NFL Picks Week 3: Bleacher Report's Expert Consensus Picks

Week 3 brings with it some real donnybrooks in the National Football League.

There's little question which game headlines the week's slate. On Sunday afternoon, the Denver Broncos travel to the Emerald City, where they will battle the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII.

That isn't the only big showdown in the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers will also be on the road Sunday, with first place in the division potentially on the line when they face the 2-0 Arizona Cardinals in Glendale.

Throw in an NFC North showdown between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers and must-win contests for a few playoff teams from 2013 that find themselves in an 0-2 hole, and there should be no shortage of excitement in the NFL this weekend.

With that in mind, here's a look at how the National and Division Lead Writers here at Bleacher Report expect Week 3 to play out.

Roll Call/Standings

Mat Otero/Associated Press

Any given Sunday.

That saying ran roughshod over the NFL in a wild and wacky Week 2. The New Orleans Saints were stunned by the Browns in Cleveland. The Chicago Bears shocked the 49ers on Sunday night, spoiling the regular-season debut of Levi's Stadium.

Never mind the San Diego Chargers, who were picked by absolutely no one on this panel. The Bolts made us all look foolish, playing a masterful game of keep-away en route to a 30-21 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

The Buffalo Bills are 2-0, folks. Repent your sins, for the end is nigh.

Simply put, our panel took one on the chin last week. As many writers suffered double-digit "losses" (five) as had winning records for the week.

Only one scribe on the entire panel picked 10 games correctly, and he's as smart as he is handsome.

Hey, my mom says I'm smart and handsome, so there.

This week, as the gang tries to shake off last week's misfire, we welcome a new member to the group in the personage of NFC West Lead Writer Sean Tomlinson.

Hopefully he'll help make us all look good.

(Season standings listed in parentheses)

Matt Bowen: NFL National Lead Writer 6-10 (14-18)

Gary Davenport: NFL Analyst 10-6 (19-13)

Mike Freeman: NFL National Lead Writer 9-7 (18-14)

Erik Frenz: AFC East Lead Writer 7-9 (15-17)

Brad Gagnon: NFC East Lead Writer 9-7 (20-12)

Andrea Hangst: AFC North Lead Writer 6-10 (15-17)

Christopher Hansen: AFC West Lead Writer 5-11 (15-17)

Zach Kruse: NFC North Lead Writer 9-7 (19-13)

Rivers McCown: AFC South Lead Writer 9-7 (19-13)

Matt Miller: NFL National Lead Writer 8-8 (17-15)

Ty Schalter: NFL National Lead Writer 4-12 (13-19)

Michael Schottey: NFL National Lead Writer 7-9 (15-17)

Chris Simms: Former NFL Quarterback, Video Correspondent 8-8 (20-12)

Brent Sobleski: NFC South Lead Writer 6-10 (15-17)

Mike Tanier: NFL National Lead Writer 6-10 (13-19)

Sean Tomlinson: NFC West Lead Writer 0-0 (0-0)

Aggregate: 7-9 (16-16)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) at Atlanta Falcons (1-1)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Result: Well, if nothing else, we now know what would happen if a college football team played an NFL team.

A team from the Sun Belt Conference.

The Falcons dominated an inept and bumbling Buccaneers squad in every facet of the game, Atlanta wide receiver Devin Hester set the NFL record for career return touchdowns, and the Falcons handed the Bucs one of their worst losses in franchise history.

Atlanta 56, Tampa Bay 14

The Pick: Atlanta Falcons (14-2)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reeling.

A Bucs team that many tabbed a dark-horse playoff contender in 2014 is now 0-2 after falling to the St. Louis Rams in Week 2.

The defense has been absolutely ravaged by injuries, especially up front. The Buccaneers were already down both starting defensive ends against the Rams, only to lose Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to a broken hand and middle linebacker Mason Foster to a dislocated shoulder.

McCoy will be a game-time decision for Thursday night's affair in Atlanta, although he told Pat Yasinskas of ESPN he realizes that Tampa can't afford any more losses:

"

Most of it is pain tolerance, whether I can tolerate it or not. As much as you want to be out there, you also want to be smart because the risk of missing a game or a couple of games as opposed to the risk of the rest of the season, it's not worth it.

