NFL: Wild Week 2/Week 3 Key Matchups

You think you know the NFL, then Week 2 comes along.

Week 2 Recap

• Bills Keep Truckin’ – BUF opened their new stadium by scoring at will against the Lions. The final score was 41-31, but it never felt in doubt as QB Josh Allen did what he does with 4 total TDs – 2 running and 2 throwing in the win.
• Saints Shocked Ravens – The Saints fell within a whisper of a win in Week 1, but this time they closed the deal by ruining the BAL home opener with the 24-17 win – QB Tyler Shough and WR Chris Olave are dialed in so far this year – [] yards.
• Browns Rain on TB – The Browns looked just awful in Week 1 at JAC, but in Week 2, they fought hard and led 23-19 before a lightning and rain delay that took hours. When they returned, the Bucs fell short of scoring, and the Browns get the big win.
• Bengals D Might Be Good – Not the last few years’ Bengals’ D, as this team held HOU to 0 and 4 in the Red Zone. They also found WR Jamarr Chase on 2 TDs that was the difference in the game, 20-6.
• Vikings Win a Sloppy One – After scoring 59 points in Week 1, Mother Nature and the Vikings had other plans. A sloppy game with tough D on both sides led to a rough 9-3 win for MIN. The biggest story was QB Caleb Williams pulled up lame with a hamstring strain in the Red Zone where the Bears eventually would get a FG blocked in the loss.
• Broncos in Mile High – Trailing 13-3 with 24 minutes to play, no problem. The thin air and DEN crowd overwhelmed the Jags as they went scoreless and Nix and Company took over in their 20-13 win.
• Chargers Suck – After losing Week 1 at home versus the Cardinals, they matched that effort against the Las Vegas Raiders in an equally anemic effort, 26-14 including a safety at the end to cap off the despair.
• Chiefs Are Back – Two home games certainly help, but the KC O seems back in form. This version is more like the Andy Reid Eagles teams that ran first and threw second. QB Patrick Mahomes looks sharp and RB Kenneth Walker who clearly there is a bromance there have been able to score 30+ points in back to back games. The Colts fought hard to OT, but fell short in the 33-30 KC win.

Predictions: Wish I listed my Week 1 picks, as this week was rough – S/U – 2-3, ATS – 2-3, Totals – 3-2

Fantasy Football

Some big injuries will impact teams this week – QB Caleb Williams (CHI), QB Jayden Daniels (WAS), QB Jaxson Dart (NYG), WR Nico Collins (HOU), WR Alec Pierce (IND) to name a few. Now, last week I mentioned Bryce Young, so he still applies here. Others to consider:

• QB – Drew Lock, SEA (9% Rostered) – Look, he is a stop gap, but he played well at AZ – he found JSN 3x in the end zone, and he gets an awful WAS D. You could do worse, if you lost Dart, Williams or Daniels.
• QB – Deshaun Watson, CLE (8% Rostered) – Yep, I’m going to do it. Obviously, check to see if he will get the start in Week 3, but he played well at TB. He gets another NFC South team with a worse D in CAR this week. He loves a guy I list below, and if he can play like Week 2, then he is a viable streamer to get you through.
• RB – Jonah Coleman, DEN (49% Rostered) – The late scratch by RJ Harvey gave the rookie touches, and he looked good – 13 touches, 58 yards and a TD. I liked what I saw. He’s a must add.
• RB – Emmett Johnson, KC (57% Rostered) – More of a speculative add, but I was impressed by Johnson on SNF. He is one injury away from a ton of work in an Andy Reid Offense.
• WR – Josh Downs, IND (73% Rostered) – Downs should be 100% rostered in all leagues with the injury to Alec Pierce. Pierce had surgery in the off season – he was on my Do Not Draft List, and now is injured again. Downs will be the #1 receiver in an Offense that has to score a lot to win.
• WR – Denzel Boston, CLE (52% Rostered) – We know Watson’s favorite in this Offense, that is the rookie Boston, not Concepcion or Fannin. Boston has 2 TDs in 2 weeks – he is a big play guy for sure.

