Raiders
Josh Allen is still doing Josh Allen things. The Bills QB continued putting up huge numbers on Sunday in Vegas. He threw for 288 yards, 115 of which going to WR Stefon Diggs, who is now the leading receiver in the NFL. The Raiders stuck around for the whole game, but the Bills led the whole way and stomped on Vegas’ throats in the 4th quarter. The Raiders defense continues to be a massive problem for them. They have the talent on both sides of the ball to be competitive, but it needs to translate to more wins against great teams. The Bills are not just a great team, but an elite team. They can beat anyone on any given Sunday. Their next 2 games will tell us a lot more about how much of a contender they are, as they take on the currently unbeaten Titans and Chiefs.
Eagles 25-20 49ers
This was… hard to watch. I really don’t know how Eagles QB Carson Wentz willed his team to victory on Sunday, considering he was playing with Walmart grocery baggers at WR. It seemed like the 49ers were in control for most of this game, despite pretty bad QB play from Nick Mullens. But it turns out that Mullens would truly be San Francisco’s downfall, as he threw an AWFUL pick that was returned for a touchdown to all but ice the game for Philadelphia. Yes, CJ Beathard came in for the Niners and almost led the incredible comeback, but it was far too little too late. The Niners lost a game they had no excuse losing, and now the Eagles sit on top of the NFC (L)East at 1-2-1. I will give credit to Wentz for winning a game with what he was given, but I’m still very bitter about Washington being knocked out of first. Hopefully the Eagles go back to losing, which is more likely than not.
Chiefs 26-10 Patriots
This was interesting. Patriots QB Cam Newton unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19, pushing this game back to Monday evening, and forcing New England to start QB Brian Hoyer. Even with the significant downgrade at QB, the Patriots hung around for a while on Monday. Their defense played a terrific game against the Chiefs offense and QB Patrick Mahomes. New England was in this game for a while, even after having to bench Hoyer for Jarrett Stidham. It wasn’t until Stidham threw a pick 6 thanks to WR Julian Edelman dropping a pass that I could have caught that the Patriots were out of it. I truly think that, had Cam Newton played in this game, the Patriots would have won. I’d keep an eye out for these two teams meeting again in January, because I wouldn’t be so sure that the Patriots wouldn’t come out on top.
Packers 30-16 Falcons
Update: Aaron Rodgers is still a bad man. Missing his 2 best WRs, all ARod did was throw for a measly 327 yards and 4 TDs on 82% completion. Packers TE Robert Tonyan, who you would not know about if he played on any other team, had 98 yards and 3 touchdowns. Green Bay didn’t even need RB Aaron Jones to carry a big load, as Jamaal Williams got plenty of snaps in the backfield and did his thing both running and catch the ball. I tweeted earlier today that Rodgers could take 52 lawn chairs to the playoffs, and it might not be too much of an exaggeration. Rodgers put on a masterclass, and he’s getting his best weapon back next week. Even the defense looked spectacular with star LB Za’Darius Smith and CB Jaire Alexander putting on shows. Alexander held star Falcons WR Calvin Ridley to a shocking goose egg in the receiving column. The Green Bay Packers are the best team in the NFC and they are a force to be reckoned with. The Falcons offense struggled all night against the Green Bay defense, and Atlanta is now 0-4. They probably should be 2-2, but we don’t hand out moral victories here. Sooner or later, coaching changes need to be made. I think they will be made much sooner than later.
Patriots QB Cam Newton and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes will face off for the first time as their teams renew their rivalry this Sunday. (h/t NFL.com)
Another Thursday is upon us, which means it’s time to pick 16 more games. I went 9-6-1 last week, bringing my season total to… 9-6-1. Unfortunately I didn’t track my personal picks in the first 2 weeks; better late than never! Anyways, let’s get into it.
Jets 14-10 Broncos
Thursday, 8:2o EST, NFL Network
Zzzzzzz…. Oh, sorry. Fell asleep for a second while thinking about this game. I don’t want to watch this game. You don’t want to watch this game. But, I think we’ll do it anyways. Thursday night’s affair is certain to be a snoozefest. The over/under is 41 for crying out loud! I’ll just take the home team here because I can. I actually think the Jets have a much better shot to win this game, but you never know what you’re going to get with this dumpster fire of a team. If the Jets lose, I expect HC Adam Gase gone by the weekend.
Colts 24-20 Bears
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
A classic matchup between two pretty good defenses and two pretty meh offenses. Perhaps the Bears attack will pick up where they left off in Atlanta and come out firing with Nick Foles at QB. Based on what I’ve seen through 3 weeks, I trust the Colts defense to stay tight and lock up the Bears. I expect a big game from Colts RB Jonathan Taylor as well, as I’m not sure how much Indy will trust Philip Rivers to throw the ball against a really good Bears secondary.
Bengals 26-23 Jaguars
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
Cat fight. The Bengals came oh so close to winning their first game led by rookie QB Joe Burrow last Sunday, but settled for a tie. I think they finally get that first W on Sunday when the Jags come to town. These are two of the worst teams in football on paper, but they’ve shown a lot of fight in their games this season. Jacksonville gets an extra 3 days of rest/preparation, but I feel much more confident in Burrow and the Bengals than I do Jacksonville.
Cowboys 30-27 Browns
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
This should be a fun game. I expect to see a lot of points at JerryWorld on Sunday. The Cowboys defense hasn’t really shown up this season, especially in the secondary, so if Browns QB Baker Mayfield and RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt can get going, the Browns should make this a game. I trust Dallas to win though, as QB Dak Prescott has been on fire to start this season, and in the event of a close game, I trust the experience of the Cowboys offense and coaching staff to pull out a win. It should be a blast to watch.
Saints 31-17 Lions
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
The Saints are likely getting WR Michael Thomas back this week, and if they do, then this game shouldn’t be close. Thomas’ absence has left a very big hole in this offense, and in QB Drew Brees’ game. Perhaps they wouldn’t have 2 losses if Thomas was available. In any case, the Saints are the better team all across the board, and should win this game fairly easily. If the Lions could pull another shocking upset for the second consecutive week, I’m sure the rest of theNFC would thank them for it. But I don’t see that happening.
Seahawks 35-24 Dolphins
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
The Seahawks will be making a loooooong trip down to South Beach and play another difficult 1pm EST game. Luckily, they’re not playing a very good team. Yes, the Dolphins looked very good last Thursday night, but the Jaguars will make most teams look good. Seattle is one of the best teams in football, despite their woeful defense. As long as Russell Wilson is quarterbacking this team, I like them to win most games. Especially against the likes of Miami. The Dolphins will probably put up a decent amount of points, but it won’t be enough against one of the best offenses in the league.
Buccaneers 27-17 Chargers
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
The red hot Bucs host a struggling, injury-ridden Chargers team this Sunday, so I expect a comfortable Tampa Bay win. QB Tom Brady and the Bucs offense have looked sharper by the week, and their defense is one of the best units in the NFL. Chargers rookie QB Justin Herbert has put up good numbers through his first 2 starts, but has also struggled with turnover issues. I don’t think playing this defense will help that issue much. Los Angeles traveling east to play a 1pm game is also a challenge. Tampa should win this game comfortably.
Ravens 38-13 Washington
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
The Battle of the Beltway will have its 7th installment on Sunday, and it might be the ugliest one yet. Baltimore is one of the best teams in the NFL, and Washington is one of the worst. The Ravens will likely be fired up after getting embarrassed last week against the Chiefs. Washington has been dealing with some injuries on both sides of the ball, and won’t be fully healthy for this game. Even if they were, it wouldn’t save them from a blowout. The Ravens are a far better team with far better personnel and coaching. This game won’t be close. The Ravens are the heaviest favorite of the season coming into this game (-14), and they should cover with ease.
Cardinals 28-23 Panthers
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
This matchup will always remind me of the 2015 NFC Championship Game, perhaps the weirdest championship game matchup of all time. These teams are in very different places now, of course. The Cardinals are coming off a tough loss to Detroit, and the Panthers are looking to string together consecutive wins after a W in Inglewood last week. As long as RB Christian McCaffrey is out, I’m doubtful of Carolina to win games, although they did prove me wrong last Sunday. Still, I like Arizona to win a tight game in Charlotte this week. This team is too good to lose consecutive games to below average teams. I expect QB Kyler Murray to return to form against a Panthers defense that has given up 3 straight big games to opposing QBs.
Vikings 33-30 Texans
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
This is the Winless Teams That Are Better Than Their Record Bowl. Alright, that’s not as catchy as I thought it was. In any case, one of these teams will finally emerge with a victory after a frustrating start to their season. I like Minnesota in this game, and I’m honestly not sure why. It’s just a gut feeling. The Texans have certainly played tougher opponents this year, but Minnesota has fought very hard in 2 of their losses. It’ll be close throughout, and I trust the Vikings on both sides of the ball, as well as their coaching, to win this game in the clutch. If the Texans lose this game, HC Bill O’Brien’s seat will only get hotter.
Rams 45-10 Giants
Sunday, 4:05 EST, FOX
This one is gonna be ugly for the Giants. After getting destroyed last week against the 49ers B-team, I can only imagine how badly they’ll lose to one of football’s best teams, which is fully healthy. This has the chance to be the biggest blowout of the season. The Rams are coming off a very tough loss in a game they should have won vs. the Bills and will be fired up to let out all hostilities on one of football’s worst teams. There’s not much else I can say about this one. It will be total destruction.
Chiefs 31-27 Patriots
Sunday, 4:25 EST, CBS
This game is certainly this week’s best on paper. Kansas City and New England renewing their rivalry, but with a bit of a different look. This will be the first time that QBs Patrick Mahomes and Cam Newton face off against one another in their NFL careers. This is a very different Patriots team than the ones Kansas City has played these last few years, but these coaches always know how to gameplan against one another. This matchup always brings out the best in both teams, and I expect that trend to continue on Sunday at Arrowhead. I like the Chiefs simply because I believe they are a better team, but I expect the Patriots defense to make this game difficult for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. It wouldn’t shock me if the Patriots pulled this one out, but right now, I’ll take Kansas City.
Bills 35-27 Raiders
Sunday, 4:25 EST, CBS
This is a very underrated matchup this week. Both of these teams have great offenses that have put up good numbers to start this season. The Bills passing attack is second to only Dallas’, as QB Josh Allen continues to put up huge numbers. The Raiders struggled last Sunday against a stout Patriots defense, but will likely have a much easier time this week as Buffalo’s D hasn’t really shown up yet in 2020. I expect to see a lot of points in Vegas on Sunday, and I like the Bills, who have the better offense, QB, and coaching, to leave Allegiant Stadium with a W.
49ers 27-13 Eagles
Sunday, 8:20 EST, NBC
San Francisco welcomes the midnight green mess that is the Philadelphia Eagles to Santa Clara on primetime on Sunday. It’s still not confirmed who will be starting at QB for the 49ers on Sunday, but regardless of who it is, I think they’ll lead the Niners to a win. This is a very, VERY bad Eagles team that doesn’t have the talent to match up with this deep 49ers team, even with all of their injuries. There’s a reason San Francisco’s B-team is still a 7 point favorite. If Eagles QB Carson Wentz plays with his head on his shoulders, maybe this game will be close. But if his first 3 games of 2020 are any indication, that seems very unlikely.
