NFL Week 3 Cheat Sheet
I told you I was going to the Colts @ Redskins game last weekend, and we saw history.
Washington's 50-year streak of selling out every single game ended when only 57,00 fans showed up to FedEx Field, which has 82,000 seats. Not even close.
Washington Post sports columnist Barry Svrluga explored the declining interest in the "once proud" Redskins franchise in a Wednesday column. He says the consistent losing, "junk" stadium, "maddening" traffic, and mile walk from the closest metro all contribute to the sharp decline in interest in the perennial top draw of DMV sports. From my perspective, losing has to be the biggest contributor to the declining interest in the local football club along the Potomac.
None of that stuff bothered me. I had a blast Sunday. I thought the mile walk from the metro was easy. I was OK with 50 minutes on the metro to avoid the traffic and dropping $50 for parking. And while I could see the age on FedEx Field, it had some significant positives that I appreciated. I also had a great time talking and hanging with the Redskins fans sitting around us -- a lot of good folks.
Monday morning I was still super-enthused. It was my first NFL game since 2010, and it was my son's first. Oh, and our team won -- that makes everything better and is the primary reason this Washington team is losing fans by the thousands -- they have consistently lost for more than 20 years.
Winning matters...a lot. Let's see who will win in Week 3. To the cheat sheet!
New Orleans at Atlanta (-3.0): New Orleans made Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Ryan Fitzpatrick look like a Hall of Famer in a Week 1 loss at home, and barely managed a narrow victory over the perpetually-winless Cleveland Browns in Week 2, also at home. Without looking any further, you would have to assume Atlanta would be a clear favorite Sunday, but they are only favored by three points. Cory Woodroof of TheFalcoholic.com says the Falcons have provided reasons to doubt them -- offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has proven to be inconsistent and the defense crumpled "down the stretch because of injuries and general poor play" in their 31-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers last week. Hmm, not real comfortable with my pick in this rivalry game. -- FALCONS
San Francisco at Kansas City (-6.5): Two road games and two victories for the Chiefs top-rated scoring offense led by second-year QB Pat Mahomes. The Kansas City defense, however, has given up 65 points in those two victories. The San Francisco offense is not the type of team that is going to score 30+ points at Arrowhead Stadium. Not only does Niners QB Jimmy Garappolo have a penchant for throwing interceptions, but the offense is struggling to score touchdowns once in the red zone, according to Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star. -- CHIEFS
Oakland at Miami (-3.0): The Raiders may be 0-2, but look like they are becoming more competitive. Oakland led the Los Angeles Rams at halftime Week 1 before getting blown out 33-13, and they led the Denver Broncos until Bronco K Brandon McManus drilled a 36-yard game-winning field goal with 0:06 remaining. Ryan Yousefi of the Miami New Times reports that speed at the offensive skill positions and a good mix of athletic youth and dependable veterans on defense have helped the Dolphins to their surprising 2-0 start. Traveling across country to face a speedy team with a good defense is a tall order for a team trying to learn how to compete. -- DOLPINS
Buffalo at Minnesota: Bills veteran CB Vontae Davis retired from football...at halftime of their 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Buffalo Sunday. He got out of uniform, got dressed, and walked out of the stadium, according to David Zirin of The Nation. Vontae is a smart man. The Bills are ranked 31st in points scored (11.5/game) and points allowed (39.0/game), and those numbers could get worse against a Vikings team with a high-octane offense and opportunistic defense. -- VIKINGS
Indianapolis at Philadelphia (-7.0): Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice predicts the Eagles offensive line will stymie the Colts suddenly resurgent pass rush, and the Philly tight ends will victimize the young linebackers from Indy. I am just hoping Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck makes it through the game healthy. I wouldn't be so greedy to hope for much more than that. -- EAGLES
Green Bay (-3.0) at Washington: There was a lot of optimism in the District following the Redskins 24-6 Week 1 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, and then they looked anemic in front of a sparse crowd in a 21-9 loss at home to the Colts. The Washington down-field passing game was so bad they went out and signed receivers Breshad Perriman and Michael Floyd in an attempt to spark the offense, according to Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington. Grabbing free agents off the scrap heap in Week 3 is not a sign of a team on the upswing. -- PACKERS
