NFL Week 3 Game by Game Predictions

San Diego Chargers @ Tennessee Titans

After beating the Steelers in Week 1, people now look at the Titans as a formidable foe. I personally think it was more of Pittsburgh offense being deficient because of Todd Haley, but regardless the Titans still got the W. Philip Rivers looked like a shell of his old self in Week 1, guiding the Chargers to a 21-7 lead before blowing it in the 4th quarter. Yet Rivers went on the road in Philadelphia and earned NFL Offensive player of the week honors...which Philip are we getting here? If the Titans are at home, I think they have the ability to pull this one off because of their new-found "defense." I didn't predict this at the beginning of the season, but the Titans should be 2-1 after their first 3 games. Tennessee by 1

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

Rookie QB vs Rookie QB. EJ Manuel vs. Geno Smith. Buffalo clearly doesn't have as good a defense as the Jets do, but they do have more weapons on offense. It will be interesting to see if CJ Spiller can make any big plays against New York because they won't come very often against a Rex Ryan coached defense. Buffalo could pull this one off, but I'm going to go with the Jets because they are playing at home. I think the Jets will force a couple of turnovers and pull this one off. New York by 3

Brent Grimes has something to prove against Atlanta, his old team

Atlanta Falcons @ Miami Dolphins

Not having Roddy White at 100% will certainly hurt them playing against a good defense like Miami's. Julio Jones, Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez should have solid games but will it be enough on the road in Miami? The Falcons' defense still looks average so can the Dolphins take advantage of this weakness? Keyword: MIGHT. My guess is that Matt Ryan manages a better game than Ryan Tannehill and the Falcons pull off a hard fought victory on the road. Atlanta by 2

Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints

This will be the highest scoring affair of the day, with Carson Palmer and the Cardinals taking on Drew Brees' high octane passing attack. Palmer has more legitimate receivers but they don't have the running game to control the clock like Saints do. Plus, the Saints' RBs have more versatility in the passing game and Arizona's backs. This will be the key to the game as I expect Darren Sproles to run wild on Arizona's D. Saints by 3

Chicago Bears @ Pittsburgh Steelers 

Hopefully by this game the Steelers offense will have gotten their stuff together, because they don't stand a chance in hell if not. Jay Cutler is the type of QB that Pittsburgh dreams about playing at home because of their ability to shut down the running game. This will force Cutler to go to the air, where he is prone to make multiple mistakes against Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark. The Steelers' D forces 3 turnovers and Pittsburgh wins by 5


Detroit Lions @ Washington Redskins

Ndamokung Suh will look to NOT hurt RGIII after his latest fine

Reggie Bush, Reggie Bush. I wrote about his injury concerns all off-season, only to be proven correct after only ONE game. RGIII will still be looking to return to rookie of the year status instead of experiencing a sophomore slump.  His problem: the Lions have shored up their run defense and pass rush with a dominate D-Line. This will force Griffin to make plays outside of the pocket with his feet and really test that ACL. And if you don't think Ndamokung Suh can't wait to get his hands on RGIII, you have another thing coming. If the Lions have less than turnovers, they win by 3. If they have 2 or more, I expect the Skins to win by 3.

Green Bay Packers @ Cincinnati Bengals

Poor Bengals. They had to play Chicago on the road and they will have host the Steelers in Week 2. I think they will be 1-1 after these games, but they still have to host the best QB in the league when Aaron Rodgers comes to town. I know Andy Dalton is at home and this could be a setup game for the Packers, but I would be a fool to pick Dalton over Rodgers. I foolishly picked the Packers over the 49ers in Week...so what. I'm won't be wrong this time. Packers by 4

Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles

Andy Reid comes back to the city where that fired him just a season ago! To face Chip Kelly and the new high-octane Eagles spread attack? Eagles fans beware. The Chiefs have a very good defense and if you don't watch out then they could injure a couple of your offensive players this game. Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Eric Berry, Justin Houston and Brandon Flowers present some huge match-up problems when they are matched up one on one with offensive players. Just ask the Jaguars, who were held to 2 points in their home debut against the Chiefs. Even Dallas, who bolsters a good group of offensive players, was held to 16 points last week against Kansas City's incredible defense. Yet and still, I like Philly's new offensive scheme will score a few more points than Andy Reid's Chiefs. Eagles by 2

