NFL Schedule Week 3: Game Times, TV Coverage and Prime-Time Info

The 2014 NFL season is still young, but Week 3 in particular will prove pivotal for many teams as they try to set the tone for how their seasons will go.

Six teams will enter into byes after Week 3 concludes, so capturing momentum before going idle will be critical. Two of those six include last year's Super Bowl participants, the champion Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos.

Fancy this: They play each other at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on Sunday. Trey Wingo of ESPN points out the historical significance of the marquee rematch:

The Seahawks just lost their first game since Week 16 of last season. Thus, they will be eager to bounce back against a Denver outfit that's 2-0 yet has struggled to hold double-digit leads in each of its victories.

After an overview of the entire Week 3 schedule are breakdowns of the biggest upcoming games along with predictions as to how they will ultimately finish.

Thursday, September 18	Time (ET)	TV
Sunday, September 21	Time (ET)	TV
Monday, September 22	Time (ET)	TV
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons	8:25 p.m.	CBS/NFL Network
San Diego Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills	1 p.m.	CBS
Dallas Cowboys vs. St. Louis Rams	1 p.m.	FOX
Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles	1 p.m.	FOX
Houston Texans vs. New York Giants	1 p.m.	CBS
Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints	1 p.m.	FOX
Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals	1 p.m.	CBS
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns	1 p.m.	CBS
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions	1 p.m.	FOX
Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.	CBS
Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots	1 p.m.	CBS
San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals	4:05 p.m.	FOX
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins	4:25 p.m.	CBS
Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks	4:25 p.m.	CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Carolina Panthers	8:30 p.m.	NBC
Chicago Bears vs. New York Jets	8:30 p.m.	ESPN

Predictions for Top Week 3 Games

San Diego Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Few may have tabbed this as a must-see game before the season began, but with the way things have started for both, this could be the most entertaining game of the week.

NFL Network's Elliot Harrison recognizes:

The Chargers just defeated Seattle to get off the mat and back to .500. Philip Rivers picked apart the "Legion of Boom" secondary that was instrumental in delivering the Seahawks a Lombardi Trophy. All the momentum appears to be going San Diego's way.

But the Bills have had an unexpectedly classy start to the 2014 campaign.

Steady, risk-management play from still-developing quarterback EJ Manuel, an explosive rushing attack and stingy run defense have gotten Buffalo to 2-0. The following statistic from Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network is telling:

This is a dangerous road trip for the Chargers. Knocking off the defending champions is a magnificent achievement, but it opens up the possibility for a letdown. Buffalo is a difficult place to play regardless of the circumstances, so San Diego is in for a tough test.

Running back Ryan Mathews is out, leaving Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown to pick up the slack in the Chargers backfield. Facing a front four that features Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes will limit the running room.

It will be on Rivers to get it done through the air against the Bills' 27th-ranked pass defense, but that may be easier on paper than in action. The Williams duo can rush the passer from the edge and inside, and Hughes is a force to be reckoned with at defensive end.

C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, in addition to the mobility Manuel brings to the table, figure to give Buffalo the edge on the ground. Manuel and the Bills would behoove themselves to challenge teams vertically, as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report suggests:

Should the run be established well enough, that shouldn't be too much of a problem if Manuel has a clean pocket, can step up with his feet under him and throw with accuracy.

Manuel just has to keep the Chargers honest and spread the ball around to his plethora of weapons that features rookie stud Sammy Watkins, sure-handed Robert Woods and speedster Marquise Goodwin. If the second-year signal-caller takes care of the football, this has all the makings of a Week 3 upset special.

Prediction: Bills 24, Chargers 20

San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians continues to work magic in the desert. Trotting out Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton as starting QBs in as many weeks, he has Arizona 2-0 and in first place in a tough NFC West division.

That could change in Week 3 when the Niners come to town seeking to even things up and get a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cardinals in the process.

Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group indicates that Stanton is the prime candidate to get the call Sunday with Palmer nursing a nerve-damaged throwing shoulder:

Reason would suggest San Francisco has a big edge at the most important position.

That is, until you look at the tape from Week 2, where Niners QB Colin Kaepernick had one of the worst games of his young, promising career. Kaepernick threw three interceptions and lost a fumble against what was thought to be a suspect Chicago Bears defense, costing the favored hosts the game.

