Who You Got?! Week 4

As we approach the quarter-mark of the season, we can begin to assess what teams are made of. Certain teams have already failed to meet expectations while others are exceeding. There is still plenty of time left to turn it around, thankfully. I barely slipped by this past week with a record above .500. But like I stated last week, there were plenty of games I felt were toss ups. Let's see if I can go for four straight weeks above .500!

Last Week: 9-7

Overall: 29-19

Thursday Night Football (5:25 pm AZ time):

Miami Dolphins @ Cincinnati Bengals

The Dolphins offense could make this interesting, however both Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker are listed as questionable. They will both likely play, but won’t be at 100%. Both of these teams sit at 1-2 on the year and this game will come down to who is hungrier for the win. Give me the home team by one possession.

Sunday Morning Football (10:00 am AZ time):

Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars (London)

The London series starts off with their favorite team, the Jaguars. The Jags seem to play well when their visiting London, and I expect that trend to continue. The Colts defense is bad and the offensive line still isn’t fixed. Mix that with Jalen Ramsey, who has been lights out through three games, and the Jags could take this win and make it their first on the year.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots

Outside of New England, who would’ve thought the Patriots would go 4-0 without Tom Brady? They certainly had the talent to, but I would’ve thought they would have gone 3-1 without him, that one loss coming from the Cardinals. Instead, the Pats will run the table without Brady and embarrass a bad Bills team at home.

Cleveland Browns @ Washington

I am not ready to take the Browns in any game this year. With recent news that Josh Gordon will be checking into rehab, they could continue to be in limbo. Thanks to Terrelle Pryor’s dominant play, they could at least be fun to watch. Kirk Cousins, however, has something to prove, as does the rest of this Washington squad. They’re at home, too. Give me the home team by 10.

Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans

After an embarrassing week three shut out to the Patriots, the Texans return home and will play some pissed off football. The Titans will make this game interesting, but the Texans will have something to prove. With J.J. Watt being shut down for at a minimum most of the season, the Titans should make this an interesting game. I can see it going either way, but give me the home team.

Seattle Seahawks @ New York Jets

The Seahawks will look at the Jets loss to the Chiefs and be licking their chops. Eight turnovers by the Jets led to a 3-24 loss on the road. The Seahawks defense will be just as dominant, as Richard Sherman is playing lights out football. Look for this to be a low scoring affair, with the Seahawks taking this game.

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears

The Bears are still looking for their first win of the season, and it won’t come this week, not with Matthew Stafford playing as well as he is. Stafford is completing 67.5% of his passes and has a mere two interceptions on the season. He is playing some MVP kind of football and I look for that to continue against a bad Bears team.

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons will make this game very interesting. Coming off a dominant 45-32 win on the road against the Saints, behind a ferocious ground attack, they could make this game a shootout. Here’s the problem: The Saints are a bad team, and they still put 32 up on the Falcons defense. Cam Newton has something to prove, and this will be the game the Panthers finally get their act together. I’ll take the Panthers in a high scoring game.

Oakland Raiders @ Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are quietly 3-0 behind a great defense and Justin Tucker leg (9-9 on field goals this season). The Raiders, despite all their offseason additions, don’t look like the team they were pegged to be this offseason. The Ravens defense will likely struggle to create pressure as this Raiders offensive line is as good as advertised, but with the home crowd making plenty of noise, I will take a Ravens team that looks to prove doubters wrong.

Sunday Afternoon Football (1:05 and 1:25 pm AZ time):

Denver Broncos @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Broncos are for real folks. They have proven me wrong through the first quarter of the season and I refuse to take them for granted going forward. Trevor Siemian appears to be the guy as of now and this defense is still really good. I’ll take the Broncos on the road by two possessions against the opportunistic Buccaneers team.

Dallas Cowboys @ San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have made all their games very interesting thus far, and the Cowboys are about what I have expected through three games. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have been as good as advertised and even without Dez Bryant I believe the Cowboys have enough to get the job done on the road.

Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

The Rams always come to play when it comes to division games (save for week one against the 49ers) and the Cardinals seem to struggle against their first game against the Rams. But the Cards are coming off another embarrassing loss to an AFC East team and if we flash back to how they responded to the Patriots loss, this game shouldn’t be close. It will be, but I have faith in this Cardinals squad at home.

New Orleans Saints @ San Diego Chargers

The Chargers continue to find a way to get it done. Philip Rivers has been playing great football and Melvin Gordon is showing why he was made the 15^th overall pick back in 2015. This Saints defense is awful and I expect the Chargers to take full advantage of this defense

Sunday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Kansas City Chiefs @ Pittsburgh Steelers

This Chiefs defense is for real. They forced EIGHT turnovers last week. That is absolutely insane. Meanwhile, the Steelers were held to just three points last week at Philadelphia. That should be an anomaly for them, but they will be facing a red hot defense and a cornerback in Marcus Peters who is gunning for a defensive player of the year award.

Monday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings

I am truly sorry Vikings fans for taking your team so lightly. I now understand that Sam Bradford will be just good enough this season to win games behind what might be the league’s best defense. The Giants are coming off a heart breaking loss to Washington and this Vikings team will simply be too much for Eli manning and company to handle. Did I mention they are going to Minnesota to play this game? This game shouldn’t be close. I’ll take Minnesota comfortably by two possessions at a minimum.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Quick Hits: Week 3

Bye week start this week and some teams definitely need them more than others. However, there is still action to be had and plenty of surprises left in this season. Let's dive right into it, shall we?

-       -  The Carson Wentz hype is real. This past Sunday, against a formidable Steelers front seven, Wentz posted a 23/31 for 301 yards and two touchdowns stat line. During this game, Wentz looked comfortable and like a seasoned vet, picking apart an ailing Steelers secondary. What can’t be understated is how good Wentz has fit into head coach Doug Pederson’s offense. It compliments Wentz’s skill set perfectly and allows him to make easy reads and limit mistakes. The Eagles fans are thinking playoffs, and who can blame them?

