This year feels like defenses are going to continue to dominate.
Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, we are at an all-time low pace for touchdowns scored in a season. Does this mean there has been great defense or just poor offense? I say it is the first option. This week we will be covering a revenge game; a face-off between two of the oldest franchises and a Sunday Night square-off.
Malik Willis visits former team in hopes of proving them wrong
On Aug. 27, 2024, the Tennessee Titans decided to trade backup quarterback (QB) Malik Willis to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick. Willis was expected to be nothing more than a backup behind Packers’ starting QB Jordan Love. In week one, Love went down with an injury that could have him sidelined for up to six weeks.
Willis came in versus the Colts with many expecting him to lose. Not only did he win, but he looked very sharp in doing so. Now Willis will face off against his former team in Tennessee in hopes of proving them wrong. The Packers and Willis will look to continue to run the ball after having over 200 yards on the ground last week. It might be harder this time around, as the Titans post the best defense in football in terms of yards allowed at only 206.5 yards per game, 21 less than the next team.
The Titans will be looking for their first win of the season as they fell to 0-2 after a seven-point loss to the Jets last week. Overall, they have not looked bad though. The defense is clicking and the offense is moving the ball well. What is causing the Titans to lose then?
That can be thanks to QB Will Levis. Back to back weeks now, Levis has had a very avoidable turnover if he chose to take the sack instead of playing hero ball. Levis will look to avoid those mistakes against a very stout Packers defense that has forced six turnovers through the first two weeks.
At the end of the day, I have the Titans bouncing back and spoiling Willis’ homecoming. Score: Packers 17 – Titans 20
Lions take a trip to the desert in hopes of holding off high power Cardinals’ offense
These two teams are coming off almost polar opposites of weeks. The Cardinals are coming off a massive win of 31 points against the favored Rams while the Lions fell short to the underdog Buccaneers. Now we come into a game that could be very fun.
The Lions have had a very good defense through the first two weeks, but the offense has seemed to struggle outside of wide receiver (WR) Jameson Williams. Williams has finally found his footing in his third season in the league, being tied for second in the league in receiving yards after week two. He will look to continue that production against a questionable Cardinals secondary. The defense on the other hand needs to keep up what they are doing outside of the big shot plays they allowed, such as the 41-yard touchdown (TD) from Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin.
The Cardinals offense is cooking right now with scoring 21 points in week one and 41 points in week two. There is not much more you can ask from the offense other than to keep it up. Rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has found his footing after putting up a stat line of four catches, 130 yards, and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone. The Rams then covered him all game but allowed the other Cardinals’ weapons to get open on the ground and through the air. The Cardinals need to keep up their level of play if they have any hopes of seeing playoff football in January.Â
After a back-and-forth game, I have the Cardinals winning in overtime. Score: Lions 23 – Cardinals 29 OT
Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins square off under the Sunday Night Lights
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is coming off the worst game of his NFL career. He had under 200 yards, two TDs, and two interceptions (INT) thrown. He needs to clean that up if he hopes to get past the Falcons defense who forced a turnover to end the game vs the Eagles this past Monday.Â
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker came in to save the day last week with a 51-yard field goal (FG) made to win the game. Not all the credit goes to him though as the Chiefs defense also played really well forcing a scoop and score to give the Chiefs the lead late in the game. After all this bad talk about Mahomes, I still expect him to bounce back and have a good game.Â
The Falcons went into Philly as underdogs but came out with the win after a late TD from WR Drake London and an interception by safety (S) Jessie Bates. They will look to build off that performance with another primetime matchup for the second straight week. To win this game, they will need to protect QB Kirk Cousins as he has struggled with pressure heavily through the first two weeks. Many believe he is still recovering from an achilles tear he suffered last season.
Sadly Falcons fans, I have the Chiefs escaping with a win. Score: Chiefs 24 – Falcons 17
Remaining week 3 games and predictions:
TNF Patriots at Jets: Jets have troubles but pull out the win under the lights. Score: 17-20
Giants at Browns: Malik Nabers goes for 150 yards in big win over Browns. Score: 23-16
Eagles at Saints: Eagles’ offensive struggles continue in New Orleans. Score: 14-27
Texans at Vikings: Sam Darnold continues MVP campaign in major upset. Score: 26-32 OT
Broncos at Buccaneers: Buccaneers continue to impress people. Score: 20-44
Bears at Colts: Bears’ offense finally finds life in Indianapolis. Score: 30-14
Chargers at Steelers: Steelers come down to Earth after first loss. Score: 27-13
Dolphins at Seahawks: Seahawks stay undefeated in good fashion. Score: 10-35
Panthers at Raiders: Dalton shows promise for Panthers but team falls short. Score: 16-19 OT
49ers at Rams: 49ers win battle of hospital teams. Score: 30-20
Ravens at Cowboys: Ravens run all over the Cowboys. Score: 24-20
MNF Jaguars at Bills: Jaguars fall to 0-3. Score: 17-34
MNF Commanders at Bengals: Bengals stomp the Commanders. Score: 10-32