Packers 38-28 Falcons
Monday, 8:15 EST, ESPN
Points, points everywhere. Monday night’s affair in Lambeau is sure to be an offensive explosion as the Packers and Falcons are two of the league’s most explosive offenses. Atlanta has put up big numbers in all of their games, but are still 0-3 due to… obvious reasons. Luckily for Falcons fans, I don’t think this team will give anyone hope of a win with a big lead at any point in this game. The Packers should be in control from wire to wire, but QB Matt Ryan will keep his Falcons lingering for most of the game. Regardless, both of these teams will keep their 0’s in their respective columns once this game is done. If I could tell you anything this week, it would be to take the over in this game right now.
Steelers 24-23 Titans
*Currently postponed indefinitely due to Titans COVID-19 outbreak
I’m not even sure if this game is happening this week. If it does, I like the Steelers. If it doesn’t then I will be very mad at the Tennessee Titans. Their COVID-19 cases are going up by the day, just when it seemed like the league was doing a good job of keeping cases to a minimum. There’s a good chance this game happens on Monday or Tuesday night, which is kind of wacky but also kind of fun. In any case, it should be a good game. These are 2 of the league’s 7 unbeaten teams, and two very talented rosters. I’m not sure who on the Titans has contracted the virus and won’t be playing, but regardless, I’ll take the more experienced team and coaching staff in Pittsburgh to pull this one out.
The Kansas City Chiefs, led by QB Patrick Mahomes, have proven that they are the league’s best team through 3 weeks. (h/t Rob Carr, Getty Images)
With 3 weeks of NFL play behind us, teams have started to come into their own and show us who they are. Let’s stack up the teams 1-32 as we head into Week 4.
1 – Chiefs (3-0) 2
With Monday night’s win over Baltimore, Kansas City cemented themselves as the best team in football. QB Patrick Mahomes put on a show against the defense that many believed was the league’s best with 5 total TDs, including several dimes and even a throw to an offensive lineman. The Chiefs defense has also looked very sharp through 3 weeks, holding opponents to 20 points in every game this season. Next week presents a very difficult challenge with a revamped Patriots team. I expect it to be one of the Chiefs’ toughest games this season, as Bill Belichick never makes it easy.
2 – Packers (3-0) 2
The Packers’ Sunday night win in the Superdome was a statement victory. To me, they have proved to be the NFC’s best team over Seattle because they have a defense that can actually get stops. QB Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay offense has looked as sharp as ever, and are still yet to turn the ball over this season. Oh, and WR Davante Adams is still on his way back. I would take this team to beat anyone in the NFL not named Kansas City.
3 – Seahawks (3-0) 1
Seattle is getting bumped down a spot this week because their defense continues to be one of the worst in football. This team would be 0-3 right now if Russell Wilson wasn’t under center. The Seahawks secondary has given up 450, 397, and 472 yards in each game this season. This team has won all 3 of those games, but that can only last for so long. Russ and the offense need help on the other side of the football, and they need it badly. If this team doesn’t make a move for a pass rusher or an addition in the secondary, then it’ll hinder their run at a championship tremendously.
4 – Bills (3-0) 2
The Bills are still unbeaten, and Josh Allen is still slinging it with proficiency. Yes, the Bills blew a 28-3 lead and were a very questionable DPI call away from losing on Sunday, but they showed how dominant they can be and that they can pull out a W in tight games. The toughest games are still ahead of this team, but I think they’ll be favored to win a lot of them. You might think I’m putting this team a little too high, but Buffalo looks very solid on both sides of the ball to me. I’d take them to beat every team I put below them.
5 – Buccaneers (2-1) 4
Tampa Bay continues looking better by the week. Yes, the last 2 weeks they have beaten 2 pretty bad teams, but they have looked great doing it. Offensive chemistry between QB Tom Brady and his receivers is still only going up, and they have one of the best defenses in football. As I said last week, the questions and doubts about this team are slowly being put to rest. Don’t be surprised at all if the NFC runs through Tampa in January.
6 – Ravens (2-1) 5
Monday night’s loss to the Chiefs was a rough trip back to Earth for the Ravens. They hadn’t lost in the regular season in 14 games until Mahomes and Co. rolled into town. It was an ugly loss for Baltimore, as the only bright spot of the game was a 1st quarter kick return touchdown. There’s no shame in getting beat by the best team in the league, and the Ravens will still finish this year as one of the NFL’s top teams. But for now, I’ll bring them down a bit. Luckily for them, they get a charity game against the team down the Beltway this Sunday.
7 – Patriots (2-1) 3
The Patriots continue to get better and play better on a weekly basis. The offense, which was very unfamiliar and questionable a few weeks ago, is now dynamic as ever, changing from week to week depending on the opponent. And of course New England’s defense needs no introduction. The Patriots’ performances this season is a testament to the coaching and culture of this team. They face their toughest test of the year next week as they travel to Kansas City in what should be a great game.
8 – Steelers (3-0) 6
I’m probably underrating Pittsburgh here, but I still don’t know what to make of them until they play a good team. Yes, the Steelers are 3-0, but every team they have played this season is currently winless. They also struggled on both sides of the ball to start last week’s game against the Texans. I think this team is very good, especially defensively. You could tell me that this is the best defense in football and I’d probably agree with you. But they’ve played 3 of the worst offenses in football so far. This week they play a fellow unbeaten team in Tennessee. Their performance on Sunday will be a good benchmark for what this team truly is.
9 – Rams (2-1) 5
The Rams probably should have won on Sunday. But, they were also getting destroyed for half the game. Yes, coming back from 28-3 down is impressive, but getting down that much in the first place is a bit of a concern. I admire the way this team fought back and almost won, but I can’t ignore the way they started. I don’t really have any worries about this team going forward, but they cannot afford to start that slow against the likes of Seattle and Tampa Bay.
10 – Titans (3-0) 3
The Titans are 3-0 behind 3 game winning kicks from Stephen Gostowski. It seems that, no matter what, this team always finds a way to win. Mike Vrabel’s coaching and leadership, as well as spectacular play from their stars in all 3 phases of the game have led this team to 6 wins in their last 7 games dating back to last year (including the playoffs). This is one of the most well-rounded teams in the league, and it has shown in all of their games this year. They face their toughest test of the young season this weekend as they take on Pittsburgh, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they eeked out of that one with a W. It’s the nature of this team.
11 – 49ers (2-1) 2
San Francisco walked into MetLife Stadium and dominated a New York team for the 2nd consecutive week, although this week they did it without…. anyone? Of course the 49ers still had good players out there, but it seemed like they were rolling out the backups like it was a Week 17. The dictionary-length injury report didn’t seem to rattle this team as they took the Giants out back. If this week showed anything, it’s that this team is deep and well-coached out. They will still be viable this season, even with their long-term injuries.
12 – Saints (1-2) 4
I’m not entirely sure what happened to the Saints secondary, but they have been getting carved up this season. They looked solid in Week 1, but Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers have made them look pedestrian. On the other side of the football, QB Drew Brees still refuses to throw the ball down the field. A shocking 65% of Brees’ passing yards this season are after the catch. RB Alvin Kamara has 22 catches in the last 2 games because he’s the easiest target to check down to. Yes, Kamara is nothing short of spectacular, but it’s not a winning strategy in this league. Perhaps the return of WR Michael Thomas can get this offense back track. The Saints need to tighten up on both sides of the ball fast. Luckily, they play a soft schedule these next few weeks to help them get back on track.
13 – Cardinals (2-1) 2
Arizona’s loss to the Lions on Sunday was inexcusable and surely demoralizing. The Cards should played better have won that game by all means on paper. Every team struggles against a bad team every now and then, so I won’t knock them too much for it, but this team is either not as good as we thought or maybe I’m not giving Detroit enough respect. Either way, I still have faith in this team to win many games this season. I hope they don’t prove me wrong.
14 – Raiders (2-1) 7
I may or may not have gotten a bit too amped up about Vegas after their statement Week 2 victory over the Saints. The Raiders struggled mightily against the Patriots in Foxboro on Sunday. This defense has not shown up for 2 of their 3 games this year, and it hasn’t helped their offense. QB Derek Carr and company had a hard time getting things going as time went on vs. New England. Going from west to east and having to play a great team at 1pm EST is never easy, so I won’t lose that much sleep over this loss, but this week was a bit of a reality check for me with the Raiders.
15 – Bears (3-0) 2
Chicago is somehow 3-0 on the backs of 2 ridiculous 4th quarter comebacks in the first 3 weeks of the year. This team was down 16 when they decided to bench QB Mitchell Trubisky in favor of Nick Foles, and it paid dividends as the former Super Bowl MVP led the team to a remarkable comeback victory last Sunday in Atlanta. This team is probably 3 plays away from being 0-3, but wins are wins. I still don’t think this team is elite by any means, but perhaps with Foles at the helm, they can win more games than we all thought they would.
16 – Cowboys (1-2)
The Cowboys are kind of just running around out there. They snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last Sunday in Seattle thanks to awful play all game long from their defense and turnovers from their offense. Dallas’ attack is very strong, there is no doubt about that. QB Dak Prescott threw for 400+ yards again against the Seahawks, but this offense still turns the ball over too much, and it leads to points for their opponents. Perhaps if they were more disciplined with the football, they’d have an easier time winning games. This team will be fine if they can fix their mistakes and tighten up defensively. It needs to start this week against Cleveland.
17 – Browns (2-1) 1
The Browns were practically handed a W last week against Washington thanks to 4 Football Team turnovers that led to 24 points. Still, it seems like HC Kevan Stefanski has figured out a winning formula for his team. They don’t have to ask QB Baker Mayfield to do much, just make the throws he needs to make. The game will be won on the ground with RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Let them carry the load, drain the clock, tire out the defense, and the Browns will score points. If they can keep that up consistently, then this team will win a lot more games.
18 – Colts (2-1) 3
Indianapolis got what every team in the NFL wants on Sunday: a game against the Jets. The Colts cruised to a victory against New York like everyone has and will this season. Their defense continued looking like one of the league’s best, picking off Sam Darnold 3 times, including 2 pick sixes. Of course the Jets will make any team look good, but I know that this is a solid Colts team. Their defense speaks for itself, and their offense seems to be getting better every week, especially on the ground. I said a week ago that I like this team to be a solid middle-of-the-pack team in the AFC, but I can see them potentially giving Tennessee fits atop the AFC South. We’ll have to wait and see.
19 – Chargers (1-2) 4
The 49ers injuries are getting a lot of press, but not a lot of people are talking about the Chargers injury problems. This team has been riddled with injuries all across the board this season, and it has hindered them greatly. They didn’t look nearly as good on either side of the ball against Carolina as they did against Kansas City. QB Justin Herbert and WR Keenan Allen are still putting up great numbers, but it’s not enough to carry this team. They lost a very winnable game last week, which will set this team back. This week they can bounce back, but they have to face Tom Brady and the Bucs. Won’t be easy sledding for the Bolts.
20 – Vikings (0-3) 2
The Minnesota Vikings are still winless. And yes, I am bumping this up this week. The Vikings, like the team below them, are getting the benefit of the doubt from me, and are the beneficiary of teams below them being really bad. As I said a week ago, I think this team is much better than their record would suggest, and I believe that wholeheartedly. They battled for 60 minutes against the Titans, and were a missed 2 point conversion away from walking out with their first win of the season. This team is very talented on both sides of the ball, and they will break out of this slump very soon. It could be this week, as they play another team with a goose egg in the win column.
