I have to admit, the two thursday night games thus far have been significantly more entertaining than i thought they would be. Last night we saw the Jets come out fast, and Cleveland come out like Cleveland, as the Jets led 14-3 at the half. In the second half the Browns offense began to get going, their defense stiffened up, and before we knew it we were tied at 17. One final drive from Cleveland sealed their first victory since December of ’16, and truthfully, a much deserved victory for the Cleveland faithful, who have been through it over the last five.. ten.. fifteen.. long time.
MY WEEK 3 LOC.. wait, i feel like i forgot to mention something. Oh, yeah. Baker Mayfield had a little something to do with the Browns comeback victory last night. A concussion to Tyrod Taylor, who, up to that point in the game, and really this whole season, has looked incredibly pedestrian, allowed the number one overall pick to take the field for his NFL Debut, and he did not disappoint. In the second half, Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards while leading the Browns to an 18 point second half. That, mixed with some really great defensive play from the young, and explosive Browns defense is what allowed the victory coolers to finally be cracked open. Two notes on the victory cooler thing; 1) greatest marketing campaign of all time, its beer companies specialty after all. 2) Im very glad i didn’t happen to be on the roads last night in the Cleveland area. In all seriousness, however, Mayfield was impressive, i truly dont think many had the Browns making that comeback. Despite the Mayfield/ Cleveland bandwagon now reaching speeds of approximately Mach 16, i think we all need to be a bit hesitant, we need to consider the defense he was picking apart (virtually non-existent), and the simple fact that was not even one game, but one half. The coming weeks will surely tell if Baker is the answer Cleveland has been waiting for. As far as the Jets are concerned, Darnold will be fine, he has no line, no receivers, no running game, and no assistance in sight from his defensive teammates, so you probably cant say the same for the Jets as a whole.
MY WEEK 3 LOCKS
*I was perfect in my picks last week and that wont happen again, so i look forward to ripping myself apart next week.
- Minnesota over Buffalo- I’ve seen some people pick this as their upset this week, for the life of me i dont know how. Kirk Cousins has been impressive thus far, and now coming off of an incredibly disappointing tie (honestly cant believe ties are thing in PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL) the Vikings will be looking for a punching bag, and that is where the Bills come in. Josh Allen hasn’t looked spectacular, they have no one to catch the ball, protect Allen, or keep the Vikings out of the end zone. This one will almost certainly be ugly.
- Jacksonville over Tennessee- The Jags are coming fresh off a revengeful victory over the New England Patriots, and now plan to improve to 3-0 with a win against the Titans. Tennessee hasn’t shown me much of anything this year, sure a win against Houston (dont get me started), however there is a good chance Blaine Gabbert, who still plays football professionally, by the way, will be the starter once again for the Titans. If he is, this is an easy third win for Jacksonville, if Mariota starts, it will be more competitive, but regardless, the Jaguars are a significantly better team and will pull this victory out.
- New England over Detroit- After being outplayed by Blake Bortles, Tom Brady will not spend any time messing around with Detroit on Sunday night. Since 2001, the Patriots are 38-13 in the week following a loss. Combine New England off a loss with this Detroit Lions team, and this is close to my most confident pick with the Vikings. This game will not be close, and the Patriots will rebound to their second victory of 2018.
- Honorable Mention: Chicago will beat Arizona
UPSET WATCH
- Carolina over Cincinnati- The point spread is Carolina at -3, however in my opinion, Carolina winning this game would be an upset, and i think they will do it. Cincinnati’s offense has been impressive in the first two weeks, however the loss of Joe Mixon will be noticeable, immediately. Carolina’s front 7 is perhaps the NFL’s best, and with no running game, this will be the most pressure Andy Dalton has faced so far this season. With home field advantage and Carolina’s strong D, they get the upset win over the Bengals.
BEST MATCHUPS
- Denver at Baltimore- The Broncos and Ravens both have very strong defenses, however i think Baltimore’s upgraded offense this season is just a bit better than Denver’s. Case Keenum has throw more picks than touchdowns thus far and i dont think Baltimore’s defense will allow him to turn it around. This one will stay close, despite Baltimore likely missing CJ Mosley and their depth on the secondary growing thin, i give a slight edge to the Ravens.
- New Orleans at Atlanta- This is going to be a shootout, no question. Neither team has shown to very capable of defending things yet this season, and it will continue Sunday. I like Atlanta at home, but if im forced to pick between Matt Ryan and Drew Brees, i will always pick the latter.
- Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay- Each week the Steelers dysfunction grows more and more obvious, it will become really difficult to curb my enthusiasm for it. However, this will be a Monday Night Football game worth watching. These teams are actually considerably more similar than i would have ever thought; Incredible talent on the offense, and none on defense. Ryan Fitzpatrick (wont jinx him with calling him you know what) has been fantastic through two weeks, out dueling the defending NFC South and Super Bowl champs in the Saints and Eagles, respectively. Ben Roethlisberger over the past few seasons has been a different quarterback away from Heinz Field, like night and day different. The Steelers have an absolutely atrocious secondary, and if Ryan Fitzpatrick looks the same in week 3 as in weeks 1 and 2, with the weapons at his disposal, i think it’s likely Pittsburgh falls to 0-2-1.
SNOOZERS
- NY Giants at Houston- Both of these teams have looked awfully underwhelming through two weeks, I wont be paying to much attention to this matchup, However i think Houston will “win” their home opener.
- Dallas at Seattle- Irrelevant matchup by in large, neither one of these teams will win their divisions, and its unlikely either one of them will even make the playoffs. It is a must win for both the Cowboys and Seahawks, so expect a sloppy game, with two pedestrian offenses, playing in some week 3 desperation. I’m honestly surprised this is a 4:00pm game, This matchup just screams Sunday Night to me.
@plsorioles
CC Sports Weekly 