Cincinnati at Carolina (-3.0): Laurel Pfahler of the Dayton Daily News estimates the Bengals biggest challenge will be containing the unique Panthers offense with QB Cam Newton stacking up rushing yards from under center and RB Christian McCaffrey compiling receiving yards out of the backfield. Newton has 100 rushing yards for the league's 5th-ranked rushing offense, and McCaffrey gained 102 receiving yards in Carolina's loss to Atlanta last week. Cincinnati may struggle keeping up offensively as lead RB Joe Mixon had arthroscopic knee surgery last weekend and is expected to miss two to four weeks. -- PANTHERS
Tennessee at Jacksonville (-9.5): Jacksonville made a statement last weekend by defeating the New England Patriots 31-20 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score. Patriot WR Chris Hogan caught a touchdown with 3:40 to go in the game to pull New England within 11 points. The Titans bring the 25th-ranked offense to matchup against the 9th-rated Jaguars pass defense. It is hard to imagine Tennessee QB Marcus Mariota, coming off an elbow injury, faring better than Tom Brady against the Jags stellar defense. -- JAGUARS
Denver at Baltimore (-5.5): The jury is still out on both of these teams. The Broncos went 0-4 in East Coast games last year, according to the CBS Sports preview. Denver has won two close games against currently winless teams, and the Ravens have an unsightly loss to the Bengals on their ledger. Should be a great matchup between Denver's 4th-best offense against the Raven's 2nd-rated defense. -- RAVENS
New York Giants at Houston (-6.0): Both of these teams have to be desperate to avoid an 0-3 start. Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com reports, with the Browns Thursday night victory, Houston now holds the longest active losing streak -- they haven't won since Nov. 19, 2017. New York has been awful lately as well -- they are 3-15 since the beginning of the 2017 season. I made a mistake and picked the Giants Week 1. I seriously doubt I will make that mistake again any time soon. -- TEXANS
Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams (-7.0): The Rams were a sexy preseason Super Bowl pick and are off to a 2-0 start. They haven't allowed an opponent to score in six quarters, either, but they haven't played anybody good yet. Chargers QB Philip Rivers is definitely the best quarterback they have seen this year, but Rams CB Marcus Peters has picked off Rivers four times in six games as a Chief, according to Gary Klein of the L.A. Times. -- RAMS
Dallas at Seattle (-1.5): Seattle is off to an 0-2 start, but playing their first home game this weekend. Common thought is the Seahawks have a significant home field advantage when playing in Century Link, but they lost four of their last five games there last year. The Cowboys may not be a good matchup for the Seahawks, either. The venerable Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports Dallas has the second most sacks in the league (9), and Seattle has allowed the most (12). -- COWBOYS
Chicago (-5.0) at Arizona: The Cardinals are the worst team in the NFL. -- BEARS
New England (-7.0) at Detroit: You know when the acquisition of a wide receiver in Week 3 doesn't look like the desperate move of a doomed team? When it is New England trading for WR Josh Gordon. The Lions are coached by former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, but Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press thinks the Lions defense -- last in the league in rush defense, next to last in scoring defense, and tied for last in turnover margin -- will doom Detroit to defeat this weekend. -- PATRIOTS
Pittsburgh (-1.5) at Tampa Bay: This game should produce some offensive fireworks. The visiting Steelers bring in the 2nd-best offense through two games, and the Buccaneers have the best. Both defenses are pretty bad too -- Pittsburgh No. 25 and Tampa Bay No. 31. The ProFootballFocus.com preview of this game highlighted a bunch of negative Steeler stats. It made me wonder what negative stats on the Buccaneers they were choosing not to show. I picked Pittsburgh to win the Super Bowl this year. I feel like an idiot. -- BUCCANEERS
Loyal Reader Reward Program Returns
We hadn't rewarded a loyal reader since December of last year here at HOTPO. All of us that work on the HOTPO staff greatly appreciate each and every loyal reader. Earlier this week we finally rewarded our fourth ever loyal reader.
The fourth ever Loyal Reader Reward recipient is Chris Bronzi, and we are very proud to have him as part of our readership. So much so, we treated him to a Car Seat Headrest concert at the 9:30 Club and even brought our editor-in-chief for the reward presentation. That was a unique first time ever effort for a deserving subscriber.
We put on the extra special effort for our fourth reward recipient for multiple reasons:
Enjoy the games, folks. Consider participating in one.
Washington's 50-year streak of selling out every single game ended when only 57,00 fans showed up to FedEx Field, which has 82,000 seats. Not even close.
Washington Post sports columnist Barry Svrluga explored the declining interest in the "once proud" Redskins franchise in a Wednesday column. He says the consistent losing, "junk" stadium, "maddening" traffic, and mile walk from the closest metro all contribute to the sharp decline in interest in the perennial top draw of DMV sports. From my perspective, losing has to be the biggest contributor to the declining interest in the local football club along the Potomac.