21 – Texans (0-3) 2
The Texans have lost their 3rd game in 3 weeks, all to teams ranked in this article’s top 8. Most teams in this league would be 0-3 right now if they played Houston’s schedule. However, this team looks very uninspired. Even with a 14-3 lead last week against the Steelers, it never felt like the game belonged to the Texans. The departure of DeAndre Hopkins has left a hole that is seemingly not fillable. If they don’t get things going in the next few weeks, it might be time to clean house in Houston.
22 – Falcons (0-3) 3
The Atlanta Falcons are better than this. I know they are. They are better than another blown lead. It’s a very good, very talented team, especially offensively. They are simply being held back by one of the worst head coaches in football. There isn’t a lot about Dan Quinn that I can say that hasn’t already been said by someone else. He simply needs to go. This team should be 2-1 and competing in the NFC South. Instead, they have become the laughingstock of the NFL. Poor, poor Matt Ryan.
23 – Dolphins (1-2) 3
Miami QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had a historically great game on Thursday night in Jacksonville. The 37 year old completed 90% of his passes and had 3 total touchdowns in the Dolphins’ blowout win over the Jaguars. This team finally played a complete game after showing flashes of what they can do against New England and Buffalo. This team has the talent on both sides of the ball to continue being competitive this year, even if they aren’t starting rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa. Let’s see how much Fitz has left in the tank.
24 – Jaguars (1-2) 4
Jacksonville was dominated in all facets on Thursday night, getting a reality check from their cross-state rivals. Every player in those all-teal uniforms struggled greatly, except for rookie RB James Robinson, who seems to be an emerging fantasy star. The Jaguars looked like the team we thought they would be, but I don’t suspect that to last for the whole season. This team has shown us flashes of competitiveness, so I doubt that they’ll get blown out like this many times again this year. If they do, then perhaps we were right about them the whole time.
25 – Lions (1-2) 5
The Lions pulled off what was perhaps the upset of the week on Sunday. QB Matt Stafford willed his team to victory with a game winning drive in Arizona after opposing QB Kyler Murray struggled all game long. The Lions took advantage of the Cardinals’ mistakes, including 3 interceptions, to win their first game of 2020. It was a much needed win for a team that hasn’t seen many under HC Matt Patricia. I don’t think this team will win many games this year, but if Sunday’s game was any indication, I think they’ll fight week in and week out. It wouldn’t shock me if the Lions give other top teams fits this year.
26 – Panthers (1-2) 3
Carolina got their first win of 2020 on Sunday in Inglewood, but came very close to losing. It was a hard fought game from wire to wire, that was almost won by the Chargers on a miracle play. QB Teddy Bridgewater did what he needed to do, as the Panthers were able to be productive in RB Christian McCaffrey’s absence. They were the beneficiary of some turnovers by the Chargers offense, but took advantage when needed to. This is an average to below average team, and I expect them to play more like they did this week than they did in the first 2 weeks of the year.
27 – Washington (1-2) 3
Washington played fairly well all around on Sunday in Cleveland. The biggest issue all game long was QB Dwayne Haskins and his 4 turnovers, including 3 very bad interceptions, that led to 24 Browns points. The team actually looked good in many other facets, but couldn’t overcome the mistakes on offense. Defensively, Washington suffered a couple of demoralizing injuries. Rising star DL Matt Ioannidis suffered a torn bicep and will miss the rest of the season. #2 overall pick DE Chase Young strained his groin, but will likely only miss a game or two. Washington hosts Baltimore this week, where things could get ugly fast, unless Dwayne Haskins improves his play.
28 – Eagles (0-2-1) 3
Don’t let the brand, the name, the city, the history, or anything else fool you. This team is horrible. QB Carson Wentz is off to the worst start of his career with a league-high 6 interceptions. According to HC Doug Pederson, Wentz hasn’t even mastered the playbook yet. He’s in his 5th year as the starting QB. This team looks absolutely lifeless, and couldn’t even muster a win against one of the league’s worst teams in Cincinnati. Their mistakes and lack of discipline in OT costed them a chance to get their first win of the year. This doesn’t look like a team that wants to fight for anything, even in the worst division in football. I’m ready to stick a fork in them.
29 – Bengals (0-2-1)
The Bengals snatched a tie from the jaws of both victory and defeat on Sunday in Philadelphia. All Cincy needed was a stop on the Eagles’ final drive in regulation for a win, but couldn’t stop Carson Wentz from reaching the endzone. In OT, they couldn’t do a thing, and walked out of Philly with a tie. It was a rough game for the Bengals, especially for QB Joe Burrow. Burrow fought until the end, no thanks to his offensive line. Burrow was sacked 8 times on Sunday, and took some tough hits. He still never quit, but wasn’t rewarded with his first career win. At this rate he’ll get it in no time.
30 – Broncos (0-3) 3
The Broncos are one of the most injury-riddled teams in football, and playing Tampa Bay isn’t exactly a consolation prize for that. There’s no shame in losing to one of the best teams in football while missing many of your star players. I won’t knock Denver too much for that. This team is just bad. Injuries or no injuries, it’s not a good team right now. The Broncos are in rebuilding mode, and will likely struggle for the majority of the season. They won’t be competitive for the next few weeks until they get QB Drew Lock back, and for the majority of that time span, they’ll likely be down here.
31 – Giants (0-3)
How… just how… do you not only lose to the 49ers, who were missing seemingly their whole team, but get embarrassed at home in the process? The Joe Judge era in New York is off to a horrible start as this team looks completely uninspired, unmotivated, and lifeless, especially without RB Saquon Barkley. It’s quickly becoming apparent that it might be time to move off of QB Daniel Jones and enter the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™. I expect the Giants, and their NY counterpart, to be down here for the entire season.
32 – Jets (0-3)
This one needs no explanation. The New York Jets might be the worst team in professional sports. 3 games, 3 blowout losses. HC Adam Gase needs to go ASAP. QB Sam Darnold is unfortunately not the answer. The uniforms are just God awful. This team is in 1st place in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™ by a large margin right now, and it will likely remain that way for the next 3 months. Can’t help but feel horrible for Jets fans.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes put on a masterclass against the Ravens with 5 total touchdowns. (h/t Bleacher Report)
Another wild and entertaining week of NFL football is behind us. Let’s review what happened in the final slate of games in September.
Dolphins 31-13 Jaguars
Thursday Night Football was the Ryan Fitzpatrick Show as the Dolphins’ 37 year old QB completed 90% of his passes and scored 3 total touchdowns en route to a blowout win. Not a lot of people saw Miami’s dominant performance coming (especially not me). This looked like a very solid team all around, but perhaps it should be taken with a grain of salt as they were playing one of football’s worst teams who were without their best WR. The bright spot of the game for Jacksonville was rookie RB James Robinson, who was their leading rusher and receiver in addition to having 2 touchdowns, making fantasy owners elated. I’m not sure where the fight that the Jags had for Weeks 1 and 2 was on Thursday. Maybe they couldn’t muster it in a short week. Maybe they remembered they were tanking. Either way, they certainly looked like the Jaguars of old.
Bears 30-26 Falcons
I really don’t have the slightest idea how, but the Atlanta Falcons did it again. The Bears were down 16 points with just over 6 minutes left in a game in which they played so poorly that they benched their QB Mitchell Trubisky. Former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles entered the game and didn’t provide the spark that Chicago needed, especially after throwing an INT in the endzone. Up 2 full scores with time winding down, the Falcons must have felt good about being close to their first win of 2020. The Bears found the endzone but failed to convert on a 2 point conversion to cut the lead to 10, still 2 scores behind. After a defensive stop and a touchdown 2 minutes later, they found themselves down just 3. Two and a half minutes later, they did it again, this time with an incredible throw under pressure by Foles to WR Anthony Miller, and the Bears somehow found themselves ahead 30-26. Falcons QB Matt Ryan tried to lead his team down the field to win the game, but threw an interception to seal another inexplicable Atlanta loss. The Bears continued being the comeback kids, and the Falcons continued being the laughingstock of the NFL. No team had ever blown 2 15+ point leads in the 4th quarter in a season before, and now Atlanta has done it in back to back weeks. If Dan Quinn is still this team’s head coach next season… or even next month… I would be very disappointed. But not surprised whatsover.
Bills 35-32 Rams
What an insane game. The Bills jumped out to a vaunted 28-3 lead on Sunday against the Rams behind more stellar QB play from Josh Allen. Their defense was making LA’s offense look like that of a high school team. But a 28-3 lead in this league means DRAMA. A flip switched for the Rams as they stuck with their gameplan, didn’t panic, and ripped off 29 unanswered points. Jared Goff looked very poised in leading his team back from a massive deficit, and got lots of help from his WRs Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods as well as his great RBs in Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown. Up by 4 with 4:30 to play, the Rams simply needed to stop the Bills one more time. They actually did, as the Bills failed to convert on a 4th down, but an awful (and I mean awful) DPI call gifted Buffalo a first down. Josh Allen took advantage of the gift and found TE Tyler Kroft for a game winning touchdown with 15 seconds left. This battle of undefeateds didn’t disappoint at all, and I think that these are two of the best teams in football. It’s just a shame that it came down to an awful call from the officials.
Browns 34-20 Washington
Do I have to talk about this game? Alright, fine, I’ll do it. Washington’s loss this Sunday in Cleveland was not fun. This was a game of momentum swings, as only one team scored in each quarter. Washington certainly looked better early as QB Dwayne Haskins Jr. was poised in the pocket and delivered nice throws, including a touchdown to WR Dontrelle Inman to put the Football Team up 7-0. Washington had all the momentum and was driving again in the 2nd quarter to try and extend the lead, but a bad miss on a high throw from Haskins led to an interception and a huge return from Karl Joseph. The Browns got the ground game going with star RB Nick Chubb to go take advantage of the Haskins mistake and go up 10-7. The 2nd year QB looked to shake off the mistake, but instead made another one, as he threw another interception with under 2 minutes left in the half. It was a horrible play from Haskins, who stared down his intended receiver the whole play, allowing the Browns LB to read the play like a book and make the play. The Browns took advantage again, scoring another TD to go up 17-7 at halftime. The WFT was down, but not out, as they ripped off back to back touchdown drives in the 3rd quarter, with Haskins looking great again. To start the 4th quarter, the Browns responded with a touchdown of their own and regained the lead, 24-20. With the game in his hands, Dwayne Haskins made the same mistake he had been making all game long. He stared down his receiver on a short curl route over the middle, was read the whole way, and picked off. It was his 3rd INT of the game, with all 3 being inexcusable. It only got uglier from there, as the Browns reached the endzone, followed by a Myles Garrett strip sack of Haskins, and one last Browns field goal before the game was finally over. 4 Dwayne Haskins turnovers led directly to 24 Browns points. Washington seemed like the better team in this game, but mistakes killed them. If Dwayne Haskins does not improve his play, then this team is going nowhere. If he can fix his mistakes and play as well as I know he can, then this team can win a lot of games. I am hoping and praying for the latter.
Titans 31-30 Vikings
Unbeaten vs. winless saw both teams retain the 0’s in their respective columns. The Titans improved to 3-0 behind SIX (6) Stephen Gostowski field goals. The Vikings played well; I’d argue that they were actually the better team on Sunday. Kirk Cousins was finally getting it going in the air, finding his receivers who were starving after last week. Adam Thielen caught a touchdown, and rookie WR Justin Jefferson out of LSU, the Vikings 2020 1st round pick, finally burst onto the scene with 7 catches for 175 yards, including a 71 yard bomb capped off by a great dance into the endzone. Star RB Dalvin Cook was eating as well, with 181 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. TE Kyle Rudolph made a spectacular catch to put the Vikings up 30-25, but the Titans got back to back field goals to take a 1 point lead. With the chance to lead his team to victory, Cousins threw his 2nd interception of the game to seal the 3rd Vikings loss in 3 games. Much like Atlanta, this doesn’t feel like a team that is as bad as their record. Regardless, losses are losses. And they’re stacking up quickly in Minnesota.
