Fire and Ice: Week Three NFL Predictions

Fire+and+Ice%3A+Week+Three+NFL+Predictions

Jake Elliott, Grayson Heflin, and

Week Two was headlined by upsets with the Falcons winning a shootout in Oakland and the Los Angeles Rams defeating the Seattle Seahawks in a game that solely featured kickers.

Week Three carries the main event of the Odell vs Norman rematch: the week football fans across the county have been waiting for. As the Giants take on the Redskins, more importantly  Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman are set to face each other for the second time. In case you have been living under a rock for the past six months you probably are aware that Odell Beckham (Giants star wide receiver) and Josh Norman (Redskins star cornerback) don’t like each other, with this headlining some of the great games that are in store, Week Three should be a good one.

Last week:

Jake: 9-7

Grayson: 8-8

Overall

Jake: 16-16

Grayson: 14-18

 

Texans @ Patriots

Jake: The Patriots quarterback saga continues as rookie Jacoby Brissett is now lining up under center for the Pats. As they take on a tough Texans team, this doesn’t bode well for the Patriots. New England’s secondary will struggle to contain DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Braxton Miller. With Rob Gronkowski still a huge question mark, look for Houston to advance to 3-0. HOU:34 NE:20

Grayson: With the Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo suffering a right shoulder (his throwing arm) injury on sunday afternoon versus the Dolphins, they turn to rookie quarterback out of North Carolina State, Jacoby Brissett. Now there still may be a slight chance that Garoppolo could play, we should all prepare to be seeing Brissett under center Thursday night. The Texans come to town with an unscathed record to match the Patriots and we should be in store for a good game where the tables will be turned in the Patriots favor with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski playing, but Brady is suspended and were still unsure of Gronk’s status. This is a close game to pick, but I would bet on DeAndre Hopkins and Lamar Miller to help push Houston to 3-0.  HOU:28 NE:20

 

Cardinals @ Bills

Jake: Arizona was back to its old ways last week as they dominated the Buccaneers en route to a 40-7 blowout. I imagine they will find similar results as they take on a Bills team that has had little success this year. LeSean McCoy has struggled; I don’t see that changing against the Cardinals menacing front seven. The Bills defense has played well-below expectations and that will continue against the Cards high-powered offense. ARI:35 BUF:14

Grayson: The Cardinals are the most balanced team in the NFL. Carson has so many weapons at his disposal putting up points should never be a problem. With Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown, the Cardinals have one of, if not the best, overall and balanced receiver corps in the whole league. If a team can slow their explosive air assault then they can still hurt your defense with their star running back David Johnson. The Bills defense has not been nearly as good as it was hyped up to be, and  and Sammy Watkins has been quiet through two weeks, only catching six passes. The Cardinals will move to 2-1 thanks to veteran leadership on offense and a stout defense. ARI: 33 BUF: 19

 

Raiders @ Titans

Jake: The Raiders have really shocked a lot of people with how poorly their defense has performed. They spent a lot of money upgrading it, and it ranks dead last in the NFL currently. The Titans pulled off an upset win against the Lions last week as Marcus Mariota led a late fourth quarter touchdown drive to win the game. Look for the Titans run game to have a field day against the weak Raiders front seven. It won’t be enough, however, as the Raiders move to 2-1. OAK:24 TEN:20

Grayson: The Titans have surprised me, carrying a 5-27 record since 2014, they have possibly become the largest laughingstock and overlooked team in the NFL. This season Tennessee already has half the amount of their total wins the had last season. I’m interested to see if last week was a fluke or not, and if last week was not a stroke of luck then this game could easily fall towards the Titans favor. The Raiders have a good offense, but has been mostly playing catch up due to their defense having many holes. Tennessee’s defense has been good enough and Demarco Murray has looked good so far running the ball. This game could fall either way, and this is probably the hardest pick of the week due to uncertainty, not both teams being really good. OAK:27 TEN:22

 

Redskins @ Giants

Jake: This is the one everyone has been waiting for. Odell vs Norman 2. I don’t expect anything similar to last time, as both players have learned their lesson about what fighting in the NFL gets you. Norman will be shadowing Odell for most of the game, so it should be a good one. Odell, however, is the superior player. The Giants are also the superior team, and I expect will win this one fairly handily. Kirk Cousins has looked like a shell of his former self, and things don’t get any easier with the Giants up next, who have only allowed two touchdowns on the season. Washington doesn’t have the secondary to matchup with the Giants receiving corps which is arguably the best in the NFL. I expect a big day from Sterling Shepard, as the Giants advance to 3-0. NYG: 27 WAS:17

