Two battles of unbeaten teams this week, as the 3-0 Chiefs visit the 2-0-1 Detroit Lions, while two unbeaten teams in the AFC East, the Pats and the Bills, square off today in Buffalo.
The Packers already got knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten teams on Thursday. Most likely (barring the unlikely scenario of another tie), two teams will be joining them during these battles between unbeatens. Will other undefeated teams fall this weekend, to boot? Will dome of the remaining winless teams finally earn their first win? And will some of the teams in between take steps towards joining the ranks of the elites, or perhaps will they go the other way, edging towards a season of an abyss?
Let's take a closer look at the upcoming games this weekend:
N.Y. Giants at Washington – This suddenly is a big game for the Giants, who are looking to win their second game in a row. They got blasted in their previous divisional game in Dallas in the season opener, but they have a real shot here in this one. Washington still is reeling from a tough loss against Chicago, and they had a short week to prepare for this one. Their offense is not producing particularly well, although the G-Men’s defense has been But Washington is a team that is having some serious problems right now, and they have to be reeling. New York should be feeling good about themselves, having won their first game last week, and finally showing what that offense is capable of. Can they do it again this week, though? That is the big question. If they can, they should be able to pull off a solid road win and make their season very relevant. If not, then they will likely lose and be tied again for last place in the division, and with a dismal outlook for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Washington just wants to get their first win, obviously, and especially against Big Blue, a team that they likely feel they should beat. Huge game! My pick: N.Y. Giants
The Packers already got knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten teams on Thursday. Most likely (barring the unlikely scenario of another tie), two teams will be joining them during these battles between unbeatens. Will other undefeated teams fall this weekend, to boot? Will dome of the remaining winless teams finally earn their first win? And will some of the teams in between take steps towards joining the ranks of the elites, or perhaps will they go the other way, edging towards a season of an abyss?
Let's take a closer look at the upcoming games this weekend:
N.Y. Giants at Washington – This suddenly is a big game for the Giants, who are looking to win their second game in a row. They got blasted in their previous divisional game in Dallas in the season opener, but they have a real shot here in this one. Washington still is reeling from a tough loss against Chicago, and they had a short week to prepare for this one. Their offense is not producing particularly well, although the G-Men’s defense has been But Washington is a team that is having some serious problems right now, and they have to be reeling. New York should be feeling good about themselves, having won their first game last week, and finally showing what that offense is capable of. Can they do it again this week, though? That is the big question. If they can, they should be able to pull off a solid road win and make their season very relevant. If not, then they will likely lose and be tied again for last place in the division, and with a dismal outlook for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Washington just wants to get their first win, obviously, and especially against Big Blue, a team that they likely feel they should beat. Huge game! My pick: N.Y. Giants
Oakland at Indianapolis – The Colts seem to have a real quarterback at the helm. They also seem to have salvaged a season that looked in disarray just a few weeks ago, after Luck retired, and when their present seemed uncertain. But Jacoby Brissett really seems to have that offense rolling. Plus, they have a decent defense, which gives them a shot in the division, and to remain in the playoff picture. They are especially tough at home, and they are facing a Raiders team that is, once again, experiencing problems. Their defense is looking vulnerable, and the offense just has not been able to fully get things going. Not hard to make this prediction in favor of the home team. My pic: Indianapolis
Tennessee at Atlanta – This is actually a very important game for both teams. Each one is 1-2, and desperately wants to avoid going 1-3. The Titans are falling behind the Texans and the Colts, and cannot afford to give up more ground. Ditto for the Falcons, who have fallen behind New Orleans, and need to keep the divisional race as close as possible. Tennessee is a tough physical team, and they shocked people with their offensive explosion in the first game. But they have scored 24 points combined in the last two games, and their offense is really struggling again. They were able to keep the game close against the Colts, but then got soundly beaten by Jacksonville. With their offensive struggles, they need to rely heavily on their defense, which will have their hands full against the Falcons for this game. Both teams have their problems, but Atlanta’s offense, particularly quarterback Matt Ryan, coupled with their considerable home field advantage, should pull them through in the end. My pick: Atlanta
Cleveland at Baltimore – The Ravens fought hard and kept in the game at Kansas City last weekend. But they do return home, which should prove to be a benefit to them. They are familiar with the Browns, but that works both ways. The Browns still are expected to be a new and exciting team, but the Ravens defense is known to frustrate opposing offenses. Plus, their own offense is not horrendous, and that means that the Browns will have an extremely difficult game to try and beat the division leaders. It could happen, but safe money still seems to be on the Ravens. My pick: Baltimore
Kansas City at Detroit – Well, the Chiefs are one of the very hottest teams in the league, which is no surprise. What is a surprise is that Detroit also looks like one of the hot teams in the league, sporting an unbeaten record of 2-0-1. This is the toughest test yet this season for both teams. The Lions have home field, which should help them. But they will have a very tough time trying to contain Mahomes and that dangerous KC offense. In fact, Detroit has been susceptible to allowing too many points for comfort this season. That is not a comfortable weakness to have when you are about to face one of the most explosive offenses in the entire league. I think this will be a good game, and likely an offensive shootout. But in the end, there is a reason why the Chiefs usually win those kinds of games, and they should do it again this Sunday in the Motor City. My pick: Kansas City