Patriots 36-20 Raiders
The Patriots looked like one of the league’s most complete teams in Sunday’s domination of the Raiders. QB Cam Newton delivered through the air when called upon and RBs Sony Michel and Rex Burkehead gashed the Vegas defense on the ground and through the air, respectively. Michel had a fantastic 117 yards on just 9 carries, and Burkehead was the team’s leading receiver en route to accounting for 3 total touchdowns. New England’s outstanding defense, which speaks for itself with its play, shut down the Raiders offense, which looked so good last Monday night, entirely. This team might not be the flashiest or the most exciting to watch, but they are a well-oiled machine that gets it done in every facet of the game. Bill Belichick is doing Bill Belichick things, and the Patriots are still contenders in the AFC.
49ers 36-9 Giants
Alright, New York football team, from the top. The New York Football Giants are really, really, REALLY bad. I cannot stress it enough. San Francisco was seemingly missing their entire team, yet they absolutely dismantled the Giants for 4 quarters. Against the 49ers B team, New York QB Daniel Jones put up a pedestrian 179 yards and 1 interception on 17/32 passing. The Giants didn’t score a touchdown all game. I really don’t know what I can say. It’s absolutely embarrassing. This game was either a testament to how strong of a team San Francisco is and how great of a coach Kyle Shanahan is, or to how awful of an organization the Giants have become and to how much Joe Judge is not built for this job. Either way, the Giants are officially in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™.
Bengals 23-23 Eagles
The year is 2020: Donald Trump is president, a global pandemic has shut down the world for several months, and ties are still a thing in the NFL. I really do have a disdain for ties. Sunday’s contest at Lincoln Financial Field was very hard to watch, largely in part due to Eagles QB Carson Wentz continuing to be absolutely dreadful. The 5th year signal caller (who still hasn’t mastered the playbook according to HC Doug Pederson???) threw 2 more interceptions to bring his total to 6 on the year. QB Joe Burrow was getting annihilated all game en route to 8 sacks thanks to not having an offensive line, but his Bengals were able to take advantage of Wentz’s mistakes as they led for most of the 4th quarter. Finally, with the game in the balance, Wentz decided to do something (for once) by leading the Eagles down the field and running in the game-tying touchdown with 21 seconds left in the game. Overtime was a puntfest, but the Eagles had a chance to kick a 59 yard game-winning field goal. The players were lined up, but the Eagles moved earlyto push them back. So, the Eagles punted, again, and the game ended in a tie. The Eagles continue to look awful, and Joe Burrow still refuses to go down without a fight.
Steelers 28-21 Texans
The Steelers got off to a slow start on Sunday as the Texans jumped out to a 14-3 lead. But it was almost all Pittsburgh from there on out, as they continued to look very solid on both sides of the football. For the first time in 25 games, the Steelers didn’t turn the ball over. QB Ben Roethlisberger did his thing, throwing for 2 touchdowns, and RB James Conner continued looking very strong with 109 yards and a touchdown on just 18 touches. #GetDeshaunWatsonATeam is also still going very strong. The Texans are now 0-3 and reeling. Yes, they have played 3 of the league’s best teams, but as I said before with Minnesota (who they ironically play this week), losses are losses. On a similar note, the Steelers are now 3-0 with wins against three 0-3 teams. Despite that, you can see this team is very well-rounded and ready to compete in the tough AFC North.
Colts 36-7 Jets
Alright, New York football team, from the top. The New York Jets are really, really, REALLY bad. I cannot stress it enough. The worst team in football continued doing worst team in football things as they were torn into a million little pieces by the Colts on Sunday. QB Sam Darnold, who loves showing flashes of greatness before showing us tidal waves of atrocity, threw a whopping 3 interceptions, all of which being horrible reads with two of them being returned for touchdowns. The Colts defense, which has been great all season long, continued looking like one of the best in football, much to the avail of fantasy owners such as myself. Yes it was the Jets, but great play is great play. The Trevor Lawrence Sweeptstakes™ frontrunners need to hit reset on the entire team. It’s time to get Adam Gase out of New York with swiftness, and it’s time to find a new franchise quarterback. Sam Darnold is officially not it.
Panthers 21-16 Chargers
This game was a snoozefest with an almost legendary finish. Justin Herbert’s Chargers struggled against a pretty bad Carolina team despite a monster game from WR Keenan Allen (13 catches, 132 yards, 1 TD). Herbert didn’t have a bad game with his 330 yards passing, but his two turnovers (an INT and a fumble) costed the Chargers points, and potentially even the game. Even still, Los Angeles still had a chance to win the game late. The Chargers tried a hook-and-ladder play with Keenan Allen and RB Austin Ekeler, but Ekeler dropped the lateral and the clock struck 0:00. Had Ekeler caught that lateral, he had a clear path to the endzone and a win for the Chargers. But, the what-if remains a what-if, and these two teams now both sit at 1-2.
Buccaneers 28-10 Broncos
Tampa Bay keeps on getting better and better. The Bucs played a nearly flawless game on Sunday in Denver in some pretty flawless uniforms. Tampa debuted the all-pewter getups in style as they dominated the reeling Broncos for 60 minutes. QB Tom Brady played his best game of the young season, throwing for 297 yards and 3 TDs. WR Mike Evans had a pretty funny statline of 2 catches for 2 yards and 2 TDs. But the star of the show was the Bucs defense. They locked up Jeff Driskel and company and suffocated the Broncos for only 226 total yards. If this Tampa team can play this dominantly against the contenders of the NFL, which I think they can, then this team will be a force to be reckoned with.
Lions 26-23 Cardinals
Kyler Murray finally struggled in 2020. And it wasn’t very pretty. The star QB threw 3 INTs and the Cardinals paid the price for it. They stayed in the fight all game long, and Kyler still found ways to dazzle, including a touchdown run in which he snatched #3 overall pick Jeff Okudah’s ankles, and WR DeAndre Hopkins continued to put up monster numbers (10 catches, 137 yards) but it wasn’t enough. Lions QB Matt Stafford continued being one of the league’s most resilient players, never giving up and leading his team to victory with a drive that ended in a game winning field goal as time expired. Every team struggles against bad teams from time to time, so I don’t think it’s ill-advised to panic in any way with the Cardinals. But Kyler’s performance was a bit rocky, and that cannot continue. I don’t think it will.
Seahawks 38-31 Cowboys
There’s so much to unpack from this game that I don’t even know where to begin. How about we start with the Seahawks offense, which continued playing lights out football thanks to the MVP frontrunner Russell Wilson. Russ casually tossed 5 more touchdowns against the Cowboys to bring his total to 14 through 3 weeks, the most in that time span in NFL history. 3 of them came to WR Tyler Lockett, which my fantasy team was very thankful for. It could have been 6 TDs for Wilson, but WR DK Metcalf inexplicably had the ball knocked out of his hands before scoring thanks to a complete lack of awareness and an overwhelming desire to showboat. On the other side of things, QB Dak Prescott continued to put up stellar numbers in this revamped Cowboys offense. He threw for an incredible 472 yards and 3 TDs to keep his team in the game, but had some costly turnovers that gifted Seattle points. Dallas kicked a field goal to go ahead 31-30 with 4 minutes left, and Russell Wilson, who was as poised as ever, led his team down the field with ease. The drive was capped off with a beautiful rainbow throw over the top to DK Metcalf, who redeemed himself by catching the game winning touchdown. The Seattle defense would then pick off Dak one more time to seal the victory. The Seahawks are now 3-0, but have been gashed week after week on defense. Obviously the offense is special, but if Seattle doesn’t step it up defensively, then it could mean bad news in the playoffs.
Packers 37-30 Saints
Aaron Rodgers is still a bad man. Sunday Night Football didn’t disappoint whatsoever as the Packers and Saints played an instant classic in the Superdome. Even without Davante Adams, Rodgers was making incredible deep throws left and right, especially to WR Allen Lazard, who has burst onto the scene this season. ARod finished with 283 yards and 3 TDs, with 146 of those yards and 1 of those TDs going to Lazard, and the Packers didn’t turn the ball over for the 3rd straight game. On the other side of things, Saints QB Drew Brees continued his short-yardage, dink and dunk play that New Orleans has executed so well in the last few weeks. The high profile target was obviously RB Alvin Kamara who caught a whopping 13 balls for 139 yards and 2 TDs, including a long catch and run in which he ran through seemingly the entire Packers defense. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Packers out-executed the Saints and Rodgers outsmarted the New Orleans defense late to put the game out of reach. Green Bay has proven that they are one of the league’s best teams, and New Orleans is counting the days until they get Michael Thomas back.
Chiefs 34-20 Ravens
The match that was hyped up to be the Game of the Year in the 2020 NFL season can be described in just 3 words: Patrick Mahomes Masterclass. The Chiefs QB played one of the best games of his career on one of the biggest regular-season stages. He threw for 385 yards and 4 TDs as he executed Andy Reid’s insane offensive gameplan to perfection. You don’t often see an underhand shovel pass to a FB for a touchdown or a passing touchdown to an offensive lineman, but Andy Reid said screw it, let’s do them both in the same game. Mahomes threw dime after dime as Kansas City not only looked absolutely unstoppable offensively, but very tight defensively. This game wasn’t nearly as close as the score would suggest, and it’s thanks to the Chiefs defense locking up Ravens QB Lamar Jackson for 60 minutes. Lamar and the Baltimore offense struggled all night long as he couldn’t even muster 97 passing yards. The Ravens were out-coached and outplayed all game long, outside of a single kick return touchdown. The narrative around Lamar Jackson not being able to win big games only gained more traction last night. He’s now 0-3 against the Chiefs in his young career. The good news is, he’s 21-1 against the rest of the NFL (in the regular season). But the Ravens won’t be dominating every game. If they cannot show up against the best teams in the league or play from behind, then perhaps they won’t be as formidable as we thought.
Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson will face off for the third time in their young careers on Monday Night Football.
Week 3 is filled with some wacky matchups, but ends with some games that should be fantastic to watch. Here’s what I think the outcome of each of this week’s games will be.
Jaguars 21-20 Dolphins
Thursday, 8:20 EST, NFL Network
Thursday night’s affair between Jacksonville and Miami might look ugly on paper, but I think this has the potential to be a good game. I’m excited to see if Jags QB Gardner Minshew II can continue his good play in 2020 against a Miami defense dealing with some injuries. If I’m being completely honest, the uni enthusiast in me is most excited to see the Jaguars’ all-teal uniforms for the first time. I think it’ll be tight throughout, but I like the Jaguars to get the job done at home, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dolphins pulled some Fitz-magic.
Falcons 31-24 Bears
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
The Falcons should win this game very comfortably, but we all know they can’t do that even if they wanted to. Atlanta will control this game from start to finish, but don’t be surprised if the Bears make it a game down the stretch due to Atlanta’s lackluster defense and late-game coaching. I expect another big day for Matt Ryan and his receivers as they look to get their first win of 2020.