"

Unfortunately, another loss is just what our panel thinks the Buccaneers are going to get, with only Chris Simms and National Lead Writer Mike Tanier forecasting a Tampa victory on the road.

Buccaneers: Simms, Tanier

Falcons: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Sobleski, Tomlinson

San Diego Chargers (1-1) at Buffalo Bills (2-0)

Harry How/Getty Images

The Pick: San Diego Chargers (11-5)

Break up the Bills!

After throttling the Miami Dolphins 29-10 in Week 2, the Buffalo Bills sit at 2-0, in sole possession of first place in the AFC East.

No, really. They are. Go look it up.

The Bills were propelled to last week's win in large part by a 102-yard kickoff return from running back C.J. Spiller. As head coach Doug Marrone told Matt Higgins of The New York Times, it's that sort of complete effort the Bills will need in order to keep the winning streak going.

“That’s how we’re going to have to win—by playing well in all three phases,” Marrone said. “Special teams, really, for the last two weeks, have done a heck of a job.”

Unfortunately, our panel thinks the good times will end this weekend, at the hands of a San Diego Chargers team riding high after last week's big win over the Seahawks.

Still, West Coast teams traveling east for a 1 p.m. start have been known to struggle, and the Bolts looked nothing like the team that beat the Super Bowl champions in a sloppy loss to the Arizona Cardinals on the road two weeks ago.

Chargers: Bowen, Freeman, Frenz, Hangst, Hansen, Miller, Schalter, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Bills: Davenport, Gagnon, Kruse, McCown, Schottey

Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)

Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Pick: Baltimore Ravens (9-7)

Both the new Cleveland Browns and the team that used to be the Cleveland Browns are coming off huge Week 2 wins.

The Ravens circled the wagons in a big way amidst the Ray Rice scandal last Thursday night, pounding the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Browns, on the other hand, made every member of this panel except NFC South Lead Writer Brent Sobleski look silly last week, punching through a field goal with three seconds left to knock off the New Orleans Saints.

Bleacher Report AFC North Lead Writer Andrea Hangst believes the Browns—in front of the home crowd this week—will pull off an upset for the second straight week:

"

The Cleveland Browns have been impressive both in victory and in defeat through two games this season and no opponent suddenly seems too big for Mike Pettine's Little Football Team That Could. The Browns were seconds away from overtime with the Steelers in Week 1 and had a last-second win of their own over the formidable Saints last week. Meanwhile, the Ravens have struggled to shine beyond their red-zone defense and ageless receiver Steve Smith Sr. Cleveland's run game and defense has what it takes to wear down—and shock—the Ravens this week.

"

Hangst is in the minority with that pick, but not by much.

Ravens: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Kruse, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Tanier

Browns: Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, McCown, Sobleski, Tomlinson

Tennessee Titans (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-0)

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

The Pick: Cincinnati Bengals (16-0)

The Tennessee Titans have the Jekyll and Hyde act down pat early in the 2014 season.

In Week 1, the Titans looked great in dismantling the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. The team then responded to that win by coming out flatter than Kansas itself at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

ESPN's Paul Kuharsky didn't mince words after the Titans were pasted by the Cowboys:

"

A team that can go to Kansas City and win at Arrowhead is also capable of playing poorly enough at home to lose to an opponent that played terribly on opening day. The Titans showed in Week 2 that they can be run on, that they can’t keep a topflight receiver in check and that Jake Locker remains capable of the sort of bad stretch that can be too hard to overcome.

"

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals have been as impressive as any team in the NFL through two games, ranking fourth in the league in offense at 426 yards per game.

Even with star wide receiver A.J. Green likely to miss the game with an injured foot, it's a clean sweep for the Bengals.

Be afraid, Cincinnati fans. Be very afraid.

Titans: If Tennessee fans were mad about last week's pick (and they were), then they'll love this.

Bengals: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Dallas Cowboys (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-1)

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Pick: Dallas Cowboys (14-2)

This is a game that could leave many of our panelists with egg on their faces. Because when it comes to Jekyll and Hyde football teams, the Cowboys make the Titans look like rank amateurs.

