- Thread starter
- #1
BwareDWare94
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2011
- Messages
- 8,989
- Reaction score
- 140
Sunday: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
What to Expect:
The Packers offense looks to be in trouble if they face off against any team that can successfully handle their running game. While outside weapons are in no shortage in Green Bay, any Tight End depth chart with Andrew Quarless at the top of it is going to cause havoc for an offense that is used to an athletic, nearly un-coverable threat in that position. The Packers are yet another example of a prolific offense that is now missing a key component, much like the Denver Broncos without Knowshon Moreno. Was Jermichael Finley as statistically relevant as Moreno? No, but his mere presence forced defenses to take risks with outside threats like Nelson and Cobb. And let's not pretend that James Jones' red zone prowess isn't missed in Green Bay, too. Not to the extent of Finley's, but 16 and 7 points in 2 out of 3 games speaks volumes to what Green Bay is currently missing on offense. Make no mistake, the injury riddled offensive line isn't helping matters, but there's more to it than a banged up front 5. Defensively, I believe the Packers have turned a corner, and finally appear to have the defensive unit necessary to take firm control of the NFC North, once their offense comes around. Their secondary is definitely stronger, and with Heyward coming back soon, it has the potential to get even better. I'd like to see more consistent play out of Williams and Shields, but in today's NFL, it seems that only elite corners have any chance at consistency.
After a surprising loss in week 1, the Bears have righted the ship with solid play from Jay Cutler and a Mel Tucker defense that is playing its ass off. Cutler continues to find his plethora of weapons, and even with Marshall and Jeffrey ailing, this Bears offense has found a way to get on track. Martellus Bennett continues to excel in this offense, and it's only a matter of time before Matt Forte gets rolling. The offensive line is what I've focused on most, and it's nice to see Jay Cutler not getting cut in half on almost every drop back. He has all of the tools at his disposal, now, and it's time to put up or shut up for the Vanderbilt product. Defensively, I'm marveling at how well Tucker is disguising marginal to bad players. John Bostic might be coming along, based on Monday's performance, but he still seems to make bad plays on a regular basis, and even dropped the easiest pick opportunity he'll have in his career. The Bears safeties are another question mark, and health has to be a big concern, moving forward. Kyle Fuller has established himself as Peanut Tillman's replacement with key turnovers in two straight prime time games. I'm nearly ready to say this Bears defense isn't as bad as we've all feared, but they've yet to face a definitively top 15 quarterback (Kaepernick is borderline). That changes, on Sunday.
Prediction: Bears 26 Packers 17
Above all else, the Packers are missing key elements that they can't disguise and can't fix in a week's time. Eddie Lacy and James Starks are going to have to produce big time in order for the cheeseheads to be in this game. I think that's entirely possible, but I feel like the Bears are starting to click, offensively, and I think Jared Allen has a breakout, 2 sack performance against a poor Packers OL. Green Bay will climb back into the thick of things by midseason, but it's not going to start, this week.
Sunday: Detroit Lions @ New York Jets
What to Expect:
Just when you think the Lions have proven to be the same old Lions, they go and trounce division favorite Green Bay. And they did it despite their offense's second consecutive poor performance, to boot. Matt Stafford is running out of excuses. He's got 2 backs, 2 receivers, 2, maybe 3 tight ends (if Pettigrew counts), and a decent offensive line at his disposal. What isn't adding up, here? Every quarterback is going to have two or three week struggles, here and there, so maybe this is just one of those poor stretches, but I need to see more out of this kid, and soon, or I'm thinking Detroit has to at least consider drafting some eventual competition for Stafford. Pick up a mid round prospect in the 2015 draft, if things don't start getting better and, most importantly, more consistent on offense. On the other side of the ball, the Lions have so far been able to disguise any weaknesses they may have, but how long can that last? Injuries are going to pile up, eventually. You gotta feel bad for Tulloch--most defensive players celebrate even marginal plays, these days. Either way, this Lions unit is currently near the top of the NFL, and it'd be foolish not to admit that things are looking up in the Motor City.