-       -  I want to take a moment to address this recent allegation that Tom Brady, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, is a system quarterback. Let’s put that to rest right now. Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches, if not the greatest, of all-time as well. That being said, he should be able to adjust his offense to whoever is playing quarterback. Never mind the fact that Brady is making adjustments at the line of scrimmage and picking defenses apart while turning guys like Wes Welker and Julian Edelman into household names. He also makes the most out of his truly dominant weapons such as Rob Gronkowski and Randy Moss. So yes, Belichick does make his offenses compliment his quarterbacks perfectly, but Brady is also looking at the defense pre-snap and adjusting accordingly. Brady is without a doubt a top five AT WORST quarterback in NFL history. You would take him on your team in a heartbeat.

-       -  The newest trend in the NFL appears to be winning games with dominant defense and an offense that does just enough to put points on the board. The best examples are the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, and Denver Broncos, who all support 3-0 records mind you. The Vikings lost their quarterback, running back, and left tackle, yet win football games with a resurgent Sam Bradford and arguably the best defense in the league. The Ravens offense is still adjusting to each other with new pieces being added via the offseason as well as back from injury, while the defense has limited opposing offense significantly. The Broncos’ Trevor Siemian is coming off a career week and while I am not quite ready to crown him, he looks good enough to lead this team to the post season. Meanwhile, the defense has been stifling and nearly impossible to move the ball on. These three teams are all top 10 in the league right now and appear to be on to something special.

-       -  Speaking of dominant defenses, the Kansas City Chiefs forced EIGHT TURNOVERS. Eight. That is ludicrous. I don’t understand how you can turn the ball over eight times in just a single game… Naturally, the Chiefs won 3-24 at home. The development of Marcus Peters cannot be understated. He already has four interceptions on the year in just three games. To put that in perspective, he recorded eight interceptions in 16 games last season (which was tied for the league high with Reggie Nelson). At this rate, it would shock me at all if Peters grabbed double digit interceptions. The last person to do that was Antonio Cromartie back in 2007 when he recorded 10 interceptions (via Pro Football Reference). The single season record is 14 by Dick Lane. That number seems untouchable, but at the rate he’s going, Peters could challenge that record.

-       -  What is going on with the Cardinals? A season that started with Super Bowl expectations has resulted in a 1-2 record and a team that looks completely pedestrian. Following an embarrassing 18-33 loss on the road in Buffalo, I am sitting here wondering what is wrong with this team. Carson Palmer doesn’t look like he has shaken off the NFC Championship loss to the Panthers and the defense looks lost at times. If they could go back to their week 2 7-40 win over the Buccaneers, they could be right back in the mix of things. But through two weeks, that game looks like a fluke. Thankfully, it is very early in the season and there is plenty of time to turn it around.

-       -  J.J. Watt will hit IR after a setback occurred with his offseason back injury. This will be troublesome for the Texans, as Watt is the life and driving force behind this team. Outside rushers Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney will be asked to step up big time to replace his production. Meanwhile, the NFC South looks lost and the Texans can keep a lead if the offense can gel fast and the defense can step up without their leader.

-       -  An absolutely disgustingly good stat from Bleacher Report reveals the Richard Sherman has allowed a mere 23 yards on 94 snaps, good enough for first place in the NFL. That is simply unreal. With guys like Marcus Peters and Patrick Peterson having great seasons, this stat just puts in perspective just how good Sherman is. He is without a doubt the best cornerback in the NFL so far in 2016.

-       -  My article about Jamaal Charles being able to rush for 2,000 yards this season will not come even close to being true. After missing the first three weeks of the season and maybe even more time, Charles career looks to be taking a nose dive. We will remember him as a phenomenal running back from the 2010’s, but it appears his reign as top dog in Kansas City has come to an end.

-       -  Terrelle Pryor is experiencing a resurgence in Cleveland. With number one pick Corey Coleman out with an injury and Josh Gordon serving a suspension, Pryor flashed unreal potential this past week vs the Dolphins. He did it all. He caught eight of 14 targets for 144 yards. He rushed for 21 yards on 4 carries and a touchdown. He even threw the ball five times for three completions and 35 yards. Pryor could become a deadly weapon for this Cleveland offense, especially when Coleman and Gordon eventually return to action.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Who You Got?! Week 3

I may not always be right, but I will take back-to-back 10-win weeks! This week has a ton of toss ups that I simply can't decide, but have to. I don't have much to say so let's just dive right into it.

Last Week: 10-6

Overall: 20-12

Thursday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Houston Texans @ New England Patriots

I know that the Patriots are starting a rookie quarterback in Jacoby Brissett. I know that Gronk is still not 100% coming off his injuries. I know J.J. Watt plays for the Texans. I want to take the Texans so badly… but the bottom line is they are in New England and the Texans offense is still gelling. This is a Patriots team that dismantled the Cardinals in week one when everyone was against them. The home crowd will give this defense the extra juice needed to secure a massive victory with their third-string quarterback on primetime.

Sunday Morning Football (10:00 am AZ time):

Cleveland Browns @ Miami Dolphins

The Browns are starting their fifth quarterback in the last five games! That’s bad. This Browns team is awful. I truly don’t know if I see them winning any games anytime soon.

Oakland Raiders @ Tennessee Titans

Two young and talented rosters will make this game extremely fun to watch. The Raiders are coming off a shootout loss and the Titans are coming off a come-from-behind victory. This game is going to be a lot closer than people may think. At the end of the day, I like a more complete Raiders team over the Titans.

Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Had the Jaguars shown any signs of life last week, I’d consider taking them at home. But the Ravens just won a game facing a 20-point deficit and scored 25 unanswered on the road. Granted, this was against the Cleveland Browns. Regardless, the Ravens are far more mature and their defense will clam down the Jaguars unstable run game. Even on the road, the Ravens get a tough win and advance to 3-0 and become the league’s worst undefeated team.

