2012 NFL Predictions: Projecting All Week 3 Games

Week 3 in the NFL takes us into must-win territory for a few teams, and I predict that we'll see one of the "top" NFL teams scrambling for life support after the games are concluded.

Can the San Francisco 49ers continue rolling over the NFC North?

Will Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens be able to bounce back from a tough road loss at Philly to beat the New England Patriots?

Will the New Orleans Saints win the battle of the winless when they host the Kansas City Chiefs?

I'll answer these questions and more as I pick winners for all 16 games on the schedule.  

Giants at Panthers

Prediction: Panthers win 37-35

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers are a better team this year than they were last season, and I'm particularly impressed with the team's defense. Newton and the offense aren't shabby, either, and I expect them to put up a ton of yardage and points against the champs. 

Eli Manning is unbelievable late in games, but the Panthers won't allow 510 yards like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did last week. This unit held Drew Brees to "only" 325 yards last week, turning him over twice in the process. 

The Panthers will win their second-straight game at home against one of last year's NFC titans.

Rams at Bears

Prediction: Bears win 27-20

The Chicago Bears were worse than awful last week against the Green Bay Packers, and Jay Cutler couldn't have put on a more wretched performance. 

It was bad.

This week will provide Bears fans with a different result, though, as Clay Matthews and the Packers will be on the other side of the country facing the Seattle Seahawks. 

As tough as the St. Louis Rams have been thus far against the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins, this road game against the Bears and their front four on defense will be too much for Sam Bradford and his offensive line.

Bills at Browns

Prediction: Browns win 20-17

C.J. Spiller has been the king of the hill as far as NFL running backs go for two weeks, but he's going to be shut down by the Cleveland Browns in Week 3. 

Trent Richardson, on the other hand, will have another big day, building upon his impressive performance against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn't shown an ability to win games without a running game, and I see bad things for him and his offense against an underrated Browns passing defense—even without Joe Haden.

The Browns will squeak out this victory at home on the back of their running game and a stifling defense that will cause Fitzpatrick to turn the ball over at least twice. 

Buccaneers at Cowboys

Prediction: Cowboys win 31-17

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys have been up and down the past two weeks on the road, and they will be thrilled to be playing at home for the first time in 2012. 

The Buccaneers are much improved on defense compared to last year (especially their front seven), but their secondary is still subject to getting torched, as we saw from their game against the New York Giants last week.

Romo and his offense will have a big game at home, and the Cowboys will win by two touchdowns. 

Jets at Dolphins

Prediction: Dolphins win 20-17

This is the toughest game of the week for me to predict. How in the world am I supposed to know which Mark Sanchez shows up?

The Miami Dolphins will shut down any semblance of a running game the New York Jets try to install, and Sanchez will be forced to try and win the game on his own. That isn't a recipe for success—especially on the road—and I see Sanchez having another one of his bad games.

As long as rookie Ryan Tannehill doesn't try to do too much and Joe Philbin ensures that Reggie Bush gets plenty of opportunities to pound the rock, the Dolphins will win.  

49ers at Vikings

Prediction: 49ers win 31-13

There's always a chance that the San Francisco 49ers head into Minnesota and lay an egg, but I don't see that happening with this team. 

Jim Harbaugh has instilled a culture of competition and a winning attitude to this loaded team, and the Vikings don't have enough talent on either side of the ball to defeat the 49ers.

Chiefs at Saints

**Upset Special**

Prediction: Chiefs win 31-28

There's no way the New Orleans Saints start out the season 0-3, right? 

Wrong. 

Peyton Hillis will have a big game on the ground, Dwayne Bowe and Matt Cassel will have big days in the air, Tamba Hali, Eric Berry and the defense will finally step up and the Kansas City Chiefs will topple the Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. 

Bengals at Redskins

Prediction: Redskins win 31-24

I want to like the Cincinnati Bengals, but until their offensive line and secondary is fixed, this team is in danger of having a losing season. 