The Jets are a few hiccups away from a 3-0 start, and most fingers ought to be pointing at Geno Smith, who still continues to make crippling mistakes when his team needs better. Can he get better as the season progresses, or will he continue to throw puzzling interceptions? Young quarterbacks often come with good and bad, especially when they're forced into starting roles they aren't ready for. Needless to say, Geno could have used some clipboard and headset time before he sat on top of the depth chart. A nice surprise for the Jets is the two headed monster at running back consisting of Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory. The return of Bilal Powell has created, in my opinion, far and away the best 3 back attack in the league. The Jets need to rely on this grouping and, most importantly, find ways to effectively use them in the red zone. Marty called a nice screen pass to Ivory in last night's game that might be a play to keep in his back pocket, moving forward. The Jets passing attack is still a huge question mark, but Kerley and Decker are more than good enough to be solid, at the very least, once Decker gets healthy. I also think Jeff Cumberland is fairly underrated, as a tight end. Defensively, the Jets are still running rampant on offenses in the front 7, but they need to as they wait for their secondary to get healthy. Watch out for this Jets defense by mid season.
Prediction: Lions 21 Jets 17
Geno Smith struggled against the worst NFC North defense (even if it is improving). How's he going to fair against what is currently the best NFC North defense? The answer is "not so well." In place of Monday's picks, there will be 2 forced fumbles. Calvin Johnson is going to make the Jets secondary look foolish, even if he's all that moves the chains for the Lions offense. The Jets defense will make enough plays to keep them in the game, but the Lions get this win.
Sunday: Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings
What to Expect:
Vikings fans have been blessed by injury. Teddy Bridgewater gets to start thinks to the unintentional pressure Curtis Loften's weight put on Matt Cassel's ankle, even if Lofton applied a pretty obvious twist at the end of the play, to make matters worse (don't believe me, watch the video). Offensively, the Vikings look to be in better shape at the quarterback position, headed into week 4. Their glaring weaknesses are now at Tight End, where Kyle Rudolph is injured. Rhett Ellison and Marquis Gray--ever heard of either of them? Ellison is a Special Teams Ace. Gray is a player who was a terrible college quarterback that somehow found his way into the NFL. Things aren't looking up for the Louisville product, as far as weapons are concerned, but I'm excited to see how Turner counters these issues. I expect to see a heavier dose of Asiata catching passes out of the back field. In open field, Asiata is faster than he looks, and every bit the freight train that his massive frame implies. I wouldn't want to tackle #44 in the open field. Cordarrelle Patterson has to be fed the ball for the Vikings to succeed, at this point, and I trust Teddy not to force plays. Defensively, the Vikings have actually played fairly well through three games, especially Harrison Smith. Holding Drew Brees to 20 points in the Super Dome is fantastic, and the Vikings only fell behind by double digits because of a dumbass play by a dumbass named Captain Munnerlyn. Let's see how this defense matches up against a very scary Atlanta offense.
Atlanta is one of those teams that looks fantastic one week, only to make their fans feel like the sky is falling, the next. A lot of great teams look bad in Cincinnati (see New England, Fall 2013). Nevertheless, the Falcons followed up a poor performance with a dismantling of a Bucs squad that seemed night and day from the week prior. Offensively, you'd never know Julio Jones suffered such an awful injury just a year ago, and Stephen Jackson has been taken out of the featured back role, which might allow him to maintain some semblance of health, as the season progresses. The Falcons are still missing a Tight End, but if Julio Jones and Roddy White can survive the season, is that going to matter? Devin Hester has provided a special teams spark plug for this team, and I wonder if Ryan can revitalize Hester's receiving career, as well, but don't expect the former Bear to take too many snaps from Harry Douglas, barring injury (speaking of which, Douglas' status is up in the air for week 4. Perhaps Hester will get his chance sooner than expected). Defensively, the Falcons are better than they were last year, even if that isn't saying much. They have a chance to spoil the debut of a promising rookie quarterback, this Sunday. Can they do it?
Prediction: Vikings 27 Falcons 24
In a game that comes down to a long field goal, for once the Falcons will fall victim as somebody other than Matt Bryant gets to showcase long distance brilliance. Blair Walsh is going to cap off a last minute Bridgewater drive with a 45+ yard game winning field goal, capping off a tumultuous two week period for a Vikings team that only needs a stroke of luck to put themselves in position to surprise people, this season. Look for a strong performance by Bridgewater, another rushing touchdown for Cordarrelle Patterson, and yet another solid day from Matt Asiata, who hasn't been nearly as bad as some fans and analysts would lead you to believe, these past two weeks. It's easy to think a running back is horrible when you're used to seeing #28 out there.