None of that stuff bothered me. I had a blast Sunday. I thought the mile walk from the metro was easy. I was OK with 50 minutes on the metro to avoid the traffic and dropping $50 for parking. And while I could see the age on FedEx Field, it had some significant positives that I appreciated. I also had a great time talking and hanging with the Redskins fans sitting around us -- a lot of good folks.
Monday morning I was still super-enthused. It was my first NFL game since 2010, and it was my son's first. Oh, and our team won -- that makes everything better and is the primary reason this Washington team is losing fans by the thousands -- they have consistently lost for more than 20 years.
My wife says I am easy to please. She's right. Hanging with my son at an NFL game with some friendly Redskins fans in good seats watching a Colts victory was a ton of fun for me.
Winning matters...a lot. Let's see who will win in Week 3. To the cheat sheet!
New Orleans at Atlanta (-3.0): New Orleans made Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Ryan Fitzpatrick look like a Hall of Famer in a Week 1 loss at home, and barely managed a narrow victory over the perpetually-winless Cleveland Browns in Week 2, also at home. Without looking any further, you would have to assume Atlanta would be a clear favorite Sunday, but they are only favored by three points. Cory Woodroof of TheFalcoholic.com says the Falcons have provided reasons to doubt them -- offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has proven to be inconsistent and the defense crumpled "down the stretch because of injuries and general poor play" in their 31-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers last week. Hmm, not real comfortable with my pick in this rivalry game. -- FALCONS
San Francisco at Kansas City (-6.5): Two road games and two victories for the Chiefs top-rated scoring offense led by second-year QB Pat Mahomes. The Kansas City defense, however, has given up 65 points in those two victories. The San Francisco offense is not the type of team that is going to score 30+ points at Arrowhead Stadium. Not only does Niners QB Jimmy Garappolo have a penchant for throwing interceptions, but the offense is struggling to score touchdowns once in the red zone, according to Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star. -- CHIEFS
Oakland at Miami (-3.0): The Raiders may be 0-2, but look like they are becoming more competitive. Oakland led the Los Angeles Rams at halftime Week 1 before getting blown out 33-13, and they led the Denver Broncos until Bronco K Brandon McManus drilled a 36-yard game-winning field goal with 0:06 remaining. Ryan Yousefi of the Miami New Times reports that speed at the offensive skill positions and a good mix of athletic youth and dependable veterans on defense have helped the Dolphins to their surprising 2-0 start. Traveling across country to face a speedy team with a good defense is a tall order for a team trying to learn how to compete. -- DOLPINS
Buffalo at Minnesota: Bills veteran CB Vontae Davis retired from football...at halftime of their 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Buffalo Sunday. He got out of uniform, got dressed, and walked out of the stadium, according to David Zirin of The Nation. Vontae is a smart man. The Bills are ranked 31st in points scored (11.5/game) and points allowed (39.0/game), and those numbers could get worse against a Vikings team with a high-octane offense and opportunistic defense. -- VIKINGS
Indianapolis at Philadelphia (-7.0): Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice predicts the Eagles offensive line will stymie the Colts suddenly resurgent pass rush, and the Philly tight ends will victimize the young linebackers from Indy. I am just hoping Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck makes it through the game healthy. I wouldn't be so greedy to hope for much more than that. -- EAGLES
Green Bay (-3.0) at Washington: There was a lot of optimism in the District following the Redskins 24-6 Week 1 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, and then they looked anemic in front of a sparse crowd in a 21-9 loss at home to the Colts. The Washington down-field passing game was so bad they went out and signed receivers Breshad Perriman and Michael Floyd in an attempt to spark the offense, according to Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington. Grabbing free agents off the scrap heap in Week 3 is not a sign of a team on the upswing. -- PACKERS
Cincinnati at Carolina (-3.0): Laurel Pfahler of the Dayton Daily News estimates the Bengals biggest challenge will be containing the unique Panthers offense with QB Cam Newton stacking up rushing yards from under center and RB Christian McCaffrey compiling receiving yards out of the backfield. Newton has 100 rushing yards for the league's 5th-ranked rushing offense, and McCaffrey gained 102 receiving yards in Carolina's loss to Atlanta last week. Cincinnati may struggle keeping up offensively as lead RB Joe Mixon had arthroscopic knee surgery last weekend and is expected to miss two to four weeks. -- PANTHERS