The Washington Redskins are reeling on defense after losing Adam Carriker and Brian Orakpo for the season last week, but Robert Griffin III gives this team a chance to win every week with his arm and with his legs. 

This game is in Washington, and I expect RG3 to have another good game—for his first time in front of an adoring home crowd.

Lions at Titans

Prediction: Lions win 35-17

After a frustrating game against the San Francisco 49ers, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are set to go off on the Tennessee Titans. 

The Titans were helpless to stop the San Diego Chargers in Week 2, and the Lions are a more formidable offensive team—especially in the passing game. 

This game won't be close, but Chris Johnson may finally break out of his slump against a Lions defense that has given up 225 yards and a 4.2 yards per carry average through two games. 

Jaguars at Colts

Prediction: Colts win 27-23

Andrew Luck couldn't be more legit. 

This young man is a winner and an excellent quarterback, and he's going to have a better game than Blaine Gabbert. 

Bottom line. 

Eagles at Cardinals

**Upset Special**

Prediction: Cardinals win 23-20

The Arizona Cardinals showed some moxie when they went into New England and defeated the Patriots on their home turf. Their defense is highly underrated, and it seems as if Patrick Peterson has made some strides as a cover-corner. 

The Philadelphia Eagles have been lucky to win both of their games. Michael Vick is a turnover-machine, and I expect the trend to continue down in the high desert in Week 3. 

The Eagles will finally lose a game they deserve to lose, and the Cardinals will be one of the most-talked-about teams in the league after they shock everyone with a 3-0 start to the 2012 season. 

Falcons at Chargers

Prediction: Falcons win 33-27

Let me get this out of the way: I love the improvements the San Diego Chargers have made on the defensive side of the ball. This team has a chance to make some noise in the playoffs if it can just get in. 

Now that that's out of the way, the Atlanta Falcons' two wide receivers are just too good to be stifled by Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason. Matt Ryan will find them on a regular basis, and the Falcons will do just enough to keep Philip Rivers and his offense from keeping up with the barrage. 

Texans at Broncos

Prediction: Broncos win 31-27

Peyton Manning was tricked into throwing into coverage for interceptions three times against the Atlanta Falcons—something that he won't do again this week against the Houston Texans. 

The Broncos are good at home, especially on defense. They shut down Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, and they will do enough to hold Matt Schaub, Arian Foster and the Houston Texans to a manageable score. 

Manning and the offense will bounce back in a big way against one of the top defenses in the NFL. 

Steelers at Raiders

Prediction: Steelers win 27-13

Ben Roethlisberger is going to torch the Oakland Raiders' depleted secondary, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be the third team in three weeks to hold Darren McFadden to minuscule totals on the ground. 

Carson Palmer can't win games all on his own, and the Raiders will fall to 0-3. 

Patriots at Ravens

Prediction: Ravens win 24-20

This game is a tricky call. Neither offensive line looks good against a heavy pass-rush, and both teams can bring the pressure. 

The Arizona Cardinals took the New England Patriots to the woodshed in Week 2, and after losing Aaron Hernandez for the immediate future, the Patriots will struggle on offense against Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and the Baltimore Ravens defense. 

Joe Flacco will hit Torrey Smith for a couple of big plays and one touchdown, which will be the difference in the game. 

Packers at Seahawks

Prediction: Packers win 33-23

Aaron Rodgers hasn't been as sharp this season as he was last year. He and his receivers have struggled to stay on the same page, and guys like Jermichael Finley haven't helped with their drops. 

That's about to change, but it won't be because the Seattle Seahawks are a bad team on the defensive side of the ball. Rodgers and his receivers will finally start clicking, and when they do, it doesn't matter who is covering them. 

I also see Clay Matthews and the rest of the pass-rushers having a field day with the offensive line of the Seahawks. Russell Okung is supposed to be back in the lineup (for reasons unknown to me), and he'll be abused all game long by Matthews and Nick Perry. 

The Packers will force rookie Russell Wilson into a couple of costly turnovers, and then Rodgers and his offense will make him pay. 

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