Week 3 is probably one of the hardest to bet because a handful of teams play really well and really poor over the opening two, which leaves all of us wondering which one to believe more. That can be backed up by its results, the favorites went 3-12 last week, and on top of that, home favorites went 1-6. You can only imagine the thousands of people clawing to get out of a hole on Monday night betting on the Packers, we all know the rest from there. We’ll set the over/under of using “replacement refs” at 10 and hope for the best.
Let’s kick it off after the jump!
From week 3, here’s our results.
Week 3
Mark: 4-10-1
Joe: 7-7-1
Erwin: 6-8-1
Rob: 6-8-1
Which takes us to..
Overall:
Joe: 22-23-2
Rob: 21-24-2
Mark: 19-26-2
Erwin: 17-28-2
Now let’s break down our week 4
“4th and Goal”
The Jets are in trouble… (Mark) – No hope in sight
Just when we thought the Jets may actually be ok, the best defensive player in the NFL is done for the year. Mark my words, this will be the point in the season where things start to spiral out of control for the Jets, and their fans worst fears will be realized. Revis easily makes everyone on that defense look better, without Revis locking up WR’s for 3-4 seconds; the pass rush will be exposed for what it is. No longer can they lean on their defense to win games, Sanchez is going to have to go out and beat teams with his arm. Shonne Greene continues to prove how ineffective the run game over there is, and there is only so much Tebow can do in the wildcat (besides laying hands on Revis and healing him).
After a strong week 1 performance against Buffalo, they have looked pretty average so far against Miami, and looked horrible against Pittsburgh. With the 49ers and Texans on tap, I’m going to be shocked if they aren’t 2-3, and staring down the barrel of a QB controversy when Indy comes to town week 6. The wheels have completely fallen off of this train, and id be shocked if Rex gets the chance to coach “the best team he’s had here yet” next season.
Torrey Smith game (Rob) – Huge loss, leads to big wint
Ten targets, six catches, 127 yards, two touchdowns… Despite all the late game drama, this will always be remembered as the Torrey Smith game. Grief can be handled many different ways, and Smith followed the old cliché of turning to sports as his therapy. If you can inspire Ray Lewis more than he already is before a game, that’s something amazing (quick tangent: if you haven’t watch “A Football Life” featuring Ray Lewis, get on it!). For those who didn’t catch or read about the game, Smith flew home early Sunday morning to Virginia after news broke of his brother passing in a motorcycle accident, told his coach no matter what happens that he wants to play, returned to the arena about two hours before the game and texted his mom to gather his family around the TV because he was going to play. Smith got a chance to prep all week for this game, so I would be more shocked if he played Thursday on a short week against the Browns. To touch on the game, this is the third straight time Flacco has outplayed Brady in the fourth quarter. By no means are the Patriots done, but this had home field implications if they were to meet in the playoffs. But sometimes it’s about more than sports, and the close up of Smith during the National Anthem summed that up perfectly.
NFC West (Joe) – If ya don’t know, now you know
So after 3 weeks of football the most surprising division in the NFL has to be the NFC west. The NFC west now holds one of the unbeaten teams in the league. At this point we would have thought it would be Frisco, arguably one of the best teams in the league, but surprisingly it’s Arizona. A very underrated defense that has playmakers at all levels, Campbell, Dockett, Washington and Peterson. This Cardinals defense hasn’t allowed more than 18 points this season, and that’s playing both the Eagles and Pats – both division favorites this year. Another underrated defense that now has the national spotlight are the Seattle Seahawks. After Monday night’s fiasco I think the forgotten Seahawks have gotten some media attention after 8 first half sacks of Aaron Rodgers. Will this trend continue? It’s any given Sunday, but the Seahawks and the cardinals have proven the NFC West can’t be considered the worst division in football anymore.
Arizona Cardinals (Erwin) – Flying High
As opposed to talking about why the Saints have started 0-3 and how both the Packers and Patriots have begun their seasons with a losing record, I’d like to shed some light on a team that has quietly won their first 3 games — The Arizona Cardinals.
Never the sexy choice for NFL barstool discussion or any type of plug on ESPN, the Cardinals have shown us some moxie with character wins over the improved Seahawks, the Golden Boy and his Pats and complete domination of Michael Vick and the Eagles. With the next 4 games versus Miami, St. Louis, Buffalo and Minnesota, dare I say the Arizona Cardinals could make the playoffs? PLAYOFFS?! *Jim Mora voice* I definitely did not have them pegged for winning a Wild Card* spot, let alone making the playoffs.
For the first time since 1974, the Cardinals start the season 3-0 and they aren’t doing it by scoring. Currently, 27th in the league for Passing Yards and 29th for Rushing… Wait… What? Kevin Kolb has only thrown for 428 total yards and 4 TDs this season — Eli had +500 in one game. Larry Fitzgerald hasn’t had one of his usual, monster games yet, either. So perhaps we ask, “How are they doing it?” For starters, the Defense has been bruising and guys like 3rd year LB, Daryl Washington are getting it done. According to Michael Smith however (and apparently, Mark Stephen Bill), the “numbers never lie” and the numbers say they’re ranked #17 for Rush Defense.
Let’s keep an eye on the Desert Birds and see how things transpire with next 4 games. They’re going to have to do without Beanie Wells as they’ve placed him on IR on Wednesday, but should they continue their strong play, we could possibly have a 7-0 or 6-1 Arizona squad matching up against San Francisco in Week 8!
Till next week!!