Washington @ New York Giants

Josh Norman will finally be unleashed in this week’s UFC fight! Norman v. Beckham II! At least that’s how it sure does feel. This game will likely be dominated at home by the Giants because of how incomplete this Washington squad feels. While the Giants could compete with the Ravens for title of “worst undefeated team in the NFL”, the Giants get a nice showing at home and win this game comfortably.

Arizona Cardinals @ Buffalo Bills

The Bills are a total dumpster fire right now. The offense is in limbo and the defense can’t stop a nose bleed no matter how much talent this team has. The Cardinals are coming off a statement game against the Buccaneers after an embarrassing week one loss to the Patriots. Look for the Cardinals to start getting red hot (get it? I’m sorry…) and embarrass the Bills in Buffalo.

Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers

I swear I don’t hate the Vikings. They have certainly exceeded my expectations with key wins but the luck stops here. Carolina showed week one that they can hang with the best defenses in the NFL and lost to Denver on a missed field goal. Now they get the Vikings at home and appear ready to start making a bigger statement. Sam Bradford needs to have more than just one good game before I even start to believe in him. It’s a big test for the Vikings, I think they fall just short.

Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals

Trevor Siemian failed to expose a porous Colts defense last week and had the defense bail him out for a win. Now the Broncos must travel to Cincinnati and face a team coming off a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals need to win this week and make a statement to the rest of the league that they are not pretenders. This is a great team to make that statement with. Dalton will struggle against a great secondary, but the Bengals win a close one at home.

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers

The Lions were one drive away from starting the year 2-0. This team looks about where I thought they’d be in my preseason rankings. The Packers meanwhile are coming off a bad loss to a Vikings squad looking to prove their doubters wrong. The Lions are on the wrong side of this one, and lose on the road to their in-division rivals by 10.

Sunday Afternoon Football (1:05 and 1:25 pm AZ time):

Los Angeles Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Rams have yet to score a touchdown this season… While they did have a very impressive win over Seattle last week and could very well take advantage of a banged up Buccaneers squad, I just don’t see their offense being able to match Jameis Winston and Mike Evans. The Bucs have a nice bounce back this week and take their record to 2-1.

San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks

If this game were in San Fran I would actually sit on this game. The Seahawks have looked extremely pedestrian to say the least through two games. This is a game they need to dominate or I am throwing up the red flags. The 49ers on the other hand have been surprisingly competitive and will make this game hard on the Seahawks. Give me the home team but not by as much as what one would hope.

New York Jets @ Kansas City Chiefs

Marcus Peters is the most opportunistic cornerback in the NFL. Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to throw a couple touchdowns with a couple interceptions. This game should come down to whoever has the ball last. Even with exceptional front seven’s, these secondaries will find a way to get thrown on. I’ll take the home team here, especially with the unreal regression of Darrelle Revis.

San Diego Chargers @ Indianapolis Colts

Philip Rivers just showed last week that he is more than capable of taking matters into his own hands. Against a young Jaguars defense, he threw four touchdowns and led the Chargers to a 38-14 win. The Colts defense will get trashed once again and the Chargers will cruise to their second win of the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Philadelphia Eagles

Carson Wentz will have his first true test of the season against a ferocious Steelers front seven. While the secondary is a total mess, his pocket presence will determine how the Eagles fair against Pittsburgh. Ultimately, the Steelers offense will prove to be too much for this Eagles defense and the Steelers walk away victorious. I think they Eagles could challenge, but I will take the Steelers by two possessions.

Sunday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Chicago Bears @ Dallas Cowboys

No Jay Cutler? That’s big trouble for the Bears. No matter how bad Cutler may be at times, he gives the Bears their best chance to win. Without him, Hoyer should be able to keep them in this game thanks to a pretty bad Cowboys defense. The Dallas offense is one we are patiently waiting to see take off and this will hopefully be the game that it happens. Dez catches his first touchdown of the year and the Cowboys win a close one at home.

Monday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

I want to take the Saints, but their defense is just too terrible for me to bet on them week-in and week-out. Plus, the Falcons are coming off an impressive win against the Raiders. Give me Julio Jones and the Falcons in a Monday Night shootout.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Quick Hits: Week 2

Two weeks into the preseason and my projections are already looking stupid (thanks for nothing, Jacksonville). There is still plenty of time for teams to right their ship, but we are learning crucial information as the weeks progress. Certain teams are making statements and others have the appearance of being good but are they really? Not sure what I mean? Let's take a better look...

-       -  Jimmy Garoppolo is down with a shoulder injury for the Patriots and the quarterback situation is a question mark for the next two weeks before Tom Brady returns. There is a slight chance that Garoppolo plays Thursday night against the Texans, but he is listed as doubtful as of now. Rookie Jacoby Brissett is next in line to start and his back-up is none of than wide receiver Julian Edelman. While Edelman did play quarterback in college, this goes to show just how dire the Patriots quarterback situation is for the next two weeks.

-       -  The Ravens are off to a great start, opening the season 2-0, but are they for real? Based off what we’ve seen the answer is no. in fact, based off of their first six games, they could start the season 6-0 at best with @ JAX, vs OAK, vs WAS, and @NYG for their next four games. To do that, the Ravens offense needs to establish their ground game (ranked 23^rd in league via ESPN.com) and not get off to the slow starts they have had in their first two games. The defense seems sturdy, but if they want to be taken seriously, this offense needs to step up. With their final four games being @ NE, vs PHI, @ PIT, and @ CIN, the road to the post season will be brutal.

-       -  This news comes out today, Browns’ Corey Coleman broke his hand in practice and is out for some time. This news hurts a lot, especially with another report today regarding Josh Gordon having a warrant for his arrest. The Browns did invest heavily in wide receivers in the past draft. Guys like Ricardo Louis and Rishard Higgins need to step up for the Browns to have any real chance to compete this season.

