2008 Week Three NFL Football Picks Game Previews
Click Here For This Week's NFL Football Game Matchup Previews
Sunday, September 20, 2008
Kansas City (0-2) @
Atlanta (1-1)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: Atlanta –5.5
Over/Under: 36.5
Preview: The Falcons come into the week 1-1 on the
season after the impressive win over Detroit, followed by a tough loss 24-9 at
Tampa Bay. Quarterback Matt Ryan was great in the first week- throwing a
62-yard touchdown pass on his first throw in the winner. Last week, he played
more like the rookie he is, making several mistakes in the Falcons loss. For
Kansas
City
, they have quarterback issues. With their
original starter Brodie Croyle out with an injury, the Chiefs played three
different quarterback in the 23-8 loss to
Oakland
.
Coach Herman Edwards has decided on youngster Tyler Thigpen as the week three
starter.
Kansas City
has only
scored 18 points in their first two games, while allowing 40.The Chiefs have
lost 11 straight games dating back to last season.
Oakland
(1-1) @
Buffalo
(2-0)
Time:
1:00pm ET
Spread:
Buffalo
–9.5
Over/Under: 36.5
Preview:
Buffalo
is off
to their best start in 16 years.
Oakland
is in
the middle of a head coaching controversy. As both teams come into Sunday’s
game on different paths, this looks to be an interesting affair. Bills
quarterback Trent Edwards ranks fourth in the AFC with a 107.7 passer rating,
and has thrown for 454 yards. Running back Marshawn Lynch has rushed for a
touchdown in each of his first two games, and is averaging 3.6 yards per carry.
For
Oakland
, the job status of head coach Lane Kiffin may be in the hands of
second year quarterback JaMarcus Russell. For Kiffin, that should be a scary
though, considering in week two Russell only converted 6 of 17 passes for 55
years. The Raiders won despite Russell’s numbers. Raiders running back Darren
McFadden ran for 164 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.
Oakland
has
won four straight meetings against the Bills since 1998.
Tampa
Bay
(1-1) @
Chicago
(1-1)
Time:
1:00pm ET
Spread:
Chicago
-3
Over/Under: 35.5
Preview: Both teams come in Sunday afternoon’s
affair with .500 marks. The Bears are coming off a loss at
Carolina
, a
week after knocking off the Colts in Indy. The Bucs lost week one at
New Orleans
,
then came back in week two with a win over
Atlanta
. Both
teams seem to have quarterback issues. For
Tampa
Bay
,
former Bears back-up Brian Griese will take the snaps, after coach Jon Gruden
watched his first starter Jeff Garcia struggle. For the Bears, Kyle Orton will
be the starter, despite his ineffectiveness throwing the ball. The Bears have
gotten a pleasant surprise from their rookie running back Matt Forte, as he has
ran for 123 and 92 yard efforts.
Chicago
’s
defense or special teams has scored in each of the Bears first two games. These
former NFC Central rivals have met 52 times, with the Bears holding a 35-17
lead in wins. Since 2002, the two teams have split four games.
Carolina
(2-0) @
Minnesota
(0-2)
Time:
1:00pm ET
Spread:
Minnesota
–3.5
Over/Under: 37
Preview: One surprise to start the NFL season in
2008 has been the 2-0 Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have won both games despite
missing top wide receiver Steve Smith, for disciplinary reasons. Meanwhile the
Minnesota Vikings have been a surprise in a negative way. A team many thought
would compete for a division title in the NFC has started 0-2, and is now
changing starting quarterbacks. Out with Tarvaris Jackson, in with veteran Gus
Frerotte. Frerotte will get help from second year running back Adrian Peterson,
who has ran for 160 and 103 yards, but has struggled to get himself, and his
team into the end zone. For
Carolina
,
with the addition of Steve Smith, the offense will be that much more lethal.
Quarterback Jake Delhomme has many options including Muhsin Muhammed, who went
over the 10,000 yards marker against
Chicago
last
week. He also has the two-headed monster in the backfield with DeAngelo
Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart. Sunday will be the 8th meeting
between these two teams, the Vikings lead the overall series 4-3.