Tennessee at Jacksonville (-9.5): Jacksonville made a statement last weekend by defeating the New England Patriots 31-20 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score. Patriot WR Chris Hogan caught a touchdown with 3:40 to go in the game to pull New England within 11 points. The Titans bring the 25th-ranked offense to matchup against the 9th-rated Jaguars pass defense. It is hard to imagine Tennessee QB Marcus Mariota, coming off an elbow injury, faring better than Tom Brady against the Jags stellar defense. -- JAGUARS
Denver at Baltimore (-5.5): The jury is still out on both of these teams. The Broncos went 0-4 in East Coast games last year, according to the CBS Sports preview. Denver has won two close games against currently winless teams, and the Ravens have an unsightly loss to the Bengals on their ledger. Should be a great matchup between Denver's 4th-best offense against the Raven's 2nd-rated defense. -- RAVENS
New York Giants at Houston (-6.0): Both of these teams have to be desperate to avoid an 0-3 start. Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com reports, with the Browns Thursday night victory, Houston now holds the longest active losing streak -- they haven't won since Nov. 19, 2017. New York has been awful lately as well -- they are 3-15 since the beginning of the 2017 season. I made a mistake and picked the Giants Week 1. I seriously doubt I will make that mistake again any time soon. -- TEXANS
Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams (-7.0): The Rams were a sexy preseason Super Bowl pick and are off to a 2-0 start. They haven't allowed an opponent to score in six quarters, either, but they haven't played anybody good yet. Chargers QB Philip Rivers is definitely the best quarterback they have seen this year, but Rams CB Marcus Peters has picked off Rivers four times in six games as a Chief, according to Gary Klein of the L.A. Times. -- RAMS
Dallas at Seattle (-1.5): Seattle is off to an 0-2 start, but playing their first home game this weekend. Common thought is the Seahawks have a significant home field advantage when playing in Century Link, but they lost four of their last five games there last year. The Cowboys may not be a good matchup for the Seahawks, either. The venerable Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports Dallas has the second most sacks in the league (9), and Seattle has allowed the most (12). -- COWBOYS
Chicago (-5.0) at Arizona: The Cardinals are the worst team in the NFL. -- BEARS
New England (-7.0) at Detroit: You know when the acquisition of a wide receiver in Week 3 doesn't look like the desperate move of a doomed team? When it is New England trading for WR Josh Gordon. The Lions are coached by former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, but Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press thinks the Lions defense -- last in the league in rush defense, next to last in scoring defense, and tied for last in turnover margin -- will doom Detroit to defeat this weekend. -- PATRIOTS
Pittsburgh (-1.5) at Tampa Bay: This game should produce some offensive fireworks. The visiting Steelers bring in the 2nd-best offense through two games, and the Buccaneers have the best. Both defenses are pretty bad too -- Pittsburgh No. 25 and Tampa Bay No. 31. The ProFootballFocus.com preview of this game highlighted a bunch of negative Steeler stats. It made me wonder what negative stats on the Buccaneers they were choosing not to show. I picked Pittsburgh to win the Super Bowl this year. I feel like an idiot. -- BUCCANEERS
Loyal Reader Reward Program Returns
We hadn't rewarded a loyal reader since December of last year here at HOTPO. All of us that work on the HOTPO staff greatly appreciate each and every loyal reader. Earlier this week we finally rewarded our fourth ever loyal reader.
The fourth ever Loyal Reader Reward recipient is Chris Bronzi, and we are very proud to have him as part of our readership. So much so, we treated him to a Car Seat Headrest concert at the 9:30 Club and even brought our editor-in-chief for the reward presentation. That was a unique first time ever effort for a deserving subscriber.
Our fourth-ever Loyal Reader Reward Program recipient stayed out late for his award ceremony at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. He also might have made it into work at the Pentagon before the HOTPO staff got out of bed to walk the dog. Semper Fi, Soldier, Semper Fi.
We put on the extra special effort for our fourth reward recipient for multiple reasons:
- He and I spent a year together at the premier leadership/military institute in the world.
- He and I both did simultaneous tours as infantry company commanders in OIF II (2004-5).
- He and I both are connected to the HOTPO editor-in-chief (him by blood, me by marriage).
Enjoy the games, folks. Consider participating in one.
Terrible - no mention of Nick O'Leary making the Dolphins and you picked the Ravens. I consider our friendship on the rocks.
ReplyDeleteYou know what is worse? I am going to a Ravens fan's house in moments.
Delete