What to Expect:
The Packers offense looks to be in trouble if they face off against any team that can successfully handle their running game. While outside weapons are in no shortage in Green Bay, any Tight End depth chart with Andrew Quarless at the top of it is going to cause havoc for an offense that is used to an athletic, nearly un-coverable threat in that position. The Packers are yet another example of a prolific offense that is now missing a key component, much like the Denver Broncos without Knowshon Moreno. Was Jermichael Finley as statistically relevant as Moreno? No, but his mere presence forced defenses to take risks with outside threats like Nelson and Cobb. And let's not pretend that James Jones' red zone prowess isn't missed in Green Bay, too. Not to the extent of Finley's, but 16 and 7 points in 2 out of 3 games speaks volumes to what Green Bay is currently missing on offense. Make no mistake, the injury riddled offensive line isn't helping matters, but there's more to it than a banged up front 5. Defensively, I believe the Packers have turned a corner, and finally appear to have the defensive unit necessary to take firm control of the NFC North, once their offense comes around. Their secondary is definitely stronger, and with Heyward coming back soon, it has the potential to get even better. I'd like to see more consistent play out of Williams and Shields, but in today's NFL, it seems that only elite corners have any chance at consistency.
After a surprising loss in week 1, the Bears have righted the ship with solid play from Jay Cutler and a Mel Tucker defense that is playing its ass off. Cutler continues to find his plethora of weapons, and even with Marshall and Jeffrey ailing, this Bears offense has found a way to get on track. Martellus Bennett continues to excel in this offense, and it's only a matter of time before Matt Forte gets rolling. The offensive line is what I've focused on most, and it's nice to see Jay Cutler not getting cut in half on almost every drop back. He has all of the tools at his disposal, now, and it's time to put up or shut up for the Vanderbilt product. Defensively, I'm marveling at how well Tucker is disguising marginal to bad players. John Bostic might be coming along, based on Monday's performance, but he still seems to make bad plays on a regular basis, and even dropped the easiest pick opportunity he'll have in his career. The Bears safeties are another question mark, and health has to be a big concern, moving forward. Kyle Fuller has established himself as Peanut Tillman's replacement with key turnovers in two straight prime time games. I'm nearly ready to say this Bears defense isn't as bad as we've all feared, but they've yet to face a definitively top 15 quarterback (Kaepernick is borderline). That changes, on Sunday.
Prediction: Bears 26 Packers 17
Above all else, the Packers are missing key elements that they can't disguise and can't fix in a week's time. Eddie Lacy and James Starks are going to have to produce big time in order for the cheeseheads to be in this game. I think that's entirely possible, but I feel like the Bears are starting to click, offensively, and I think Jared Allen has a breakout, 2 sack performance against a poor Packers OL. Green Bay will climb back into the thick of things by midseason, but it's not going to start, this week.
Sunday: Detroit Lions @ New York Jets
What to Expect:
Just when you think the Lions have proven to be the same old Lions, they go and trounce division favorite Green Bay. And they did it despite their offense's second consecutive poor performance, to boot. Matt Stafford is running out of excuses. He's got 2 backs, 2 receivers, 2, maybe 3 tight ends (if Pettigrew counts), and a decent offensive line at his disposal. What isn't adding up, here? Every quarterback is going to have two or three week struggles, here and there, so maybe this is just one of those poor stretches, but I need to see more out of this kid, and soon, or I'm thinking Detroit has to at least consider drafting some eventual competition for Stafford. Pick up a mid round prospect in the 2015 draft, if things don't start getting better and, most importantly, more consistent on offense. On the other side of the ball, the Lions have so far been able to disguise any weaknesses they may have, but how long can that last? Injuries are going to pile up, eventually. You gotta feel bad for Tulloch--most defensive players celebrate even marginal plays, these days. Either way, this Lions unit is currently near the top of the NFL, and it'd be foolish not to admit that things are looking up in the Motor City.
