Dolphins v Bills
Many see this as the marquee matchup of the week, with the best team in the AFC against the most exciting one. The Bills have run into a bit of bad luck on the injury front, with a number of defenders down, including on the defensive line. I can see still see pressure getting to Tua, especially if the running game doesn’t get going. Expect McDaniel to scheme up ways for the Fins to get the ball to Waddle and Hill quickly, through RPOs and screens. The Miami defence has shown a vulnerability to the run, and I can see Ken Dorsey going back to the zone read game and get Josh Allen more involved on the ground. Bills run away with it in the end.
Bills 38 over Fins 24
Commanders v Eagles
Jalen Hurts is the hottest player in the league right now and has steadily improved his ability to spread the ball around through the air. The constant threat of him tucking and running allows for mismatches. I can see Goedert and AJ Brown carving up the Commanders early, and Miles Sanders and Co eating up the second half and dominating in the trenches. Wentz will probably continue his statistically impressive start, but much of it will come in garbage time with the Eagles coasting to yet another easy win.
Eagles 31 over Commanders 23
Jets v Bengals
The Jets offence under Flacco is competent. Read that again. That said, the defence, Salah’s specialty, is still awful. I see this week as the one where Burrow and Bengals get right, with several long Ja’Marr Chase connections and Mixon running the Jets into the ground. The Bengals D has been solid but needs a break. This will be the time for it. With how wide open the AFC North is at the moment, this might be a must win early on for Cincy.
Bengals 35 over Jets 17
Pats vs Ravens
The Ravens must still be shaking their head after their defence allowed the Fins back into it like they did. The Patriots are not the Fins in terms of their talent and speed on offence. I feel a bit sorry for Mac Jones, as I can see the Ravens grinding him into paste this week. If the run game doesn’t pick him up, I can see a very long day for the Patriots. Lamar’s precision passing game should be the talk of the league, and look for Mark Andrews to carve a slow Patriots secondary to pieces.
Ravens 27 over Patriots 13
Titans v Raiders
Both teams will be looking to get off the schnide, with the historic loss by the Raiders last week still fresh in the minds of the Vegas crew. I think Derek Carr needs a great performance here, and it won’t take long for Davante Adams discontent to come to the surface if he doesn’t start getting the ball soon. That said, the Titans are still a very well coached organisation, and I can see Henry busting off one of his trademark big gainers late in the game to allow Tennessee to sneak a victory on the road.
Titans 20 over Raiders 16
Bucs v Packers
The battle of the ageing wonders behind center, with neither of the legends having much success statistically so far. The Packers offence looked better as Lafleur and Rodgers used their weapons in the backfield to methodically pick the Bears D apart. The Bucs are way better than the Bears, but I can see a similar game plan being implemented. The Packers will be looking to dial up the pass rush on Brady early and often, and will depend on the home field to disrupt some of the timing for Brady. TB12 is also down his two best receivers with both Mike Evans (suspended) and Chris Godwin (questionable, foot injury) potentially out. Unless the Bucs can force Rodgers into some bad turnovers, I can see a close home victory for the Pack.
Packers 17 over Bucs 13
Panthers v Saints
The Jameis of old is rearing his ugly head, and with reports that he played through fractures in his back, perhaps it was less poor reads and more physical limitations. The Panthers offence still has not found a way to get run CMC involved. Until they get that sorted, I can see the Saints doing just enough to get the win at home. The big factor will be whether Mayfield can convert on 3rd, with awful efficiency so far from the former #1.
Saints 23 over Panthers 14
Vikings vs Lions
Kirk Cousins played his regular awful self in Primetime, and will be happy to be back into the normal early slot. I can see Jefferson having another big-time game allowing the Vikes to get back to more balance and ensuring Cook and Mattison can grind out the fourth quarter against an improving, but still bad Lions D. D’Andre Swift is quickly becoming one of my favourite players, and reminds me a lot of his counterpart across the field in Dalvin Cook. His ability to run and catch, and make players miss in tight windows could be the X-Factor. He, along with the exciting receiving weapons like Amon Ra St.Brown, DJ Chark and TJ Hockinson could spell some issues for the older secondary of the Vikes, but I think it may be too little, too late for the Lions who will start slow and need to play catch up.