The Cowboys looked awful in Week 1, getting waxed at home by the San Francisco 49ers. Then they traveled to Nashville and returned the favor, blowing out the Titans.

A blindfold and darts will help you pick Cowboy games as much as a pile of statistics and game film.

Bleacher Report AFC West Lead Writer Christopher Hansen, one of two writers who picked the Rams to get their second straight win, isn't having the roller coaster:

"

The Rams have plenty of issues, but defensively they should be able to get after quarterback Tony Romo and force him to make a few mistakes. Two games is not a large enough sample to be convinced that Dallas can sustain the kind of defensive performance they've displayed—especially on the road. DeMarco Murray has the potential to have a big day, but too much running should keep the score down and keep the game within reach for the Rams. Jeff Fisher may have found something in quarterback Austin Davis. If they smartly start the youngster for at least one more week while Shaun Hill gets healthy, he could do damage against the Cowboys secondary.

"

The vast majority of our experts, however, have strapped in for another ride on Tony Romo's tilt-a-whirl.

Let's just hope we don't wind up losing our lunch in the process.

Cowboys: Bowen, Davenport, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Rams: Freeman, Hansen

Green Bay Packers (1-1) at Detroit Lions (1-1)

Leon Halip/Getty Images

The Pick: Green Bay Packers (10-6)

Not to keep riding a theme until the wheels fall off, but the Detroit Lions are more than capable of a little football schizophrenia themselves.

Either that, or the Lions' big Week 1 win over the New York Giants said more about how bad the G-Men are than how good the Lions are.

After getting their heads handed to them by the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, the Lions return to the friendly confines of Ford Field on Sunday for a big NFC North matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

Even though the game is on the road, Hangst likes the Packers to emerge with the victory this week:

"

Under the dome, with the crowd noise of the Detroit fans, the Lions certainly have a home-field advantage over the Packers. However, this is still a Packers team headed by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Lions have serious depth concerns in the secondary, which Rodgers can easily exploit. His arm will be able to pick apart Detroit's defense in this crucial, in-division road game. Megatron and Reggie Bush will make this one interesting, but the Lions' depleted group of defensive backs (and a few ill-timed penalties) will doom the home team.

"

Given that Rodgers has lost only once in 10 career starts against the Lions, the majority of our panelists agree.

Packers: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, Hangst, Hansen, McCown, Miller, Sobleski, Tomlinson

Lions: Gagnon, Kruse, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Tanier

Houston Texans (2-0) at New York Giants (0-2)

Eric Gay/Associated Press

The Pick: Houston Texans (14-2)

Raise your hand if through two weeks of the 2014 season you thought the Houston Texans would have a two-game lead on the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South.

Now raise the other hand if you thought those same Texans would be leading the NFL with a point differential of plus-27.

OK, now put your hands down. One, you look silly. Two, you're lying through your teeth.

Still, that's where the Texans sit headed into a Week 3 matchup with a New York Giants team that's been a dumpster fire so far this season.

The blame is flying fast and furious in the Big Apple, with ESPN's Ian O' Connor targeting wide receiver Victor Cruz:

"

The truth? Victor Cruz is really letting down his team. Sure, the Giants were going to lose the opener in Detroit even if Cruz didn't drop those two late passes, and even if he didn't fail to compete for the ball on Eli Manning's second interception. But when he campaigned for more touches afterward, dragging Rueben Randle into it for cover, Cruz made a rare public mistake and neglected this simple fact:

If you're going to lobby for more opportunities, it would be helpful if you actually held on to the passes already being thrown your way.

"

Things are going to get worse before they get better if our voters are correct, as only NFL National Lead Writers Matt Bowen and Mike Freeman picked Big Blue to stop the bleeding and get their first win of 2014.

Texans: Davenport, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Giants: Bowen, Freeman

Indianapolis Colts (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The Pick: Indianapolis Colts (16-0)

The third week of the NFL season seems early to be hitting the panic button.

However, after blowing a second-half lead against the Philadelphia Eagles last Monday night, that's exactly what the Indianapolis Colts should be doing.

As Alex Marvez of Fox Sports pointed out, over the past 24 years only eight percent of teams that started the year 0-2 advanced to the postseason.