Grayson: The Norman vs Odell rematch will draw attention away from the real focal point of the game: the quarterbacks. This game will be won based on the quarterback play and should carry the name Manning vs Cousins instead. This is a very balanced Giants team, standing at 2-0 playing a undisciplined Redskins squad that already has drawn many penalties this season. The Redskins have better linebackers, but the Giants have a better defensive front. Both teams have good enough secondaries to match up with the opposing receivers, and neither have eye popping running backs. Eli Manning is a much more experienced quarterback with a higher floor of production than Kirk Cousins who lately has made poor decisions when in the red zone, throwing two interceptions in general last week against the Cowboys. If Cousins throws accurately and makes good decisions like the league saw him do last year, then the Redskins will win, but if not then Eli and the Giants will improve to 3-0 in front of a big home crowd. WAS:27 NYG:23

 

Browns @ Dolphins

Jake: The Browns are a bye week at this point. They are starting their fifth quarterback in five games. That’s enough to tell you that they aren’t very good. The Dolphins haven’t been good themselves, but the Browns are the Browns. Miami wins. MIA:17 CLE:3

Grayson: The Browns lost yet another starting quarterback to injury and now will be playing with rookie Cody Kessler. On top of starting an unproven rookie quarterback, Cleveland’s best receiver at this point, Corey Coleman, broke his hand this week at practice and will not be at 100% even if he ends up playing. That means they will have to find a source of offense from other players, I look for Isaiah Crowell and Terrelle Pryor to play a large part of the Browns attempt at a win. Miami, on the flip side, is mostly healthy with the exception of Arian Foster. Kenyan Drake will be running in place of Foster and the unproductive Jay Ajayi. The Dolphins young receivers, Devante Parker and Jarvis Landry, should have a field day on a mediocre Browns secondary. MIA:30 CLE:16

 

Ravens @ Jaguars

Jake: The Jaguars have been a major disappointment so far this year. Many people, including myself, believed this team would ball this year. That hasn’t been the case following their blow-out loss to the San Diego Chargers. The Ravens enter 2-0, and have looked sharp so far; I expect they will continue their positive momentum and pick up a big win against the Jaguars. BAl:20 JAC:14

Grayson: The Jaguars have looked like a different team each week, they go and make a statement Week One against a good Packers team, then are completely embarrassed by a Chargers team, whose two best weapons are now in injured reserve. The Ravens have looked great, standing at 2-0, but those two wins were against two winless teams (Cleveland and Buffalo). If Cleveland could close games out, they would be standing at 1-1. They were winning last week 20-0 before letting Baltimore stage an incredible comeback and win 25-20. I expect the Jacksonville offense to get back on track and regain their week one form as they grab a win and improve to 1-2. JAC:31 BAL:20

 

Lions @ Packers

Jake: Aaron Rodgers looked horrible last week against the Vikings. I fully expect him to bounce back against Detroit this week. Not to mention this game is in Green Bay, where Rodgers has been virtually unstoppable. Detroit looked pretty terrible against the Titans last week; things get about a hundred times harder this week. Matt Stafford will need to replicate his Week One performance to keep Lions close in this one.  GB:34 DET:25

Grayson: The Lions have looked shaky, losing to the Titans Week Two after almost losing to the Colts in Week One. The Packers are in the same situation, and both teams need this division win, so not to start their season off 0-2 in the NFC North? Aaron Rodgers will prevail as the Green Bay defense holds in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. GB:35 DET:31

 

Bengals @ Broncos

Jake: The Broncos enter with the number one ranked defense. Von Miller has been doing his thing as usual. The Broncos offense has still looked pretty bad. The Bengals are coming off a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where they locked down star Antonio Brown. They have to deal with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders this week. They will certainly have their hands full. The Broncos defense will continue to dominate as the Broncos win. DEN:25 CIN:13

Grayson: I personally think Denver is the best team in the NFL, along with the Patriots they have played fantastically despite playing with unproven quarterbacks. Their defense is locked down, and they have a solid run game to go along with a solid set of receivers. The Bengals defense will need to step up if they have any hopes of leaving Mile High with a win on Sunday. DEN:27 CIN:19

 

Vikings @ Panthers

Jake: This should be a very good game. The Panthers’ high-powered offense meets the Vikings’ lockdown defense. The Adrian Peterson-less Vikings will need have to rely on young star Stefon Diggs. I expect a big game from Diggs; however, I expect Cam Newton and the Panthers to win this one at home due to their own stellar defense. CAR: 28 MIN: 21

Grayson: Adrian Peterson is more than likely done until the playoffs, at best. The 31 year old running back tore his meniscus and underwent surgery on Thursday morning to repair it, estimated recovery time is assumed 3-6 months. Without their best weapon on offense, Stefon Diggs and the rest of the Vikings receivers need to step up and help Sam Bradford against a relentless Panthers defense. This game should be very similar to the first game of the season, when Carolina rematched Denver on Thursday night. Ultimately, Cam Newton will be too much for the Vikings defense and Carolina will move to 2-1. CAR:31 MIN:26

 