Rams 23-21 Bills
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
It’s never easy for a west coast team to travel all the way east, play a game at 1pm EST (10 o’clock body time), and win. It’ll be even harder for the Rams as they play one of the league’s best teams in the Bills. LA should be thankful that they’re playing this game in September and not December. I think this will be a great back-and-forth game, and I think the Rams will prevail late due to more experienced coaching and QB play. But it wouldn’t shock me at all if Josh Allen continues his great play and carries his team to victory once again.
Browns 31-17 Washington
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
I don’t think this game will be very close if I’m being quite honest. Cleveland has no reason to not blow the Washington Football Team out of the water if their offense plays like they did last Thursday night. It’ll be tough for them to run the ball against Washington’s great front 7, but if Baker Mayfield can pick up where he left off against Cincinnati, then he should have no trouble picking apart the Washington secondary. Washington is getting a big boost in that unit with CB Kendall Fuller returning from injury, but I don’t think it will be enough. Cleveland’s excellent pass rush will make QB Dwayne Haskins’ life a living hell for 60 minutes and Cleveland will win this game easily.
Titans 20-17 Vikings
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
It wouldn’t be overstating it to say that this game is a must-win for QB Kirk Cousins and his Minnesota Vikings. The Vikes cannot afford to drop to 0-3 if they want to keep up in the gauntlet that is the NFC. However, I think they will. They haven’t shown me anything that inspires confidence on either side of the football, except for some garbage time numbers in Week 1 against Green Bay. These are two fairly complete teams, but I trust Mike Vrabel’s squad over Mike Zimmer’s because through 2 weeks, they have looked like a team. Minnesota has not.
Patriots 27-24 Raiders
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
This is certainly of the matchups of the week, and one that was hard for me to pick. I think the Raiders have a good chance to win, but I trust Bill Belichick’s coaching every week to beat almost anyone in the league. Also, as I said earlier with the Rams, it’s hard for a team to come all the way out east and win an early game. I think the Raiders will be in this game from start to finish, and I certainly think they’ll cover the spread (NE -5.5), but I think Cam and co. will emerge victorious.
49ers 20-10 Giants
Sunday, 1:00, FOX
This game should be dubbed the “Injured Bowl”. Both of these teams suffered some devastating injuries last week to some of their best players, and will be rolling out either hobbled starters or eager backups on Sunday. This game will likely be an eye sore to watch with mistakes all over the place. It’ll be low scoring, but the better team will will prevail: San Francisco. Hopefully the MetLife Stadium turf will be kinder to them this week.
Eagles 30-20 Bengals
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
This is certainly a must-win game for Philadelphia if they want to shut people up. QB Carson Wentz and HC Doug Pederson have been taking extreme heat from fans and media alike, and that will amplify exponentially if they lose to one of the league’s worst teams in Cincinnati. There’s no excuse for the Eagles to not win this game, and I think they will. Joe Burrow will keep his team in it, as he always does, but it won’t be enough against a simply more talented Philly team.
Steelers 24-21 Texans
Sunday, 1:00, CBS
I see this game for Pittsburgh going exactly like last week’s contest vs. Denver (hopefully without the opposing QB getting hurt). Get off to a hot start, hold a double digit lead for a while, but struggle to close it out. You already know Deshaun Watson will fight to the end for a win for his squad, but I don’t think it will be enough. The Steelers defense is just too good and their offense is good enough to get the job done against a lackluster Houston defense.
Colts 31-10 Jets
Sunday, 4:05 EST, CBS
The Jets will lose this game big. I’m not sure what else I can say. I could actually get that typed out for every Jets game this year. Indianapolis is too disciplined on offense and too good on defense for this game to be even remotely close. If the Jets are in this game late, it’ll be a testament to the fight in their QB, Sam Darnold. If they win… the Colts better be ready to get eviscerated in the press.
Chargers 31-14 Panthers
Sunday, 4:05 EST, CBS
Justin Herbert will officially be making his second career start at QB for the Chargers, and his first in which he actually knows he’ll start. The reeling Carolina Panthers will be rolling into town, notably without RB Christian McCaffrey. The Chargers really should win this game handily, especially if Herbert can play like he did last week against Kansas City. But, you never know what you’re going to get with a rookie QB. I think he’ll do just fine, and I think the Chargers win big.
Buccaneers 28-13 Broncos
Sunday, 4:25 EST, FOX
Tom Brady will be rolling into the building where he has historically struggled, especially down the stretch of his time in New England. However, the Broncos don’t have a Peyton Manning or a good enough defense to rattle the GOAT like they’ve been able to do before. The Bucs will win this game very easily against a Denver team starting a backup QB in Jeff Driskel. I expect their offense to look even better than it did last week, and they’ll look good doing it as well as they debut their new pewter uniforms.
Cardinals 38-17 Lions
Sunday, 4:25 EST, FOX
A very bad Detroit team is flying out west to take on a very good Arizona team. Put 2 and 2 together, and you get what you expect: a blowout. With Darius Slay gone, I expect another huge game from Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins. QB Kyler Murray will be running circles around the Lions all game long, the Cardinals will improve to 3-0, and the talks of Kyler for MVP will grow even louder.
Seahawks 28-26 Cowboys
Sunday, 4:25 EST, FOX
This is another one of the games of the week on paper, and it will certainly deliver. The Cowboys have looked somewhat unconvincing for most of their games this season, but I think they’ll play up to their competition when they travel to Seattle on Sunday. The Seahawks have struggled mightily on defense in their first 2 games, and this is a Cowboys offense that, when firing on all cylinders, is one of the best in football. I think this game will come down to the wire, and who would you rather have in a close game than Russell Wilson? The Seahawks will eek out a close one with a late score, and Russ will increase his lead in the MVP race.
Packers 34-30 Saints
Sunday, 8:20 EST, NBC
Sunday night’s affair between Green Bay and New Orleans is going to be a delight to watch. Two of the league’s most high-powered offenses led by two of the greatest QBs of all time going at one another at the Superdome. I’m taking the Packers to come out with a W simply because they’ve looked like the better, more-complete team through the first 2 weeks of the year. Additionally, if Saints star WR Michael Thomas can’t play due to his ankle injury, the Saints offense will be very hobbled, as we saw last Monday night in Las Vegas. Regardless of Thomas’ availability, I trust Green Bay’s defense to do its job and hold on for a tight win in a great game.
Ravens 24-23 Chiefs
Monday, 8:15 EST, ESPN
Week 3’s final game is easily the Game of the Year on paper. When the NFL schedule was released 4 months ago, everyone circled this game. How can you not be excited? All the storylines: Mahomes vs. Lamar Part III, the defending champs vs the current Super Bowl favorites, arguably the two best teams in football duking it out for 60 minutes in primetime, the list goes on and on. In a game like this, I’d typically lean towards the home team, but that only means so much these days. Therefore, I’ll take the team that I think is better, and that’s Baltimore. The Ravens, as I said in yesterday’s Power Rankings, are easily the best and most complete team in football. I do believe that Patrick Mahomes is better than Lamar Jackson (they’re both incredible, you can’t go wrong with picking either), but the Ravens stellar defense will step up to stop the potent Kansas City offense, which looked very human last week in Inglewood. I cannot wait to see this football game.
Ravens QB and 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson has led his team to 14 straight regular season wins. (h/t AP)
With 2 weeks of NFL play behind us, let’s stack up the teams 1-32 as we head into Week 3.
1 – Ravens (2-0)
There shouldn’t be any question in anyone’s mind about who the league’s best team is. Baltimore has proven that they are far and away better than any other squad in the NFL. They don’t even need their flashy offense to be a highlight machine to dominate teams, as their defense looks even better than it did last year. The addition of RB J.K. Dobbins has made their run game even more dynamic than a year ago. This team will be challenged by Kansas City this week, but it’s hard to see them coming up short. They’re just that dominant.
2 – Seahawks (2-0)
Seattle is easily the NFC’s best team so far this season, and it is largely thanks to their new strategy: “Let Russ Cook”. QB Russell Wilson looks like the best player in football and is easily the early MVP frontrunner. Any and every offensive piece just works with Russ. He has only two (2!) more incompletions than touchdowns this year, with 9 scores and 11 missed throws. The biggest problem with this team is that their pass rush is almost nonexistent, and that allows opposing QBs to tear them apart. They’ve given up nearly 850 passing yards in the first 2 weeks of the year. It’s a talented young secondary, but the Hawks will need their defensive linemen to do more if they want to get to Tampa in February.
3 – Chiefs (2-0)
The defending champs were stumbling in Los Angeles for over half of their game vs. the Chargers on Sunday, but were still able to emerge victorious thanks to some Mahomes magic and a Harrison Butker kicking masterclass. I would pump the brakes on any doubt or questions, as they were facing a QB that they didn’t prepare for at all and who exceeded expectations in his first NFL game. They’re still a great team on both sides of the ball. They’ll face their toughest test of the year this Monday night against Baltimore in what should be one of the best games this season.
4 – Packers (2-0)
The Pack attack is back. Green Bay’s offense has looked superb in the first 2 weeks of the season, scoring 85 total points. QB Aaron Rodgers looks as sharp as ever, even with a WR core made up of people who would be nobodies on any other squad (who would’ve known Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be one of the rising stars of 2020?). RB Aaron Jones has also been putting on a show week in and week out, proving himself to be one of the elite RBs in the league, both running and receiving. The NFC North doesn’t look as formidable as some of us may have thought, which will aid the Packers this year as they face a very difficult schedule. This Sunday’s showdown against New Orleans should be a fun one.
5 – Rams (2-0)
As I said in my Week 2 review, the Rams have figured out how to run their offense to perfection, and it looks amazing. QB Jared Goff has been rolling out left and right, hitting his targets and gashing defenses. Their run game looks very solid as well, led by rookie RB Cam Akers out of Florida State. LA’s defense needs no introduction, as headliners Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey have been making plays as they always do. The Rams needed to come out strong to start 2020 if they wanted to compete in the NFC West, the league’s toughest division, and they’ve done just that. Let’s see if they can keep it up.
6 – Bills (2-0)
The Buffalo Bills might be 2020’s most surprising team so far. Raise your hand if you thought Josh Allen would lead the league in passing through 2 weeks. I obviously can’t see you but I’ll assume your hand stayed down. The addition of WR Stefon Diggs has transformed this once-stagnant passing offense into a machine. When you combine the arm talent of Allen with the deep threat of Diggs, you get a match made in heaven. I’m very interested to see how this offense continues to play once they start playing better defenses. I’m giving Buffalo the benefit of the doubt after playing the Dolphins and Jets. I hope they don’t let me down.
7 – Raiders (2-0)
Speaking of surprising teams, the Las Vegas (still sounds weird, right?) Raiders have looked great to start 2020. Sitting at 2-0 after a Monday night upset victory over the Saints, the Raiders have a lot of people talking about them. Jon Gruden’s team has looked very good offensively, with Derek Carr maturing as a passer and Josh Jacobs carrying the load on the ground. If this team can continue gashing teams on offense and tighten up its defense (which is certainly the weak spot of the team), then the Raiders can definitely keep up in a very good AFC West and fight for a wild card spot.
8 – Saints (1-1)
I think Drew Brees misses Michael Thomas. The Saints offense still put up numbers in Monday night’s loss, but it was largely due to short passes and checkdowns. When Brees threw the ball downfield, the results weren’t very pretty. Their defense also struggled mightily in Vegas after playing very well against Tom Brady and the Bucs a week beforehand. I still think this team is very good (one of the best in the league in fact), but until the offense gets back in sync and the defense starts playing like they should, they’re going to be pegged down a notch.