-       -  Another fun fact for Browns’ fans! The Browns will likely roll out rookie Cody Kessler as their starting quarterback this week at Miami. Kessler would become the fifth starting quarterback for the Browns in their last five games… That’s not just bad, that’s awful. This franchise is plagued with bad quarterback play, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.

-       -  Throw me on the Carson Wentz hype-train. Wentz is off to a phenomenal rookie year, going 43/71 (60.6%) for 468 yards and three touchdowns through two games. He has yet to throw an interception and has the Eagles off to a 2-0 start. His play is bound to drop off, but if he can remain steady for the length of the season, the eagles could be a solid sleeper pick for the playoffs with Wentz’s solid passing game and a good defense to back him.

-       -  Speaking of good rookie quarterbacks, Dak Prescott has been impressive in his own right. Prescott has gone 47/75 (62.7%) for 519 yards with no interceptions and a rushing touchdown. While that is great, he doesn’t have a passing touchdown yet. If Prescott wants to remain the starter once Romo is healthy (a big if, but Romo would likely be the starter no matter what), he needs to take his passing game to the next level. You have Dez Bryant. Take some chances and lob it up to the league’s best red-zone threat.

-       -  Poor Vikings fans… An offseason full of Super Bowl expectations has been decimated by injuries, yet they still stand tall at 2-0. By all means, I am truly impressed by how resilient they’ve been. But with news that Adrian Peterson is going to be out an extended period of time from numerous and conflicting reports, it could be a more uphill battle than even before. The Vikings also lost their starting left tackle Matt Kalil today. So to recap, the Vikings have lost their starting quarterback, running back, and left tackle. They have looked great, but even the best teams will be out of luck should the injuries continue to pile up.

-       -  And for what it’s worth, I am not a believer in Sam Bradford. “OH BUT RICHIE HE HAD SUCH A GOOD WEEK AGAINST THE PACKERS!” That’s great. It’s only one game and he has shown throughout his career he simply cannot be relied on due to poor decision making and, of course, injuries. If he goes down, the Viking season goes down. So he needs to keep it up or else... No pressure.

I know a ton happened this week, but due to time constraints I just don’t have the time this week to cover every little thing. I always leave my Twitter handle below so feel free to tweet me your questions or ask my opinions on anything.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Who You Got?! Week 2

Off to a good start, as I called the Jets beating the Bills last night. I apologize for the lateness of this article, life isn't always cooperative with my schedule! Anyways, moving forward to week 2 of the regular season. We've already seen some upsets and some great games (looking towards my fantasy football guys and gals!). This week will be fun, featuring some toss up games. Here's the recap of last week and then my picks!

Last Week: 10-6

Overall: 10-6

Thursday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills

I thought the Jets offense would just be too much for this Bills team to handle. The Bills offense did come to play, but it just wasn’t good enough to keep up. The Jets have to be worried about their secondary play over two weeks. Thankfully, their offense should win them plenty of games.

Sunday Morning Football (10:00 am AZ time):

New Orleans Saints @ New York Giants

The Saints defense is awful. Drew Brees will keep the game close, but this Giants front seven will be in his face all-day long. Couple that with the Giants passing attack and a home game for New York, and this game spells trouble down in the Big Easy.

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington

I want to pick the Cowboys so badly, but until the passing game stabilizes, I can’t bring myself to do it. Washington should right the ship this week or they’re in trouble. Ryan Kerrigan and company with pressure Dak Prescott and lure him into some bad plays. If Washington decides to unleash Josh Norman from their “system”, things could get ugly.

Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots

The Dolphins defense was stellar last week against Seattle. What do Seattle and New England have in common? Bad offensive lines. The Dolphins defensive line will give Jimmy Garoppolo fits. However, Garoppolo showed last week against a good Cardinals’ defense that he can hang with the best and win games. Couple that with a home game for New England and a great defense and New England wins by 10+.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Our first AFC North match-up of the year, and it couldn’t get better than this. This would’ve been the Sunday Night game had it been up to me. Regardless, these teams are pissed off and hate each other. Look for a gritty game that Pittsburgh pulls out on a final drive at home.

San Francisco 49ers @ Carolina Panthers

I hope you enjoyed your dominant win, San Francisco. Now you get the “privilege” of going to Carolina that barely missed (pun intended) a win against the defending Super Bowl champs. This game won’t be close. Carolina by at least two possessions.

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

This Ravens team has tons of savvy veterans and playmakers. The Browns are the Browns are the complete opposite. The Ravens have plenty to prove to the rest of the NFL after a close win against Buffalo week one. This Browns team is going to lose a heart-breaker at home for the second straight week.

Tennessee Titans @ Detroit Lions

I like both of these teams a lot. But this Lions offense showed last week that they can keep up with the best in the league. The Titans offense isn’t ready to compete and their defense won’t be able to stay off the field much in this game.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston Texans

REVENGE!! That’s exactly how the Texans feel after losing to Kansas City twice last season to include an embarrassing 30-0 at home in last season’s playoffs. Since then, the Texans offense has improved and they looked very good last week against the Bears up-incoming defense. The Chiefs made a major comeback last week against the Chargers and will make this game super interesting. This game is a tossup. I’ll take the home team here.

Sunday Afternoon Football (1:05 and 1:25 pm AZ time):

Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams

Welcome back to LA, football! A nice welcome home will be ruined by a Seahawks team looking to rebound after a close game last week. Even if they play without Russell Wilson, this game won’t be close. Did you see the Rams Monday night? Expect more of the same against the league’s best defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals

This game should not be close on paper, but it sure as hell will be. The Cardinals struggled mightily against a banged up Patriots squad. Meanwhile, Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers dominated the Falcons in the passing game. Patrick Peterson vs Mike Evans will be one of the best match-ups of this week. Throw in two nasty defenses and this game could be low scoring or a shootout. I haven’t decided yet…

Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Diego Chargers

Did you see the Chiefs storm back and win against the Chargers? That defense is BAD. This Jaguars team held their own against a Super Bowl worthy Packers team. The Jaguars may be on the road, but they will win this game by two possessions or more.

