Football Predictions: Week Three

Boy, how it makes me happy to be posting a Philadelphia Eagle this morning. The boys in Green and White are 2-0, and are facing a 1-1 Redskins team without RG3. This could be interesting. It could also be a chance to see if Nick Foles has the elite potential we've all been hoping he has.

For now, let's predict the rest of the match ups.

1 PM GAMES:

Chargers vs. Bills:
Who Should Win: Chargers. Logistically speaking, this is the better team. You have a better quarterback, stronger, more tested running backs, and a better overall reputation. Philip Rivers is still coming off of his really nice 2013 season, and he'd like to keep the momentum going.
Who Will Win: Bills. Sadly, Rivers' dream probably won't happen here. I don't exactly know how the Bills have done it, but they've come out on top so far this season. This is even after losing Steve Johnson to San Francisco (I think. I could be wrong). So, inexplicably, the Bills could end up winning today, on the merits of Fred Jackson and E.J. Manuel alone, plus with a few other additions by some players whose names have thus far escaped me. Bottom line, I don't know how, but the Bills are going to win today.
Overall: Bills over Chargers, though it will be close.

Cowboys vs. Rams:
Who Should Win: Cowboys. I have no idea how to predict this game, because both of these teams aren't especially...good this season. I mean, they've each got a 1-1 record, but it's a pretty harsh 1-1. Like, the Cowboys are a little depleted this season, especially by Cowboys standards, and the Rams are once again without Bradford, and really without anyone who's anywhere decent at playing quarterback. The Cowboys have Romo, and he's an interception machine, but at least he's a veteran, somewhat-close-to-elite quarterback. I guess they're the favorite?
Who Will Win: Cowboys. Part of me thinks they should play Michael Sam just so he can go "HA-HA! YOU GAVE ME UP, AND I'M KICKING YOUR RESPECTIVE REARS!" And also for the obvious reasons.
Overall: Somehow, Cowboys over Rams. Wide margin?

Redskins vs. Eagles:
Who Should Win: Eagles. We may be talking about one of the most impressive Eagles rosters since 2004, and you all know what we almost did in 2004. But the funny thing is that back then, it was basically the Terrell Owens show, when here we have two players, Darren Sproles and LeSean McCoy, who are already fueling plenty of talk around the league. Also, neither of them are as awful as T.O. (regardless of what the waiters of Philadelphia want you to think), and both of them are getting along pretty well with Nick Foles. Today, they're against a severely ailing Redskins team, and I think they might do really well.
Who Will Win: Eagles. Unless something unbelievably awful happens today, the Iggies have this one wrapped up. If RG3 was there, there might be a chance of it being a little closer than it will, and it could still be pretty close. I just see the Eagles absolutely rocking it today.
Overall: Eagles over Redskins. No contest.

Texans vs. Giants:
Who Should Win: Giants. Even though they're 0-2, they're still the Giants, and they deserve better. They do have a few pretty good players left, and Eli is still Eli, so that's pretty good. Plus, they're playing a surprisingly revitalized Texans team. They should be the favorite.
Who Will Win: Texans. For the third week in a row, Houston will be the sleeper hit, even without JaDeveon Clowney. Fitzpatrick is doing a great job, as per usual, as QB, and he will likely lead them to another win, defying the odds yet again, which is nice. They could be an 3-0 team. They're very close to winning more games than they won last year by week 3. You never know, though.
Overall: Texans over Giants. Embarrassingly.

Vikings vs. Saints:
Who Should Win: Saints. These guys have had two really sucky weeks, and it's a shame, because they're a really good team, and they deserve better than they're getting. Besides, they are playing a really, really barren Vikings team this week, and if you can't win against that, then who can you win against. Matt Cassel is QBing, and that has never, ever, EVER been a good sign. Seriously, I think you can call him the Worst Elite QB of All Time. Brees could be a Hall of Famer, by comparison.
Who Will Win: Saints. I don't care if this doesn't happen. I really want them to. The Saints are a great team, and they are too good for an 0-2 start. So PLEASE. WIN TODAY.
Overall: Saints over Vikings. I hope.