9 – Buccaneers (1-1)
Tampa Bay got their first victory in the Tom Brady era on Sunday against a very bad Carolina team in convincing fashion. You can tell the chemistry on offense is going way up in Tampa, as Week 1 no-shows like Mike Evans and Leonard Fournette feasted on the Panthers defense. This team’s defense was already great, and the offense is getting sharper by the week. I didn’t want people to overreact to their Week 1 loss, and this is exactly why. This team is going to be playing some great football this season.
10 – Patriots (1-1)
Yes, the Brady-less Patriots are in the top 10. However, I don’t think I’m overrating them at all. If their Week 2 contest in Seattle was any indication of how the Cam Newton-led Patriots are going to play this season, I think they can beat anyone on any given Sunday. I guess we should’ve expected that from a team coached Bill Belichick. I think this team is very solid on both sides of the football, but could really use a deep threat to open up the offense a bit more. Even without one, Cam Newton had one of the best passing games of his career. If you were worried about New England once the GOAT left and Superman arrived, you were wrong.
11 – Cardinals (2-0)
The Cardinals might have been the team I was most excited to see play this season, and they have not disappointed one bit. 2nd year QB Kyler Murray has been playing so well that he’s garnering MVP talks. It helps that he now has arguably the best WR in football in DeAndre Hopkins catching his passes now. Kyler’s talents with his arm and legs is quickly making him one of the league’s most dynamic players. Their defense looks very sharp, with Chandler Jones making life hell for opposing quarterbacks, as he always does, and newly-paid safety Budda Baker flying all over the secondary. This is an exciting team with a young core and a very vibrant energy. I can’t wait to see what this year holds for them.
12 – 49ers (1-1)
The 49ers were hit with more injuries in the first 2 weeks of the season than most teams will have in a whole year. With defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Soloman Thomas out for the year, the rest of the Niners defense is going to need to tighten up. Those players helped that defensive unit be the best in football a year ago. Without them, this team is bound to struggle against opposing offenses (although that certainly won’t be the case this week against the Giants). Offensively, star QB Jimmy Garoppolo, TE George Kittle, and RB Raheem Mostert will all miss extended time with various injuries. Kyle Shanahan will look to Nick Mullens to keep the ship together for the next couple of weeks. I think this team will be fine in time as they start to get healthy again, but for now, they will struggle.
13 – Titans (2-0)
You might think that Tennessee is a bit low for being 2-0, but I have my reasons. For one, this team looked half asleep in their Week 1 victory over the Broncos. They certainly woke up against Jacksonville last week, but I just feel like this team is too talented and too well-coached to have that game come down to a game-winning field goal with 90 seconds left. Ryan Tannehill has played extremely well so far, but this team has had to rely on Stephen Gostowski to kick 2 game-winning field goals in 2 games. Unless the Titans start to beat teams convincingly, as they should have these last 2 weeks, I’m not sure what to make of them.
14 – Steelers (1-1)
I have no idea what to make of the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially offensively. This team’s defense certainly speaks for itself, but the offense looks… weird? I think they’ve certainly played well for a unit that has missed its starting QB for over a year, but I also feel like they should be playing better. Their contest against Denver last week should not have been as close as it was. If they struggle against bad teams, I’m not sure how this team will fare against some of the giants of the AFC. I’ll have to wait and see.
15 – Chargers (1-1)
This rating has one major contingency: the Chargers starting QB. In Week 1 against Cincinnati, with Tyrod Taylor at the helm, the Chargers offense looked lifeless and dreary, despite getting the win. Last week against the Chiefs, with Justin Herbert under center, the Chargers offense looked alive and electric, despite losing the game in OT. Bolts HC Anthony Lynn insists that Taylor will remain the main signal caller, but I don’t think that it’s the right move based on what we’ve seen. This roster is too talented to not be led by someone who provides them the spark that they need. If Tyrod Taylor returns and this team looks pedestrian again, I think the choice becomes obvious.
16 – Cowboys (1-1)
You can get mad at me all you want, but this is the absolute highest I’m willing to put Dallas. This roster looks like one of the league’s best on paper, but they’ve given us a very weird sample to go off of in the first 2 weeks of the year. Against Los Angeles, the defense played alright, but the offense looked lifeless and stuck in the past. Against Atlanta, the defense was getting torn apart, and the offense ended up looking great after getting off to a slow start. However, I’m going to take what I saw from the Cowboys offense last week with a grain of salt, as the Falcons defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed with an entire box of tissues. Their special teams also looked atrocious with not one, but TWO failed fake punts. I need to see more complete performances from this team to show me that they’re better than I think they are.
17 – Bears (2-0)
The Bears are my lowest-ranked undefeated team after 2 weeks, and I don’t think I need to explain why. Yes this team hasn’t lost yet, but they’ve beaten 2 of the worst teams in football, and both games came down to getting a stop in the endzone on the final play. I do see a lot of improvement in QB Mitchell Trubisky’s play, but if the Bears were better, they wouldn’t have struggled with Detroit and New York as much as they did.
18 – Browns (1-1)
The Browns offense decided to wake up last Thursday night, and it looked great. QB Baker Mayfield played with confidence and threw the ball very well against the Bengals defense. WR Odell Beckham Jr. made a very nice touchdown catch that should get Browns fans everywhere excited. But this team’s strength is its run game, led by two studs in the backfield: Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Their defense giving up 30 points to an offense like Cincinnati’s is a bit concerning, but if their run game can play like it did last week on a consistent basis, then Cleveland is going to be in a lot of football games this year.
19 – Falcons (0-2)
Oh, Atlanta. Why must your sports teams be so cursed? The Falcons blew another 20+ point lead on Sunday against the Cowboys to drop to 0-2 on the young season. Despite that, I still think this is a good team, hence them being the highest-ranked winless team of the week. Matt Ryan and his WRs have looked very good in one of the league’s best aerial attacks. This team’s two biggest problems are defense and coaching. Atlanta’s defense has given up 78 points through 2 weeks, with QBs Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott airing it out with ease against their secondary. And HC Dan Quinn couldn’t keep a big lead even if he wanted to. This team will still win games this year, but Sunday’s loss will put a huge dent in their confidence going forward.
20 – Jaguars (1-1)
Who said Jacksonville would throw away the 2020 calendar and tank for Trevor Lawrence? This team has fought for all 60 minutes in back to back weeks, and could even be 2-0 right now. The Jaguars almost completed a double-digit 4th quarter comeback led by QB Gardner Minshew II, who probably has the best mustache in the world (and isn’t bad at singing Celine Dion either). This team is definitely very talented on both sides of the ball, as young studs like WR DJ Chark, LB Myles Jack, CB CJ Henderson, and more have been showing out. Will Jacksonville be picking very high next April? Probably. But this team will not go down easily at all.
21 – Colts (1-1)
The Colts formula for 2020 didn’t work out in Week 1, but it definitely did last Sunday: ask Philip Rivers to do his job, and let the defense do the rest. Rivers is certainly not doing anything flashy on offense, but Indy’s new starting RB Jonathan Taylor has been playing very well and carrying the offensive load on the ground. The stars of this team are certainly on their defense, as newcomer DeForest Buckner and all-pro LB Darius Leonard are shining in the front 7. Unfortunately, star safety Malik Hooker suffered a torn achilles on Sunday and will miss the season. This team is certainly good enough to compete on a weekly basis as a middle-of-the-pack squad in the AFC.
22 – Vikings (0-2)
The final year of QB Kirk Cousins’ contract is not off to the best start. Cousins played perhaps the worst game of his career on Sunday in Indianapolis, and Minnesota was blown out. Putting them this low might be a bit over-reactionary of me, because I still think this roster is very talented and has proven that in the past. But until Kirk Cousins plays like an $86 million quarterback, this team will struggle mightily.
23 – Texans (0-2)
How can you not feel bad for Deshaun Watson? Houston was blown out again on Sunday, albeit against the best team in the league, and there was nothing the star QB could do about it. I’m sure he would love to have the help of a star receiver like DeAndre Hopkins, but HC Bill O’Brien apparently doesn’t think so. This team can still win games against teams that aren’t elite, but I don’t think they can compete against the league’s best this year. We’ll have to see how they play against teams that aren’t the defending champions or the current Super Bowl favorites.
24 – Washington (1-1)
The Washington Football team showed us a very important truth on Sunday: they are who we thought they were. After an inspiring win in Week 1 against Philadelphia, Washington looked awful against the Cardinals. The defense, which was one of the league’s star units of Week 1, was gashed by Kyler Murray and the Arizona offense. The defensive line still looked very solid, but the secondary was all over the place, blowing coverages and missing several tackles. Safety Troy Apke was the weakest link on Sunday, missing assignments all over the secondary and getting embarrassed by Kyler any time he left the pocket. Offensively, Washington couldn’t get anything going until the final 10 minutes of the game, which was over at that point. QB Dwayne Haskins didn’t have time to breathe as Washington’s paper-like offensive line allowed 8 QB hits and 4 sacks while giving Haskins less than 2.5 seconds to throw. The committee of RBs didn’t look too shabby, but it still wasn’t nearly enough. Washington made the score look better than the game actually played out with a couple of late touchdowns, but this squad is simply not good enough to compete with competent teams. Maybe force-feeding Terry McLaurin on slant routes for 60 minutes is the best path to victory.
25 – Eagles (0-2)
Time is running out for HC Doug Pederson and QB Carson Wentz in Philadelphia. The Birds looked like their wings were clipped offensively for the second straight week, as Wentz threw 0 touchdowns and 2 more interceptions against the Rams defense. This is a team that looks uninspired on both sides of the football, and the league is starting to take notice. RB Miles Sanders has looked very sharp, but that cannot be said about anyone else in Philly right now. If #11 doesn’t improve his play and revert back to the Carson Wentz of old, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see rookie QB Jalen Hurts under center soon.
26 – Dolphins (0-2)
The Dolphins have played as expected with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center to start this season. They’re staying in ballgames, but not playing well enough to beat their opponents. Perhaps once rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa takes the reins, we’ll see the Dolphins winning games like these. Despite their 0-2 record, the Dolphins have a lot of bright spots on both sides of the ball that their fans should be very excited about. Their young talent is continuing to develop nicely, and big free agent signings are seeming to payoff. I think that Miami will be a very good team soon. But for now, they’re still trusting the process.
27 – Broncos (0-2)
Denver already didn’t look good to start the year, especially with star LB Von Miller getting hurt and being out for the season. But now, they’re facing a month without starting QB Drew Lock. Is it too early to stick a fork in this team? Jeff Driskel will be under center for the next several weeks, which doesn’t seem very inspiring. This seems to be another year where the Broncos will be struggling mightily and looking towards the offseason before it even begins.
28 – Panthers (0-2)
The Teddy Bridgewater experience in Carolina hasn’t gotten off to the best start. The Panthers are sitting at 0-2, although I think they could have easily won their Week 1 contest against the Raiders. Star RB Christian McCaffrey has predictably carried this team on his back, but an injury sustained against Tampa Bay on Sunday will sideline him for the next 2-4 weeks, so I don’t expect this team to be winning many, if any, games for a while.
29 – Bengals (0-2)
I don’t think Bengals fans are mad at all about being winless right now. Rookie QB and #1 overall pick Joe Burrow has somehow exceeded expectations through two weeks and kept this team in both games this year against solid opponents. Burrow certainly hasn’t looked like a rookie, which is even crazier considering the fact that this is one of the league’s rosters. Bengals fans should be very excited about this team’s future with Burrow under center, but they’ll need to surround him with more talent if they want to consistently win games. He can’t do it alone.
