On Thursday Night Football the face of a franchise for over a decade will return to face his former squad mere months after being fired as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Sunday will bring three more contests in the NFC East, as the Dallas Cowboys will welcome the group formerly known as the greatest show on turf, to a stadium that uses more power on game-day than some counties.
The New York Giants and Washington Redskins will look to begin their climb out of 0-2 holes with games against the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions respectively. Week three should be an interesting one in the NFC East, and much will be learned about the four division-members in their week 3 appearances.
Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
In what is perhaps the most highly anticipated contest in recent memory for citizens of the city of brotherly love; a former icon returns in a color more befitting of his complexion. Undefeated Kansas City will take the field Thursday night in Philadelphia, with more to lose than a check-mark in the loss column. At stake in this contest, is the psyche of a coach and consequently, the near-future of a franchise. Andy Reid is the reason Chiefs’ fans have hope, the reason Alex Smith no longer resides in the bay-area, and a big part of an un-beaten beginning for Kansas City.
Pitting a high-powered offense against a defense that has only surrendered 20 points in two regular season games, Thursday nights’ battle under the lights will be a matchup you won’t want to miss. Chip Kelly’s offense has left no question regarding its effectiveness, but the Birds’ defense is another story all-together. A unit put together with balsa-wood and bubble gum will face one of the most explosive rushers in football, Jamaal Charles . Will the Eagles’ defense be up for such a daunting challenge? Will the Chief’s defense be able to withstand the most potent offensive attack outside of Mile High?
Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles 33 Kansas City Chiefs 27
In a shootout rivaling an altercation at the O.K. corral, the Eagles will escape defeat at the hands of their former skipper. While a close matchup that should come down to the wire, a rejuvenated Michael Vick will lead his team to victory against the man that gave the former Hokie his second chance in the NFL. Charles and Dwayne Bowe won’t be enough against an Eagles defense that will recoup from their trouncing at the hands of the Chargers in Week 1, and Philadelphia will retain its place atop the NFC East.
St. Louis Rams (1-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
Wasn’t this supposed to be the time of year Tony Romo cemented himself amongst the elite? Given his noted career struggles toward the twilight of the NFL season, Romo should flourish during its early months, or at least that is what we are supposed to believe. The Cowboys looked more like cowgirls in their Week 2 defeat at the hands of the Chiefs, and will look to rebound as they return home in week 3. Their opponents? Jeff Fischer and the upstart St. Louis Rams.
This isn’t your older brother’s Rams team. Gone are Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Burce, and Torrey Holt, in their place is a gritty, hard-nosed version of a team in transition. Quarterback Sam Bradford may have but one season left to prove he is worth the first-overall selection the Rams used on him in 2010. There is no questioning the talent surrounding the former Oklahoma quarterback, but will Bradford be able to utilize it successfully? Check back in January. As for your Cowboys the song remains the same, if the play-calling does not improve, neither will Dallas.
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys 27 St. Louis Rams 24
St. Louis makes their prediction easy as the team from under the arch has scored exactly that in each of their two games. Dallas posed more of a quandary. As good as Dallas’ talent has looked on both sides of the ball; an ignorant and mis-guided coaching staff will continue to hold back a team with so much potential. Monte Kiffin remains the lone bright-spot not wearing a uniform for Dallas. Expect Romo to excel in a favorable home match-up, and the Cowboys to continue their push for a division title.
Detroit Lions (1-1) @ Washington Redskins (1-1)
This was not the picture-perfect start Mike Shanahan envisioned after a division-winning season. Washington was the favorite to repeat as beasts of the NFC East in 2013, but have fallen in a hole that may be too deep for them to dig out of. As for their week 3 opponents, the Detroit Lions play in one of the most-competitive divisions in football and need every win they can get if they can hope to compete with the rest of the NFC North.
In a clash of two high powered offenses with little secondary to lean on; expect a barn-burner in Washington this weekend. Robert Griffin III must find a rhythm early, or risk falling behind one of the most talented passing tandem’s in the league, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. If Alfred Morris cannot get going early against a talented defensive line, the pressure will again be on Griffin III to outscore an explosive offense. After falling behind early to Philadelphia and Green Bay during its’ first two contests, Washington was unable to battle back in the second half of either game, and fell to 0-2. Detroit may be weakened due to the injury to Reggie Bush, but the Redskins must be ready for their NFC North foes.
Prediction: Detroit Lions 37 Washington Redskins 34
The motor city machine will continue to pave its own path with or without Bush. The Redskins secondary is like a wet paper towel, bargain not Bounty, trying to stop a bowling ball. Not going to happen and Washington’s crusade for a repeat may be over before it even began.
Carolina Panthers (0-2) @ New York Giants (0-2)
Well folks, this will not be one to write home about. Assuming you people actually write things and don’t live in a twitter fantasy-land. We can be assured that any “trending topic” from this contest will be about the re-emergence of Superman, Cam Newton. As the Giants’ continue reeling from two consecutive losses, the second of which at the hands of Eli Manning ‘s older brother, they will have to regroup in their second away game of the year. The Manning brothers’ aren’t big on selfies, but Superman has the social media web-cred the two commercial-rappers dream about. How does that translate onto the field? Superstars win championships, Newton alongside Luke Kuechley have the pedigree to win a title for the Panthers, if coaching deficiencies don’t derail their progress.
Projected star and starter David Wilson has found himself in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse after fumbling twice in the Giants’ season-opening loss to Dallas. Teams win with their stars on the field not on the bench; and as Madden-eque as that statement may be, Wilson’s speed and athleticism aren’t helping New York’s playoff chances riding the pine. Expect the sophomore rusher to factor more into the Giants’ offense against the Panthers; though it may not be of any consequence against the spectacular front seven of Carolina.
Prediction: Carolina Panthers 27 New York Giants 20
In a contest between two bottom-dwellers defense will prevail, and the Panthers should find their first victory of 2013. Carolina lacks the talent on offense to match up with New York outside of Steve Smith and Newton. The being said, the Giants are reeling and are still workting with a patch-work offensive line. Expect heavy doses of a motivated Wilson in a tightly contested match-up in which the Giants fall further out of the race for the NFC East. Newton is due for a big game, and this home contest against a cupcake defense should provide the spark the former Auburn quarterback needs to deliver a win in Carolina.