Sports

[gardenman]

We start out week three with what's likely to be a very one-sided game in San Francisco between the Niners and the Giants. (The NY football team not the SF baseball team, though the baseball team might put up a better fight.) I'm not expecting a lot from this game. The Niners are my pick in the survivor pool this week which gives you some idea of my confidence in them winning this one. I'll take the Niners by a lot. This one could get ugly early. The Giants' o-line is a mess and they're going up against a very good d-line of the Niners. I'll take the Niners.

Indy goes to Baltimore. Not a great matchup for the Colts. I think they'll put up a decent fight, but the Ravens are looking good this year. I'll take the Ravens. 

The Titans and Browns meet up and someone should win. The Browns losing Chubb will hurt them. It should be a close game. I guess I'll take the Titans to eke out the win.

The Falcons, off to a surprising 2-0 start head to Detroit to take on the Lions who are just 1-1 so far. The Lions are largely treading water until they get back their suspended guys in week five (I think). I'll take the Lions in this one though. They should get better all season.

New Orleans heads to Green Bay in one of the rare tests on their schedule. The Saints have a ridiculously easy schedule and should get twelve or more wins this year. This could be one of the rare games they lose. I'll take Green Bay.

Houston heads to Jacksonville to get spanked. The Texans just aren't good enough right now and the Jags are very good. I'll take the Jags.

Denver heads to Miami to lose another game and start out 0-3. The Dolphins are a very good team. The Broncos, well, not so much. I'll take Miami in a fairly easy win. 

The Chargers head to Minnesota and both teams are already more than a bit nervous having gotten off to 0-2 starts. One of them will be 0-3 after this game and in big trouble already from a playoff perspective. You pretty much need twelve wins to guarantee a playoff spot and with three losses in week three, you only have two more losses possible in the remaining fourteen games to guarantee yourself a playoff spot. The Vikings are favored but my gut says the Chargers will get the win. I'll take the Chargers.

The Patriots and Jets match up in a game that has some potential. An AFC East game that's always a bit tense. Neither team looks great this year. The Jets had to shift gears after losing Aaron Rodgers four plays into the season. The Patriots have some dissension in the ranks with QB Mac Jones saying the rest of the team isn't preparing hard enough. I'll take the Patriots in this one as Belichick will do stuff to confuse and confound the Jets QB.

Buffalo stampedes down to wherever it is Washington plays these days. Probably not a great matchup for the Commanders. The Bills are a solid team and the Commanders still have holes. I'll take the Bills.

Carolina goes to Seattle which is never a good thing for a visiting team with a kid QB. That Seattle crowd will try to rattle the kid. The Panthers are a building team while the Seahawks are pretty much built. I'll take Seattle.

The Cowboys head to Arizona to spank the Cardinals. This shouldn't even be a close game, but, and this is a big but, the Cowboys know this shouldn't even be a close game. When you expect a team to roll over and play dead for you, things tend to go wrong. Still, I find it hard to find a way that the Cards win the game. I'll take the Cowboys.

Chicago goes to KC to get killed. Not a fair matchup. The Chiefs are very good and the Bears, well, they're the Bears. And in KC? Yeah. I'll take KC.

The Steelers and the Raiders face off in a good Sunday night game. I'm not sure about either team right now. I like 

Mike Tomlin more as a head coach though, so I'll take the Steelers.

Our first of two Monday night games has the Eagles soaring down to Tampa to take on the Bucs. The Eagles are a bit banged up, but should be getting a few guys back this week. The Bucs have Baker Mayfield as their QB and he's one of those hot and cold guys. Catch him when he's hot and he's very, very good. Catch him when he's cold and he's not so good. The Eagles offense has been facing a lot of three-man d-lines with eight guys dropping back into zones to stop the passing game and limit Hurts' running. They've countered that, pretty effectively, by running the ball down opponents' throats and then hitting the occasional deep bomb when they creep the safeties up to try and stop the run. The Eagles' defensive line is just wreaking havoc on offenses. I'll take the Eagles in what might be a pretty close game.

