NFL Predictions: Week Three

Week Two in the NFL was wild and crazy.

It was filled with a ton of upsets, and a lot of people's rankings changed with key losses.

For instance, the top two teams in the NFL after Week One were the Steelers and the Patriots. They both took hard losses to the Bears and Jets and were knocked off their top spots.

Because of the weird week, I had quite a few losses but still managed to finish above .500; I finished at 9-7 thanks to the Giants' Sunday Night Football win over the Cowboys and the Colts Monday Night Football win over the Dolphins.

So after going 9-7, I am currently 21-11 through the first two weeks.

Week Three has a lot of interesting games and contests that could move some teams toward the top, or send them back a couple steps.

Let's look at the matchups:

New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Giants were able to pull off a dramatic victory against the Cowboys in Jerry Jones's brand new billion dollar stadium Sunday night, making them currently 2-0. Eli Manning has found another go-to target in Mario Manningham to go along with Steve Smith. Each receiver caught 10 passes on Sunday.

The running game for the Giants has gotten off to a slow start, so Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw must get established early against Tampa Bay. The Giants will be seeing Derrick Ward, who was a Giant last year and rushed for over 1,000 yards before leaving for more money.

Tampa Bay is 0-2 and still looks like they are a major work-in-progress under Raheem Morris.

Final Score: Giants 31, Buccaneers 14

Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets

Because of the Jewish holiday, the Giants and Jets will both be playing at 1 p.m., which is almost unheard of until this year.

The Titans are 0-2 and desperate for a win, so expect them to come out fired up and playing for their lives. Starting a year 0-3 is not easy to rebound from.

The Jets pulled off a tremendous upset over the Patriots and showed the world their defense is a force to be dealt with. Mark Sanchez is getting better each game, and people are buying into the Rex Ryan system. They've blitzed Matt Schaub and Tom Brady, and I don't expect things to change against Kerry Collins.

Final Score: Jets 24, Titans 13

Washington Redskins @ Detroit Lions

The Redskins barely won against a pitiful Rams team off three field goals and no touchdowns scored. That type of performance will not get it done every week, especially since the Redskins are not that good of a team. Jim Zorn, every week, looks like he is coaching his way out of his job with terrible play calls.

The Lions are 0-2, but are playing inspiring football. Washington is for the taking, and the Lions are at home. If Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson can play pitch and catch down field, Washington might not be able to stop the tall receiver. I'm going with an upset this week at Ford Field.

Final Score: Lions 24, Redskins 17

Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots

The Patriots are going to come out in this game fuming after getting embarrassed against the Jets. Bill Belichick hates losing to begin with, but losing to the Jets and Rex Ryan was taking salt and rubbing it into an open wound for him, so the Patriots may be instructed to run the score up. Tom Brady was a little more humble than Belichick, but I expect him to have a rebound game.

Atlanta has played well going 2-0 early, but this will be a huge test for the Falcons' offense and Matt Ryan. Belichick will be having the defense come after him, so Ryan needs to be prepared. The Patriots' defense is prone to give up big plays, but they are at home, and I don't expect New England to lose two in a row.

Final Score: Patriots 27, Falcons 17

Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles

In their last game, the Eagles racked up almost 400 yards of offense. The bad news was they allowed almost 400 yards of offense to the Saints and Drew Brees, who put up 48 points on the Eagles' defense. Kevin Kolb threw three costly interceptions but showed signs of promise. He cannot make the same mistakes he did last week.

The Chiefs are already 0-2 and took a tough loss at home to the Raiders. Matt Cassel played in his first game as a Chief, but it was in a losing effort. The Eagles' defense will be a lot more complicated than Oakland's, and may seem to be too overpowering for Cassel to figure out.

This will also be the first week of eligibility for Michael Vick to play, but Kolb is still the expected starter, so Vick's role is unknown for Sunday.

