Boys, the third week of the NFL schedule is in the books and we’ll take a look at what was expected and what just blew us away.
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Season Record: 5-4-2 (0 units)
How did Swinger do in Week 3?
We bounced back from a
rough Week 2 to go 3-1 this past week. Unfortunately, our biggest play (3 units) was on the Bengals where we
counted on the arm of newcomer Andy Dalton to continue his affinity for finding
rookie A.J. Green in open space. The
Niners were travelling across country, and I believed this to be a prime spot
for Cincinnati to win by at least a field goal and put some cash in NFL bettors pockets. Unfortunately it was a listless
offense that showed up for the Cats and they fell 13-8 in an early season
snoozefest.
However, we got well with 2
unit plays on the Dolphins, Raiders and the Chiefs which add up to a grand
total of +2.7 units, exactly what we were down going into this week. Therefore, my NFL picks have us sitting even and I have officially
accomplished nothing!
Are they really that good?
Midway through the 2nd
quarter the Patriots were up 21-0 and that 7 point spread looked like another
grave underestimation of the high octane, silky smooth Patriots offense. Even when the Bills put points on the board
and closed to within 4 points in the 3rd quarter it was still a fait
accompli in the minds of Pats backers and fans everywhere.
Brady will do what Brady always does and that
is win games and return home to his Brazilian Glamizon with the long legs and
the killer bod. But something
happened. The Bills, after mounting a
spectacular comeback in Week 2 to defeat the Raiders, decided it was so much
fun last week that they’d do it all over again this week.
In one of the most stunning defeats in the
Belichick era, the Bills picked off Brady four times and won the game with a
field goal as time drained off the clock. The Buffalo Bills… AFC East division champions? I doubt it, but playoff contenders…absolutely!
Another perennial cellar
dweller flexing their muscles is the upstart Detroit Lions. Down twenty points at the half and in hostile
territory, someone alerted them to the fact that it was indeed Sunday and time
to play football. Top draft picks, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, roared back and put
the Lions on the board.
Kicker Jason
Hanson was a perfect 4/4 with 2 extra points to push the Lions to a 26-23
victory and 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 1980. Even the most casual fan knew the Lions would
be better this year, but this much better? Ok, so of course you knew but not the rest of us.
Drew Brees is heavenly for the Saints
Forget about those two
picks Drew Brees threw earlier in the game, when it counted in the 4th
quarter the guy was money. He tossed
three touchdown strikes to three different receivers and led a Saints’ comeback
to secure a 40-33 victory over the Texans and sent his adoring fans home
happy. Without the stellar effort of a
cool Brees, the Saints would have been marching to Jacsonville next week with a
1-2 record. Instead they are 2-1 and
poised for another run at the NFC South crown.
It ain’t no fantasy, Vick’s hurt
Fantasy football geeks, I’m
talking to you because I’m one of them and I have Vick on virtually all of my
fantasy football rosters. He has a broken
bone in his non-throwing hand according to reports and his status is
questionable for next week but what’s not questionable is his ability to last
an entire season without injury.
While
that may be a problem for FFL owners who have staked their season on Vick
running and tossing for touchdowns, it is cataclysmic for the Eagles and their
fans. That’s the price the Eagles knew
they would have to pay by dealing Kevin Kolb in the offseason. Unless backup Vince Young experiences a
renaissance to his Heisman Trophy caliber days at Texas, Philly is in big
trouble.
The World Champs keep rolling
Aaron Rodgers and the
Packers do exactly what Al Davis exhorted his Raiders to do during their
halcyon days so many years ago. Just
win, baby. Rodgers and his crew went
into Soldier Field and defeated the Bears and covered the number. They are now 3-0 and the best team in
football. It’s still too early to
proclaim a Super Bowl repeat but it’s hard to consider the big game being
played in February without the Pack as the NFC entry.
Survival of the fittest
If you’re in a Survivor
Pool chances are you had the Patriots, Chargers or the Steelers to simply
survive. Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad as
Meatloaf reminds us. As previously discussed,
Tom Terrific and the Patriots melted down like a Popsicle in a steam bath which
could not have been a more agonizing way to get bounced from contention.
However, if you had the Chargers or the
Steelers, you had to grind your teeth until both heavy favorites won by a field
goal. Now if you listened to me, you
would have had the Chiefs +14 ½ and not a care in the world as they stood
strong against San Diego but ultimately bowed 20-17.
Bringing up the rear
Sure the Seahawks got well
and etched their first victory on the 2011 slate but who’d they beat, the
Cardinals? Well, a win is a win but
they’re still lousy and we now know the Cards are even worse. Though the Dolphins, Chiefs and Colts all
played valiantly they nonetheless greet the new week 0-3.
But how about those Rams? They’ve gotten blown out in all three
contests this year and have allowed a league worst 174.3 yards on the ground
using the Ole’ school of tackling. Perhaps they should switch names with their hockey team and call themselves
the Blues because that’s exactly what their fans are in for this season.
Feel free to join the discussion in my thread in the NFL Handicapping forum.