Official NFL week 3 Thread

[Don Vito Corleone]

I am a Vikings fan, but after their pathetic loss to the Browns this week I am boycotting the rest of the season. All I really need to see is the Adrian Peterson highlights anyway. I'm not sure there is a more consistently annoying and disappointing franchise in sports.

 

[BoomerD]

I am a Vikings fan, but after their pathetic loss to the Browns this week I am boycotting the rest of the season. All I really need to see is the Adrian Peterson highlights anyway. I'm not sure there is a more consistently annoying and disappointing franchise in sports.

As a life-long Steelers fan...I feel your pain. ()

 

[AMDZen]

I am a Vikings fan, but after their pathetic loss to the Browns this week I am boycotting the rest of the season. All I really need to see is the Adrian Peterson highlights anyway. I'm not sure there is a more consistently annoying and disappointing franchise in sports.

There are several more consistently annoying franchises in the NFL, not just all of sports.

Jaguars are like the bed pan's of the NFL, and even they're franchise is better than certain NBA, NHL and MLB franchises. A lot of which are also in Florida.

That whole state should just be done away with

 

[lupi]

No I don't know the numbers, but you had packers, niners, and falcons all lose with dallas last week and everyone beating tampa. So for a fifth of the season the early results are looking one sided.

 

[zinfamous]

There are several more consistently annoying franchises in the NFL, not just all of sports.

Jaguars are like the bed pan's of the NFL, and even they're franchise is better than certain NBA, NHL and MLB franchises. A lot of which are also in Florida.

That whole state should just be done away with

As a Redskins fan, I must mention that is unfair to leave this team out of such a discussion.

 

[BUTCH1]

There are several more consistently annoying franchises in the NFL, not just all of sports.

Jaguars are like the bed pan's of the NFL, and even they're franchise is better than certain NBA, NHL and MLB franchises. A lot of which are also in Florida.

That whole state should just be done away with

Really, don't be surprised if the Dolphins give a legitimate challenge to your beloved Broncos..

 

[JujuFish]

Really, don't be surprised if the Dolphins give a legitimate challenge to your beloved Broncos..

They're looking like the best team in the division, but I don't think they're as good as the Broncos.

 

[KMFJD]

I am a Vikings fan, but after their pathetic loss to the Browns this week I am boycotting the rest of the season. All I really need to see is the Adrian Peterson highlights anyway. I'm not sure there is a more consistently annoying and disappointing franchise in sports.

I think i've watched 95% of the Lion's games since 1989, i've never even considered boycotting their games, harden the fuck up, your team has had some amazing seasons and have consistently been a good team throughout their history, i'd give my left nut for the Lion's to be that good.

 

[lupi]

It is amazing how bad florida is for pro teams when they have so many good collegiate franchises.

 

[benzylic]

For the NFC rulz AFC sucks crowd, anyone have the W-L records handy?

I saw a tweet that AFC vs NFC record so far is 11-3, da bears winning 2 of those three.

 

[BUTCH1]

It is amazing how bad florida is for pro teams when they have so many good collegiate franchises.

Not all are bad, the Dolphins are 3-0 and have beaten 2 quality opponents, (Indy and Atlanta), the Devil Rays have the wild-card all but locked up, the Bucs have a great defense but their QB is sucking this season so far..

 

[Atomic Playboy]

The Pats aren't the only team to play three less than great offensive teams. Yet, they still held them to an average of 11.3 points a game. That's pretty good in anyones book. Yesterday the talk was about how the Jets have a really good defense and crushed the Bills offense. Well, the Jets gave up 20 points and the Pats gave up 21 points to the Bills.

Tampa Bay scored 389 points last year and they added to the offense and the Pats held them to 3 points.

You're the one pointing out the Patriots' defense as if it was really the second best in the league. Those statistics are meaningless without considering the opposition. The Patriots have faced the only two teams in the NFL starting rookie quarterbacks and the Bucs, who should by all rights be the lowest-scoring team in the league as the Jacksonville Jaguars have no business in the NFL. Your defense is apparently tied with Kansas City's, but they've managed to put up those stats against the Eagles and the Cowboys; sure, not great teams, but are you really going to put those wins below wins against the Jets, Bills and Bucs? Don't go crazy now. I like the Patriots, but they have looked very beatable this season and are going to benefit like crazy from a cupcake schedule.