Final Score: Eagles 28, Chiefs 10

Green Bay Packers @ St. Louis Rams

The Packers suffered a tough loss to the Bengals last week. Aaron Rodgers is not getting enough protection from his offensive line, who seem over-matched by defenses. They must work on protecting Rodgers if they want any success in 2009.

The Rams are a mess. Steve Spagnuolo went from a championship-caliber defensive unit with the Giants to the mess of St. Louis. The Rams almost won their game against the Redskins scoring one touchdown, but it didn't happen. That one touchdown is the only one the Rams have scored so far in 2009, that's how bad it's been for St. Louis.

Final Score: Packers 31, Rams 7

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are already looking like an early powerhouse in the AFC at 2-0. Joe Flacco is showing no signs of a sophomore slump and played a great game against the Chargers on the road. Baltimore's defense cannot give up almost 500 yards of offense though, if they want to win every week. The Chargers, however, are a tough team to play.

The Browns are already doomed, and Eric Mangini is eventually going to lose control. During the week, he fined an unknown player $1,700 for taking a $3 dollar water bottle out of a mini-bar. Little things like that will make your team hate your guts, and if Mangini's team doesn't start winning games, they will be muting out Mangini real soon.

Final Score: Ravens 37, Browns 10

San Francisco 49ers @ Minnesota Vikings

This is a battle of 2-0 teams.

The 49ers won an impressive game over the Seahawks with Frank Gore running for over 200 yards. So far, Shaun Hill has gotten the job done for the 49ers and into an early first place lead.

This will be a big test for the 49ers as they are in the Metrodome against Brett Favre, who has yet to make any mistakes. The 49ers' defense will have to figure out a way to stop Adrian Peterson, who already leads the league in rushing.

This will be a close game with lots of running plays with Gore and Peterson, but in the end, home field will play a factor, and I expect the Vikings to just knock off the 49ers.

Final Score: Vikings 24, 49ers 21

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans

After getting demolished in Week One, the Texans' offense exploded all over the Titans for 34 points. The Jaguars are going to have a tough time trying to stop the combination of Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson downfield; Johnson is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Houston has barely been able to establish the running game with Steve Slaton, so look for that in this game.

The Jaguars need to get Maurice Jones-Drew a lot of carries and big plays if they want to have any chance in this game, but Houston's offense might be too much for Jacksonville to deal with on the road.

Final Score: Texans 30, Jaguars 14

Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks

Jay Cutler had a much better game against the Steelers in his first win for the Bears, and if he can get into a rhythm, he could start airing the ball out to different receivers for the offense. Matt Forte has almost been a forgotten person on the Bears' offense, and he shouldn't be because he's such a dangerous force. Look for the Bears to mix Forte into the offense more this week.

Matt Hasselbeck left Sunday's game with a rib injury and is questionable for the game. If Hasselbeck doesn't play, the Seahawks are in trouble without him. If he does play, Seattle must protect him and not allow the Bears to re-injure him. Expect Julius Jones to get a lot of action in the ground game. This will be a close contest in the end.

Final Score: Bears 20, Seahawks 16

New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills

Drew Brees for NFL MVP?

It's happening very quickly as he has thrown for nine touchdowns and 670 yards of offense, which is incredible through two weeks. Brees is running the offense like it is his own army and some have said it resembles the old Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" that won a Super Bowl in 1999.

New Orleans's defense needs to continue to play better and not give up points, and they will be put to the test with Buffalo's offense.

Fred Jackson has played very well for the suspended Marshawn Lynch and leads the team in rushing and receiving. Terrell Owens must be mixed into the offense more if the Bills want to win games. This could turn into an offensive minded game, but the Saints' offense may be too much for the Buffalo defense to handle.

Final Score: Saints 35, Bills 23

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

Somehow, Denver is 2-0 with Kyle Orton and Josh McDaniels.