Miami
(0-2) @
New England
(2-0)
Time:
1:00pm ET
Spread:
New
England
–12.5
Over/Under: 35.5
Preview: If this game was last year, the point
spread of this game would be three plus touchdowns, in favor of
New England
. Since then,
Miami
has
improved, and the Patriots have lost 2007 MVP Tom Brady. Still, despite those
changes
New England
appears to be a much better team than
Miami
. For
Miami
,
quarterback Chad Pennington has been ineffective going just 10 of 20 for 112
yards, and was pulled early on Sunday in favor of youngster Chad Henne. Henne
directed the Dolphins only touchdown drive on the day last Sunday. Another
problem for
Miami
has been running back Ricky Williams, who has only accumulated
52 yards rushing. His running mate Ronnie Brown has only totaled 48 yards on 17
carries.
New England
quarterback Matt Cassell
played error free football on Sunday, in his first start since High School.
Cassell converted 16 of 23 passes for 165 yards.
Miami
has lost 11 straight road games since 2006.
Cincinnati
(0-2) @
New York
Giants (2-0)
Time:
1:00pm ET
Spread: New York Giants –13.5
Over/Under: 42
Preview: The Giants have started the 2008 much
better than 2007, when they started 0-2. This year with 16-7 wins over
Washington
,
and 41-13 wins over
St. Louis
, the Giants are playing much like they did in the 2007
postseason. Eli Manning threw for three touchdowns on Sunday against the Rams.
The three headed monster in the back field for the Giants- Brandon Jacobs,
Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for 203 yards on the ground. For
Cincinnati
,
it has been quite the struggle. The Bengals have started the season 0-2. The
offense has been sputtering led by quarterback Carson Palmer. On Sunday,
Cincinnati
only threw for 134 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Bengals top
receiver Chad Ocho Cinco was held to just 37 yards on four catches. The
Bengals rank 30th in the NFL,
allowing 203 yards per game on the ground. The Bengals and Giants have only played twice
before, with the Giants winning both games, in 1994 and 1997.
Houston (0-1) @
Tennessee (2-0)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: Tennessee -5
Over/Under: 39
Preview: The Houston Texans are ready to get back on
the field on Sunday, and hopefully bring
the city of Houston some much needed excitement. Ravaged by the latest
Hurricane(Ike), the city of
Houston
continues to pick up the pieces.
Houston
comes
into the game 0-1, after a disappointing week one effort in
Pittsburgh
.
In the loss, quarterback Matt Schaub turned the ball over three times, and was
sacked five times. The Texans were limited to 234 yards and went 3-10 on third
down conversions. For
Tennessee
, coming in 2-0, but most of the talk is surrounding their
quarterback Vince Young. Head Coach Jeff
Fisher has recently said he is going to go with veteran Kerry Collins behind
center until Young can heal from his knee injury. Collins threw for 128 yards
on Sunday completing 14 of 21 passes, and did not turn the ball over. The
Titans are 10-2 lifetime against
Houston
, and
have won the last six games in this series.
Arizona
(2-0) @
Washington
(1-1)
Time:
1:00pm ET
Spread:
Washington
-3
Over/Under: 42
Preview: The Arizona Cardinals are 2-0 for the first
time since 1991. On Sunday, they will look to push their record to 3-0 for the
first time since 1974. With wins over
San Francisco
and
Miami
, the Cardinals are making sure they don’t let their early season
success get to their heads. Two-time MVP Kurt Warner completed 19 of 24 passes
for 361 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday against
Miami
. On the
season, Warner is 96 of 145 for 1227 yards and 10 touchdowns, with only 2
interceptions. Head Coach Jim Zorn picked up his first NFL win behind
quarterback Jason Campbell who threw for 321 yards completing 24 of 36 yards
for a touchdown. Santana Moss caught a 67 yard pass for a touchdown with just
3:29
left in the game that gave the Redskins the win.
Washington
has won six straight over
Arizona
dating back to 2000.