 

[Fern]

The 49er's are just in a funk right now. Their defense is not the fearsome wall of pain that it was previously. They can't seem to run the ball well which was their bread and butter the last few years. Kaep looks frustrated trying to find open targets and is very reluctant to tuck and run. Both sides of the ball for that team need to do some soul searching and figure out WTF they need to do better.

Yep, pretty much this.

But Aldon Smith being out doesn't bode well for their defense. IIRC, either he or the other 'Smith brother' was out a year ago or so and the left side of the defense suffered.

Edit: Patrick Willis is out too. bad news for the D.

Fern

 

[AMDZen]

Really, don't be surprised if the Dolphins give a legitimate challenge to your beloved Broncos..

Well its a good thing we aren't playing them this year then huh?

And if you mean the playoffs, you are certainly putting the cart before the horse.

 

[fustercluck]

God damn the Giants are SO lost! It's like they've never played together before. I feel really bad for Tom Coughlin with the death of his brother in a freak accident and having a horrible team right now. Not that he deserves to blame for the awfulness of the giants, I just feel bad for him right now, at a shitty time in his life.

Speaking of lost, the 49ers aren't looking anything like the team they were last year. I mean, they did when they opened the season, but the last two games they have just fallen way way down. I knew Kaepernick would struggle at some point this season, and we'll see what kinda QB he is, if he's the kind that can get out of a rut quickly.

 

[BUTCH1]

Well its a good thing we aren't playing them this year then huh?

And if you mean the playoffs, you are certainly putting the cart before the horse.

Yea, I meant the playoff's, from what I've seen so far the Dolphins have a shot at the AFC east this season or a possible wild card spot. It's early though, what no one's remembering is how many injuries each team will have and how deep their benches are, that's the big unknown and always will be..

 

[BUTCH1]

You're the one pointing out the Patriots' defense as if it was really the second best in the league. Those statistics are meaningless without considering the opposition. The Patriots have faced the only two teams in the NFL starting rookie quarterbacks and the Bucs, who should by all rights be the lowest-scoring team in the league as the Jacksonville Jaguars have no business in the NFL. Your defense is apparently tied with Kansas City's, but they've managed to put up those stats against the Eagles and the Cowboys; sure, not great teams, but are you really going to put those wins below wins against the Jets, Bills and Bucs? Don't go crazy now. I like the Patriots, but they have looked very beatable this season and are going to benefit like crazy from a cupcake schedule.

I agree with everything about the defense but the "cupcake schedule" is over, (at least for now), the next 3 games are at Atlanta, at Cincy then hosting the Saints, not cupcake IMO, then later they host Denver, then at Baltimore to, yea, they get to play the bills and Jets twice each year but that list also includes the much-improved Dolphins twice too.

 

[Fern]

I am a Vikings fan, but after their pathetic loss to the Browns this week I am boycotting the rest of the season. All I really need to see is the Adrian Peterson highlights anyway. I'm not sure there is a more consistently annoying and disappointing franchise in sports.

What the heck is going on with Min this year? I'm down in the SE and don't get many of their games.

I know a lot of fans blame Ponder but frankly what few plays I've seen show NO decent pass blocking. The receiving core seems lackluster. The highlights on post game shows, at least for their last two games, look like Min is ahead very late in the 4th qtr but then the defense allows a touchdown with only seconds left in the game causing them to lose by a point. I.e., poor defense when they really need it.

I assume you've been watching the games. What, in your opinion, is going on? Are there really that many poor areas of play?

TIA

Fern

 

[cheezy321]

Not all are bad, the Dolphins are 3-0 and have beaten 2 quality opponents, (Indy and Atlanta), the Devil Rays have the wild-card all but locked up, the Bucs have a great defense but their QB is sucking this season so far..

The dolphins are going to be the Cardinals of last year. Remember they started out 4 - 0 then finished the season 5 - 11. Dolphins have all the makings of an epic meltdown.

 

[techs]

I agree with everything about the defense but the "cupcake schedule" is over, (at least for now), the next 3 games are at Atlanta, at Cincy then hosting the Saints, not cupcake IMO, then later they host Denver, then at Baltimore to, yea, they get to play the bills and Jets twice each year but that list also includes the much-improved Dolphins twice too.

They also play Houston.