The Jets are a few hiccups away from a 3-0 start, and most fingers ought to be pointing at Geno Smith, who still continues to make crippling mistakes when his team needs better. Can he get better as the season progresses, or will he continue to throw puzzling interceptions? Young quarterbacks often come with good and bad, especially when they're forced into starting roles they aren't ready for. Needless to say, Geno could have used some clipboard and headset time before he sat on top of the depth chart. A nice surprise for the Jets is the two headed monster at running back consisting of Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory. The return of Bilal Powell has created, in my opinion, far and away the best 3 back attack in the league. The Jets need to rely on this grouping and, most importantly, find ways to effectively use them in the red zone. Marty called a nice screen pass to Ivory in last night's game that might be a play to keep in his back pocket, moving forward. The Jets passing attack is still a huge question mark, but Kerley and Decker are more than good enough to be solid, at the very least, once Decker gets healthy. I also think Jeff Cumberland is fairly underrated, as a tight end. Defensively, the Jets are still running rampant on offenses in the front 7, but they need to as they wait for their secondary to get healthy. Watch out for this Jets defense by mid season.
Prediction: Lions 21 Jets 17
Geno Smith struggled against the worst NFC North defense (even if it is improving). How's he going to fair against what is currently the best NFC North defense? The answer is "not so well." In place of Monday's picks, there will be 2 forced fumbles. Calvin Johnson is going to make the Jets secondary look foolish, even if he's all that moves the chains for the Lions offense. The Jets defense will make enough plays to keep them in the game, but the Lions get this win.
Sunday: Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings
What to Expect:
Vikings fans have been blessed by injury. Teddy Bridgewater gets to start thinks to the unintentional pressure Curtis Loften's weight put on Matt Cassel's ankle, even if Lofton applied a pretty obvious twist at the end of the play, to make matters worse (don't believe me, watch the video). Offensively, the Vikings look to be in better shape at the quarterback position, headed into week 4. Their glaring weaknesses are now at Tight End, where Kyle Rudolph is injured. Rhett Ellison and Marquis Gray--ever heard of either of them? Ellison is a Special Teams Ace. Gray is a player who was a terrible college quarterback that somehow found his way into the NFL. Things aren't looking up for the Louisville product, as far as weapons are concerned, but I'm excited to see how Turner counters these issues. I expect to see a heavier dose of Asiata catching passes out of the back field. In open field, Asiata is faster than he looks, and every bit the freight train that his massive frame implies. I wouldn't want to tackle #44 in the open field. Cordarrelle Patterson has to be fed the ball for the Vikings to succeed, at this point, and I trust Teddy not to force plays. Defensively, the Vikings have actually played fairly well through three games, especially Harrison Smith. Holding Drew Brees to 20 points in the Super Dome is fantastic, and the Vikings only fell behind by double digits because of a dumbass play by a dumbass named Captain Munnerlyn. Let's see how this defense matches up against a very scary Atlanta offense.
Atlanta is one of those teams that looks fantastic one week, only to make their fans feel like the sky is falling, the next. A lot of great teams look bad in Cincinnati (see New England, Fall 2013). Nevertheless, the Falcons followed up a poor performance with a dismantling of a Bucs squad that seemed night and day from the week prior. Offensively, you'd never know Julio Jones suffered such an awful injury just a year ago, and Stephen Jackson has been taken out of the featured back role, which might allow him to maintain some semblance of health, as the season progresses. The Falcons are still missing a Tight End, but if Julio Jones and Roddy White can survive the season, is that going to matter? Devin Hester has provided a special teams spark plug for this team, and I wonder if Ryan can revitalize Hester's receiving career, as well, but don't expect the former Bear to take too many snaps from Harry Douglas, barring injury (speaking of which, Douglas' status is up in the air for week 4. Perhaps Hester will get his chance sooner than expected). Defensively, the Falcons are better than they were last year, even if that isn't saying much. They have a chance to spoil the debut of a promising rookie quarterback, this Sunday. Can they do it?
Prediction: Vikings 27 Falcons 24
In a game that comes down to a long field goal, for once the Falcons will fall victim as somebody other than Matt Bryant gets to showcase long distance brilliance. Blair Walsh is going to cap off a last minute Bridgewater drive with a 45+ yard game winning field goal, capping off a tumultuous two week period for a Vikings team that only needs a stroke of luck to put themselves in position to surprise people, this season. Look for a strong performance by Bridgewater, another rushing touchdown for Cordarrelle Patterson, and yet another solid day from Matt Asiata, who hasn't been nearly as bad as some fans and analysts would lead you to believe, these past two weeks. It's easy to think a running back is horrible when you're used to seeing #28 out there.
