The Gridiron Gentlemen’s Super Fun Prediction League: Week 3
Week 2 hit a little like a slap in the face for a couple of teams (I’m looking in your direction Oakland, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay) as the league started it’s long road to the middle. Despite a couple of more interesting picks though we did okay with the predictions and it’s still all pretty tight, with James out in front.
James: 23 – 9
Dave: 21 – 11
Simon: 20 – 12
Duncan: 21 – 11
Dan: 21 – 11
Anyway let’s take a look at week 3 starting with an apology from most of us to Dark Lord Belichick.
Houston Texans @ New England Patriots
How did the majority of us not see this coming? The Patriots love being in these situations on primetime TV. Yup Dark Lord Bill put in play a trade mark bulletproof gameplan. I for one will not be picking against the Patriots this Season until they lose a game, especially after having my fingers burnt this week.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Texans | Patriots | Texans | Texans | Texans | |
| 21-7 | 19-13 | 24-22 | 27-24 | 17-10 |
Arizona Cardinals @ Buffalo Bills
The Bills need a good showing to avoid a potential rebuild from the top down. Arizona struggled in week 1, but in typical Bruce Arians fashion this last more than one game. Expect a potential blowout here.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | |
| 41-13 | 35-10 | 38-15 | 40-7 | 24-10 |
Oakland Raiders @ Tennessee Titans
Disappointing bowl! Yup 2 teams that showed us a lot of promise in the off-season, have so far showed us why we shouldn’t believe the wild speculation of the off season. Now these teams have an opportunity to make a statement.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Titans | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Titans | |
| 28-24 | 24-17 | 29-24 | 27-17 | 30-27 |
Washington @ New York Giants
The conversation in this game will be about the re-match between Josh Norman and Odell Beckham Jnr. In truth though the conversation should be about whether Beshaud Breeland can get good against one of the best receiving corps in the league. Washington will need to dig deep to win this one.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | |
| 24 – 21 | 20 – 17 | 27 – 24 | 28 – 24 | 28-14 |
Cleveland Browns @ Miami Dolphins
Miami played an exceptional 2nd half against the Patriots last week. The Browns played a great 1st half. The Browns however have now lost every player that’s taken a meaningful snap at QB. This could be pretty one-sided.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | |
| 31-6 | 21-10 | 28-0 | 41-0 | 21-7 |
Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars
I think it’s fair to say there’s a good chance we got these teams wrong. The Ravens seem to be far better than anyone expected. The Jags defence, despite improvements don’t look like they’ve improved a great deal. The Jags will need a win here to keep them in the mix.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Jaguars | |
| 32-17 | 27-24 | 28-13 | 27-14 | 24-21 |
Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers
The Packers in week 1 snuck past the Jags in week 1 and then lost in week 2 to a beaten up Vikings team, thanks to an insanely talented defence. So against a Lions team that last week destroyed their hopes of victory with 138 yards of penalties, the Packers could be looking at getting good against a Division rival.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | |
| 16-14 | 20-15 | 35-19 | 24-20 | 28-17 |
Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals will have faced 3 of the best teams in the AFC when the dust settles on week 3. The Broncos look every bit as good as they did last season. This could be Cincinnati’s toughest challenge yet.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Bengals | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | |
| 21-18 | 24-17 | 27-20 | 24-14 | 20-17 |
Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers
There would be few shocked Gents if this turned out to be a preview of the NFC Championship game, with 2 of the best defences in the NFC. The differences here though could come down to the QB play. Bradford looked good last week, but can he hang with the 2015 MVP? We’ll see…
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Vikings | Panthers | Panthers | Vikings | Wash | |
| 24 – 17 | 22 – 19 | 24 – 20 | 21 – 17 | 21-14 |
LA Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs got off to a flying start, but quickly fell back to mediocrity in week 2. LA won a dull game against the Seahawks beaten up offence last week. It could be a good week for the Bucs to get good against a team that can’t keep up in shootout.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Bucs | Bucs | Bucs | Bucs | Bucs | |
| 28-10 | 21-15 | 27-13 | 21-9 | 24-10 |
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
I think it’s fair to say that the Niners have looked better than a lot of people expected them to. This week they go up against their division rivals the Seattle Seahawks, who have struggled to score points. The Seahawks have to be the favourites in this one, but if the Niners can win the time of possession battle, there’s a definite chance for an upset.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Niners | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | |
| 17-10 | 15-12 | 17-9 | 17-14 | 21 – 7 |
New York Jets @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Jets have improved on their team last year, with the addition of ex-Bears running back Matt Forte (sob) and rookie receiver/ running back Quincy Enunwa. The Chiefs offensive line has looked leaky to say the least, with a surprisingly uninspiring pass rush. This could be surprisingly one sided.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Chiefs | |
| 31-24 | 28-17 | 24-13 | 27-19 | 22-21 |
San Diego Chargers @ Indianapolis Colts
A battle of 2 beaten up teams here, with 1 handling it a lot better than the other. The Chargers lost their top 2 weapons, but have still managed to look dangerous with the emergence of Melvin Gordon and the ageless ability of Philip Rivers. The Colts have suffered some big injuries, particularly in the secondary. Andrew Luck however will be up against one of the top secondaries in the league at the moment.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Colts | |
| 35-24 | 41-38 | 34-22 | 44-34 | 24-21 |
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Philadelphia Eagles
The 1st decent challenge for rookie of the year leader, Carson Wentz. Wentz has looked great so far against a beaten up Bears team and a poor Cleveland Browns, probably the 2 worst teams in the league. Now he’s up against a Steelers team that could be the best in the league right now. This could be a fun game.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | |
| 38-14 | 24-17 | 24-16 | 37-21 | 27-17 |
Chicago Bears @ Dallas Cowboys
The Bears have looked pretty poor so far this season and that’s been at full strength. Now, in week 3 their beaten up particularly on defence which stayed on the field for a good chunk of the game against the Eagles. The Cowboys look like they have a decent Romo replacement in Dak Prescott, who improved from a solid performance in week 1, to a controlling performance in week 2. The Cowboys could be looking at taking control of the NFC East in this one.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | |
| 24-21 | 28-17 | 27-16 | 28-16 | 21-14 |
Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
Wow. Monday night football at it’s most exciting…
Okay with sarcasm out of the way, this could be quite interesting and a good measure of just what these teams are. Both teams have looked solid on offence but poor on defence, which could lead to a high scoring game. Start all your fantasy players in this one.
| Dan | Duncan | Simon | James | Dave | |
| Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | |
| 38-34 | 31-28 | 31-24 | 42-30 | 27-24 |
That’s week 3! Enjoy the Games folks.