New
Orleans
(1-1) @
Denver
(2-0)
Time:
4:05pm ET
Spread:
Denver
–5.5
Over/Under: 51.5
Preview: These two teams will most assuredly put
points on the board on Sunday.
New
Orleans
is coming off the
disappointing loss to
Washington
, and 1-1, while
Denver
is 2-0 with wins over
Oakland
and
San Diego
. A
touchdown pass to Eddie Royal, followed by a 2 point conversion, also by Royal
led the Broncos to a 39-38 win on Sunday. The Broncos lead the NFL in yards per
game, compiling 463.5 yards per game.
Part of that impressive offense has been third year quarterback Jay Cutler.
Cutler was 36 of 50 last week, throwing for 350 yards, four touchdowns, while
throwing just one interception. He has thrown for 650 yards and six touchdowns
in the first two games. For the Saints, quarterback Drew Brees leads them. Brees was 22 of 33 for 216 yards a touchdown
and two interceptions on Sunday. The running game for the Saints was very
ineffective, as the running backs only compiled 55 yards on 19 carries on
Sunday. This is the first battle between these two teams since 2004, when the
Broncos blew out
New Orleans
34-13.
Detroit
(0-2) @
San Francisco
(1-1)
Time:
4:05pm ET
Spread:
San Francisco
-4
Over/Under: 46.5
Preview: The
San Francisco 49ers are feeling good about themselves, and their new look
offense led by former Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz. After totaling
365 yards in the 33-30 win over
Seattle
on
Sunday,
San Francisco
hopes to continue that against the 0-2 Lions. Quarterback J.T.
O’ Sullivan, who has been a journeyman quarterback, and was the Lions back up
last season completed 20 of 32 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown last week.
For
Detroit
, they hope to get off to a better start, after getting down 3
touchdowns in the last two games, against
Atlanta
and
Green Bay
.
The 49ers have beaten the Lions 10 of the last 11 times these two teams have
matched up. In 2006, Frank Gore ran for 159 yards and a touchdown against
Detroit
.
St Louis
(0-2) @
Seattle
(0-2)
Time:
4:05pm ET
Spread:
Seattle
–9.5
Over/Under: 43.5
Preview: The Rams have been dreadful in the first
two games of the 2008 season. After a 38-3 pounding at the hands of the Eagles
in week one, they followed that up with a 41-13 loss to the Giants. The Rams
have allowed 79 points in just two games, while only putting 16 up on the
season. Stephen Jackson has run for just 93 yards on the season, and has yet to
find the end zone. The only Rams offensive player that has reached the end zone
is receiver Tory Holt. For
Seattle
, things have not gone much better. Coming in with high
expectations in the Mike Holmgren going into retirement party, the Seahawks
have lost two straight to begin the season. After a 34-10 loss at
Buffalo
, they
followed that up with an overtime loss to the hands of the
San Francisco
49ers.
Seattle
has allowed 67 points, while only scoring 40 on the season.
Seattle
lost
top receiver Nate Burleson in week one due to an injury. The initial reports
are Burleson will miss the entire 2008 season.
Cleveland
(0-2) @
Baltimore
(1-0)
Time:
4:15pm ET
Spread:
Baltimore
-2
Over/Under: 38.5
Preview: The Cleveland Browns were the only team in
the NFL to start the 2008 season with two straight home games. In disappointing
fashion, the Browns dropped both of those games. In week one, Dallas blasted
Cleveland
28-10, and then on Sunday
Cleveland
fell in a low scoring affair in the rain 10-6 to
Pittsburgh
.
Browns quarterback Derek Anderson threw two interceptions on Sunday has had a
difficult time connecting with receiver Braylon Edwards, and tight end Kellen
Winslow. Edwards has dropped five passes in the early going. For
Baltimore
,
after a week off, in which they were scheduled to play the Texans in
Houston
, they
look to win their second straight game against an AFC North rival. The Ravens,
who lost 9 of their last 10 games in 2007 have turned to rookie quarterback Joe
Flacco, who completed 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards, and did not turn the ball
over. The Ravens were led by their defense, who just allowed 10 points to
Cincinnati
.
Cleveland
is
3-6 in
Baltimore
since 1996.
