Week three predictions
Cleveland are GREATLY overrated.
This is another one of those things that through the weeks build up I’ve been looking at and scratching my head. This week the Browns head to Miami to play the Dolphins. They’re favorites. I’m trying to decide if this is because they beat the Colts or because Peyton Hillis has 204 all-purpose yards and two TDs so far this season (the Colts in particular where almost 100 and the 2 TDs came from).
Fact is, both of these came against very bad run D’s. The Browns lost to the Bengals (minus Andy Dalton) and the Bengals are a much lesser team than the Dolphins, who everyone has written off since being beaten by a much better Pats teams and a much better Texans team (which shows as they are last in the leaguer for DYPG). I just hope the Cleveland fans are ready for a game that will be getting quickly out of hand. Miami win 34 – 3.
Detroit will beat the Vikings.
Not sure if you can call it flying the under the radar with the best points differential in the NFL. Detroit will start 3 and 0 for the first time in, literally, forever. McNabb is in for another long day of getting hit, booed and maybe even will throw for under 100 again. How long until he hits the bench (his fault or otherwise)? AP is what makes this match up so interesting.
Can the Lions stop him? Or does it mater if he is stopped? He’s rolled for an NFC high 218 yards and is getting over five yards a pop…in two losses. He’ll probably get into the end zone, but I really want to see if he goes over 100 yards for the day on a Detroit D that everyone is raving about. See, I think he does go just over a buck, but the Lions will roll. Stafford and Johnson will probably score another two/three TDs and soon it will be Detroit getting raised a little too high from a ‘possible’ playoff contender. Detroit over Minnesota by a score of 38 to 21.
Pats Bills will be a shootout.
This game is the saddest game every year for anyone I know who is a Buffalo fan. They have gone winless seven years in a row. That’s 14 games. It’s the longest active streak in the NFL and the fourth most in history. It’s not ending Sunday. This is what I love about division games. There are nothing like normal games. With normal games you can look at stats, past meetings, match ups. With division games its so much deeper.
A team can win any single game within it’s division at any time no matter what. For the first time in (my memory at least) the Bills lead the NFL in TDs (with 10) and Points (with 79). The Pats however are one TD and six points behind them (they also lead the NFL in YPG and Passing YPG). I believe that is all that will separate this team. The Bills O will charge behind the NFL’s top rusher Fred Jackson and Fitzpatrick is good enough now (especially with the added weapons) to do some damage. Watch for C.J Spiller to get a few carries as well, and most probably break, a few big ones.
Sadly, as with all shootouts it comes down to one thing, who can stop the other just that one time, or maybe those two times, to pull ahead. The Bills are looking good on offense; the Pats are looking great on defense (despite having allowed the second most yards). They’ll leak yards, they’ll leak points…but they’ll force turnovers and score relentlessly. It’s going to be a great game with the Pats outlasting a great Bills effort 38 to 33.
