There's simply no telling which Ravens team will show up from week to week at this point. Either the defense is absolutely lock down and the offense looks inept or the offense is firing on all cylinders and the defense looks as bad as it ever has in the last 4 years. What will be different about their game about the Bengals? Fortunately for the Ravens, the the Bengals are 2-5 in Baltimore during Joe Flacco's career. Unfortunately for the Ravens, the Bengals are a healthy, complete, fierce team right now, and Andy Dalton is in the phase of his season where he forgets that he's not a great quarterback. The biggest question is whether or not the Ravens can learn from the mistakes of each of the last two weeks and put together a complete game against a quality team at home. Only time will tell.
Beyond the Bengals-Ravens game, Week 3 of the 2015 NFL season features few titanic match-ups. That is at least in part due to the fact that many of last year's powerhouse teams, such as the Seahawks, Colts, and Ravens, have started 0-2. This week does, however, feature some confrontations between teams that have yet to reveal their true identity. We, for example, don't know if the Eagles are already a lost cause with their 0-2 start, and it's difficult to know if the team they face, the Jets, are truly as good as they looked against the Colts last week. The Steelers could quite easily have their hands full in St. Louis against a Rams team that holds its own quite well at home despite a trend of poor road appearances, and we'll see if Derek Carr is as good as he looked against the Ravens last week when he leads his team into Cleveland to face the Browns. No, this week might not feature a host of major rivalry games between traditionally elite teams, but it should be an educational experience nevertheless. Without further ado, it's time for the picks!
WEEK 3 NFL PREDICTIONS
REDSKINS AT GIANTS- I posted my prediction for this game on Facebook as 23-20, Giants. The Giants ended up winning 32-21 and finally finished a game.
FALCONS AT COWBOYS- The Falcons look vastly improved from last season, and the Cowboys will be without Dez and Romo for a while. I have zero faith in Old Man Weeden. FALCONS 31-20
COLTS AT TITANS- I keep on placing faith in the Colts, and they keep letting me down. I, however, am going to give the Colts the benefit of a doubt one more time as I believe they're an organization with coaches and a quarterback who all know how to make adjustments after a rough start to a season. COLTS 28-24
RAIDERS AT BROWNS- The Ravens should be embarrassed about losing last week to the Raiders, but not as embarrassed as many people think. Maybe Derek Carr won't feel nearly as comfortable on the road, but as bad as the Raiders looked in Week 1 against the Bengals, one has to remember that Carr came out of the game in the first quarter with an injured hand. The Browns are perplexingly starting Josh McCown after Johnny Football led them to a win last week...that's how poorly that organization is run. RAIDERS 21-17
BENGALS AT RAVENS- My heart tells me the Ravens will win an emotional home opener, but my brain tells me the Bengals don't have any notable weaknesses in any phase of their game. Jimmy Smith will likely be able to limit A.J. Green, but the Bengals simply have too many other weapons between Mohammed Sanu, Tyler Eifert, Marvin Jones, Giovanni Bernard, and Jeremy Hill. The Bengals are also healthier on defense than the Ravens at the moment. Oh and let's not forget that Eugene Monroe is once again out with a concussion, which leaves James Hurst to start in his place against a formidable Bengals pass rush. My brain tells me Ravens fans will have their hearts broken on yet another late touchdown drive given up against a Suggsless Ravens defense. My heart prays that the Ravens prove my brain wrong. BENGALS 30-27
JAGUARS AT PATRIOTS- What a snoozefest. PATRIOT 42-13
SAINTS AT PANTHERS- Drew Brees is out for this game...but even if he were playing, they'd still lose. PANTHERS 35-10
EAGLES AT JETS- I like what I've seen from Gang Green, and Chip Kelly's predictable play-calling will allow Revis to feast in the interception department. JETS 28-20
BUCCANEERS AT TEXANS- The Texans faced two tough matchups through their first two weeks. The Buccaneers aren't total scrubs, but Mike Evans is dealing with a hamstring injury, and beating a worthless Saints team is much easier than going up against J.J. Watt and company in Houston. TEXANS 24-21
CHARGERS AT VIKINGS- The Chargers are simply a better team than the Vikings, and they won't be dealing with absolutely frigid temperatures tomorrow in Minnesota. CHARGERS 33-20
STEELERS AT RAMS- The Steelers still don't have much in the way of defense, but the return of Le'Veon Bell should bolster and already spectacular offense. STEELERS 38-27
49ERS AT CARDINALS- The 49ers are bad at football. CARDINALS 42-24
BILLS AT DOLPHINS- I'd like to think the Dolphins can right the ship after last week, but the Bills impressed me as they gave the Patriots a good fight. I'll be rooting for the Fins, but until Suh can give them something serious in the pass rush department, they're going to have trouble with quality teams. This game could absolutely go either way though. BILLS 21-20
BEARS AT SEAHAWKS- The Seahawks will finally have a chance to lay the smackdown on a crappy team at home. SEAHAWKS 36-19
BRONCOS AT LIONS- Jim Caldwell might know Peyton Manning fairly well, but the Lions haven't won a game and the Broncos haven't lost a game. Peyton will relish playing in a dome--even though it isn't HIS dome. BRONCOS 23-21
CHIEFS AT PACKERS- I like to watch Justin Houston, but Aaron Rodgers is highly mobile and tough to sack. Oh, and he's also ridiculously good at home. PACKERS 27-23
The first four weeks of any season are difficult to predict because of a lack of a serious collection of statistics, but this week will go a long way to establishing the identities of many teams in question thus far. The Ravens are absolutely one of those teams. If they can win their home opener against a quality Bengals team without major injury issues, I like the odds of them winning 10-11 games this season considering their potential once their first round pick takes the field in the next week or two.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
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