30 – Lions (0-2)
The Lions got off to a hot start on Sunday, but then decided they didn’t want to play anymore as they were crushed by their division rivals in Green Bay. Their defense was being toyed with by Aaron Rodgers and company, and their offense looked nonexistent after the first quarter. This team has talent, but it’s hard to see them winning many games this year. They’ll probably be down here for a long time.
31 – Giants (0-2)
The Giants were already one of the league’s worst teams, but with Sunday’s injury to star RB Saquon Barkley, they have become much worse. Barkley suffered a torn ACL against Chicago and will miss the remainder of the season. New York’s defense was already a bit questionable, but they could always rely on #26 on the other side of the ball. Now, I’m not sure what the Giants are going to do offensively. Signing RB Devonta Freeman certainly helps, but nobody can replace Saquon. It’s going to be a long year in New York, but perhaps it’ll even longer for the other team in the Big Apple.
32 – Jets (0-2)
Just as the Ravens were the no-doubt #1 team in the NFL, the Jets are the no-doubt #32 team. Riddled by offensive injuries, this team is just unwatchable in every aspect. QB Sam Darnold is struggling mightily, mainly because he has nobody to throw the ball to, and their defense looks like they spend all of pregame watching Trevor Lawrence highlights. HC Adam Gase is almost certainly on his way out of New York, and it’s a wonder how it has taken this long. But even a new HC isn’t gonna make this team better any time soon. They need divine intervention. And man, those uniforms are terrible.
Cam Newton is stopped short of the goal line on the final play of the game. (h/t Elaine Thompson, AP)
Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season is in the books. It was a wild week filled with crazy finishes, questionable decisions, and unfortunately, a multitude of serious injuries to some of the league’s best players. Let’s get into it.
Browns 35-30 Bengals
The Browns offense finally decided to show up and deliver on its promises after over a year of questions and doubts. Baker Mayfield looked fantastic on Thursday night, slinging the ball with confidence all over the field to the tune of 219 yards and 2 TDs, although he did have an interception on a poor read across the middle. Odell Beckham Jr. splashed onto the scene for the first time in 2020 with a diving 43 yard touchdown catch to the avail of Browns fans everywhere who have been waiting for him to truly emerge as the elite receiver he was in New York. But the real story of the Cleveland offense was the run game. The Browns one-two punch of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt looked like the best in football as they combined for 210 yards and 3 TDs on just carries. If Cleveland’s run game can play at that level consistently, then they could truly be one of the league’s best offenses. On the Bengals side of things, rookie QB Joe Burrow continued to look very promising despite being under extreme duress every time he dropped back. Burrow set the NFL record for completions in a game by a rookie with 37, adding 316 yards, 3 TDs, and no interceptions. He did turn the ball over once on a strip sack from Myles Garrett, but it was no fault of Burrow’s as his offensive line is proving to be one of the worst in football. Even with the horrible circumstances that he is in, the #1 overall pick looks to be the franchise QB that Bengals fans have been hoping for.
Bears 17-13 Giants
Sunday’s contest between New York and Chicago provided one of the saddest moments of the young NFL season. Superstar Giants RB Saquon Barkley tore his ACL while being tackled on the sideline, and will miss the remainder of the 2020 NFL season. Heartbreaking news for the entire league. In his absence, the Giants still managed to put up a good fight at Soldier Field. The Bears lifted off for a 17-0 lead, with QB Mitchell Trubisky continuing his improved play in 2020. The Giants slowly crept back in the second half, scoring 13 unanswered points. The game was almost put away by Chicago’s defense, as star safety Eddie Jackson picked off Giants QB Daniel Jones and returned it for a touchdown, but the play was nullified due to a very questionable defensive pass interference call. The Giants kept pushing to the Bears goal-line, with the clock winding down. On the game’s final play, the Giants needed a touchdown to win, but were kept out by the Bears stellar secondary. The win vaulted Chicago to a somewhat surprising record of 2-0, and bumped the Giants down to 0-2, where things are likely only going to get worse. Bears fans would probably like their team’s games to not come down to the final play anymore, but they certainly must enjoy being undefeated on the young season.
Cowboys 40-39 Falcons
There is so much to say about this game that I don’t even know where to begin. The Falcons jumped out to a red-hot start, going up 20-0 in the first quarter (!!). It easily could’ve been more, but the Falcons offense seems to hate the redzone. Dallas looked shockingly bad with 2 fumbles, and Mike McCarthy made everyone scratch their heads as he attempted (and failed) two fake punts. But for some reason, the game never felt out of reach. Both teams went back and forth scoring on one another, with the Cowboys closing the gap to as little as 5 points in the 3rd quarter. With 8 minutes left in the game, Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo put Atlanta up 39-24. So, game over, right? Wrong. This is the Atlanta Falcons we’re talking about here! But what transpired in the final 5 minutes of the game were special even by Georgia sports standards. Dallas reached the endzone, got a stop, and got back in the endzone to cut the lead to just 2 with 109 seconds remaining. If Dallas wanted to complete the improbable comeback, they’d need to recover an onside kick, perhaps the hardest thing to do successfully on a football field. Onside kicks are virtually impossible to recover these days, especially with the rule of not running up before the kick. To make things even harder, Dallas kicker Greg Zuerlein kicked the ball straight off the turf without a tee. It was a very slow rolling kick that was almost moving in slow motion. It should have been a simple recovery for the Falcons hands team, but instead of falling on the slow motion football, they watched and watched as it rolled further and further until it crossed the 10 yard threshold… and the Cowboys fell on it. I would like to think that nothing with this team should shock me anymore, but that just might be the most inexplicable special teams gaffe I’ve seen in a professional football game. The Cowboys pulled the seemingly inevitable and kicked the game winning field goal to emerge with a most improbable victory. Dallas QB Dak Prescott had an incredible game with 450 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns. The QB on the other side, Matt Ryan, continued his stellar play as well with 273 yards and 4 TDs, but his team lost him the game; a story he is all too familiar with. Georgia sports… you never cease to amaze.
Packers 42-21 Lions
The Lions got off to quite a hot start in Lambeau on Sunday, going up 14-3 in the first quarter. But, that was just about it for their offense. Green Bay’s aerial and ground attack looked unstoppable as they strung together 31 unanswered points. Packers RB Aaron Jones was the star of the show with 168 yards and 2 TDs on the ground, including a 75 yard sprint to the house, and a receiving touchdown to boot. The Packers defense also looked very nice, holding the Lions to only 89 yards rushing and picking off QB Matt Stafford for a touchdown late in the game. Green Bay has looked like one the league’s best teams after dismantling two of their division rivals in the first two weeks of the season, but they’ll still have a lot to prove down the stretch, and that starts next week in New Orleans on Sunday Night Football. Let’s see what this team is really made of.
Titans 33-30 Jaguars
Nothing like a good old fashioned AFC South barnburner, is there? Tennessee and Jacksonville battled it out for 60 minutes on Sunday and it was awesome. It was an offensive explosion as Titans QB Ryan Tannehill thew for 239 yards and 4 TDs and Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew had 339 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. The Jags came back from a 2 score deficit in the 4th quarter, tying the game at 30 with only 7 minutes left in the game. But with 1:36 to play, Titans kicker Stephen Gostowski nailed a game-winning field goal from 49 yards out to give Tennessee the lead. Trying to lead a drive to tie or win the game, Minshew was picked off by LB Harold Landry, and the Titans held on for the win to improve to 2-0. Tennessee looks like a very solid team in the early going of the season, perhaps proving that their 2019 playoff run wasn’t just a fluke. The Jaguars have battled for back to back weeks and look like they have a lot of fight in them, especially in Gardner Minshew. For that very reason, I’m taking Jacksonville out of the Trevor Lawrence conversation. I think they’ve found their guy.
Colts 28-11 Vikings
3 years, $86 million, fully guaranteed. That was the contract that the Vikings gave to QB Kirk Cousins 2 years ago. Now in the 3rd year of that contract, it’s becoming painfully obvious that the Vikings overvalued and overpaid their signal caller. Cousins had one of the worst QB games you’ll ever see on Sunday, completing 11 of 26 passes for 113 yards, no scores, and THREE (3) interceptions. The absence of Stefon Diggs in Minnesota is clearly having very negative effects on this once-potent aerial attack. The Vikings offense looked atrocious on Sunday against an albeit stellar Colts defense, and it needs to improve fast if this 0-2 club wants to compete for a wild card spot this year. Colts rookie RB Jonathan Taylor looked great in his first start with 101 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Unfortunately for Indianapolis, two of their young stars suffered some harsh injuries. 2nd year WR Parris Campbell suffered a PCL/MCL injury and will miss significant time, and star 4th year safety Malik Hooker tore his achilles and will miss the rest of the year. We’re all hoping for speedy recoveries for the two former Buckeyes.
Bills 31-28 Dolphins
The Josh Allen coming out party is officially underway. The Bills QB looked stellar once again on Sunday, setting a new career high in passing for the second consecutive week, this time with a whopping 417 yards. Allen also added 4 TDs with no INTs. The addition of WR Stefon Diggs is already paying massive dividends in Buffalo, as the former Viking caught 8 balls for 153 yards and a touchdown. The Dolphins also aired it out a ton as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 328 yards and two scores. This was a wild, wacky, and wet game that was delayed over an hour due to inclement weather, and it was quite fun to watch. The Bills now stand at 2-0 and look like one of the better teams in the league. Their defense was always great, and now their offense looks stellar. This is certainly not a team to be slept on.
49ers 31-13 Jets
Holy mother of injuries. San Francisco dominated the Jets all game long, but got decimated along the way. 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa is gone for the year with a torn ACL. 2017 3rd overall pick Solomon Thomas is also gone for the season with a torn ACL. QB Jimmy Garoppolo hurt his ankle, didn’t return to the game and will likely miss at least 1 week. RB Raheem Mostert opened the game with an 80 yard touchdown sprint, but ended up hurting his knee and will miss some time. RB Tevin Coleman hurt his knee and will miss “multiple weeks”, per HC Kyle Shanahan. Oh, and TE George Kittle and DE Dee Ford already didn’t play due to injury. San Francisco had one of the best rosters in football, but it is now thinned for the time being in some places and for the rest of the year in other places. Luckily for them, they play another injury-riddled team in the Giants next Sunday, and can hopefully regain their strength. As for the Jets, they continued looking like the worst team in football, despite QB Sam Darnold showing some great flashes. The fact that Adam Gase is still employed is mind-boggling.
Rams 37-19 Eagles
Are the Rams back? It certainly appears so. The Rams are now 2-0 with 2 very good-looking wins. Their offense looks as efficient as it has been in years past, and QB Jared Goff looks as comfortable as ever in his 4th year with Sean McVay. Both sides of the ball look very sound for LA as they look to keep fighting in the toughest division in football. However, it seems like the story of the game was the Philadelphia Eagles. More specifically, QB Carson Wentz. The man who was once one of the league’s best quarterbacks is now facing heavy criticism from analysts and fans alike, as he has had 2 awful games to start the 2020 season. Wentz threw 2 INTs for the 2nd consecutive game and didn’t throw a single touchdown all game. RB Miles Sanders continued to look good, but this team is going nowhere fast if Wentz doesn’t stop regressing. The schedule isn’t getting any easier as well. Perhaps we’ll see Jalen Hurts at QB before long.
