NFL: Week 3 Predictions

St. Louis Rams at Chicago Bears
Your first upset of the week; the Rams defense is good enough to seriously frustrate and shut down Jay Cutler. Chris Long and Robert Quinn are good enough to make J’Marcus Webb look silly.

Buffallo Bills at Cleveland Browns Both of these have some young talent but are far from complete. In the end, I think the experience of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the immaturity of Brandon Weeden will be the storyline here.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Like last week against the Giants, the Bucs aren't going to roll over and give the Cowboys an easy victory. Still, as a young team coming into Cowboys Stadium, I think they'll be overmatched against a Dallas team that could put up serious points through the air.

Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans
The Lions need a rebound game after their loss to the 49ers, and the Titans will offer them a chance at a win. Detroit’s offense shouldn’t stall out against the Titans like they did versus San Francisco, but they have to get their run game going this week.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck is better than Blaine Gabbert. For two rebuilding teams, it's as simple as that.

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
The New York Jets are not the Oakland Raiders, and the Miami Dolphins will do well to note that. Reggie Bush carried Miami to their first win in Week 2, but he won’t find the running lanes against the Jets that he did in Oakland. Darrelle Revis' health could swing the vote on this one.

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Easy one. 49ers!

Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints
It's the battle of the beatens! Both teams enter 0-2, and both teams have invented new ways to disappoint their fanbase in the early parts of the season. Defensively, neither team can stop anyone, so I'll pick Drew Brees in the shootout.

Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins
RGIII showed he wasn't quite the finished product after all in St. Louis, though he still looked great getting his team into the end zone. On defense, the Redskins will miss Orakpo and Carriker against a very balanced Bengals offense that is able to take advantage when defenses commit to pressure. Look for another big day from A.J. Green.

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals
Two teams with identical 2-0 records face off in the desert. The Eagles defensive line will be the key here. If they can get to Kevin Kolb, the Eagles will find an easy victory. Trent Cole and Jason Babin should have fun with this one.

Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers
The Falcons are going to have to travel west on a short week, which means a focused energy each day in practice at Flowery Branch and no day off to rest. As long as health isn't a concern, Atlanta's offense should continue to show it's the real deal and 2012 is a coming-out party.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders
Steelers FTW!

Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
Matt Schaub and the Texans get their first real test after opening against clearly inferior teams in the Dolphins and Jaguars. Peyton Manning can exploit the Texans secondary—if he gets time to throw. A combination of the running game and three-step drops will get the better of J.J. Watt and friends.

New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
Best match of the week. Two teams smarting from brutal last-minute losses look to rebound in this rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game. The Ravens reverted back to their maddening form on offense. Cam Cameron simply has to remember he has Ray Rice when his team's passing game is getting clobbered. The Patriots will be without Aaron Hernandez, which means Ed Reed will be free to take one of Tom Brady's passes to the house.

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
I'm really torn on this matchup, as the "12th Man" and Seattle's defense should keep the Seahawks in this one for a while. I just can't envision Russell Wilson beating Aaron Rodgers, however, and I think the Packers' veteran-laden team will find a way to win against the young 'Hawks.