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BwareDWare94
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
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Note: For Saints prediction, see Week 3 Predictions: NFC North thread.
Thursday Night Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
What to Expect:
The Falcons looked like the real deal in week 1 after they beat the Saints, then proceeded to fall flat against a Bengals squad that was missing AJ Green for a good portion of the game. It's hard to know who the real Atlanta is, considering that Matt Ryan is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the league, and we still don't know if this Falcons defense is any better, particularly in the back end. Luckily for Ryan, Julio Jones is healthy, but it's the running back and tight end positions that are up in the air. Will the right back get the carries, and potentially allow Stephen Jackson to remain healthy (imagine that)? Will the Falcons find an immediate successor to Tony or will it take some time? So many questions need to be answered in Atlanta, and thankfully for them, the Bucs are next in line. Defensively, the Falcons found themselves in a week one shootout, followed by a beatdown in week 2. It's hard to knock a defense that had to play potent offenses, back to back, but that side of the ball has been a question mark in Atlanta for quite a few years, and fans will be hard pressed to trust that unit if it can't be successful, this week.
The Bucs looked primed for a guaranteed 1-1 start, then lost to Austin Davis and a bunch of second and third string receivers + Jared Cook. Offensively, Lovie Smith's decision to overlook Mike "the Giraffe" Glennon before he even saw the kid in practice had many people shaking their heads, considering Smith's alternative was journeyman Josh McCown who'd been borderline terrible for most of his career save for a handful of games with Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, Matt Forte, and Martellus Bennett, last season. This season, McCown has Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans at his disposal, but has yet to effectively use Vincent Jackson, which is baffling to Bucs fans (and Jackson's fantasy owners, like myself). Doug Martin is losing his job, if you can believe it, to Bobby Rainey, and the Bucs offense is just plain bad, right now. On the other side of the ball, Tampa hasn't looked completely terrible under Leslie Frazier, but that's not going to last, moving forward, if the front four can't generate pass rush. In his career, Frazier has proven unwilling to make adjustments to his "bend but don't break" schematics that only work with excellent pieces in the defensive line and at slot corner. Admittedly, I have no clue who's at slot corner for Tampa Bay, but I do know this--their defensive line has suffered injuries, and is full of question marks. It might not matter who's playing in the slot.
Prediction: Falcons 37 Bucs 24
It'll look like a shootout for one half, but Atlanta's going to pull away in the second behind Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, who will build double digit separation in the third quarter. Frazier's defense is going to get torched, repeatedly, in this game, and Josh McCown will continue to remind us all that 8 games with elite weapons don't turn a mediocre 35 year old QB into something other than that. Look for the trend of piss poor Thursday night games to continue, despite efforts to fix that issue. While I'm an avid supporter of football on Thursday night, the product has to improve.
Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Carolina Panthers
What to Expect:
Only Panthers fans foresaw an even better Carolina squad than last year's team, so perhaps we should learn to trust those who know this team inside and out instead of looking from a distance and assuming losing one key player in Steve Smith was going to turn them into utter garbage. Cam Newton is still there. Jonathan Stewart is still there. Greg Olsen is still there. Most importantly, that front 7 is still intact, with the exception of recently exempted Greg Hardy. Offensively, the Panthers have looked decent through the first two weeks. Kelvin Benjamin appears to be the real deal, and Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant are more than good enough to replace lolBrandonLafell and oh-my-god-he-dropped-it-again Tedd Ginn. The Panthers running attack will only get more dynamic if Cam Newton's ribs heal up, and a safety net like Greg Olsen is going to allow them to extend drives and build rhythm. Carolina's defense is still running rampant on offenses, which amazes me, as I can't name a single player in their secondary. It just goes to show that you don't need elite players in the back end if you have the best front 7 in the NFL. Carolina is for real. I was one of the many people who wrongly assumed they'd regress to the mean. At the same time, they've yet to play a good team. That starts Sunday against a revamped Steelers club who's pissed off after getting trounced by Baltimore.
Pittsburgh's offense is suffering through 6 quarters of no touchdowns, which isn't good for Steelers fans hoping that trend will reverse itself in Carolina, of all places. Ben Roethlisberger looks very human, right now, and that Pittsburgh offensive line remains a huge question mark, despite some nice pieces like Pouncey (though I've heard whispers lamenting how overrated he is). The Steelers have two players who need to get the ball, repeatedly--Le'Veon Bell is a very good young back, and Antonio Brown is one of the most underrated receivers in the league. At this point, the Steelers need to simply feed these two men until their offense gets back on track. Players to keep involved are Heath Miller and Markus Wheaton, but Pittsburgh's focus should be putting 7 on the board as soon as possible. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers have two of the most exciting defensive players in the league in Troy Polamalu and Ryan Shazier, and their defense looked to be much improved before surrendering 27 to Brian Hoyer and 26 to Joe Flacco. Again, this unit is on a 6 quarter slide, and I just don't see how Carolina is the kind of matchup in which these problems can be fixed.
Prediction: Panthers 24 Steelers 16
The Steelers will find the endzone, once, thanks to a big play by Antonio Brown, but otherwise will have to settle for 3 field goals as the Panthers defense will make an early goal line stand to deter Tomlin from going for it on fourth and short, later in the game. Kelvin Benjamin will catch 2 scores in this game, making his breakout performance. Cam Newton will have his struggles against LeBeau, but won't turn the ball over, leading the Panthers to a 3-0 start.