Jacksonville at Denver – The Broncos have not had much fun so far this season, losing all three games that they have played. They have played respectably in each game, but no, they have not managed to win one just yet. But now, the Jaguars come into town, and they are 1-2, and probably quite beatable. Sure, Jax won last weekend, finally earning their own first win after hosting Tennessee. The Jaguars themselves have looked surprisingly tough this season, responding respectably to the challenge of opening the season at Kansas City, barely losing to the Texans, before dominating the Titans last week. So, I think both teams are going to fight hard in this one, and this really could go either way. But my guy tells me that, with home field advantage in the thin Rocky Mountain air at Mile High, the home team should finally get their first win of the season. My pick: Denver
Minnesota at Chicago – Boy! What a game this is going to be! Rarely do you see a battle between the two bottom teams in a division as hotly anticipated, and with as much relevance, as this one. But the Vikings and Bears are no ordinary last place teams, even just entering the fourth week of the still young season. They both are 2-1, and both still very much feel that they have a legitimate shot at not only a playoff berth, but a division title. After all, whoever wins will be at least tied for second place, and if the Lions lose at Green Bay, whoever wins this one will be in sole possession of second place, just a game behind the Packers. Yet, whoever loses will also lose their winning record, and will be assured of sole possession of last place in a tough division a quarter of the way through this season. So, clearly, there is a lot at stake in this one. The Vikings so far look like the better, more complete team. They have a solid offense, with a strong running attack. Plus, their defense is quite good. Da Bears have a better defense, but their offense is also more of a liability than it is for the Vikings. That offense looked very good at Washington during the first quarter on Monday Night Football, but then stalled and struggled yet again in the second half, when they needed to try and stop the bleeding during Washington’s decent comeback bid. Chicago did win, but not as easily or automatically as perhaps they should have, given that they took a 28-0 lead at one point in the second quarter. Minnesota, meanwhile, has played well in every game. Even that one loss at Green Bay had one silver lining, because they came back strong to make what was shaping out to be a blowout win for Green Bay suddenly turn into a close game. So, the Vikings, I feel, are the slightly better team. But the Bears do have home field advantage, which could really help them here. Yet, it could also possibly hurt, because Trubitsy seems to allow the fans vocal frustrations to get into his head, which could happen again If the Bears offense struggles yet again. My guess is that the Vikings find a way to squeak by in this contest. My pick: Minnesota
New England at Buffalo – Another battle of unbeatens. This one is huge, as the winner takes sole possession of the AFC East lead early in the season. Buffalo has one of the strongest defenses in the league, and they do have home field advantage. But then again, New England are the defending champions, and a virtual dynasty, for a reason, right? They have looked incredible in their first three to open up the season, and they have superior experience, and perhaps talent. The Bills will likely have their hands full, and in the end, I expect that the Pats still find a way to get it done. Some things never seem to change, and until the Bills actually finally beat the Pats, there will always be legitimate questions about just how much they have turned things around. My pick: New England
Carolina at Houston – The Panthers finally got their first win of the season. That is good, because they likely cannot realistically expect to win this one, or keep up with all of Houston’s weapons. The Texans should be a solid contender for the playoffs and a division title this year, and may even have a chance to make a run deep into January in the playoffs. When they are on, they are tough to beat, and Carolina having to go on the road, with the question marks surrounding Newton and the offense, and the overall struggles for the Panthers thus far, should prove too much. Hard to predict anything but a victory by the home team in this one. My pick: Houston
L.A. Chargers at Miami – The Chargers were in trouble, after having dropped two straight games. It was a disappointing loss at Detroit, followed by a home loss to the Texans. But they probably have the cure to what ails them, at least this week by facing the Dolphins. Sure, on any given Sunday, one team could beat, or even shock, another. But the Chargers know the importance of winning this game to get back on the right track, and the Fins just do not have many weapons to try and keep up with L.A.. The Chargers have a tough defense, which will likely keep Miami to a low score. And the Chargers have an elite quarterback in Rivers, and a tough offense generally speaking. Cannot predict anything but a Chargers win here, heading into this week’s games. My pick: L.A. Chargers
Seattle at Arizona – The Seahawks lost to New Orleans last week, although at least they made a game out of it, after looking like they were going to get blown out. They have a solid offense that can be explosive, and still are tough on defense. While the Cardinals themselves have proven a bit tougher than most expected them to be, they still simply do not have enough to be seriously competitive this season. Seattle definitely does not want to lose a second game in a row, and fall even farther behind to either the Rams or the 49ers, or perhaps likely both. So, they need this win, and I believe they will get it. My pick: Seattle
Tampa Bay at L.A. Rams – This should not be much of a match-up, frankly. The Bucs have some weapons and shown some signs of potential improvement, and they had a solid offensive game last week. But they are still 1-2, and clearly struggle to get the better of other teams. The Rams are one of the most complete teams in the league, with an elite offense, and a surprisingly tough, albeit underrated, defense. Maybe if this game was in Tampa, I might scratch my head (although most likely not) in determining who will come out on top. But in Los Angeles, it is really hard to see the Bucs even making much of a game of this one, unless the Rams have a major letdown. My pick: L.A. Rams
Sunday Night Football - Dallas at New Orleans – Another huge game! Undefeated Dallas has looked awesome thus far, but this is clearly their biggest test to date this season. The Saints are good, even without Brees, but they also enjoy home field advantage. Now, the Cowboys are going to benefit by the absence of Brees, but will that be enough? This is a tough one to call, and I could see this going either way in a tight contest. But if I had to put money down, it would be on the home team. My pick: New Orleans
Monday Night Football – Cincinnati at Pittsburgh – A couple of matches between unbeaten teams this week, so it is no shock that there is also a battle of winless teams. Both teams clearly have their share of problems so far this season. Yet, both teams have come close to winning, but just have not yet managed to seal the deal. Traditionally, the Steelers have basically owned the Bengals in recent years, and they do have home field advantage. Also, they are likely the better, more complete team overall. Would love it if I am wrong on this one, but my guess is that the black and gold pull off the win. My pick: Pittsburgh
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