Sports Noise

Baltimore vs. Cleveland-

The Ravens are 2-0 on the season thanks in part to the play of second year quarterback Joe Flacco, so far he has thrown for 497 yards and 5 touchdowns and seems to be really coming into his own. The normally dominant Ravens defense has given up an average of 25 points per game, the run defense is still dominate but the secondary has been torched so far.  Too bad Cleveland doesn’t have the firepower on offense to take advantage of this.  Baltimore wins this game easily.

Washington vs. Detroit-

This is my upset pick of the week, Detroit goes into this game with 19 straight losses but I see them coming out of this game with a win.  The Redskins offense has been terrible this year only scoring 2 touchdowns in 2 games with 1 of them coming on a trick play. The defense is still talented but Steven Jackson still ran for over 100 yards on them last week so they can be run on. Expect Calvin Johnson to have a big game and the Lions to get their first win in over a year.

Jacksonville vs. Houston-

Last week versus the Titans quarterback Matt Schaub had a huge game for the Texans (357 yards and 4 touchdowns). Jacksonville’s secondary is beaten up and has been picked apart by Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner, Schaub is capable of doing the same. Steve Slaton finally gets a easier match up and reminds everyone how great he was as a rookie. Houston wins and improves to 2-1 while the Jaguars fall to 0-3.

Atlanta vs. New England-

This game has the making of game of the week. Atlanta is 2-0 and quarterback Matt Ryan has shown that he is well on his way to being a superstar and with the addition of Tony Gonzalez he might already be there. The Falcons running game isn’t quite as good as it was last year but could get on track this week against a Patriots defense that has allowed over 100 rushing yards a game. Tom Brady has yet to seem comfortable since coming back from knee injuries that caused him to miss all last season. He has only thrown 2 touchdowns on the season and has already attempted 100 passes.  Wes Welker should be ready to play this week, having both Welker and Moss against an average defense should be enough for Brady to get it going and give the Patriots win number 2 on the season.

Green Bay vs. St. Louis-

Last week the Packers gave up 141 yards to Cedric Benson, Steven Jackson is a much more talented running back and if the Rams want to have any chance to win this game they need to give the ball to their best offensive weapon, he could have a huge week.  The Packers were expected to be a high flying offense but so far they have struggled with pass protection having given up the most sacks in the NFL. The Rams on the other hand have had trouble rushing the passer and have only had 1 sack in 2 games, something has to give.  The Packers offense comes to life this week as they take care of the Rams.

New York Giants vs. Tampa Bay-

After a slow start to the season by Giants running back Brandon Jacobs we can expect to see a breakout game from their star back. His struggles are directly related to the Giants struggles in the red zone. It will be interesting to see how the loss of Justin Tuck and Kenny Phillips affects the Giants stingy defense, luckily they have a lot of depth on their defensive line. The Bucs defense, on the other hand, is no where close to what it used to be. They have given up an average of 33 points per game while allowing 450 yards per game. The Giants should run away with this game.

Tennessee vs. New York Jets-

Tennessee cannot afford to fall to 0-3 if they want to compete this season, yet the Jets can move to 3-0 and maintain early control of the AFC East.  One week after Chris Johnson put on a show against the Texans he gets to face a greatly improved Jets defensive with defensive mastermind, Rex Ryan, as coach. It is safe to assume that Ryan will have a game plan in place to contain Johnson and make the rest of the Titans beat him. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez will be key in this match up, if he can play well against an average pass defense the Jets should win this game.

Kansas City vs. Philadelphia-

This game will get tons of media attention as Michael Vick makes his regular season return to football as a situational quarterback, it will be interesting to see how he changes the Eagles game plan. The Eagles will once again be without Donovan McNabb and possible Brian Westbrook, Kevin Kolb will start in McNabb’s place. Also interesting to see is how the Eagles defense responds to be abused by Drew Brees. The Chiefs offense has struggled so far and Dwayne Bowe has missed time in practice due to injury. Larry Johnson is just a sliver of what he used to be, he is just averaging 2.8 yards per carry on the season.  Even with all the question marks the Eagles win this game.