Thursday Night Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
What to Expect:
The Falcons looked like the real deal in week 1 after they beat the Saints, then proceeded to fall flat against a Bengals squad that was missing AJ Green for a good portion of the game. It's hard to know who the real Atlanta is, considering that Matt Ryan is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the league, and we still don't know if this Falcons defense is any better, particularly in the back end. Luckily for Ryan, Julio Jones is healthy, but it's the running back and tight end positions that are up in the air. Will the right back get the carries, and potentially allow Stephen Jackson to remain healthy (imagine that)? Will the Falcons find an immediate successor to Tony or will it take some time? So many questions need to be answered in Atlanta, and thankfully for them, the Bucs are next in line. Defensively, the Falcons found themselves in a week one shootout, followed by a beatdown in week 2. It's hard to knock a defense that had to play potent offenses, back to back, but that side of the ball has been a question mark in Atlanta for quite a few years, and fans will be hard pressed to trust that unit if it can't be successful, this week.
The Bucs looked primed for a guaranteed 1-1 start, then lost to Austin Davis and a bunch of second and third string receivers + Jared Cook. Offensively, Lovie Smith's decision to overlook Mike "the Giraffe" Glennon before he even saw the kid in practice had many people shaking their heads, considering Smith's alternative was journeyman Josh McCown who'd been borderline terrible for most of his career save for a handful of games with Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, Matt Forte, and Martellus Bennett, last season. This season, McCown has Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans at his disposal, but has yet to effectively use Vincent Jackson, which is baffling to Bucs fans (and Jackson's fantasy owners, like myself). Doug Martin is losing his job, if you can believe it, to Bobby Rainey, and the Bucs offense is just plain bad, right now. On the other side of the ball, Tampa hasn't looked completely terrible under Leslie Frazier, but that's not going to last, moving forward, if the front four can't generate pass rush. In his career, Frazier has proven unwilling to make adjustments to his "bend but don't break" schematics that only work with excellent pieces in the defensive line and at slot corner. Admittedly, I have no clue who's at slot corner for Tampa Bay, but I do know this--their defensive line has suffered injuries, and is full of question marks. It might not matter who's playing in the slot.
Prediction: Falcons 37 Bucs 24
It'll look like a shootout for one half, but Atlanta's going to pull away in the second behind Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, who will build double digit separation in the third quarter. Frazier's defense is going to get torched, repeatedly, in this game, and Josh McCown will continue to remind us all that 8 games with elite weapons don't turn a mediocre 35 year old QB into something other than that. Look for the trend of piss poor Thursday night games to continue, despite efforts to fix that issue. While I'm an avid supporter of football on Thursday night, the product has to improve.
Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Carolina Panthers
What to Expect:
Only Panthers fans foresaw an even better Carolina squad than last year's team, so perhaps we should learn to trust those who know this team inside and out instead of looking from a distance and assuming losing one key player in Steve Smith was going to turn them into utter garbage. Cam Newton is still there. Jonathan Stewart is still there. Greg Olsen is still there. Most importantly, that front 7 is still intact, with the exception of recently exempted Greg Hardy. Offensively, the Panthers have looked decent through the first two weeks. Kelvin Benjamin appears to be the real deal, and Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant are more than good enough to replace lolBrandonLafell and oh-my-god-he-dropped-it-again Tedd Ginn. The Panthers running attack will only get more dynamic if Cam Newton's ribs heal up, and a safety net like Greg Olsen is going to allow them to extend drives and build rhythm. Carolina's defense is still running rampant on offenses, which amazes me, as I can't name a single player in their secondary. It just goes to show that you don't need elite players in the back end if you have the best front 7 in the NFL. Carolina is for real. I was one of the many people who wrongly assumed they'd regress to the mean. At the same time, they've yet to play a good team. That starts Sunday against a revamped Steelers club who's pissed off after getting trounced by Baltimore.
Pittsburgh's offense is suffering through 6 quarters of no touchdowns, which isn't good for Steelers fans hoping that trend will reverse itself in Carolina, of all places. Ben Roethlisberger looks very human, right now, and that Pittsburgh offensive line remains a huge question mark, despite some nice pieces like Pouncey (though I've heard whispers lamenting how overrated he is). The Steelers have two players who need to get the ball, repeatedly--Le'Veon Bell is a very good young back, and Antonio Brown is one of the most underrated receivers in the league. At this point, the Steelers need to simply feed these two men until their offense gets back on track. Players to keep involved are Heath Miller and Markus Wheaton, but Pittsburgh's focus should be putting 7 on the board as soon as possible. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers have two of the most exciting defensive players in the league in Troy Polamalu and Ryan Shazier, and their defense looked to be much improved before surrendering 27 to Brian Hoyer and 26 to Joe Flacco. Again, this unit is on a 6 quarter slide, and I just don't see how Carolina is the kind of matchup in which these problems can be fixed.
Prediction: Panthers 24 Steelers 16
The Steelers will find the endzone, once, thanks to a big play by Antonio Brown, but otherwise will have to settle for 3 field goals as the Panthers defense will make an early goal line stand to deter Tomlin from going for it on fourth and short, later in the game. Kelvin Benjamin will catch 2 scores in this game, making his breakout performance. Cam Newton will have his struggles against LeBeau, but won't turn the ball over, leading the Panthers to a 3-0 start.