Rams @ Buccaneers

Jake: The Rams shocked the nation last week after they beat the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers laid an absolute egg against the Cardinals. I expect Jameis Winston to bounce back with a huge game. Todd Gurley of the Rams has been awful this year, and with an inviting matchup against a weak Tampa Bay front seven look for Gurley to get back on track, even though in the end his team will lose. TB:30 LA:17

Grayson: Tampa Bay was stopped last week by the Cardinals as they exposed Jameis Winston, who threw a total of four interceptions and one fumble. The Rams, however, are not the Cardinals and even after coming off of a big win against the Seahawks will lose all momentum. Even without Doug Martin, the Buccaneers offense will still be explosive and they will walk away with a win. TB:27 LA: 23

 

49ers @ Seahawks

Jake: What is wrong with the Seahawks? They have been a shell of their former selves, their offense has only produced 15 points in two games. That’s crazy. Luckily for them they have the 49ers coming to town, a team that doesn’t poise much of a threat to Seattle and hasn’t been able to beat them in recent years. Look for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks to bounce back. SEA: 20 SF:3

Grayson: Russell Wilson wasn’t fully recovered from his ankle sprain when playing the Rams and was less mobile; hopefully for Seahawk fans he is now back to 100%. I would assume we will see two angry teams coming off tough losses, who are ready to play and bounce back. This should be a good one and a fun divisional matchup. SEA:28 SF:24

 

Jets @ Chiefs

Jake: The Chiefs looked terrible against the Texans last week. The Jets won a shootout with the Bills. Luckily for Kansas City, they get star running back Jamaal Charles back. With the Jets two star receivers battling injury, I expect a dominate KC defense, and mediocre offense to be enough to be enough to power them to victory. KC:30 NYJ:27

Grayson: Fitz-Magic. Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall have solidified themselves as two top 15 receivers and will help the Jets offense open up the run game by stretching the field. The Chiefs get Jamaal Charles back, but he won’t be at 100% or enough in general to push the Chiefs past New York. NYJ:30 KC:20

 

Chargers @ Colts

Jake: The Chargers came out guns blazing last week despite losing #1 receiver Keenan Allen. The Colts were completely shut down by the Broncos defense. This is a very big difference between The Chargers defense and the Broncos defense. I expect Andrew Luck and his high-powered offense to lead the Colts to victory. IND:38 SD:20

Grayson: Philip Rivers looked like a man on a mission Week Two against the Jags and this should continue. That being said, the Colts are somehow sitting at 0-2 and desperately need a win. Look for Andrew Luck and his weapons on offense to bounce back after a demoralizing loss to Denver last week. IND:35 SD:27

 
Steelers @ Eagles

Jake: Well, I never pick the Eagles, so I’ve been told. That won’t change this week. The Steelers defense is always tough on rookie quarterbacks, and, with the Steelers being an early Super Bowl favorite, don’t expect the Eagles to put up much of a fight against the powerhouse Steelers as Antonio Brown will torch the weak Eagles defense. PIT:41 PHI:17

Grayson: The Eagles are probably the safest NFL team when it comes to turning the ball over, Carson Wentz has yet to throw an interception, and they are looking good going into the third week of the season. But wait, there’s more! Yes, they have looked safe and good overall, but that was when playing the Bears and the Browns. The Eagles have eased Carson into his first season, and this will be his first challenge: to keep up with Big Ben and beat the Steelers defense. The combined efforts from Deangelo Williams and Antonio Brown will be too much, however, and Pittsburgh will rise to 3-0. PIT:35 PHI:24

 

Bears @ Cowboys

Jake: This might be the worst Sunday night game of the year. I won’t be watching this one. The Bears have been pretty bad after losing Jay Cutler; it looks like Brian Hoyer will be starting. The Cowboys looked pretty sharp last week; I expect that to carry over into this week as they attack the Bears defense and walk away with a win. DAl:31 CHI:17

Grayson: Jay Cutler’s not playing, so the number of expected interceptions thrown will be a little lower. Bad news for Bears fans, Alshon Jeffery is questionable and their starting quarterback is Brian Hoyer. Oh joy. Jeremy Langford will fumble at least once, and Hoyer will throw an interception. The Cowboys will win the turnover battle and expect to see Dak Prescott throw his first career touchdown as the Cowboys move to 2-1. DAL:23 CHI:16

 

Falcons @ Saints

Jake: The Saints’ offense was completely shut down by the Giants’ defense last week. The Falcons don’t have the Giants defense, however. I’m expecting a lot of points from both teams. With this game being in New Orleans, where Drew Brees is unstoppable, I predict the Saints will come out and beat Atlanta, despite a big game from Matt Ryan, and Julio Jones. NO:34 ATL:31

Grayson: Another good divisional matchup, and two great quarterbacks. These two teams are unbelievably similar, great receivers, running backs that are starting out somewhat slow, yet efficient. Expect a good game but Drew Brees won’t go to 0-3 at home, it will be a shootout, and Brees will take control of the game. NO:37 ATL:31