NFL Bold Predictions; Week 3
The Broncos Shutout The Bills In Buffalo
Of all the bold predictions I’m making for this week, this one is the most modest. Granted a shutout is never an easy task and seldom happens in the NFL (coincidently, last season the Bills shutout the Patriots 16-0, but that was against Jacoby Brissett, so it hardly counts). However, if there was ever a game that was ripe for a shutout, it’s this one.
The Broncos defense looked their usual selves, and on some plays, better than even that. They managed to dominate the Cowboys well into the fourth quarter and well into a 35-10 lead.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Bills offense looked atrocious. Their one and only strategy of giving LeSean McCoy the ball wasn’t working, and oh man, they had nothing else that even resembled a viable offense! How will McCoy fair against a Broncos unit that just held premium runner Ezekiel Elliott to less than 1 yard-per-carry?! Also, the Bills O-line isn’t nearly as stout as the Cowboys’, nor is Tyrod Taylor as talented as Dak Prescott. Best of luck to you Buffalo.
Christian McCaffrey Totals 120+ Yards And 2 TDs Against The Saints
McCaffrey has been a frustrating player to watch in his first two games, especially if you drafted him high in your fantasy leagues. The rookie has tallied 57 rushing yards and 72 receiving yards total. However, I think he matches that total and scores twice in this game, mostly because he’s playing against the Saints.
New Orleans looks true to form already, giving up 65 points over their first two games. Now the hapless Saints travel to Carolina to face a Panthers offense that appears far more competent than they did last season. Also, the Panthers just lost Greg Olsen, a target monster on that team, for multiple weeks. More than likely, McCaffrey will get a decent share of Olsen’s looks (Kelvin Benjamin is likely to benefit the most from Olsen’s injury). With more opportunities, and facing a porous defense, McCaffrey is in store for the breakout performance we’ve all been anticipating.
Todd Gurley Rushes For 150 yards Against The Niners
A lot, maybe even an excessive amount, has been said of Gurley’s production. Although he’s been more productive under Sean McVay’s coaching, Gurley still lacks the efficiency many believe he’s capable of. Luckily for the young running back, he’s playing the Niners on Thursday night.
San Francisco has been terrible at stopping the run for a couple of seasons now. One of Gurley’s most memorable rookie performances, a game in which he broke off a 70-yard touchdown run, was against the Niners. Even this past weekend, facing Seattle’s atrocious offensive line (when are they going to fix that?) rookie Chris Carson piled on 93 yards! The Rams are in a must-win situation (primarily because the NFC West title is up for grabs) after their home loss to the Redskins. Given these elements, I’d expect Gurley to get 25 carries, which with a couple of big plays, can potentially give him 150. More realistically, he’ll finish at a tad over 100 yards, but 100 yards isn’t bold at all.
Los Angeles Rams Running Back Todd Gurley. Photo Credit: Christina VanMeter – Under Creative Commons License
Derek Carr Throws For 400 Yards And 4 TDs Against The Redskins
I’m so excited for Sunday night’s game! Not just because of this bold prediction, but more so because I think it’s going to be a shoot-out! The Raiders defense has been pretty solid, well, at least their front-7 have. Despite how talented the Raiders are right now, their secondary is their greatest weakness. Similarly, the Redskins have a pretty lousy defense in general. Carr and
Carr and Kirk Cousins are going to start the contest by testing their opposing defensive backs. Both quarterbacks will quickly realize they have the advantage. Naturally, this will lead Carr and Cousins to lean on their aerial attacks. Now, Cousins and the Redskins aren’t awful, but certainly, they’re nowhere near as gifted as the Raiders. Carr is going to reignite his MVP contention by peppering Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, and Jared Cook with a diverse and unpredictable range of short, mid, and deep passes.
Eventually, the Redskins won’t be able to keep pace with Carr, which will ultimately result in his stellar performance and a Raiders’ victory. Not like a sane fantasy football manager wouldn’t, but make sure you’re starting all Raiders’ skill players this week.
Jarvis Landry Scores 2 TDs Against The Jets
To the uninformed fan or the folks that casually watch football on Sundays, this prediction doesn’t seem bold at all. For the knowledgeable NFL aficionado, more than likely the type of person to read this piece, Landry scoring two touchdowns in a game is downright ridiculous. Truth be told, this forecast is partly wishful thinking on my behalf (I might’ve just lost Jordy Nelson in our Sports Al Dente league and my team is pretty thin at the wideout position). But, there is some rationale to this offbeat projection.
In the Dolphins first game of the season, Landry drew an unreal 44% of Jay Cutler’s targets. His bounty of catches only translated into 78 yards, but that yardage total is more reflective of the offensive game plan. It was fairly evident that the Dolphins didn’t want Cutler to be his usual gung-ho self. They employed a more conservative and run-heavy approach, which I suppose worked out given that Cutler didn’t throw an interception and the Dolphins won. This Sunday the Dolphins have the distinct pleasure of facing the Jets, a team that just yielded 45 points to the Raiders.
Obviously, I don’t think the Fins will match anywhere near that total. However, three touchdowns through the air are more than reasonable, and given Landry’s numerous opportunities (some of which were in the red zone) it stands to reason that he can snag two scores… well, at least I hope it does.