With three weeks in the books there are still a few teams that are anxious to earn their first win of the season, most surprisingly three division winners from 2008 (Carolina, Miami and Tennessee). while others are looking to build an early season lead in their division. There is only one game with 3-0 teams facing each other, New York Jets vs New Orleans Saints.
Here are the top five games I have identified for Week Four, with the rest of the games picked after that. My record for the season is 31-17.
01) Baltimore Ravens (3-0) at New England Patriots (2-1) - No one is playing better in the AFC than Baltimore right now, they have won their three games by 16.7 points per game, which is first among AFC teams and trails only New Orleans. Everyone knows about Baltimore's defense but their offense is stepping up to the plate this year. The Ravens are second in points scored and second in yards gained, trailing only the New Orleans Saints in both categories. Joe Flacco appears to be the franchise quarterback this team has not previously been able to find. The Patriots flexed their muscles by taking out a talented Atlanta team last week, but the Falcons can't stop the run and that allowed the Patriots to control the clock. This is going to be a very close game, but look for Baltimore to come out on top in this game. Their defense will not allow QB Tom Brady to have a big day and I expect the Ravens to move the ball much better than the Falcons did last week, which will allow them to score more than the 10 points Atlanta generated. Winner: Baltimore
02) New York Jets (3-0) at New Orleans Saints (3-0) - The only match-up between unbeaten teams we have the number one scoring and yardage offense versus a defense that is second in points allowed and third in yards allowed. It's very hard to pick against either team, but I think expecting rookie QB Mark Sanchez to walk into New Orleans and win is a bit much. No one is playing better than Drew Brees right now, he would be my pick for MVP thus far. Their offense is explosive both running the football and passing the football. New York has a fine squad and is headed in the right direction, but they are not going 16-0 this season and it makes sense to pick the unstoppable New Orleans offense at home to win this game. Winner: New Orleans
03) Dallas Cowboys (2-1) at Denver Broncos (3-0) - Denver has impressed me so far, their defense is much improved and they are running the ball very well. That said, they also beat Cincinnati on a miracle fluke play and then followed it up with wins over the poor Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders. This week they have a real test, playing a Dallas team with a much bigger offensive line that can run the ball down their throat. I think this will be a lot like the Monday Night Game Dallas played against Carolina. Dallas has way too much size on the offensive line for the quicker and undersized Denver defensive line. Tony Romo is not going to have a big passing day, but he should be able to do enough to earn Dallas a close victory. Winner: Dallas
04)San Diego Chargers (2-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) - Pittsburgh keeps finding ways to lose close games, something they are normally very good at. You have to wonder how much of an affect not having S Troy Polamalu is having on their normally stingy pass defense. Pittsburgh ranked first in pass defense last year, they rank 15th through the first three games. Keep in mind that both of Pittsburgh's losses were on the road; they are normally very tough in Pittsburgh. I like the Steelers in this game. The Chargers are not running the ball well and are not stopping the run well. I think Willie Parker is going to have a big game against the Chargers and I don't think LaDainian Tomlinson or Darren Sproles will be able to help keep the Chargers offense in balance. Philip Rivers is a good QB, but he isn't going into Pittsburgh and throwing 50 times for victory, even with Polamalu hurt. Winner: Pittsburgh
05) Green Bay Packers (2-1) at Minnesota Vikings (3-0) - Just a regular season division rivalary between two good teams; no story lines or drama in this one. Wait, there is the minor part about QB Brett Favre, the iconic Green Bay quarterback going against his former team for the first time in his career. As much as people want to talk about that, I think Favre is going to have very little affect on the outcome of the game. The Packers offensive line cannot block right now, which is a problem when they are facing Jared Allen and the Williams Brothers. The other problem is that they rank 23rd against the run and have given up back to back 100-yard games. I think you will see Favre return to the role of "game manager," with the Packers offense being hurt by a loss in time of possession and from having no holes to run through or time for QB Aaron Rodgers to throw. Vikings win the Brett Bowl I. Winner: Minnesota
To view the rest of the picks, please visit www.fantasyfootballmaniaxs.com to view the rest of the article.
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You took the words right out of my mouth my friend, couldn't say it better myself
dahira68902:53 PM EST