Indianapolis Colts @ San Francisco 49ers

Boy, the NFL sure doesn't have any shortages of story lines week-in, week-out. This Sunday Jim Harbaugh gets to play against the QB who ran his pro-style offense at Stanford. Is Luck better than Kaepernick? Probably not...just ask the Oakland Raiders who had Kaepernick ranked as the #1 QB prospect of the 2011 draft, ahead of Cam Newton. Colin looks like a great QB in the making and should lead his team to victory against the Colts poor defense. Andrew Luck will have a tough day against the 49ers D but he won't look too bad. I look for Indianapolis to make this a game for the first 3 periods, with San Fran pulling away in the 4th quarter. 49ers by 6

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahawks

This is the easiest game to write about because Jacksonville doesn't stand a chance against Seattle and the 12th man. Seattle by 17

Cleveland Browns @ Minnesota Vikings

Cleveland gets their #1 receiver back from suspension in Week 3

I had to completely erase my first analysis of this game after learning that Brandon Weeden isn't starting and Trent Richardson just got traded to the Colts. I wanted to say that Josh Gordon coming back was huge for Cleveland, but without both of their 2012 first round picks Gordon won't make a difference on the game's final outcome. Minnesota by 3

St. Louis Rams @ Dallas Cowboys

If Tony Romo thought he saw a pash rush in Week 1 against the Giants, he should be very worried about the St. Louis Rams coming to town. The Rams tied for the lead league in sacks least year and have picked up right where they left off. Dallas has more talent at the receiver position with Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Miles Austin but Tony Romo will be pressured all day. I see Romo making one too many mistakes, while I also see Bradford making his share of mistakes against a Tampa 2 defense. The Rams also face the problem of HAVING to create big plays on the road or they will be in for a world of hurt. If St. Louis doesn't go into the 4th quarter with a lead, the Cowboys will take care of business. But if Dallas is forced to come from behind against the Rams strong D-Line I'm betting on St. Louis. My guess is that Dallas gets back on track with a victory at home. Cowboys by 3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New England Patriots

Don't forget something about the Bucs: They still has a stout run defense and last year Tampa Bay actually finished 1st in the league in that category. Fortunately for the Patriots, they have Tom Brady...who happens to be an excellent passer in the NFL. Brady should pass for 2-3 TDs and will most certainly out-duel opponent QB Josh Freeman. Look for Belichick to draw up a good defensive plan against Freeman and the Bucs, forcing Doug Martin to carry the team on his back. That's not good enough on the road in Foxboro. Patriots by 4

Terrelle Suggs and the Ravens need to make their mark against Houston

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens

While it seems like a stretch right now, this may be Ed Reed's first return to NFL action since the Super Bowl. Reed is still a dominant player when stepping on the field and looks to return against the team that helped make him a Hall of Fame player. We saw what a smart QB could do the Ravens in Week 1, but you can't expect Matt Schaub to have the same success that Peyton Manning did. I do expect the Texans to keep this game close and the contest should come down to a turnovers game. Both of these teams have a physical style of play but also have offensive players who can create huge gains. And while everyone wants the defending champion Ravens to succeed this year, I see Houston as a team that is just like Baltimore was last year. One that experienced bumps in the road on the way to a Super Bowl. Baltimore by 3

Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos

Terrelle Pryor will have his hands full against a defense that will look to get after him early and often. Pryor has shown that he is ready for the big times, but is he ready to play Peyton Manning twice a year? Probably not. But one this is for sure: This kind of competition is only going to make Pryor better in the future. As a matter of fact, because he isn't a pure pocket passer I think he will give Denver's defense hades with the absence of Von Miller. The Raiders will keep things interesting but they won't beat Peyton Manning on the road. No way, no how. Broncos by 10

New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers

Carolina boasts an incredible front 7 but their back 4 will get torched all game long. I see Cam Newton having an OK game but he has yet to look like a QB that can take a team to the Super Bowl in my eyes. He doesn't look like an Eli Manning, who has shown the ability to lead his team to victory in home games AND on the road. The Giants receivers will have a huge day and Carolina will be scratching their heads after an 0-3 start. New York by 4