And our last game of week three has the Rams taking on the Bengals. Not a good start this year for the Bengals. Joe Burrow reinjured his calf, so he might be out. Their backup QB is Jake Browning. I'll take the Rams in this one.

[teganslaw]

Anthony Richardson might not play week 3. It's not known how long he will remain in concussion protocol. Gardner Minshew will be the starter if AR is unavailable. 

This is just a feeling, but I think that Baker Mayfield will have a good game Monday night. I'm quite sure the Eagles will be prepared and not take the Bucs lightly.

The XFL and USFL are in talks and plan to merge. The deal should be finalized soon. I don't know what the new name will be or what executives will remain. They also have to determine the home teams, TV schedules and whether they will play in hub cities like last year. All this will be answered when the deal is done. 

[simplyfriends]

@gardenman   I hope you're right about the Chargers. We need a win!! 

[teganslaw]

Kareem Hunt should be able to help the Browns. One year deal worth 4 million. 

The FBI raided Halas Hall ,home of the Chicago Bears and Bears DC Alan Williams. They didn't list the reason for the raid. It appears that Willaims will be unavailable for a while. I have no idea if he was arrested or what is going on. This is something the Bears don't need as they're about to face KC this week. 

Update: one article said that Halas Hall was not raided, but Williams' home was. He announced his resignation effective immediately saying he wants to focus on family and health. Still no reason given for the raid. 

[Spurt]

I was right on 10 predictions last week

Here goes nothing my Week 3 predictions:

49ers vs Giants---Even Don Harris with our local SA TV Station Sports Director/Anchor says the 49ers are the BEST team in the NFL....The Giants have a tall task (pardon the pun ) to try to win without RB Barkley--49ers for the "W"

Ravens vs Colts---The Colts are a young team with rookie Richardson as their QB....The Ravens are a jauggernaut with Lamar Jackson, their defense, and the best kicker in the NFL Justin Tucker.....RAVENS for the win!

Titans vs Browns---The Browns lost their best player, Nick Chubb, and their QB still hasnt looked good--Id rather go with Tannehill at QB and Derrick Henry and the TITANS for the VICTORY

Falcons vs Lions---The Falcons have been the surprising dark horse so far this year and have played well.  The Lions are the team many of us chose to win the NFC North but they stumbled last week---But I think Dan Campbell will rally the troops and the LIONS will WIN this time--ROAR LIONS ROAR!

Saints vs Packers---Derek Carr did what he needed to do to get a win last week, and even he said the Saints rely on their defense!  The Packers lost by 1 pt to the upstart Falcons.....But Im taking the PACKERS at Lambeau!

Texans vs Jaguars---The Texans are in a rebuilding mold, the Jaguars lost in a tough battle with the Chiefs who rebounded from their week 1 lost, but the Jags DID have opportunities in this game....No contest, Trevor Lawrence and the JAGUARS for the win!

Broncos vs Dolphins---The Broncos were lucky that my Washington team dug a big hole for themselves and didnt start playing until the 2nd half and also missed those 2 FGs which kept the Broncos in the game until the end...Russell did show some improvement, he was efficient with the offense, and his arm is still strong he had a successful Hail Mary pass brought them within 2 pts to tie the game....but they couldnt follow through.....some blame the refs, but I blame the Broncos for blowing the big lead.  Meanwhile the Dolphins and their speedy coach (did y'all see how fast Coach McDaniel ran across the field after the interview?--maybe they need to put him ont the Practice Squad--LOL) Anyway, the Dolphins took care of Bill Belichick and the Patriots..Tua and the team are playing well...I see another WIN in the DOLPHINS future!

Chargers vs Vikings---The Chargers coach is on the hot seat, with the talent he has and the QB he has the team should be winning ......The Vikings dont have a very good defense, although on offense Capt Kirk puts up some nice numbers......This game is a coin flip---I guess I'll take the CHARGERS for the win! 