With that said, hope is not lost. The 2007 New York Giants began the season 0-2. They ended it by shocking the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

As Marvez wrote, "Just like with the Saints and Drew Brees, don’t count out a team that has such stellar quarterbacking like the Colts with Andrew Luck."

The first step for the Colts toward getting back on track is a trip to Jacksonville to face a reeling Jaguars team that was just blasted by Washington.

Care to guess how our experts think that's going to play out?

Colts: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Jaguars: Gus Bradley's own mother wouldn't pick Jacksonville to win this game.

Minnesota Vikings (1-1) at New Orleans Saints (0-2)

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

The Pick: New Orleans Saints (15-1)

Like the Indianapolis Colts, the New Orleans Saints find themselves in an early 0-2 hole. Unlike the Colts, who have been defeated by two division champions from last year, the Saints have lost to two teams that combined to go 8-24 a season ago.

Those stunning setbacks have Chris Landry of The New Orleans Times-Picayune wondering if the Saints are headed anywhere this season:

"

The New Orleans Saints, through two games, have been plagued by the inability to finish drives and defend in two-minute situations, plus they've made crucial mistakes at the worst times.

The Saints' performance [in] situational football has been especially poor—an ill-timed blitz, a well-leveraged play ruined by defensive players out of position that leaves a gap uncovered, not carrying (passing off) a receiver long enough in a pass route, a blown blocking assignment that leads to a sack and offsides on a field-goal attempt.

"

However, it's hard to imagine the Saints losing at home to a Minnesota team engulfed in the Adrian Peterson situation, especially after the Vikings were destroyed last week by the New England Patriots.

So hard to imagine, in fact, that AFC South Lead Writer Rivers McCown was the only one of our voters who could do it.

Vikings: McCown

Saints: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Oakland Raiders (0-2) at New England Patriots (1-1)

Associated Press

The Pick: New England Patriots (16-0)

It would appear that we have our first coaching hot seat of the 2014 campaign.

That's the latest from Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area, who reported after the Raiders were waxed by the Houston Texans in their home opener that head coach Dennis Allen is on thin ice:

"

[Team owner Mark] Davis is on record saying the Raiders had a phenomenal offseason, which puts pressure on Allen to win games with this group. Davis has privately expressed displeasure with the Raiders' early returns, and they may be enough to end Allen’s tenure early.

"

Free safety Charles Woodson was direct when describing the Raiders' early season performance while speaking with Bair:

"

We suck. That’s as blunt as I can put it. For whatever reason, defensively we just won’t stop people, especially early in games. Every drive, every first drive, teams are able to go and get points. Today, it happened all day. Offensively, we put the ball on the ground. We had opportunities and didn’t capitalize on it. Collectively, we look bad.

"

Once upon a time, Woodson's Raiders and Tom Brady's Patriots battled in the infamous "Tuck Rule" game at Foxborough.

Since then, these teams have barreled in opposite directions at warp speed.

Raiders: Unless the Patriots' bus breaks down on the way to the game, nope.

Patriots: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Washington Redskins (1-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)

Michael Perez/Associated Press

The Pick: Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)

The Philadelphia Eagles apparently like living dangerously.

In the first half of their first two games of the 2014 season, the Eagles have been outscored 34-6. In the second half of those same games, the team has blasted the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts by a combined score of 58-10.

Of course, as Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated reported, the Eagles got an assist from the zebras in the second half against the Colts Monday night:

"

The Eagles outplayed the Colts in the second half, and that was enough, as Indy's offense simply ran out of gas. But there was one call, and one no-call, that unfairly impacted the Colts. When Luck threw an interception to Malcolm Jenkins with 5:15 left in the game, cornerback Brandon Boykin was clearly holding receiver T.Y. Hilton in the slot. This was a very interesting no-call, considering that the hold was obvious and this is supposed to be a point of emphasis this season. Then, two plays later, Colts safety Laron Landry was called for a horse-collar tackle on running back LeSean McCoy when Landry clearly grabbed McCoy by his jersey to pull him down—which is a legal tactic. That took the ball from the Indy 28 to the Indy 43, and while it didn't have anything to do with the amazing 51-yard screen play from Foles to Sproles two plays after that, or Foles' six-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin that tied the game, it didn't help, and there's little doubt that the Colts will receive a note of apology from the league very soon.