Atlanta Falcons @ Oakland Raiders

The Falcons got lit up by the Buccaneers passing offense. The Raiders feature tons of threats, including Amari Cooper, in the passing game behind Derek Carr’s big arm. Look for more of the same this week for the Falcons.

Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos

This Colts defense is going to lose Indianapolis a lot of games. Even an offense as pedestrian as the Broncos put up points against a stingy Panthers defense. The Broncos defense is going to pummel Luck. This will be close only because of the Broncos bad offense.

Sunday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings

I wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Vikings pulled this game out at home. But without good quarterback play, or at the very least inconsistent quarterback play, this Packers defense should force some turnovers and hold Adrian Peterson to another bad day. Meanwhile, a great Vikings defense meets a great Packers offense. The Packers due just enough here to get out of this game with the W.

Monday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Philadelphia Eagles @ Chicago Bears

A very intriguing match-up, I like the Eagles offense against this Bears defense. Carson Wentz showed a ton of promise last week against a bad Browns defense. This Bears defense will be much, much better, however. The Bears offense has tons of home run hitters and I expect them to be on display. The Eagles safeties will take away the deep ball and the Eagles offense chews up a majority of the clock to win a tight one on the road.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Quick Hits: Week 1

The first week of the regular season has come and gone, and boy was it exciting. Upsets were had, comebacks were made, and crazy games happened. I personally enjoyed every second of this past week and hope that this season can keep up with what we saw week one. That being said, there is plenty to talk about, let's dive into it!

-      -   Let’s start off with the Cardinals. What looked to be a pretty easy win turned into a nightmare. The Patriots were missing tons of key pieces and Jimmy Garoppolo had his first career start against a solid defense. The Cardinals looked lost and struggled mightily against a solid Patriots defense. Should the Cardinals be worried about this season? The short answer is a little bit. They should have an easy time righting the ship, but the last two games dating back to the NFC Championship game have not been promising. It has me wondering if this team is truly a contender or just a pretender…

-     -    Rewind to last Thursday. The Super Bowl 50 rematch. Panthers in Denver. Many people, including yours truly, wrote off the Broncos due to what should be a bad offense with a good defense. The Panthers, meanwhile, rolled out what should be a dominant offense (with Kelvin Benjamin returning from injury) and a good defense. What we got was mostly the same as the Super Bowl in the sense that Cam struggled against a good defense and the Broncos offense, led by C.J. Anderson, did just enough to win the game. For what it’s worth, I still don’t buy into Trevor Siemian, but he managed the game well enough to win, and that may be all the Broncos need this season to win games.

-    -     On a related note, the controversy behind Cam Newton not getting any Roughing the Passer penalties is serious. I am of the belief that it’s ridiculous what the Broncos got away with. The NFL preaches about making the game safer and protecting the players (especially the quarterbacks), yet Cam was beat up like a rag doll consistently. I will agree that cam’s mobility does make it tough to call consistently, but he took these shots inside the pocket. There is no excuse for the NFL on how they handled Newton. Thank goodness he doesn’t have a concussion.

-    -     The Steelers took Washington behind the woodshed Monday night and beat them soundly. Without Markus Wheaton, Eli Rogers stepped up and made plays for the Steelers offense. DeAngelo Williams leads the NFL in rushing at the ripe age of 33. And the Steelers defense forced two turnovers. The biggest controversy from this game comes from the Washington “system” on defense. Washington elected to leave Josh Norman on one side of the field, exposing Bashaud Breeland to Antonio Brown, who promptly destroyed Breeland in coverage (and then twerked for the fans). If Washington wants to win games and get their money’s worth on Norman, they need to be flexible and allow him to cover the team’s number one guy. They still have to take on Odell Beckham and Dez Bryant twice, as well as plenty of top quality receivers. I am not saying abandon the system completely, but be flexible…

-    -     Carson Wentz came out guns blazing. Against the Browns, a team who could’ve taken Wentz but elected to trade the pick away, Wentz went 22/37 for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Wentz showed a gunslinger mentality and the ability to extend plays with his legs while delivering strikes to Jordan Matthews and company. This is definitely a great sigh of relief for Philadelphia fans who were worried about Wentz as a year one starter. In Doug Pederson’s offense, I look forward to him competing for OROY.

-    -     The Cowboys struggled against a revamped Giants defense offensively, but did keep the game close enough to almost win it (curse you, Terrance Williams!). Number one pick Ezekiel Elliott grabbed a healthy 20 carries, but only managed 51 yards against the Giants stout defensive line. He did manage a touchdown, however. Dak Prescott posted a 25/45 for 227 yards stat line, but with no touchdowns. Overall, the Cowboys look ready to have a ton of close games. The offense won’t face a great defense every week and could easily start rolling, but Dez Bryant (one reception for eight yards) needs to get his act together or this team is doomed to be one-dimensional and lose close games.

-    -     A.J. Green is the MAN! Against Darrelle Revis, a future Hall of Famer, Green was a perfect 10 receptions on 10 targets for 158 yards and a touchdown. Green finished the day nabbing 12 receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals do miss Tyler Eifert, but Green will certainly continue to ease the pain in the meantime.

-    -     Jameis Winston also came to play this season. The poor Falcons’ defense never stood a chance against the former Heisman winner, as Winston posted a 23/33 for 281 yards and a staggering four touchdowns stat line. Winston did throw an interception, but he completely took over the game and helped the Buccaneers to their first win of the season. The Buccaneers will travel to Arizona this week to take on a Cardinals team that was just embarrassed by the Patriots at home. This game isn’t impossible to win, but Winston will need another strong showing if the Buccaneers want a chance to win against a Cardinals team looking for redemption.

