Around the AFC
Best 1-2 game ever: Lamar Jackson against Patrick Mahomes is always must-see TV. The fact that each team is 1-2 hardly slows down the buzz around this matchup, but it comes with an interesting wrinkle: Somebody’s going to be 1-3. It’s the first time in NFL history that multiple-time MVPs have squared off in a game where each team has a losing record. Nonetheless, this should be a terrific game.
Colts still rolling: Who could have seen this coming? Daniel Jones has the Indianapolis offense humming and off to a 3-0 start. Running back Jonathan Taylor, meanwhile, looks like an early offensive player of the year candidate. He’s averaging 113 rushing yards per game and is on pace for more than 2,440 offensive yards. A home-run hitter and an every-down force, he’s off to a terrific start.
Superman by Lake Erie: It never gets old watching Myles Garrett play. The Browns superstar defensive end is now making $40 million per year, and he’s off to another dominant start with four sacks through three weeks. Garrett has some new help around him, too, with rookie Mason Graham playing well on the interior. With Jim Schwartz calling the defense, Cleveland’s actually got a pretty formidable group. Still, the Browns are 10.5-point underdogs against Detroit this weekend.
Around the NFC
Baker vs. Jalen: Philly at Tampa could easily have been the choice here for the game of the week, and it’s a matchup of two of the most underappreciated quarterbacks in football: Jalen Hurts vs. Baker Mayfield. Tampa smoked Philadelphia in Week 3 last year. In 12 months since then, the Eagles’ only loss came Week 16 at Washington. Otherwise, Hurts and company have 19 wins and a Super Bowl title. A truly remarkable run of success.
Parsons returns: It’s the Kenny Clark revenge game. OK, that’s probably a secondary storyline. But he and Micah Parsons will each have chances Sunday night to sack the quarterbacks they used to play with. It will be fascinating to see what kind of welcome Parsons gets from Cowboys fans at AT&T Stadium. And it will be equally as interesting to see if Green Bay can bounce back from a bad loss to Cleveland last week.
Russ’ farewell?: It’s hard to know what comes next for Russell Wilson after the New York Giants benched him for rookie Jaxson Dart going into this weekend’s game against the Chargers. Wilson could be a trade candidate, but for now, he will serve as Dart’s backup. Is this it for the former Broncos quarterback? And after opening his career with nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title, has Wilson played his way out of Hall of Fame contention over the past three years?
Game of the Week
Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh
There were other good candidates this week, but this one gets top billing for multiple reasons. The primary: A wicked chess match between Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is going to be awesome. Rodgers has seen everything in 21 years of playing, and Flores will bring everything and more. Rodgers against the Vikings (minus-2.5) will always have some oomph to it anyway. Then, of course, it’s the first NFL game ever in Ireland. The Vikings go from Dublin to London, a preview of a future in which the NFL has a Euro division?
Vikings 24, Steelers 23
Lock of the Week
New Orleans at Buffalo
The early portion of the NFL season can bring a lot of noisy stats and a lot of teams that we don’t quite know what to make of just yet. Not this matchup, though. The Saints are 0-3, and they are clearly bad. The Bills are 3-0, and they are clearly good. Pretty simple for these teams, and Buffalo’s a 14.5-point favorite because of it. New Orleans’ roster has all kinds of issues, but if this thing goes any further off the tracks, it’s going to turn into a rugged first year for new head coach Kellen Moore. Sean McDermott’s team, meanwhile, won’t be satisfied with anything short of a Super Bowl trip.
Bills 40, Saints 13
Upset of the Week
New York Jets at Miami
Somebody’s gotta win. Probably, at least. This is one of two 0-3 matchups in the AFC this week, joining Tennessee at Houston. So, hey, theoretically, there will be two more teams falling out of the winless ranks this weekend. New York quarterback Justin Fields is trending toward being cleared out of concussion protocol to play Monday night at Miami. The Dolphins (minus-3.5), meanwhile, don’t have much good going at this point. Maybe the best news for Mike McDaniel’s team? Its next five opponents include the Jets, Carolina, Cleveland and Atlanta in addition to a tough one against the Chargers. Advice to McDaniel, the former Broncos ball boy from Aurora: Win at least a couple of those, even if the Jets clip you this week.
Jets 21, Dolphins 20
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