Steelers 26-21 Broncos
Another game filled with injuries. The Broncos not only lost the game, but they lost WR Courtland Sutton for the year with a torn ACL and QB Drew Lock for an extended period of time with a shoulder injury. In Lock’s stead, QB Jeff Driskel didn’t play half bad. The Broncos stayed in the game until the end, only losing by 5. This was a game that the Steelers should have dominated, but I have a feeling their offense will patch things up and keep improving. The Pittsburgh defense continues to be stellar, especially against the run. Their front 7 is one of the best in football, and it’s almost impossible to run against them. That defense could prove to be the difference maker in games later in the season.
Buccaneers 31-17 Panthers
Tom Brady officially has his first ever win outside of New England. The Bucs looked very solid on both sides of the football against Carolina. On offense, Brady finally established a connection with WR Mike Evans in Chris Godwin’s absence. The run game looked great as both Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II ran circles around the Carolina defense and each reached the endzone. Tampa’s defense wasn’t in question after a fairly good performance in New Orleans last week, but now that their offense has found its rhythm, the Bucs are looking like a force to be reckoned with in the stacked NFC.
Cardinals 30-15 Washington
After an inspiring comeback win in Week 1, the Washington Football Team looked absolutely lifeless on Sunday in Arizona. Granted, they were playing a much better team, but the boys in burgundy played an awful game for about 50 minutes. The Washington offensive line was seemingly nonexistent as QB Dwayne Haskins had less than 2.5 seconds to throw on average, with one rush leading to a strip sack. I would implore my fellow Washington fans to pump the brakes on the slander and hate towards this team, especially towards Dwayne Haskins. It’s Week 2 of a completely new system, he didn’t have a preseason, and he hasn’t even started a full season’s worth of games yet. Give it time, and I’m sure he’ll figure it out. The only positives for Washington was its running backs, Antonio Gibson and JD McKissic, who looked very good at times, and WR Terry McLaurin, who is continuing to be this offense’s best player by far in his 2nd year. Washington’s defense was also a bit of an issue, as emerging star QB Kyler Murray diced up the secondary on both the ground and through the air. The 2nd year quarterback out of Oklahoma looked stellar despite an early interception, and has now garnered a lot of media attention. I felt that Kyler had a lot of potential to be great and thought that at his best he could enter the MVP conversation. Well, here we are in Week 2, and he has very well entered it. He has to keep it up against a cupcake schedule for the next month or so. Seems easy enough. Watch out for the Cardinals. They are flying high.
Chiefs 23-20 Chargers (OT)
The Chargers had one of the more interesting developments of the week as starting QB Tyrod Taylor was a last-second scratch due to complications from a pre-game painkilling injection. When the Chargers rolled out rookie QB Justin Herbert from Oregon, the #6 overall pick in this year’s draft, we were all shocked and expected him to play poorly due to being thrust into a game against the Super Bowl champs with no preparation whatsoever. Instead, what we got was an incredible game from the rookie. Herbert arguably outplayed the reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes with 311 yards, 1 passing TD and 1 rushing TD on 22-33 passing. The Chargers led for most of the game, but some Mahomes magic brought the Chiefs back and sent the game to OT. The Chargers decided to punt the ball to Kansas City instead of going for it on a 4th and 1, and Harrison Butker nailed a game winner to send the Chiefs to 2-0. Chargers HC Anthony Lynn is insisting that Tyrod Taylor will remain the starter if healthy, which is just asinine to me. You drafted Herbert 6th overall. He just gave your team life when they didn’t have any. He has to be your starter. Don’t overthink the room.
Ravens 33-16 Texans
Lamar Jackson vs. Deshaun Watson is always fun on paper. It was certainly fun when they were both in college. But Sunday’s game was pure Baltimore domination. The Ravens continued to look like the best team in the league, and it honestly isn’t very close. They simply don’t have a flaw: quarterback, offensive line, running backs, wide receivers, front 7, secondary, even special teams are all incredible in Baltimore. It’s hard to picture them losing a game this season. They’ll have a tough test next Monday night against Kansas City in what should be a great game. Houston didn’t look great on Sunday, but for the most part, that’s to no fault of their own. However, the absence of DeAndre Hopkins is being felt heavily. Deshaun Watson can’t do it all on his own. It’s a shame to see someone so talented being wasted.
Seahawks 35-30 Patriots
The Cam vs. Russ/Bill Belichick vs Pete Carroll matchup lived up to the hype and then some. Sunday night’s affair was one of the best games I’ve seen in a very long time. Both QBs played exceptional football. Let’s start with Russell Wilson, who is certainly cooking. Russ continues to amaze on a weekly basis, this time throwing a whopping 5 touchdowns to 5 different receivers, with seemingly every throw being an absolute beauty. His only “mistake” was a pick 6 which was the result of an inexplicable drop by TE Greg Oslen. Russell Wilson now has 9 touchdowns on the year and ONLY 11 incompletions. There’s a serious case for Russ being not only the best QB in the league, but the best player in the league. He has almost got me on that train, and he doesn’t need to do much more for me to get on it. On the other side, Cam Newton looked spectacular in his second game in New England. After last week, it seemed like the Patriots would ask Cam to run more than throw, but he threw the ball exceptionally well against a very good Seattle secondary. He had 397 yards (179 going to Julian Edelman, a career high for him) and 3 total TDs, with 2 coming on the ground. It could have been 3 TDs on the ground, but Cam was stopped by the Seattle defense on the goal line on the final play of the game in a thrilling finish. Seattle truly looks like one of the league’s best teams, especially with the MVP frontrunner, but their defense needs to improve if they want to stop teams like Baltimore and Kansas City.
Raiders 34-24 Saints
Welcome to the NFL, Las Vegas. The Raiders’ first game in fabulous Las Vegas at their new stadium was as impressive as any win this week. The silver and black got off to a slow start, going down 17-7 early, but it was all Vegas from there on out. Derek Carr looked spectacular airing the ball out all over the field, and RB Josh Jacobs continued to impress with powerful running on the ground. Perhaps the most interesting development on Monday night was the struggles of Drew Brees. The Saints QB truly played like a 40 year old, barely throwing the ball down the field, making terrible reads and throws including an interception directly to a Raiders LB. He filled up the stat sheet by checking down to receivers or to his RBs, namely Alvin Kamara who led the team with 9 catches for 95 yards. Brees’ struggles can likely be tied to the absence of star WR Michael Thomas, but if he still plays subpar football when Thomas returns, then it might be the case that Drew Brees’ incredible career is nearing its end. The Saints face a tough Packers team next Sunday night in what should be a great game and a great indication of where this team currently lies.
After 18 days and 66 games of March Madness action, it’s finally time for the ultimate game. #3 Michigan of the West Region will face #1 Villanova of the East Region to decide the 2018 Men’s Division I basketball national champion tomorrow night in San Antonio (9:20 PM, TBS).
Before we look ahead to the game, let’s see how both teams got to Game 67.
#3 Michigan:
John Beilein’s squad has had a historic path to the natty, but perhaps in a negative way. With their win on Saturday evening against #11 Loyola-Chicago, Michigan became the first time in tournament history to make the national championship game without facing a team seeded higher than #5. Michigan didn’t even play an opponent ranked higher than #6: #14 Montana in the first round, #6 Houston in the second round, #7 Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, #9 Florida State in the Elite 8, and finally the Ramblers in the Final Four. But don’t let that resume fool you. This Michigan team is stellar. They set a program record with 33 wins this year and won the B1G Tournament fairly handily, beating eventual #2 and #3 seeds in the big dance Purdue and Michigan State, respectively, on the way to their conference title. This team has size, strength, and experience. Even the younger players have been playing like veterans this tournament. Michigan wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for freshman Jordan Poole’s buzzer beating 3 pointer to beat Houston in the second round. The star of this team that provides all 3 of the characteristics I listed is junior Moritz Wagner. Wagner made a name for himself last year during Michigan’s mini-run to the Sweet 16 and has established himself as a major threat this season. Averaging 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds, he is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. In their Final Four game against Loyola, Wagner dominated the inside with 24 points and 15 rebounds on 10-16 shooting. Seniors Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson, the 2017-18 B1G 6th Man of the Year, are also major keys to the success of the Wolverines. This team prides itself on tough, physical defense, giving up just 62.9 PPG, the 8th best scoring defense in the country. They only gave up 57 points to a Loyola team that’s been excellent offensively this entire tournament. If they can play their signature defense and convert buckets on the other end of the floor, Michigan could have hardware in their sights.
#1 Villanova:
Ranked as the 2nd overall seed in the tournament and being one of the best basketball programs in recent years, it’s no surprise that the Wildcats have made it this far. Villanova will be playing for their second national championship in the past 3 years, and their 3rd overall in the very same state that they defeated UNC at the buzzer for their second title, their first since 1985. This team was picked by almost everyone to win their region, and after #1 Virginia’s first round stumble against #16 UMBC, Villanova became the easy favorite to win it all. This is a team that is extremely well rounded on both ends of the floor and can hurt you in several different ways. Led by junior guard Jalen Brunson (19p/3r/5a on 53/80/41), the 2018 AP Player of the Year, the Villanova offense is as explosive as we’ve ever seen. This team has beaten every opponent they have played in this tournament by double digits, the smallest margin of victory being 12. Scoring 86.8 PPG, Villanova ranks as the #1 scoring offense in the country. They can hurt you from the inside with big men like Eric Paschall and Omari Spellman, but are even deadlier from 3 point range. In their semifinal game against #1 Kansas, Nova drained 18 shots from downtown, a new Final Four record. The Wildcats boast 5 players who shoot at least 39% from the arc, from guards like Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo (SO) to forwards like Spellman and star Mikal Bridges (JR). This team will need to capitalize on every offensive possession, otherwise it may be a long night for the Big East champs.
How each team can win:
This is a classic battle of an explosive offense against a stellar defense. But, contrarily, it’ll be Villanova’s defense and Michigan’s offense that will decide this game. If Michigan can score efficiently on Nova’s defense, then their pack-line defense will feed off of it and contain Villanova’s offense. If the Wildcats’ defense can keep the Wolverines’ offense in check, then their quick bursts and shooting ability should be able to put together a few runs and pull away when necessary to secure a victory. This game will come down to a few possessions on both sides of the ball and be decided by inches. Who will emerge victorious?
My Prediction: #1 Villanova 72-66 #3 Michigan
I believe that Michigan’s defense will do their part and keep the Nova offense in check, but a few made buckets late in the game and some defensive stops will win the game for Villanova. I expect a game similar to last year’s natty between #1 Gonzaga and #1 UNC, just with more offense. Key players in this game will be Omari Spellman for Villanova and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman for Michigan. If Spellman performs anything like he has all tournament long, Villanova will be more than happy. Abdur-Rahkman needs an opposite performance of his game against Loyola on Saturday for Michigan to be comfortable.
This should be a great game. Hopefully this phenomenal tournament ends on a high note.
Buccaneers 28-17 Bears 
Panthers 31-28 Falcons 
Chiefs 38-24 Raiders 
Cardinals 31-13 Jets 
Steelers 27-17 Eagles 
Rams 31-14 Washington 
Ravens 30-21 Bengals 
Texans 27-24 Jaguars 
49ers 31-19 Dolphins 
Browns 22-19 Colts 
Cowboys 38-16 Giants 
Seahawks 34-31 Vikings 
Patriots 27-13 Broncos 
Saints 30-27 Chargers 
Bills 27-26 Titans 
Packers (4-0) 
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Lions (1-3) 
Washington (1-2) 
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