Vikings 35 over Lions 31
Colts vs Chiefs
What is going on in Indy? Matt Ryan, widely thought to be the answer-albeit temporary-to the QB question is playing the worst football of his career. The Colts will need to make tough decisions soon if they cannot get back on track soon. I can see the Chiefs absolutely smashing the Colts this week, with Mahomes and Reid trying to send a message to the Bills that they are still the powerhouse of the AFC.
Chiefs 44 over Colts 20
Bears v Texans
The game of the week…according to Camilla. The battle of the basement has two of the least talented teams in the league battling it out in Houston. I’m not sure who wins, as the Texans defence may be the best unit in the game, but Justin Fields may be let loose to huck it and connect with Mooney deep a few times. I can see the conservative Texans losing another close lead in the fourth and going down to the Bears, who will somehow be 2-1 after 3 weeks.
Bears 17 over Texas 9
Chargers v Jags
An intriguing matchup here, with the injured Herbert looking to bounce back from getting battered in KC last week. Trevor Lawrence is showing the talent he was hoped to possess, and now that he has a competent coaching group and some weapons, is looking at taking the next step into the elite young QB group. The Chargers defence is still elite, and I can see Lawrence playing well early, but getting turned over a few times due to his tendancy to still play a bit of hero ball. Herbert will play a more muted role but will still make 4 or 5 “WOW” plays to lead LA to the victory.
Chargers 24 over Jags 20
Seahawks v Falcons
Another matchup for the projected #1 draft pick, the Falcons have looked better than their talent level. Arthur Smith’s offensive schemes put his players in excellent spots to succeed, but he needs to overcome a very poor defence, and the fact that his team struggles passing the ball in a comeback situation. The Seahawks might be just the team the Falcons need to get a lead and keep it. I can see Mariota and Patterson having a field day against the Seahawks, whose defence is built to give up yardage, but limit the big plays. Look for a big time of possession victory for the Falcons as they do enough to get the win at home.
Falcons 20 over Seahawks 12
Broncos v 49ers
Nathaniel Hackett’s disastrous start as a head coach has been well publicised, so much so that he has brought in an assistant head coach to help him with “game management”. Yikes! I mean, good on Hackett for admitting his mistakes and gulping down his ego to quickly address concerns, but I see this more as an already impatient new ownership group tightening the lead on their rookie coach. The Waltons have money to burn, and I would not be surprised at all to see Hackett as the latest one-and-done coach if he can’t quickly begin winning games with their prized QB picked up to win them another Super Bowl. While Trey Lance is gone for the season, I almost see this as a net positive, as Jimmy G is familiar with his teammates and the offence and didn’t skip a beat in taking over last week and playing well. I see the Niners frustrating Wilson again with a lot of inside pressure and forcing him into some mistakes late.
49ers 31 over Broncos 21
Cards vs Rams
Kyler silenced doubters with his Madden-like play in the comeback OT win over the Raiders last week. I don’t see him being able to repeat this against a much better, faster defence in the Rams. Look for Stafford to spread the ball around and control the game against a flawed Cards D. Stafford is also excellent against the blitz, and Vance Joseph’s defence lives on the extra pressure. Kyler will have a poor game coming back down to earth against Donald and the front of the Rams.
Rams 35 over Cards 24
Giants v Cowboys
Time for some facts: The Giants are 2-0. Daboll is a competent coach. Daniel Jones still sucks. And Micah Parsons is going to feast on Monday night. I could honestly see a 4 sack game for the beastly defender, taking advantage of Jones holding the ball too long and being oblivious to pressures. In a low scoring game, this still may not be enough if Saquon Barkley can rack up the yardage. Cooper Rush is not a starting QB, but did enough last week to not lose the game. This will go down to the wire, with the Boys winning a close one late.
Cowboys 27 over Giants 24
Cam will have a whale of a time watching her top seeds battle it out, while everyone else in the world will be avoiding the game like the plague. She’ll learn soon enough. See you later this week for our recap podcast and thoughts on all of the games.
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