Week Three Preview and Picks
Week 3 is here and the league is already in mid season form: Jansen’s incredible lucky streak continues with him going 15-1 in week 2, the Ravens won and the Panthers lost, same as it ever was. This week Carolina takes on a suddenly rejuvenated Chargers team and Baltimore stars in the game of the week on Monday night vs the defending champion Chiefs.
Panthers AT Chargers
Carolina is coming off another poor performance, this time against the Bucs. Teddy made poor decisions (he had 3 turnovers), the line did not protect (Tampa had 5 sacks), the defense got no pressure again (0 sacks) and just a general lack of discipline and execution did them in. That was expected, what was not expected was losing star RB Christian McCaffrey for the next 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain. I would say this is a devastating blow to an offense that was already struggling but the reality is having CMC or not isn’t going to make much of a difference for the Panthers this season. We may get to see Curtis Samuel be more involved in the run game but that’s about it.
The Chargers pushed the Chiefs to the brink in their overtime loss and may be rounding into form with new starting QB Justin Herbert who debuted with over 300 yards 1td 1int and a rushing td for good measure. LA has loads of skill position talent. The Panthers have no answer for Keenan Allen, Mike Williams or Hunter Henry and if they can isolate Austin Ekeler on Tahir Whitehead in the pass game, the Panthers defense will be singing the blues all day long. Expect another loss, with a possibly widening gap.
What to Watch
Teddy and the Offensive Line- They had a rough week against Tampa and things are only going to get worse in LA. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram are in line for huge days against a short handed Panthers line. Any hope of success begins and ends with stopping the Chargers edges and giving Bridgewater enough protection to see the field and find Carolina’s wideouts.
Ravens VS Chiefs
Both the Chiefs and Ravens pulled off wins this past week but neither were particularly impressive. Which is fine, every team has ups and downs and it’s important to be able to win when you’re not at your best. The Ravens defense is flying high at the moment but will obviously have their hands full with Mahomes and the plethora of weapons on the Chiefs offense. The best secondary in the league took a blow with the loss of Tavon Young to a torn ACL, but they match up about as well as one could hope for against the KC Juggernaut. Monday night is the first big test for Patrick Queen, who was selected in the 1st round primarily for his coverage skills. He’ll have to be a big part of holding Travis Kelce in check.
Offensively Baltimore could be in a bit more trouble. Their run game hasn’t hit all cylinders yet, they’re struggling a bit in pass protection, particularly Orlando Brown, and the WRs have yet to establish themselves as legitimate threats. The Chiefs have playmakers on their defense who can exploit each of the Ravens current weaknesses in Frank Clark, Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu. The game for Ravens is going to come down to Lamar Jackson being special. He’ll have to make plays with his legs and find Hollywood and Mark Andrews for big gains down the field if the Ravens want to keep pace with the Chiefs offense. There are worse positions to be in than relying on one of the best players in the league but Ravens fans will have to hope Boykin, Duvernay or Snead turn in a much better performance than they have to this point in the season.
What to Watch
Ravens Offensive Line- They’ve been missing Marshal Yanda quite a bit and the road is only getting tougher for Brown and Philips this week. How they handle Chris Jones and Frank Clark up front will determine the outcome this week. If they can keep the pass rush in check and open up some holes, Baltimore has a great chance to dethrone KC.
Week Three Picks (Will be updated later in the week)
Brodny (21-11) Jaguars Chicago Buffalo Cleveland Tennessee Patriots San Fran Philadelphia Houston Indianapolis LAC Tampa Arizona Seattle Green Bay Baltimore
Jose (23-9) Jaguars Giants Browns Eagles Patriots Falcons Rams Texans Titans Chargers Colts Seahawks Cards Bucs Packers Ravens
Eric (21-11) Jaguars Falcons Bills Browns Titans Pats Giants Eagles Packers Steelers Colts Chargers Bucs Cards Seahawks Ravens
Jansen (27-5) Jaguars Steelers Bengals 49ers Patriots Titans Browns Rams Bears Chargers Colts Seahawks Bucs Cardinals Packers Ravens
Brandi (12-4) Dolphins Falcons Rams Browns Titans Pats Niners Bengals Texans Colts Chargers Bucs Cardinals Seahawks Packers Ravens