San Francisco vs. Minnesota-

Last time these 2 teams met Adrian Peterson had the worst game of his career (14 carries for 3 yards). He has made it known that he has been thinking of this game since the closing seconds of that 3 yard performance. Basically, he is carrying a big chip on his shoulder and with how talented Peterson is he could make everyone forget about that game very easily. Frank Gore faces the biggest challenge but he is the key to this game. Gore blew up for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns last week and he must have another great game against the Williams Wall for the 49ers to have a chance to win this game. An angry Adrian Peterson will be too much for San Francisco, Minnesota wins.

New Orleans vs. Buffalo-

Buffalo ranks 31st in the NFL in pass defense while Drew Brees leads an offense that has scored at least 45 points in both games this season. The Bills, along with the rest of the NFL, could have a hard time stopping the Saints passing attack but the Saints defense could struggle to shut down a greatly improved Bill’s offense. Fred Jackson has been great this season and is making fans forget about Marshawn Lynch and should have another big game this week. The Saints put another 30+ points on the board and add another win to their record.

Chicago vs. Seattle-

Jay Cutler promised that he would play better against the Steelers than he did against the Packers and he did just that leading them to a win against the defending Super Bowl Champions. The Bears defense is still one of the best in the league and should give back up Seneca Wallace some problems. Matt Forte has been terrible this year but this week provides an intriguing match up, Seattle ranks 26th in rush defense. After winning a big game against Pittsburgh the Bears continue their win streak against the Seahawks.

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati-

Pittsburgh has to be angry after losing a game last week that they should have won. While Carson Palmer has looked good at times he has also looked rusty, he could have a rough afternoon against the Steelers dominate defense. Cedric Benson has been key to the Bengal offense so far and being fed the ball early and often, but he too could have a tough time this week.  An angry Pittsburgh team should run away with this game.

Denver vs. Oakland-

Denver’s defense couldn’t stop anyone last year so during the off season they went out and made a splash, so far the changes seem to be working.  The defense is only giving up 6.5 points per game and is ranked 2nd in yards per game allowed, this trend should continue against an anemic Raiders offense. JaMarcus Russel could very well be the worst starting quarterback in the NFL and this allows teams to stack the box to stop the running game. Expect another struggle from the Raiders while the Broncos dominate this divisional game.

Miami vs. San Diego-

After suffering a heart breaking loss on Monday Night Football the Dolphins have to travel to San Diego to take on one of the NFL’s best offenses. Philip Rivers is proving that last year was no fluke while Vincent Jackson is bursting onto the scene as a true number 1 receiver. Darren Sproles has added a different dynamic to the offense with his ability to catch passes out of the backfield and could provide problems for the Dolphins but the biggest problem will be the big play ability of Rivers to Jackson. The Colts proved last week that the Dolphins defense has a tough time covering the big play.  The Chargers offense will be too much for the Dolphins this week.

Indianapolis vs. Arizona-

This is not a great match up of the Cardinals because of the Colts number 1 ranked pass defense. The Colts can definitely be ran on but teams struggle to throw against them. I see the Cardinals relying more on running backs Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells this week in an attempt use the Colts weakness as an advantage. Even with the number 1 pass defense the Colts will have a hard time slowing down the trio of Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston.  This game could easily been one of the best games of the week to watch with the Colts just barely coming out on top.

Carolina vs. Dallas-

After a heart breaking home opener Tony Romo must play better for Dallas to have a chance to win games. The Cowboys defense shut down a great Giants running game but allowed wide receivers Mario Manningham and Steve Smith to do whatever they wanted.  The Cowboys should not have to rely on Romo much this week as they face a Panthers defense that struggles to stop the run, this could be Felix Jones’ breaking out party with Marion Barber expected to miss this game. With 2 gunslingers taking snaps this game will ultimately come down to which quarterback makes fewer mistakes.  The Cowboys win this one for Jerry Jones in Jerry’s World.