Redemption could be in store if this statistic from NFL.com's Gil Brandt is any indication:

The Niners should have learned from Week 2 when they allowed Chicago to score 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points to lose 28-20. They kept putting the ball in Kaepernick's hands, trusting him to pass San Francisco out of trouble.

As tough as Arizona is versus the run (league-best in 2013, No. 3 through Week 2), its key front-seven absences, namely defensive end Darnell Dockett and linebacker Daryl Washington, will be exposed.

Arians weighed in on the Niners' previous loss on Wednesday and seems to know what to expect come Sunday, via CSNBayArea.com's Matt Maiocco:

"

It's very hard for me to even imagine them giving a game away because that's not something that one of [Niners coach Jim Harbaugh]'s teams ever does. ... They're as solid as anybody and when they get a lead, you can pretty much forget about it. That loss, I'm sure, pissed them off pretty good, and we'll get their best effort.

"

Frank Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde are a dynamic one-two punch at running back for the Niners. They combined for just 23 and 20 carries in the first two games, respectively, but should increase that number considerably in Arizona.

Getting back to their identity, dominating time of possession and forcing Stanton to make plays through the air is a sound game plan for the Niners to grind out a road win and get back on track after an ugly prime-time loss.

Prediction: 49ers 23, Cardinals 13

Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The last time Seattle lost at home was the penultimate game of the previous regular season, as was hinted before. That was also the lone home defeat QB Russell Wilson has suffered since taking the reins to start 2012.

ESPN personality Skip Bayless doesn't see Sunday's showdown playing out much differently than when the Seahawks dominated Super Bowl XLVIII by a score of 43-8:

That's fair. The Broncos have gotten off to hot starts against Indianapolis and Kansas City—two playoff teams from last year, no less. However, both the Colts and Chiefs look destined for decline at 0-2.

Here's a relevant point from The Indianapolis Star's Zak Keefer:

Translation: Denver isn't quite as good as advertised, or so it appears. Good news, though, is that previously suspended receiver Wes Welker has been reinstated and is eligible to play for Week 3:

Having a legend like Peyton Manning under center always gives the Broncos a chance regardless of the opponent. You can bet Manning wants this shot at payback more than just about anything after the previous shellacking.

Welker is a unique, crafty slot receiver and provides Manning with another viable target to throw to, making Denver's elite passing game all the more lethal.

Former Broncos legend Shannon Sharpe appears confident that his team will get it done, per USA Today's Lindsay H. Jones:

"

Coach (John) Fox will do a great job of getting that team ready—look, we know what that team represents. We also know they're a different team at home than they are on the road. We can't make the mistakes that we've made in the previous two games and go up there and expect to get a win. I expect them to play a more sound and disciplined football game. If they play like I think they can play, they can win that ball game.

"

With how loud the crowd gets in Seattle, this is going to be a different animal for the Broncos to deal with. The Seahawks are as physical as any team on both sides of the ball, something Denver's first two foes in the Colts and Chiefs are not.

That means the Broncos will be harder pressed to get off to a roaring start. ESPN's Jeff Legwold kindly provided an overview of the somewhat discouraging phenomenon of Denver's second-half decline:

Pure Manning willpower will keep this game closer than the Super Bowl, but bet on the Seahawks coming back home raging from Week 2's loss in San Diego, which they had extra time to prepare for. The Broncos couldn't have asked for a worse scenario.

A lot of the pre-snap calls Manning makes to devastate defenses will be trickier to pull off amid the quaking Seattle venue. One overlooked fact from Seattle's loss is that it gave up just two yards per carry to the Chargers.

The Seahawks' physical corners can deploy press coverage, jump short routes due to Manning's weakening arm strength and pin their ears back when they hold their ground against the run. Broncos RB Montee Ball has averaged just 3.6 yards on 35 rushing attempts through two games.

Although it won't leave a good taste going to the bye with a loss, the Broncos still managed to win the first two games and just don't match up well with Seattle. It's nothing for players or fans to be alarmed about because Manning will still guide the Broncos to the playoffs. Their schedule gets easier in the second half of the year, too.

As for the Seahawks, this will prove to be a bounce-back victory that will carry them forward into a rather favorable stretch of games: at Washington, home versus Dallas and at St. Louis. All of those are very winnable, so don't be surprised to see Seattle at 5-1 and atop the NFC West approaching the midway point of the season.

Prediction: Seahawks 27, Broncos 17