-    -     Aaron Rodgers is arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time and still has a ton of gas left in the tank. Against a young and up-incoming Jaguars defense went 20/34 for 199 yards and two touchdowns while making plays that simply looked like Madden highlights. The Jaguars, meanwhile, showed that they can keep up with some of the best teams the NFL has to offer. The Jaguars offense struggled, but the defense kept them in the game when it mattered most, losing by only four points. The Jaguars offense will get clicking again after facing a good Packers defense, and matched with this young defense, the Jaguars are on the up-swing. Look out, NFL, the Jaguars are for real.

-    -     We got a nice treat this week in the form of Andrew Luck and the Colts versus Matthew Stafford and the Lions. The Lions won the shootout 39-35 after an incredible game-winning drive by Stafford (right after Andrew Luck had what appeared to be the game-winning drive). Stafford went 31/39 for 340 yards and three touchdowns compared to Luck’s 31/47 for 385 yards and four touchdowns. Both of these teams look to have strong passing offenses with defenses that will get them into plenty of shootouts (especially the Colts).

-    -     The gutsiest call of the week goes to Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, and it’s not even close. Down by seven to the Saints, the Raiders drove down the field and scored a touchdown. Pending the extra point, the game would be tied and likely sent to overtime. Instead, Del Rio went for the win and elected to go for two. This absolutely insane call would prove to be the right one, as the Raiders converted and went up by a single point. A missed 61-yard field goal later, the Raiders emerged victorious. Del Rio certainly won’t make calls like that every week (hopefully), but in this case it went exactly how he wanted it to go. Good for him.

-    -     Last point for this week, the Rams look awful. On a Monday night “game” against the struggling 49ers, the Rams came out flat and lost 0-28. For their first game as the Los Angeles Rams since 1994, they certainly put out a stinker. Hopefully this isn’t a sign of things to come (unless you’re a Titans fan), because if it is then there will be some massive changes coming this offseason. Don’t be fooled, 49ers’ fans, your team sucks, the Rams just suck more, apparently.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Who You Got?! Week One

And so starts another new series, Who You Got?! This series will be every Thursday before kickoff and will basically give you an idea of how each game of the week will go down. I refuse to do final score projections because a) it is impossible to predict a majority of the time and b) it's silly. The teams I project to win will be in bold. Along with my prediction of the winner of every game, I give a brief look at why I am picking each team to win. That's about all the explanation this needs. Let's get started (p.s. I obviously hate your team if I pick them to lose).

Thursday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Carolina Panthers @ Denver Broncos

A Super Bowl 50 rematch to open the regular season?! How kind of you, NFL. This game will be intense and I wish I could watch it live (stupid education getting in the way). Regardless, I’ll pay plenty of attention to what happens and how everyone played. For my money, the Panthers should be pretty pissed off going into this game. The Broncos lost some key contributors on defense and count me in as a non-believer in Trevor Siemian. Panthers will walk in and should win a close game.

Sunday Morning Football (10:00 am AZ time):

Oakland Raiders @ New Orleans Saints

The Raiders are a hot, young team on the rise and the Saints are an older team that looks to be regressing. The Saints defense should also be one of the worst, if not the worst, the NFL will see this season. The Raiders offense, featuring Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, should put up points with ease. While the Saints should be able to put up points, their defense will get them into a shootout. Quite frankly, I don’t believe the Saints offense can muster more than 20 points against this Raiders defense.

Cleveland Browns @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Browns are bad. Bad enough that an Eagles team featuring rookie Carson Wentz at quarterback should walk in and win a game that may look close on the box score but won’t be in reality. Ryan Mathews has to love this match-up against a mediocre Browns run defense. The Browns defense in general should be bad. If RGIII can return to his rookie season form, this game could go to the Browns. I’m just not a believer.

Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans

If Teddy Bridgewater was playing quarterback for the Vikings, I would take them in a heartbeat. This game, however, I lean towards a young and talented Titans team. The Vikings just simply won’t have the chemistry at quarterback no matter if Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford is the starter. The Vikings defense will have to win this game, but unless they can score two touchdowns and get a couple field goals, I don’t think the Vikings can take the beating of the Titans power run game right now. They certainly aren’t helped by the fact they are on the road in Tennessee.

San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs were the hottest team in the NFL last season, winning 11 straight games before losing to the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Chargers are coming off a four-win season and will be without their number one pick Joey Bosa. Keenan Allen is back, so that’s good news. But Rivers, behind a porous offensive line, will be under duress all day long. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will be without Jamaal Charles. Spencer Ware will likely get the start, but the Chiefs will through mistake free football led by Alex Smith.

Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets

I so badly want to pick the Bengals in this game. But without Tyler Eifert and with an inconsistent ground game, the Bengals might lose a shootout. I am banking on the Jets offense to pick up where the left off last season, but A.J. Green could have fits going up against Darrelle Revis. On the other side of things, the Jets wide receivers (Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker) should have a field day against an average secondary that lost interceptions leader Reggie Nelson this offseason. A stout defensive front seven led by Muhammad Wilkerson will help the Jets turn the Bengals into a one-dimensional offense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons

The Buccaneers a young team with a bright future. I don’t think they are playoff bound just yet, but this is a great opportunity to show the world who they are this season. The Falcons have a great offense matched with a below average defense. The Falcons should struggle to get any pressure on Winston as he fires bombs to Mike Evans (provided he catches them). All the Buccaneers need to do is slow down Julio Jones… good luck with that. Even in a hostile environment, I think the Bucs have a better defense that wins them the game in the long run.

Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens

OH NO, I TOOK THE RAVENS. I AM SUCH A HOMER! Hold up one second and let me explain before you attack me. Of course the fan in me will take the Ravens every week, but I am objective and not afraid to say what needs to be said. Therefore, the Bills are playing without their top two draft choices due to injury. The Ravens will roll out a unit that is completely healthy and stable thanks to Mark Trestman returning as the offensive coordinator. Both defenses are young with talented play makers, and the Ravens should have trouble with Sammy Watkins. In the end, the Ravens speed at receiver and dynamic backfield prove too much for the Bills defense that struggled to rush the passer last year.

Chicago Bears @ Houston Texans

The Bears will be a very fun team to watch this season, as they could either be 9-7 or 6-10. The defense appears to be much improved and could wind up a nice sleeper for this season. The offense has Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White at wide receiver, two big bodied, big play targets for Jay Cutler. The Texans have a J.J. Watt… oops. The Texans defense will harass Cutler all day long and bait Cutler into some bad interceptions. The Texans new and improved offense needs some time to gel, but some extra possessions courtesy of the defense will help with that problem.

Green Bay Packers @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Oh man, I want to take the Jaguars so badly… I just can’t bring myself to do it just yet. Aaron Rodgers gets Jordy Nelson and an in-shape Eddie Lacy back. Against a young Jaguars defense, these vets should move the ball well. Rodgers will take a few sacks, but it won’t be enough to stop him. The Jaguars offense should be able to keep themselves in the game for a while before a costly turnover proves to be the biggest difference maker. This is the Jags season! I can feel it! Just not this week…

Sunday Afternoon Football (1:05 and 1:25 pm AZ time):

Miami Dolphins @ Seattle Seahawks

I don’t have much to say about this game at all. Brand new head coach in Miami travels to face the 12^th man and one of the best teams in the NFL. Ryan Tannehill struggles. Russell Wilson throws darts while running for his life. The Seahawks win by at least two possessions.

Detroit Lions @ Indianapolis Colts

I may be alone in believing in the Lions to be a decent team this season, but Andrew Luck is back. With Luck back, the Colt’s offense could be hard to stop, against the pass at least. Ziggy Ansah will live in the Colt’s backfield, but it won’t be enough to stop T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief’s after the catch abilities. Not to mention, we have to see how the Lions handle life after Calvin Johnson. The Lions do have some nice options at receiver, but now we will truly see just how important Megatron was to this offense.

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott was electric in the preseason. Now let’s see how he handles first team defenses that will run complicated blitzes and zones. I think Dak will struggle in his first game while the Giants offense can’t be stopped against this terrible Dallas defense. The Cowboys will have to manufacture a pass rush, thanks to suspensions to pass rushers Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence, and that will lead to some big plays by the Giants offense. Oh, and I didn’t even mention Odell Beckham, did I? even in Jerry’s World, the Giants should come out on top with a crucial division win.

Sunday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

New England Patriots @ Arizona Cardinals

Oh man, I can’t wait for this game. Put this down as my game of the week, because this will be a classic smash mouth football game. Two Super Bowl contenders go head to head after both teams lost in their respective conference championship back in January. For what it’s worth, I would take the Cardinals even if Tom Brady were playing. But take Brady out of the equation and throw in Jimmy Garoppolo behind a bad offensive line and this could get ugly. I think the Pats keep it close, but I take the Cardinals with ease.

Monday Night Football (4:10 and 7:20 pm AZ time):

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Washington:

This Steelers offense will be high flying, even without Martavis Bryant. I believe in Josh Norman this year, but Antonio Brown will definitely get his dues. This Washington offense could end up being one of the better units in the NFL if Kirk Cousins can pick up where he left off and the team can get some semblance of a run game going. Both teams will feature average at best secondaries with great front sevens. The Steelers just have better talent offensively than Washington, and win in a shootout.

Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers:

The 49ers are bad. They will lose a lot of games this year. I promise. The Rams have a great defense and Todd Gurley to power the offense. The 49ers have Torrey Smith and not much else offensively. This will likely be a lopsided game. Give me LA by two possessions. Sorry, San Fran… it’s gonna be a long season…

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Quick Hits: Preseason Week Four

And so starts another new series, Who You Got?! This series will be every Thursday before kickoff and will basically give you an idea of how each game of the week will go down. I refuse to do final score projections because a) it is impossible to predict a majority of the time and b) it's silly. The teams I project to win will be in bold. Along with my prediction of the winner of every game, I give a brief look at why I am picking each team to win. That's about all the explanation this needs. Let's get started (p.s. I obviously hate your team if I pick them to lose).

Thursday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

Carolina Panthers @ Denver Broncos

A Super Bowl 50 rematch to open the regular season?! How kind of you, NFL. This game will be intense and I wish I could watch it live (stupid education getting in the way). Regardless, I’ll pay plenty of attention to what happens and how everyone played. For my money, the Panthers should be pretty pissed off going into this game. The Broncos lost some key contributors on defense and count me in as a non-believer in Trevor Siemian. Panthers will walk in and should win a close game.

Sunday Morning Football (10:00 am AZ time):

Oakland Raiders @ New Orleans Saints

The Raiders are a hot, young team on the rise and the Saints are an older team that looks to be regressing. The Saints defense should also be one of the worst, if not the worst, the NFL will see this season. The Raiders offense, featuring Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, should put up points with ease. While the Saints should be able to put up points, their defense will get them inti a shootout. Quite frankly, I don’t believe the Saints offense can muster more than 20 points against this Raiders defense.

Cleveland Browns @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Browns are bad. Bad enough that an Eagles team featuring rookie Carson Wentz at quarterback should walk in and win a game that may look close on the box score but won’t be in reality. Ryan Mathews has to love this matchup against a mediocre Browns run defense. The Browns defense in general should be bad. If RGIII can return to his rookie season form, this game could go to the Browns. I’m just not a believer.

Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans

If Teddy Bridgewater was playing quarterback for the Vikings, I would take them in a heartbeat. This game, however, I lean towards a young and talented Titans team. The Vikings just simply won’t have the chemistry at quarterback no matter if Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford is the starter. The Vikings defense will have to win this game, but unless they can score two touchdowns and get a couple field goals, I don’t think the Vikings can take the beating of the Titans power run game right now. They certainly aren’t helped by the fact they are on the road in Tennessee.

San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs were the hottest team in the NFL last season, winning 11 straight games before losing to the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Chargers are coming off a four-win season and will be without their number one pick Joey Bosa. Keenan Allen is back, so that’s good news. But Rivers, behind a porous offensive line, will be under duress all day long. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will be without Jamaal Charles. Spencer Ware will likely get the start, but the Chiefs will through mistake free football led by Alex Smith.

Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets

I so badly want to pick the Bengals in this game. But without Tyler Eifert and with an inconsistent ground game, the Bengals might lose a shootout. I am banking on the Jets offense to pick up where the left off last season, but A.J. Green could have fits going up against Darrelle Revis. On the other side of things, the Jets wide receivers (Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker) should have a field day against an average secondary that lost interceptions leader Reggie Nelson this offseason. A stout defensive front seven led by Muhammad Wilkerson will help the Jets turn the Bengals into a one-dimensional offense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons

The Buccaneers a young team with a bright future. I don’t think they are playoff bound just yet, but this is a great opportunity to show the world who they are this season. The Falcons have a great offense matched with a below average defense. The Falcons should struggle to get any pressure on Winston as he fires bombs to Mike Evans (provided he catches them). All the Buccaneers need to do is slow down Julio Jones… good luck with that. Even in a hostile environment, I think the Bucs have a better defense that wins them the game in the long run.

Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens

OH NO, I TOOK THE RAVENS. I AM SUCH A HOMER! Hold up one second and let me explain before you attack me. Of course the fan in me will take the Ravens every week, but I am objective and not afraid to say what needs to be said. Therefore, the Bills are playing without their top two draft choices due to injury. The Ravens will roll out a unit that is completely healthy and stable thanks to Mark Trestman returning as the offensive coordinator. Both defenses are young with talented play makers, and the Ravens should have trouble with Sammy Watkins. In the end, the Ravens speed at receiver and dynamic backfield prove too much for the Bills defense that struggled to rush the passer last year.

Chicago Bears @ Houston Texans

The Bears will be a very fun team to watch this season, as they could either be 9-7 or 6-10. The defense appears to be much improved and could wind up a nice sleeper for this season. The offense has Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White at wide receiver, two big bodied, big play targets for Jay Cutler. The Texans have a J.J. Watt… oops. The Texans defense will harass Cutler all day long and bait Cutler into some bad interceptions. The Texans new and improved offense needs some time to gel, but some extra possessions curtesy of the defense will help with that problem.

Green Bay Packers @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Oh man, I want to take the Jaguars so badly… I just can’t bring myself to do it just yet. Aaron Rodgers gets Jordy Nelson and an in-shape Eddie Lacy back. Against a young Jaguars defense, these vets should move the ball well. Rodgers will take a few sacks, but it won’t be enough to stop him. The Jaguars offense should be able to keep themselves in the game for a while before a costly turnover proves to be the biggest difference maker. This is the Jags season! I can feel it! Just not this week…

Sunday Afternoon Football (1:05 and 1:25 pm AZ time):

Miami Dolphins @ Seattle Seahawks

I don’t have much to say about this game at all. Brand new head coach in Miami travels to face the 12^th man and one of the best teams in the NFL. Ryan Tannehill struggles. Russell Wilson throws darts while running for his life. The Seahawks win by at least two possessions.

Detroit Lions @ Indianapolis Colts

I may be alone in believing in the Lions to be a decent team this season, but Andrew Luck is back. With Luck back, the Colt’s offense could be hard to stop, against the pass at least. Ziggy Ansah will live in the Colt’s backfield, but it won’t be enough to stop T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief’s after the catch abilities. Not to mention, we have to see how the Lions handle life after Calvin Johnson. The Lions do have some nice options at receiver, but now we will truly see just how important Megatron was to this offense.

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott was electric in the preseason. Now let’s see how he handles first team defenses that will run complicated blitzes and zones. I think Dak will struggle in his first game while the Giants offense can’t be stopped against this terrible Dallas defense. The Cowboys will have to manufacture a pass rush, thanks to suspensions to pass rushers Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence, and that will lead to some big plays by the Giants offense. Oh, and I didn’t even mention Odell Beckham, did I? even in Jerry’s World, the Giants should come out on top with a crucial division win.

Sunday Night Football (5:30 pm AZ time):

New England Patriots @ Arizona Cardinals

Oh man, I can’t wait for this game. Put this down as my game of the week, because this will be a classic smash mouth football game. Two Super Bowl contenders go head to head after both teams lost in their respective conference championship back in January. For what it’s worth, I would take the Cardinals even if Tom Brady were playing. But take Brady out of the equation and throw in Jimmy Garoppolo behind a bad offensive line and this could get ugly. I think the Pats keep it close, but I take the Cardinals with ease.

Monday Night Football (4:10 and 7:20 pm AZ time):

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Washington:

This Steelers offense will be high flying, even without Martavis Bryant. I believe in Josh Norman this year, but Antonio Brown will definitely get his dues. This Washington offense could end up being one of the better units in the NFL if Kirk Cousins can pick up where he left off and the team can get some semblance of a run game going. Both teams will feature average at best secondaries with great front sevens. The Steelers just have better talent offensively than Washington, and win in a shootout.

Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers:

The 49ers are bad. They will lose a lot of games this year. I promise. The Rams have a great defense and Todd Gurley to power the offense. The 49ers have Torrey Smith and not much else offensively. This will likely be a lopsided game. Give me LA by two possessions. Sorry, San Fran… it’s gonna be a long season…