"

Washington, on the other hand, hasn't had much luck this season that wasn't bad.

Yes, the Redskins blew out the Jaguars in Week 2, but Robert Griffin III's ankle injury not only thrust Kirk Cousins into the starting lineup, but it could also lead to a quarterback controversy that hangs over the team all season.

At any rate, the vast majority of our voters picked the Eagles to keep on cruising this week, although NFL National Lead Writer Ty Schalter was among three pundits who is looking for Washington to win:

"

For three quarters last Monday night, Philadelphia was getting ground out by Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw, and needed two quick turnovers to squeak out a win. Lost in the RGIII shuffle was a dominant performance by Washington’s defense; Kirk Cousins should outplay Nick Foles (not for the first time).

"

Redskins: Freeman, Schalter, Simms

Eagles: Bowen, Davenport, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schottey, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

San Francisco 49ers (1-1) at Arizona Cardinals (2-0)

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

The Pick: San Francisco 49ers (9-7)

He didn't exactly rack up style points doing it, but Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton got the job done last week with Carson Palmer sidelined with an elbow injury.

Stanton's 167 yards on 14 completions in 29 attempts are hardly eye-popping numbers, but the quarterback didn't turn the ball over in Arizona's road win over the New York Giants.

It was a performance that impressed head coach Bruce Arians, according to Darren Urban of the team's website.

“He knows this offense inside and out,” Arians said. “It’s easier for him sometimes than even Carson. The numbers don’t give him justice."

It's a very real possibility that Stanton will start once again Sunday, when the Cardinals face a San Francisco 49ers team attempting to shake off a blown lead in last week's loss to the Chicago Bears.

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick struggled badly late in that game, and Neil Greenberg of The Washington Post thinks that defenses may have found Kap's Achilles' heel.

Doing nothing:

"

Kaepernick posted the third-lowest passer rating of his career (57) and he struggled even more when the Bears were disciplined and avoided the blitz: 202 yards yards on 16-for-26 passing and three interceptions, good for a 46.2 passer rating. And that’s been a continuing trend over the past two years: Decreasing effectiveness when not under pressure.

"

It's a close vote, but just over half the panel expects Kaepernick to bounce back enough for the 49ers to get the win on the road.

49ers: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, McCown, Miller, Schottey, Tanier, Tomlinson

Cardinals: Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, Schalter, Simms, Sobleski

Denver Broncos (2-0) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1)

Brennan Linsley/Associated Press

The Pick: Seattle Seahawks (15-1)

OK, so this game's a bit of a big deal. When the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks last met on the playing field in a game that counted, a trophy of some sort was on the line. The Lombardi, I think they call it.

The Seahawks pounded the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, and wide receiver Andre Caldwell freely admitted to Lindsay Jones of USA Today that this is more than just a "regular" Week 3 contest.

"They beat us bad in the Super Bowl. They think they have the pedigree, they talked noise all offseason. That's what we've been waiting for," Caldwell said.

With the Seahawks faltering last week at San Diego, some might think the table is set for Peyton Manning and friends to get a measure of revenge this week.

However, while the Broncos are 2-0, they have problems of their own. In each of the last two games, they have raced out to an early lead only to let their opponents back in the game.

Then there's the small matter of where the game is being played.

Since Russell Wilson took over as the starting quarterback in Seattle, he's lost all of once at home. Manning relies heavily on making changes at the line of scrimmage, which isn't going to be easy in the cacophony that is CenturyLink Field.

However, Broncos fans can at least take solace in this tidbit: NFC South Lead Writer Brent Sobleski (the only panelist to take the Broncos) was also the only one of our pundits to pick the Cleveland Browns to beat New Orleans last week.

Broncos: Sobleski

Seahawks: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Simms, Tanier, Tomlinson

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at Miami Dolphins (1-1)

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

The Pick: Miami Dolphins (12-4)

Of the three playoff teams from last year who started the 2014 campaign 0-2, the Kansas City Chiefs are probably in the most trouble.

Essentially, everything that could go wrong for the Chiefs has. They were blown out at home in Week 1 by the Tennessee Titans. Their second-half comeback bid came up short a week ago in Denver.

