Week 3 Review/Week 4 Preview
For the Week/Season:

v. W/L:                      (7-9)/(22-26)

v. Spread                    (7-9)/(16-32)
v. Aggregate:             (7-9)/(28-20)

New England

-3.5

At Buffalo

51

The Bills may be without CJ Spiller and (possibly) Fred Jackson but Tashard Choice certainly fit the bill against Cleveland, rushing for 90 yards. The Bills are now 2-1 and are licking their chops at the sight of kicking the Patriots when they’re down. The trip to Buffalo has always been fraught with peril for New England; it’s been that way since the Glory Days of the AFL. The Patriots’ last two defeats have come down to last-second field goal tries, though the offense in Game 3 was far more effective than in Game 2. The inability of the Patriots’ defense to generate a decent pass rush gave Flacco all kinds of time and Flacco picked them apart. Fitzpatrick is not chopped liver, either and has weapons, too. Give credit to the Bills, as they’ve gotten off to a nice start (albeit against weak sisters) and this game, played before a packed house, will be a big test for Buffalo. Statistically, both offenses and defenses are fairly close in total output, with the Pats having a slight edge on both side of the ball. If Jackson and Spiller both return to the lineup and that could spell bad news for the Patriots. The Bills ought to be quite offended to be ‘dogs at home and their play will show it. When crunch time comes around, the Patriots will be there, but for now they’re still a work in progress.

Projected Final Score: Buffalo 27, New England 23 

At Detroit

-4.5

Minnesota    46

Coach Schwartz is a dope. Why go for it on fourth-and-1 from a bad spot instead of knocking in a game-tying chip shot? That was stupid football and his decision cost his team a chance at winning. Stafford suffered a leg injury and we won’t know until Friday whether it’s him or Shaun Hill who will be under center on Sunday. The Vikes are coming off their biggest win in ages, a thorough trouncing of the ‘Niners at home. If Hill starts in favor of Stafford, the Lions may have trouble moving the football. We’ll just have to wait and see.  

Projected Final Score: Detroit 24, Minnesota 20      

At Atlanta

-7

Carolina

49

The Falcons return to the safety and comfort of the Dome after thrashing San Diego on the road. That was an impressive victory as Ryan & Co. proved they are capable of playing very well outside of the Dome. The Panthers were humiliated at home by the Giants last Thursday and the O-Line was incapable of stopping the Giants’ front seven and nearly got their quarterback killed. People will be watching the Falcons closely this week to see if they’re gassed from the San Diego trip.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 31, Carolina 21

San Francisco

-3.5

At NY Jets

39.5

 

The ‘Niners cross-country journey concludes with a trip to the New Meadowlands and a date with the Jets, who barely escaped in overtime in Miami. In the process, they lost Darrelle Revis for the season after a horrific knee injury.  Even if you hate the Jets, this is terrible news.  The ‘Niners were upset in Minnesota and come to the Big City with a bitter taste in their mouths. They were supposed to roll over the Vikings and whether it was just one bad game or a trend remains to be seen.

 Projected Final Score: San Francisco 24, NY Jets 20

San Diego

-1.5

At Kansas City

44.5

 

The Chiefs finally got off the schneid with a nice comeback win in the Superdome last Sunday. Why they’re home ‘dogs against San Diego is a bit of a mystery, since the Chargers were embarrassed at home by Atlanta. The Chiefs’ players to a man have rallied around Coach Crennel. Last week, Jamaal Charles ran for almost 300 yards. If he can duplicate that feat on Sunday, it’ll be a long day for the Bolts.

Projected Final Score: Kansas City 27, San Diego 21

At Houston

-12

Tennessee

44.5

The Texans look nigh unstoppable after easily handling Denver on the road last week.  The Titans had a mini-Music City Miracle of their own on Sunday as they did work the “miracle” return play to perfection in the first half and were later handed victory on a silver platter courtesy of Detroit’s foolhardy coach.  The only hope for the Titans this week (as they return to their ancestral home) is somehow if the Texans enter this game having read their press clippings and play cocky.

Projected Final Score: Houston 31, Tennessee 17

Seattle

-1.5

At St. Louis

39.5

 

The Seahawks will take Monday night’s win, tainted though it may be. They had no control of the outcome. On the plus side, the ‘Hawks front seven blew apart the Packers’ O-Line to the tune of eight sacks of Rodgers in the first half alone. The Rams have been competitive in all of their games under Coach Fisher. This will be a big test for young Russell Wilson as he travels to a foreign environment to face a young and hungry defensive crew.