Patriots and Jets----Bill Belichicks team doesnt look vey good, and the Jets move forward without Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson at the helm.....But Im taking Bill and the PATRIOTS in this game!

Bills vs Washington---Another sell out at Fed Ex--the team is 2-0 and the fans are pumped!!!  Sam Howell continues his steady road to improvement week after week, I think we found our QB (he's smart, he may make mistakes since he still learning and growing, but quickly corrects and moves forward)....of course he has Scary Terry, Dotson, Turner, Samuel, Robinson, Rodriguez and Gibson as weapons, Washington's D line is one of the best in the NFL---Allen, Payne, Sweat, and now Young is back and they wreck havock...a young secondary does a pretty good job---THE BAD NEWS---the o-line stinks, Leno is a turnstile on most occasions, and tell me why we signed Wylie as a FA from the Chiefs...SMH Shaadiq Charles and Nick Gates are ok and rookie Stromberg needs time to adjust to the NFL....In the meantime this puts pressure on Sam to do his reads quickly and  get rid of the ball fast, he's also strong and mobile enough to use his legs if needed, but this is an area of WEAKNESS!!!  The Bills have been up and down---too many mistakes and turnovers by QB Josh Allen in the first game, and there has been a turnover in their roster too...Von Miller is still out on defense....BUT if the Bills play the way that they should, then unfortunately it will be my Washington team with their first loss as the BILLS get the win! (gotta be realistic folks)

Panthers vs Seahawks---my younger cat Puddin, loves the team mascot, Sir Purr, and her team is the Panthers, unfortunately her team hasnt won a game yet.....The Seahawks started slow in Week 1 and lost, but Geno Smith woke up and returned to form and had a good game in week 2 like he did last year and the Seahawks won...need i forget, UTSA's Tariq Woolen...SEAHAWKS for the WN!

Cowboys vs Cardinals---I wish there was a miracle ready to be performed by the Cardinals.....I can ony imagine the hysteria in Cowboy land as they win their 3rd game in a row ! COWBOYS

Bears vs Chiefs---the media hyped the Bears and boy were they wrong....meanwhile Patrick Mahomes is the magic man, they got key players back from injury, and are back in their winning ways! CHIEFS WILL WIN!

Steelers vs Raiders---interesting game---two 1-1 teams that could go either way.....Jimmy G vs Kenny Pickett....gotta go Tomlin over the Belichick protogee Josh McDaniels--STEELERS WIN!

Eagles vs Bucs---Eagles started out struggling a bit, and have a few injuries, they went to a more ground and pound game which got them a win....their o-line and defense are good....Meanwhile Baker Mayfield surprised folks with two wins....I have a feeling, going with Baker an the BUCS for the "W".....

Rams vs Bengals---The Rams surprised with a win, but then a loss...meanwhile Joe Cool is banged up (my cat Figgy is not happy about that, the Bengals are her team, (BTW domestic cats share 95.6% of their DNA with tigers) ..Burrow has gotta get an o-line......they'll go with their backup QB, so Ill take the Rams and their QB Stafford --RAMS WIN!!! P.S. I think that Stafford signed up to be in the next Netflix QB docuseries...still looking for more QBs to take plunge.....

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

[Spurt]

@teganslaw 

I totally agree with you about Baker Mayfield 

Im glad I didnt invest my time and money in SA's XFL team doesnt look like even with a merger the league wont last long term...

[gardenman]

Game one of the week kicks off tonight with the Giants limping out to San Francisco to be reminded of how bad their offensive line is. The Niners have one of the best d-lines in the country and Evan Neal will probably not have a good night blocking Nick Bosa. Daniel Jones will need to get rid of the ball quickly. Very, very quickly. With no Saquon Barkley, the Giants don't have a great alternative to Daniel Jones trying to throw the ball. This game feels like a giant mismatch. Every weakness of the Giants is a strength of the Niners. I don't expect it to be a close game. The good news is I'll know tonight if I'm still alive in the survivor pool as the Niners were my pick this week. It's hard to see a way they lose this game barring a complete collapse.

