NFL Week 4: Games to Watch

Many football coaches break their seasons up into segments, and for NFL head coaches that break comes in quarters. So as we head into the final week of the first quarter of the regular season, many coaches will be pushing hard to end that first piece on a positive note. And quite frankly, several team with high expectations need some positive momentum (specifically, both Missouri teams as the Rams and Chiefs are both 0-3).

Last week's record on these preview games was 3-1; overall I'm 10-2. Not bad for an amateur. The Swami has got nothing on me.

Here’s a quick look at a few of the big games on tap this weekend.

 
TITANS (2-1) @ BROWNS (2-1)

Tennessee could potentially be undefeated if they hadn’t blown that game against Jacksonville in Week 1. The team is coming off wins over Baltimore and Denver and heads to Cleveland. The Browns have had a cakewalk schedule so far, beating the Colts and Dolphins. The Brownies protect their home field in a close one.

Cleveland 19, Tennessee 17

 
LIONS (3-0) @ COWBOYS (2-1)

Everybody is jumping on the Lions bandwagon these days. I picked them as a wildcard playoff team before the season began, so I like them, too … but not this much. Dallas is beat up and Romo is ailing, but the defense is good enough to hold off the hard charging but very inexperienced Lions.

Dallas 28, Detroit 24

 
PATRIOTS (2-1) @ RAIDERS (2-1)

I am sure the “Hoodie” was ticked off in practice this week as his Patriots blew a 21-point lead at Buffalo last weekend. The Raiders know how they feel, losing a close one to those same Bills in Week 2. This game matches two high-powered offenses: New England passing and Oakland running. Even though they are traveling, I’m giving the edge to the Pats.

New England 30, Oakland 27

 
JETS (2-1) @ RAVENS (2-1)

Rex Ryan takes his Jets back to Baltimore to face off against the Ravens and the defense he built there. The Jets’ vaunted defense hasn’t been real good so far, giving up 61 points in three games. The Ravens absolutely slammed the Lambs in St. Louis last week, and I’m sure they want to make a statement at home.

Baltimore 27, New York Jets 20

Missouri Round-up

This weekend should be significantly more positive than last for Missouri’s football teams. Mizzou gets this Saturday off after traveling to Norman and putting up a good fight against then No. 1 ranked OU. The Tigers go to Manhattan next week to take on Kansas State. And both the state’s NFL teams have favorable match-ups. The Rams host the Redskins and should be able to take advantage of QB Rex Grossman. In KC, the Chiefs welcome the winless Minnesota Vikings to town. Both teams at least have a chance to compete for wins this weekend so we should all be able to go to church Sunday with a smile on our face.

As always, thanks for reading.

Steve

NFL Week 3: Games to Watch

While Week 2 didn’t have a lot of games that appeared to be that great on the surface, there were a number of good games and some surprises. We expected the Chiefs to lose at Detroit, and sure enough, they got trounced. The Ravens were supposed to go to Tennessee and wipe the table with the Titans … and they lost. As expected, the Saints handled the Bears, the Packers beat the Panthers (barely) and Tom Brady killed it again as the Patriots beat the Chargers. And per the annual pattern, Mike Vick got hurt and the Eagles lost. It was all good stuff.

Here’s a quick look at a few of this weekend’s best games.

Texans (2-0) @ Saints (1-1)
The Texans have looked sharp so far, putting the beatdown on two bad teams in two weeks – Indianapolis and then at Miami. The test will be significantly tougher this week as Houston goes to New Orleans to take on the Saints, who drubbed the Bears pretty soundly last week. This will be the first of five tough games for Houston. They fail this first test, but not by much.
New Orleans 30, Houston 27


Patriots (2-0) @ Bills (2-0)

New England and its high-powered offense led by Tom Brady continue to roll up yards, touchdowns and victories. And the surprising Buffalo Bills are in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East. The Bills fought hard and beat the Raiders at home last week. How they perform this week in the face of their divisional big brother will speak volumes about how good they are. 
New England 27, Buffalo 20

Packers (2-0) @ Bears (1-1)
Green Bay travels to Chicago this Sunday for a classic black-and-blue divisional match-up between two good teams. This rivalry is one of the oldest in the NFL, and the games are almost always close. The Packers defense is softer than expected, giving up 400-yard passing games the past two weeks. On the Bears’ side, Jay Cutler has to stay upright; the O line has been porous.
Green Bay 24, Chicago 23