Projected Final Score: Seattle 23, St. Louis 17

At Arizona

-6.5

Miami

39.5

OK, how many of you had the Cardinals at 3-0 after three weeks? Show of hands, please. I count one…two…three, that’s all three of you out there in cyberland! The Cards are for real; it’s their best start since they moved to the desert in the late ‘80’s. They simply throttled Philly last week and are looking to keep the pedal to the medal against a Dolphin team that nearly got the better of the Jets at home last week. If only Coach Philbin didn’t call time out to freeze the kicker, they would’ve had a great chance to comeback for the win. Now they have to travel to the Valley of the Sun. Ryan Tannehill is going to have some real problems with the Cardinals’ defense as they will present a variety of looks and are quick to the ball. Unless the Cardinals decide not to show up and play hard (an unlikely occurrence) look for Miami to have a tough day.

Projected Final Score: Arizona 27, Miami 20

At Denver

-6

Oakland

47

Give the Raiders a ton of credit as they hung in there with the Steelers and ultimately won on Janikowski’s late field goal. This week, they face another tough challenge with Peyton Manning and the Broncos. In their last two losses, Manning has mounted furious comebacks only to fall short at the end, so it’s not a matter of him and the offense being lackluster. As Manning has stated, it’s going to take a little time before the machine is firing on all cylinders. Did you happen to see the wicked hit that Joe Mays put on Matt Schaub? It was so fierce that it knocked off his helmet, taking part of his ear along with it. Ouch! Mays will be watching this game from the couch as he’s been suspended for this game. This is also a big test for Oakland. Can they duplicate the same effort in back to back weeks in the mile high environment of Denver?

Projected Final Score: Denver 27, Oakland 17

Cincinnati

-1.5

At Jacksonville

42.5

After last week’s dominating win over Washington, this is a key game for the Bengals. In the ultra-competitive AFC North, they can’t afford to look at this game as a breather, as the Jags will surely make them pay. The Jags are coming off of a nice little road win against Indy and would like to keep the ball rolling against an inconsistent team. However, they will quickly learn (if the Bengals decide to come out swinging) is that Indy’s defense in no way resembles the Bengals’. The outcome of the game hinges on whether the visitors are Bengals or Bungles.

Projected Final Score: Cincinnati 23, Jacksonville 20

At Green Bay

-6.5

New Orleans

54.5

It’s beginning to look as though it’ll be an Ain’ts season in the Big Easy this year. Pretty soon the fans will be breaking out the bags. Last week, they had a big lead against the Chiefs at home only to fritter it away and now they’re 0-3. You have to feel sort of bad for them, coming to Lambeau this week after Monday night’s debacle in Seattle. The Packers were denied a victory because an incompetent scab official pissed his pants at the wrong time and gave the Seahawks a touchdown when it should’ve been ruled a touchback. This dubious decision ranks at an all-time high in the NFL’s Pantheon of Bad Calls. This is a scandal and the Packers will remain furious over this long after this week’s kickoff. Somebody must pay for this, and unfortunately for the Saints, they come to town exactly at the wrong time to face a fired-up bunch wearing green and gold.

Projected Final Score: Green Bay 31, New Orleans 24

At Tampa Bay

-3,5

Washington

48

Either the League has caught up to Josh Freeman or he simply stinks. There’s no in between as his quarterback rating has been hovering in the 50’s for way too long. Last week, the Bucs turned in a rather pathetic performance in Dallas, scoring only 10 points in a loss. This week, RGIII and the high-powered Redskins’ offense travel to Mabry Blvd looking to get back to .500. In last week’s home loss to the Bengals, the offense had no trouble scoring points, it was the inability of the ‘Skins defense (minus Orakpo and Carriker) to keep Andy Dalton in check. The defense shouldn’t have to worry about a repeat performance as the aforementioned Freeman has been awful so far this year. Washington should have some concerns about the Bucs’ defense as right now, they’re carrying the team.

Projected Final Score: Washington 24, Tampa Bay 23

At Philadelphia

-2.5

NY Giants

46

 

What are the odds that Michael Vick makes it through 16 games unscathed? 100-1? Vick was brutal in last week’s beatdown by the Cardinals. It wasn’t just him; the highly vaunted defense also collapsed as they allowed 27 points in a disastrous loss. How do you think that that O-Line will hold up against the Giants’ front seven? Vick will be literally running for his life on Sunday night, and with the quickness of the Giants’ front seven, it could be a very long night. The Giants crushed Carolina last Thursday night and appear to be on an unstoppable run. Ramses Barden filled in admirably for the injured Hakeem Nicks and had a big night catching the ball.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 24, Philadelphia 21

Monday Night Football Line

	At Dallas	-3.5	Chicago	41.5

This one does not actually resemble a work of art. Tampa Bay’s defense gave Tony Romo and the Cowboys’ offense a hard time last week as Dallas won by a paltry 16-10 score. The Bears had a pretty easy time of things with the Rams last week, but that’s Cutler’s M.O.: whip the also-rans and choke in big games. Dallas may not be among the NFL’s elite teams but they certainly present far more problems offensively than does Tampa Bay. Romo has far more weapons at his disposal and as average a team as the Cowboys are, they still have more talent than the Rams and they’re at home, where they’re always a troublesome host.

Projected Final Score: Dallas 24, Chicago 20