So what is wrong with the once-powerful NFC? The Packers, Falcons, and 49ers (arguably the best three teams in the NFC last year) are all 1-2 and have not looked like Super Bowl contenders. One similarity between the three; none of their defenses have looked strong, which is of particular concern for the 49ers who had one of the best defenses over the past two seasons. I expect at least one, if not all three of them to turn it around, but it is also likely one of them will miss the playoffs as there are major flaws present in each team.
The Seahawks meanwhile have proven themselves to be the class of the conference (after I foolishly predicted them to regress) and appear headed to the Super Bowl to face the Broncos.
Ultimately though, there have only been three games played so far. At this point last year the best two teams in the league looked to be the Falcons and Texans and neither made it to the Super Bowl.
Last Week: 6-9-1
Lock of the Week: 1-2
Season: 17-29-2
Home team in CAPS
Parks and Rec over THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Instead of watching the entirety of another Thursday night football game in which at least one team seems completely unprepared for the fact that they are not playing on Sunday watch the smartest comedy on TV. Then, if you want, you can turn to football at 9.
49ers (-3) over RAMS
This game could be considered make or break for the 49ers. You could argue they have been the worst team in the league the past two weeks (okay, you could argue they’ve been the second worst team after the Jaguars). And now they are playing a team they could not beat last season, but I can’t see them falling completely apart and I think they’ll find a way to get the offense going again.
VIKINGS (+2.5) over Steelers
The Vikings have proven that they are at least capable of scoring points on a regular basis. The Steelers, not so much.
Ravens (-3) over BILLS
Essentially half of the Bills starting defense is questionable this week, not a good sign. And yes, I'm going to try to ride the Ravens as my lock of the week twice in a row. And no, I don't feel good about it.
Bengals (-4) over BROWNS
Brian Hoyer actually led the Browns to victory last week and looked decent in doing so. Still, one decent week does not force us to forget that Cleveland is still Cleveland.
Colts (-8.5) over JAGUARS
There is no appropriate metric to explain how bad the Jaguars offense is. But I’ll throw a few thing out there. They have 155 less yards of offense than the 31st ranked team. They have been sacked a league leading 15 times in three weeks. They average a league worst 2.4 yards per carry. They have punted a league high 26 times. They have fans who held a rally in an attempt to get the team to sign Tim Tebow. Essentially, Jacksonville is the NFL reincarnation of the Washington Generals, the team designed to lose all their games to the Harlem Globetrotters in an embarrassing fashion.
Seahawks (-2.5) over TEXANS
Seattle is scary good. This week will test if they can go on the road and beat a solid team, if they do then I’m not sure who is stopping them.
Cardinals (+2.5) over BUCCANEERS
The best part of the Cardinals is their secondary, so rookie quarterback Mike Glennon might have a tough time in his first NFL start.
Bears (+3) over LIONS
If Nate Burleson was a member of the Cleveland Browns I think the world might have broken in half on Tuesday. Breaking your arm trying to save a pizza is already a nearly unbelievable, comical injury. It also would have been the most Cleveland thing of all time. As is Detroit is also a pretty good fit for unfathomable cartoonish failure. This is of course the same team that a few years ago had a coach arrested for driving naked through a fast-food drive-thru window.
Giants (+4.5) over CHIEFS
As entertaining as it has been to watch the Giants fail all over the place, there is simply no way they can keep up with their current rate of turnovers. They have turned the ball over on 30% of their drives. Eli Manning will put together a solid game soon. Or maybe not? Maybe he's granted all of his Manning powers to Peyton his season.
TITANS (-3.5) over Jets
Both of these teams are 2-1, but Tennessee looks far more capable as a football team. I think I'm not alone in waiting for some sort of Jets implosion, but if they can pull of this road upset they deserve some credit.
CHARGERS (+2) over Cowboys
Philip Rivers and Tony Romo have been a bit too consistent to this point. And by consistent I mean neither of them has had a truly awful game yet. Good chance it happens here.
Redskins (-3) over RAIDERS
The Redskins have shown me nothing to believe they should be favored on the road against a team with a win. In fact, Reggie Bush recently said, "We felt like last week (talking about vs. the Redskins), I could sit that one out and still get the win." Sad, but true. However, it is time to give thanks for the Raiders, who are in predictable Oakland trouble after not checking QB Terrelle Pryor for a concussion, putting him back in the game, then finally realizing he had a concussion and taking him out. Not making matters any better, Pryor tweeting that he didn’t remember the play.
BRONCOS (-10.5) over Eagles
The league’s best receiving corps against one of the worst secondaries. Could make for a slaughter, but when it is all said and done the Eagles might still only be one game out of first. NFC East power!
FALCONS (-2) over Patriots
Atlanta is 1-2 while New England is 3-0, but both of these teams have looked similarly week, failing to achieve the offensive success that helped drive them to success last year. By the eye test they are playing at the same level, so I'll take the home team.
Dolphins (+6.5) over SAINTS
For the record, I’m still not sold on the Dolphins, but you have to give them a bit of respect in terms of the line here. While they may not be playoff good, they've at least proven they are highly competitive.
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