Jacksonville
(0-2) @ Indianapolis (1-1)
Time: 4:15pm ET
Spread: Indianapolis –5.5
Over/Under: 41.5
Preview: The Colts, who come in 1-1, needed a late
rally led by Peyton Manning and an Adam Vinateri field goal in the final
seconds, will be without the 2007 NFL defensive player of the year- Bob
Sanders. Sanders may miss as much as 6 weeks with a sprained ankle. In the
first two games the Colts have played without pro bowl center Jeff Saturday,
right guard Mike Pollak and left guard Ryan Lilja, along with Dallas
Clark(tight end), and Tony Ugoh(left tackle), all with injuries. The Jaguars
have had difficulties running the ball. Last season the Jaguars ran for close
to 150 yards per game, while in 2008
Jacksonville
has only ran for 65.5 yards per game. The Jaguars have lost to both
Tennessee
and
Buffalo
to start the year. In the last game between these two teams the
Colts held off the Jaguars for a 28-25 victory on
December 2, 2007
. In that game Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes.
Pittsburgh (2-0) @ Philadelphia (1-1)
Time:
4:00pm ET
Spread:
Philadelphia
-3
Over/Under: 45.5
Preview: This appears to be a prime week three
battle between the two
Pennsylvania
teams.
Pittsburgh
comes into the game with a 2-0 record, after wins over Houston
and Cleveland.
Philadelphia
is 1-1 with a blow out win at home over the Rams, and a tough
loss on Monday night in
Dallas
, to the Cowboys. Questions are swirling regarding Steelers
quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his health. Nursing a sore shoulder in week
one, Big Ben passes for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 13 of 14 passing.
For the Eagles, they feel fortunate to have their quarterback Donovan McNabb
healthy and feeling well, for the first time since 2004. So far in 2008 McNabb
has thrown for 642 yards, four touchdowns on 46 of 70 passing. On Monday,
McNabb threw for 281 yards and a touchdown in the 41-37 loss. This will be the
first meeting since 1997 for these two teams.
Dallas Cowboys (2-0) @ Green Bay Packers (2-0)
Time:
8:15pm ET
Spread:
Dallas -3
Over/Under: 51
Preview: The Sunday Night Football crew has done their homework in week three. If the goal of Sunday Night is to pit two solid teams against each other for an entertaining affair, they appear to have done it. After all the off season controversy for the Packers involving former quarterback Brett Favre and the new guy, Aaron Rodgers, the Packers, and Rodgers have done a great job putting the doubters to rest. Rodgers threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns in the 48-25 win on Sunday over Detroit. He has yet to throw an interception on the year, and has completed 70 percent of his passes. 258 of those yards have gone to receiver Greg Jennings. For Dallas, quarterback Tony Romo has thrown for 632 yards and four touchdowns in just two games to start the year. After beating Cleveland 28-10 in week one, the Cowboys knocked off the Eagles on Monday night 41-37. The Packers have won 10 of their last 11 games at home.
Monday September 21, 2008
New York Jets (1-1) @ San Diego Chargers (0-2)
Time: 8:15PM (EST)
Spread: San Diego Chargers -9
Over/Under: 44
Preview: Our Monday Night Football Game Preview: The San Diego Chargers, after falling 39-38 to Denver on Sunday are desperate to find their first win of the season. Not only did they lose that tough affair, but in week one Jake Delhomme throw a touchdown pass as time expired to lead the Panthers to a 26-24 win over the Chargers. If losing Linebacker Shawne Merriman was not enough, a possible injury to star running back LaDainian Tomlinson has got the Chargers and their fans a little worried. On Sunday, Tomlinson ran for just 26 yards on 10 carries. For the Jets, they were not able to capitalize on a division opponent without the 2007 MVP Tom Brady. The Patriots defense held the Jets in check in the 19-10 win. Quarterback Brett Favre is 5-0 lifetime against San Diego, but has not played in San Diego since 2003. This will be the Jets first ever visit to Qualcomm Stadium, since the 20-17 upset win in the 2005 wild card game.
|