Titans vs. Bengals:
Who Should Win: Bengals. Look at them, right? They're 2-0. This almost never happens. Especially for a Bengals team. I'm really happy for those guys, especially Andy Dalton, because he deserves something this good. Here, they're playing the Titans, whose reputation forces them to be generally meh most of the time. This should be simple.
Who Will Win: Bengals. The Titans, as per usual, have the potential to be the spoiler here, and could easily stomach a win, especially in a game this seemingly obvious. However, I doubt it will happen here.
Overall: Bengals over Titans.

Ravens vs. Browns:
Who Should Win: Ravens.
Who Will Win: Ravens. I know I should be a bit harsher here, but this is a perfectly good Ravens team going up against a perfectly normal Browns team. I'm expecting the expected here.
Overall: Ravens over Browns.

Packers vs. Lions:
Who Should Win: Packers. I have a feeling this game will be the closest of the one PM match ups, because both of these teams are generally pretty good. The Packers have a strong offense, a rebuilding defense, and Aaron Rodgers. The Lions have engineered one of the faster turnarounds in NFL history, going from a subpar team for most of a decade to a force to be reckoned with. However, I'm giving it to Green Bay here because I think that, Seattle loss notwithstanding, they're still one of the best teams in the league.
Who Should Win: Packers. This is going to be a high scoring game, and it's going to be decided early in the fourth quarter. The Lions are probably going to dominate most of this game, and the Packers will dominate the second half. I'm only saying they'll win out of habit, but it could go either way.
Overall: Packers over Lions, barely.

Colts vs. Jaguars:
Who Should Win: Colts
Who Will Win: Colts. Again, you have a really, really good team in the Colts, facing a subpar one like Jacksonville. No contest.
Overall: Colts over Jaguars, excruciatingly.

Raiders vs. Patriots:
(DISCLAIMER: The following prediction is not what I think will happen, but what I so desperately want to happen. Plausibility? P'shaw.)
Who Should Win: Raiders.
Who Will Win: Raiders. I want the Patriots to absolutely fall on their face today, and the Raiders to absolutely kick their asses.
Overall: Raiders over Patriots, by a wide margin.
(in reality, Patriots over Raiders. Fifty Billion to Zip.)

4 PM GAMES

49ers vs. Cardinals:
Who Should Win: Cardinals. I don't know how, but they've come out on top thus far, even without Carson Palmer. They're 2-0, and they've got a better record than the Niners, which is so hard to believe. Hell, they've got a better record than Seattle, and they won the damn thing last year. This is basically a Twilight Zone episode.
Who Will Win: 49ers. Yeah, they're gonna balance this thing out this week, and it's gonna be sane again. The Niners are still a great team, and they're better than the Cards here, so I think they'll take it back.
Overall: Niners over Cardinals.

Broncos vs. Seahawks:
(double-takes)
...haven't...haven't we seen this one before?
...
NAW, must just be a coincidence.
Who Should Win: Broncos. Once again, they've come out on top this season, and have added twenty-ish more awesome elements to their team, and have built themselves up to be an unstoppable force just so they WON'T fall flat on their ass if they make it to the Super Bowl again. Well, this is kind of the same thing. The statisticians are gonna say the Broncos will come out on top here.
Who Will Win: Seahawks. It would be so great if they won this again. I don't care if it's been done, it would make me happy, and it would throw a loss at a team like Denver early in the season.
Overall: Hawks over Broncos.

Chiefs vs. Miami:
Who Should Win: Chiefs, because Andy Reid still seems to think it's 2013.
Who Will Win: Dolphins, because it isn't.
Overall: Dolphins over Chiefs, though it'll likely be close.

Steelers vs. Panthers:
Who Should Win: Panthers
Who Will Win: Panthers. Something tells me they're gonna be huge this year, and this game will cement that.
Overall: Panthers over Steelers.

(I will fill in the Monday night game tomorrow)

So, those are my predictions. Let's see how they do.