And in each game, a key contributor was lost to an injury.

In Week 1, it was inside linebacker and leading tackler Derrick Johnson who was lost for the season to an Achilles tear.

Last week, it was running back Jamaal Charles, the focal point of the team's offense.

According to Lindsay Jones of USA Today, head coach Andy Reid indicated that Charles suffered a high ankle sprain in the loss to the Broncos, although Reid said things could be worse.

"It doesn't look to be a real severe one, but it does have the components of a high ankle sprain," Reid said. "What does that mean? We'll see what happens."

Of course, the Miami Dolphins have problems of their own in the backfield after running back Knowshon Moreno dislocated his elbow in Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills.

In this battle of reeling AFC clubs, the Dolphins were the pick of a large majority of our voters, and an 0-3 start would all but doom any hopes the Chiefs had of getting back to the playoffs this year.

Chiefs: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Schottey

Dolphins: Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-0)

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Pick: Carolina Panthers (13-3)

After an offseason that saw a lot more subtractions than additions in Charlotte, the Carolina Panthers were a trendy pick as a playoff team expected to regress this year.

The Panthers apparently don't feel like cooperating with those expectations.

With quarterback Cam Newton hurt in Week 1, backup Derek Anderson led the Panthers to a win in Tampa Bay.

With defensive end Greg Hardy deactivated in Week 2, reserve Mario Addison stepped into the starting lineup and tallied 2.5 sacks in a win over the Detroit Lions.

This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Bank of America stadium to face the Panthers on Sunday night. Given the game's national spotlight, much of the conversation will likely focus on Hardy's legal troubles.

Head coach Ron Rivera indicated to USA Today's Jim Corbett that no decision has yet been made on Hardy's status for the game:

"

I really can't [say whether Hardy will play]. There's a lot to be looked at, measured and weighed. The climate has changed. And we have to most certainly look at things the right way because we really do have to get this right. I get that part of it. Believe me.

"

Regardless of Hardy's status, our experts overwhelmingly expect the Panthers to continue overcoming their early season adversity. Given the early struggles of the other teams in the NFC South, the Panthers could easily exit Week 3 with a two-game cushion over the rest of the division.

Steelers: Simms, Tanier, Tomlinson

Panthers: Bowen, Davenport, Freeman, Frenz, Gagnon, Hangst, Hansen, Kruse, McCown, Miller, Schalter, Schottey, Sobleski

Chicago Bears (1-1) at New York Jets (1-1)

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The Pick: Chicago Bears (11-5)

Week 2 went very differently for the participants in Week 3's final game.

The Chicago Bears were able to erase a big deficit to come back last Sunday night and steal a win in San Francisco. Things went the opposite way for the New York Jets, who squandered a lead in Green Bay and fell to the Packers 31-24.

The Jets had a chance to tie that game late, only to see a Geno Smith touchdown pass wiped off the board by a boneheaded timeout call from either offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg or defensive end Sheldon Richardson (depending on who you ask).

Mornhinweg took responsibility for the gaffe while speaking with ESPN's Mike Mazzeo:

"

First of all, I want to make it crystal clear everything that goes on offensively is my responsibility, period. I've got to do a better job of communicating and trusting "Big Geno." I've got to trust Geno to get everything fixed before the 40-second [play] clock. That's the scenario. I was surprised the timeout was called.

"

It's a mistake that could come back to haunt the Jets later in the season, especially with just over two-thirds of our panelists predicting that the visiting Bears will leave the Big Apple victorious.

NFL National Lead Writer Ty Schalter is among them:

"

It’s always hard to pick between two teams trending up. The Chicago Bears and New York Jets are both coming off excellent, surprising road performances—but Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett have one more play in them than Geno Smith and company.

"

It's also quite possible that Mornhinweg will become the first coordinator in NFL history Monday to call a game with both his arms duct taped to his sides.

I saw Rex Ryan leaving Lowe's with a cart full of the stuff. Just sayin'.

Bears: Bowen, Freeman, Gagnon, Hangst, Kruse, Miller, Schalter, Simms, Sobleski, Tanier, Tomlinson

Jets: Davenport, Frenz, Hansen, McCown, Schottey