As to an easy schedule, I don't think so. While the Bills look to be among the worst teams, there is still uncertainty about the Jets. Their D looks good and Geno Smith has a lot more tools than Sanchez does, so they may be middle of the pack this year. 8-8 is a possibility. I've been watching the Dolphins and they have a solid coach with a plan in Philbin. They have real talent on the team. I can see the Dolphins going 9-7 or even 10-6 this year.

One doormat and two middling teams in their division is about average in the NFL. The Pats just got to play the Bills and Jets at the best time, when their rookie QB's were in their first and second pro games.

Don't forget the Giants won the Super Bowl two years with records of 9-7 and 10-6.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

They also play Houston.

As to an easy schedule, I don't think so. While the Bills look to be among the worst teams, there is still uncertainty about the Jets. Their D looks good and Geno Smith has a lot more tools than Sanchez does, so they may be middle of the pack this year. 8-8 is a possibility. I've been watching the Dolphins and they have a solid coach with a plan in Philbin. They have real talent on the team. I can see the Dolphins going 9-7 or even 10-6 this year.

One doormat and two middling teams in their division is about average in the NFL. The Pats just got to play the Bills and Jets at the best time, when their rookie QB's were in their first and second pro games.

Don't forget the Giants won the Super Bowl two years with records of 9-7 and 10-6.

Are you honestly claiming the Patriots don't have an easy schedule? Of the legitimately good teams the Pats play, you get the Broncos and Saints at home, the Falcons and Bengals on the road, a Ravens team that was gutted to pay the salary of a QB who is middling in the regular season and exceptional in the playoffs and a Texans team that needed overtime against the Titans and a Philip Rivers implosion to get wins. The Steelers are reeling, the Dolphins winning streak seems unsustainable, you get multiple games against the cringe-worthy Jets and Bills, and you round out the schedule with the Panthers (pretty bad) and Browns (unbelievably awful). You don't face the Seahawks, Niners, Packers or Bears, but I guess in your defense you also don't get to face Oakland or Jacksonville, so that's something.

Hell, maybe I'm totally off base with the Patriots schedule. Using the ESPN power rankings (which are flawed, of course), the Patriots have 5 games against top 10 teams, 3 games against middle teams, and 8 games against bottom 10 teams. Half of the Patriots schedule is against the dregs of the league. How is that not an easy schedule?

 

[techs]

Are you honestly claiming the Patriots don't have an easy schedule? Of the legitimately good teams the Pats play, you get the Broncos and Saints at home, the Falcons and Bengals on the road, a Ravens team that was gutted to pay the salary of a QB who is middling in the regular season and exceptional in the playoffs and a Texans team that needed overtime against the Titans and a Philip Rivers implosion to get wins. The Steelers are reeling, the Dolphins winning streak seems unsustainable, you get multiple games against the cringe-worthy Jets and Bills, and you round out the schedule with the Panthers (pretty bad) and Browns (unbelievably awful). You don't face the Seahawks, Niners, Packers or Bears, but I guess in your defense you also don't get to face Oakland or Jacksonville, so that's something.

Hell, maybe I'm totally off base with the Patriots schedule. Using the ESPN power rankings (which are flawed, of course), the Patriots have 5 games against top 10 teams, 3 games against middle teams, and 8 games against bottom 10 teams. Half of the Patriots schedule is against the dregs of the league. How is that not an easy schedule?

I am saying the Patriots don't have an easy schedule. But I am not saying they have a hard schedule. If you take the Dolphins as top 16 team, or top half of the league, the Pats schedule is about average what other teams play. If the Dophins are a bottom third team they have an easier schedule than average but not an easy schedule.

Decent teams the Pats play outside their division:
Atlanta
Cincinnatti
New Orleans
Denver
Houston
Baltimore

That's six games.

So, it all depends on where the Dolphins and Jets fall. I think the Dolphins will win at least 9 games, probably 10 this year. They already have won three and of the last 13 there are 6 pretty sure wins and a couple or three possibles.

 

[gorcorps]

Lucky break for Broncos... That was a BS call against the Raiders.

 

[Phoenix86]

What's the over/under for Manning TDs? lol

Over/under on the game is like 49, bet Denver comes close to that. 42-18ish

 

[Gunslinger08]

What's the over/under for Manning TDs? lol

Over/under on the game is like 49, bet Denver comes close to that. 42-18ish

Just wait until the Broncos play the Eagles on Sunday. It's going to be a slaughter. Peyton might put up more fantasy points than week 1.