[teganslaw]

Matt Eberflus will be calling the plays. He says that they don't need a defensive coordinator right now. He used to be DC in Indy, so he can handle defenses. It will be interesting to see how he does against SF.

Last report is that Williams' house was raided because of "serious allegations" against him. Apparently the FBI found "extremely sensitive material" in his home, and indicated that Williams would never coach again. It's anyone's guess what they found as no details were given. 

Justin Fields is talking back his remarks, saying that they were taken out of context and he didn't mean to criticize the coaching.

I found that I can listen to TNF on Westwood Sports station on my computer. I'm not sure when I'll resign NFL+, so in the meantime this works for me.  Cable networks are not happy that MNF is broadcast on ABC. That is Disney's doing since they  own ABC. Cable and certain streaming services  feel it takes away profits (something like that). 

The Colts recently signed Trey Sermon to the practice squad. 

[gardenman]

Trey Sermon is a good pickup for the Colts. The Eagles coaching staff loved the kid, he just got lost in the numbers game in Philly. Too many good RBs ahead of him. Shane Steichen knows him well from their time together in Philly.

The Alan Williams thing is weird. The Bears insist there was no FBI raid of their facility, and his agent/attorney says there was no raid of his home. Both sources say it's a health and family matter. Eh, okay. We'll have to see.

Some are saying Justin Fields' big issue is the voices in his head, not bipolar, but the coaches talking to him before the snap, that's the issue. The OC is reportedly chatting him up right until the microphone gets cut off and it's preventing Fields from focusing on the field as much as he should be. Sean McVay did this with the Rams, and other coaches have followed his lead.

QBs have a lot on their plate in getting the call, relaying the call, then making sure everyone is lined up right, starting the motion (if there is motion,) seeing the defense react, paying attention to the play clock to be sure you don't get a delay of game penalty, and then executing the play. With the coach in your ear up until the last few seconds, it can add even more of a burden. If you're calling the play in the huddle and the coach is telling you the defensive players on the field and the likely defense while you're still trying to call the play and focus on what's immediately in front of you, it can complicate things a lot. 

Sometimes you've just got to let the players play. Give Fields the call and then kill your own microphone. Let him focus on what he needs to focus on without the distraction of the voices in his head. Coach him on the sidelines but stay out of his head when he's on the field.

[Spurt]

Well this isnt good news for Washington ---Daron Payne has been held out of practice---he had a lower leg issue in the Denver game, he came out briefly but went back in the game---status unknown for the Bills game at this point....

Although Sam is only starting his 4th NFL game people are starting to take notice how he's progressing....“He has an absolute cannon for an arm,” ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said --- “Josh Allen has one of the best arms in football — certainly down the field. Sam Howell, it’s not that good, but it ain’t far off (from Allen).”----  ( I keep saying it, I think we found our long term QB)....Now he's still learning and growing as he gains experience.....he said he's working trying to get the ball out quicker to help eliminate sacks.....

Interesting info

 The Giants’ defense has zero sacks---

The Eagles are ranked 21st in passing offense. Part of it is rust but also how defenses are playing them.  Defenses are dropping seven and eight men into coverage and keeping the safeties back to prevent big plays downfield. If Philadelphia continues to run the ball effectively (more than 250 rushing yards in Week 2), it’ll force defenses to change their approach, which should open up their passing game........

Washington's center Nick Gates is an interesting guy---He was a FA previously with the Giants--he's a chef wanna be and considered himself a Rachael Ray fanatic.  He proudly labels himself “part fish” after surgeons grafted shark skin to his left leg following a gruesome 2021 leg injury he suffered, coincidentally, against Washington.