They seemed doomed for disaster before the season started but are actually playing well through the first two weeks, and it's mostly because of their defense. They've only allowed 13 points through the first two games and could be a tough matchup for the Raiders to deal with. The Broncos need to get Knowshown Moreno into the offense more, who has gotten off to a slow start in 2009.

JaMarcus Russell has shown signs of great arm strength but hasn't shown signs of being great. Mostly, Russell has the look of being an NFL bust. The Raiders will give the Broncos a fight, but in the end, the Broncos' defense should stop Russell. They should have never of released Jeff Garcia to begin with.

Final Score: Broncos 24, Raiders 14

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers

The Dolphins had the ball for 45 minutes against the Colts on Monday night, yet they still lost the game 27-23. How a team can hold the ball for 45 minutes and still lose is beyond me. It's not going to get any better for the 0-2 Miami team against the Chargers who lost a tough one to Baltimore.

Phillip Rivers threw for over 400 yards last week in a loss and is looking for a bounce back game. Miami's secondary can't cover anybody nor can they tackle well, so the Chargers' wide receivers should have a field day in their own stadium.

For the second straight week, LaDainian Tomlinson is on the injury report with an ankle injury and is questionable. LT's career seems like it is fading with the Chargers.

If Miami goes to 0-3 under Chad Pennington, the fans will start to wonder when Chad Henne will take over the job.

Final Score: Chargers 37, Dolphins 20

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals

The Steelers took a rough loss to the Bears last week and their defense, without Troy Polamalu, is prone to giving up big plays. Ben Roethlisberger, however, did all he could to try and win the game for the Steelers. The Steelers have yet to establish the running game with Willie Parker, and if they want to get back to playoff success in 2009, especially with the Ravens playing well, the Steelers need to use their running attack more effectively.

The Bengals pulled off an upset over the Packers last week and are looking for two in a row. Chad Ochocinco delivered on his promise to do the "Lambeau Leap" in Green Bay after scoring a touchdown and is playing much better in 2009.

The Bengals always play the Steelers tough at home, but unless the Steelers want to start out 1-2, I expect a rebound victory for the defending champions, but it will be a smash-mouth type game.

Final Score: Steelers 28, Bengals 24

Sunday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts @ Arizona Cardinals

For the second straight week, the Sunday Night Football game on NBC will be the best game on the schedule with two potential Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner. This will be an offensive explosion on Sunday night, so if you like offense, this is a game to watch and enjoy.

The Cardinals rebounded from a tough first week and dominated the Jaguars as Warner completed over 90 percent of his passes. Expect Cardinal receivers, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston to be in the mix.

The Colts had the ball for only 15 minutes, but that was all they needed to score 27 points and improve to 2-0. Anthony Gonzalez isn't expected to play, so the roles of Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, and Joseph Addai are amplified. It's hard to pick against the Cardinals' offense at home, but it's even harder to pick against Manning in a big game on national TV.

But this will be a great game to watch.

Final Score: Colts 38, Cardinals 34

Monday Night Football: Carolina Panthers @ Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones had his unveiling of the billion-dollar Cowboys Stadium party spoiled by the Giants, so he has probably instructed Wade Phillips to kick the ever-loving tar out of the Panthers.

The Cowboys' running game was very good last week in racking up over 250 yards, but Marion Barber pulled a quadriceps muscle in the fourth quarter and is questionable for the game. This makes Felix Jones and Tashard Choice the featured backs if Barber can't go.

Carolina looks like a lost mess in 2009, and Jake Delhomme is very close to losing his job, along with John Fox, if they don't win. I really don't think Jerry Jones wants to be embarrassed twice in his new stadium on national TV, otherwise Wade Phillips would probably be fired on Tuesday morning.

Final Score: Cowboys 27, Panthers 17

Well, there you have the picks for Week Three. I've picked only one major upset game with the Lions game, maybe two if you consider the Colts an upset on the road against the Cardinals. 

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable week, and then, get ready for a fun weekend of football games on Sunday and Monday.