Wegs Power Rankings After Week 2 – (Index Starts After Week 4)

1. Bills (2-0) – They look like a truck on Offense, and until Defenses catch up – they are #1.
2. 49ers (2-0) – Sure, they played the Fins in Week 2, but they did not play with their food like others.
3. Seahawks (2-0) – Even with QB Drew Lock, the D flexed in the 2nd half at AZ. They are tough to beat.
4. Bengals (2-0) – Hard to not like what the CIN D has done in 2 weeks. The win at HOU showed me something.
5. Chiefs (2-0) – They are not the same Chiefs, but they look tough on both sides of the ball this year.

For the record, I really wanted to put the Saints, but I’ll wait a couple weeks if they keep playing well.

Week 3 Key Matchups

• Patriots at Jags (-3, 45.5 Total) – Sunday, 9/27 at 12 Noon Central on CBS – The Pats were able to bounce back against a weak O with PIT, but the Jags ran out of gas in DEN in the altitude. So, I think the Jags will bounce back, especially at home. The Patriots need to find their passing game or they could be blown out in this one. I like JAC to win, Cover -3 (and then some), Total Over 45.5.
• Bengals at Steelers (+3.5, 42.5 Total) – Sunday, 9/27 at 12 Noon Central on CBS – An AFC North battle, but will it be? The Bengals have found a D in the early season. They have been tough against the run, and really good on 3rd down – see HOU game. The O hasn’t even had to do much in the 2 wins. The only thing saving the Steelers is that this is a rivalry game. These games typically go the Steelers way, but that was under Tomlin not McCarthy. So, I’m ok fading the Steelers even at home in this game. The spread is not ideal, but I’ll lay it with the Bengals -3.5 – Win, Cover and Under 42.5.
• Ravens vs Cowboys (+3, 52.5 Total) – Sunday, 9/27 at 3:25 PM Central on CBS in Brazil – The NFL is back to Brazil with to high flying offenses, so good choice. The Ravens dropped a game at home against the Saints who actually play salty D. The Cowboys D is still not fixed despite the changes, so I definitely lean to the Ravens to bounce back. The Boys will need to try to make it a shootout to keep up, so BAL wins, BAL -3, and Over 52.5. Should be fun – kinda wish it was in prime time (instead of the Falcons….)
• Rams at Broncos (+2.5, 45.5 Total) – Sunday, 9/27 at 7:20 PM Central on NBC/Peacock – The Rams and Broncos got right in Week 2 in their games. The Rams looked great, but the Giants Pass D is suspect – DEN’s Pass D is not. So, keep that in mind. The DEN O has been meh. QB Bo Nix needs to pick it up or they will be on the outside looking in for the playoffs. The Rams D impressed me mostly, so LA as the favorite seems right. I just hate betting against the Broncos at home early in the season. The elevation is such an advantage. So, I’ll say Rams win, DEN covers +2.5, Total Under 45.5. Similar game as the JAC game, early push by LA, but late surge by DEN. Great in-game spot for the Broncos.
• Eagles at Bears (+3, 43.5 Total) – Sunday, 9/28 at 7:15 PM Central on ABC/ESPN – Tough to get this game without Bears’ QB Caleb Williams, but such is life. The spread seems to indicate a chance Williams could play. However, let’s see how good of a coach Ben Johnson is now with Tyson Bagent under center. Luckily, the Eagles have been lackluster through 2 weeks. The D has played well in spurts, but the O is tough to watch. The Bears D is not good, so the Eagles may get what they want, and the Bears will need to run against that tough Eagles’ front. The spread opened pretty high (+3.5), but understandable. Eagles win, CHI +3 (if Williams is ruled out, then this will go up so wait), Under 43.5.

Let’s get ready for Week 3.

Wegs