Redskins (2-0) @ Cowboys (1-1)
On the surface, this appears to be a battle of two teams headed in opposite directions. Dallas has looked rough and really should be 0-2. The Skins are 2-0 and seemingly on a roll, but they have beaten two weak teams: Carolina and Arizona. Romo is injured and Rex Grossman has the passing offense clicking. I still see the Cowboys winning at home on MNF. 
Dallas 27, Washington 21 

Missouri Roundup – The year is quickly going down the tubes for Missouri’s “professional” football teams. The Chiefs … well, they are just a mess. And the Rams could potentially be 2-0, but instead they are winless again, sitting at 0-2 for the fifth straight year. I see them both losing again this weekend. The Chiefs go to San Diego (geesh) and the Rams host the always-tough Ravens. Looks like 0-3 for both franchises. Maybe Mizzou can beat Oklahoma on Saturday … doubt that one, too.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve

NFL Power Rankings: Week 3

We have had two full weeks of NFL action since our initial regular season Power Rankings were released on Sept. 9. We certainly have learned a lot since then. So let’s take a look at the teams’ pecking order as things stand right now as we head into Week 3.

The NFL Power Rankings will be a standing MTSS feature during the season, being updated every other week based on team results to date. Our rankings are our best (kind-of) educated guess at which team would beat the ones listed below it in the rankings. You get the idea.

The biggest movers were Buffalo and Washington on the positive side and Kansas City on the negative. If you have been paying attention, those should make sense.

(Week 1 rankings are in parenthesis.)

1.  (1) Green Bay (2-0) – Undefeated champions will stay No. 1 until they lose.

2.  (2) New England (2-0) – Brady and the offense have been impressive.
3.  (6) New Orleans (1-1) – Great bounce-back game against Chicago.
4.  (4) New York Jets (2-0) – Team has looked rough but continues winning.
5.  (9) Atlanta (1-1) – Statement game pounding Philly and beating Vick.
6.  (3) Philadelphia (1-1) – One rough win, one rough loss. Now Vick is hurt.
7.  (7) Baltimore (1-1) – The Ravens finally whip the Steelers, and then fall flat.
8.  (12) Detroit (2-0) – This team looks dangerous on so many levels.
9.  (8) San Diego (1-1) – Not really sure yet what this year’s Chargers are.
10. (5) Pittsburgh (1-1) – Questions about the age of the defense surfacing.
11. (10) Houston (2-0) – Undefeated, but the Texans haven’t been tested yet.
12. (11) Dallas (1-1) – Romo’s courageous comeback saved the season.
13. (14) Chicago (1-1) – The Bears are a mystery. Which team shows up?
14. (16) Tampa Bay (1-1) – The young Bucs are struggling.
15. (17) New York Giants – Two very rough games. Probably ranked too high.
16. (25) Buffalo (2-0) – Are they for real? New England will tell us this week.
17. (20) Oakland (1-1) – Hue has the fellas fighting hard. Unusual for this team.
18. (13) St. Louis (0-2) – A pretty good winless team. How will they respond?
19. (21) Arizona (1-1) – Kolb has looked good, but the defense if getting gashed.
20. (29) Washington (2-0) – Rex has performed so far. Weak opponents have helped.
21. (28) San Francisco (1-1) – Harbaugh and Alex Smith both shaky so far.
22. (24) Tennessee (1-1) – Surprising victory over the Ravens last week.
23. (26) Denver (1-1) – Tied for AFC West lead. Enjoy it now.
24. (19) Cleveland (1-1) – Loss to Bengals at home hurts.
25. (30) Cincinnati (1-1) – Impressive start by Andy Dalton. Better than advertised.
26. (31) Jacksonville (1-1) – Garrard and McNown out; it’s now Gabbert’s show.
27. (32) Carolina (0-2) – Cam Newton looks like the real deal.
28. (18) Indianapolis (0-2) – It’s going to be a very long year in Indy.
29. (22) Minnesota (0-2) – So much for that “one last run at the playoffs.”
30. (27) Miami (0-2) – Sparano: “I have no idea …” Us, either, Tony.
31. (15) Kansas City (0-2) – Massive fall from division title in a hurry. Ugly.
32. (23) Seattle (0-2) – Not sure what the heck Pete Carroll is doing.

So what do you think? Sound off. Let us know where you think we’ve got it right, and for sure where you know we have it wrong. Join the conversation. 

Thanks for reading.

Steve