| Here's a Ferringo's-eye view of Week 3 in the National | | | | according to every guffawing columnist across the |
| Football League: | | | | country they're the Best Team Ever so it shouldn't |
| | | | matter, right? |
| New England at Pittsburgh (-3) | | | | 4) Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) - The Bengals made one |
| Once again, the Patriots are involved in the Game of | | | | of the largest jumps from last week's Power Rankings |
| the Week. They're dogs entering the Steel City, and | | | | (up eight slots from 12). But memo to Chad Johnson: |
| are going up against the best team in football right | | | | don't call out Mike Brown (just ask Marcus Pollard). I |
| now. Ben Roethlisberger has a ridiculous 153.6 passer | | | | hope my Bears knocks these guys back into the |
| rating, which is nearly perfect. He's also 16-1 as a | | | | Dave Shula Days. |
| starter, which is nearly perfect and is looking to | | | | 5) Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) - Despite their off-field |
| avenge the only loss of his pro career - a 41-27 | | | | issues, they already have a division road win and are |
| blowout at the hands of the Pats in the AFC Title | | | | averaging 161.5 yards per game on the ground. |
| Game last January. | | | | However, they are just 1-4 ATS in Denver, where |
| | | | they play on Monday. |
| Pittsburgh is once again the top running team in the | | | | 6) Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) - McNabb and Owens |
| league, bruising its way to 170.5 yards per game | | | | share the cover on this week's Sports Illustrated. I don't |
| (without their two best runners) and 4.7 yards per | | | | buy the love fest. It's easy to get along when you're up |
| carry. The Steelers also rank fourth on defense, but | | | | 42-3 at home, but let's see what happens when |
| are just 17th against the run. The Patriots, on the other | | | | they're in a tough spot. |
| hand, are only averaging 2.4 yards per carry, and they | | | | 7) Carolina Panthers (1-1) - Peter King said that Brees' |
| are the 12th-ranked defense in the NFL. In two games, | | | | interception against the Broncos last week was one of |
| they've yielded 23.5 points a game. | | | | the worst he's ever seen. My vote goes to Jake |
| | | | Delhomme's toss to New England's Mike Vrabel, who |
| Per usual, Tom Brady will be the key to any upset | | | | returned it for a TD. |
| chance that New England has. Brady's shoulder is | | | | 8) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) - Losing safety Donovin |
| officially listed as probable, and he'll be looking to | | | | Darius for the year is a huge blow. Also, Byron |
| avenge his poor performance (69.3 rating) against | | | | Leftwich is on his way to becoming the next Steve |
| Carolina last week. That rating was the 17th worst of | | | | McNair - doesn't practice due to injury then steps up |
| his 73 starts (in which he is 58-15). However, he's 10-4 | | | | and plays/leads his team on Sunday. |
| in games following his previous 14 losses and has | | | | 9) Atlanta Falcons (1-1) - Backup QB Matt Schaub has |
| posted a passer rating close to 95 in those games. | | | | been an All-World Preseason player the last two |
| | | | years, and there are actually some rednecks in |
| Cincinnati (-3) at Chicago | | | | Georgia that would love to see him get his own shot. |
| The Pats and Steelers may be the Game of the | | | | Those same folks have an IQ lower than Vick's |
| Week, but I really think that this is the most intriguing | | | | passer rating of 73.4. Atlanta is 2-11 in games that Vick |
| matchup of Week 3. It pits two young, up-and-coming | | | | hasn't started in the last three years. |
| teams - one with a high-powered offense and one | | | | 10) Washington Redskins (2-0) - I really didn't think |
| with a hard-hitting defense - each trying to make a | | | | Mark Brunell could still throw it that far. I guess Roy |
| name for itself among the top teams in their | | | | Williams didn't think so either. |
| respective conferences. | | | | 11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) - They've only |
| | | | faced 32 rushing attempts in two games, but the Bucs |
| In this corner, Cincinnati has been the "Best Team | | | | defense is giving up only 40 yards per game on the |
| That Nobody is Talking About" thus far by demolishing | | | | ground and 2.5 yards per carry. |
| Cleveland and Minnesota. The Bengals and their Big | | | | 12) Dallas Cowboys (1-1) - Blame that loss on |
| Three - Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and Rudi | | | | whichever linebacker that was that got juked by a |
| Johnson - have led Cincy to the No. 1 offense in the | | | | 57-year-old Brunell on that 3rd-and-27 scramble. |
| league. They are averaging 462 yards per game, with | | | | 13) Buffalo Bills (1-1) - Bills fans, this is what you get |
| 157 coming on the ground and 305 through the air. | | | | with a first-year QB. Trust me, I know. I'd be more |
| Palmer has been lights out (five TD's and a 107.8 | | | | worried about Willis McGahee dancing in the holes. |
| rating), and is being backed by a defense that has | | | | 14) Seattle Seahawks (1-1) - Seattle is that quiet, shifty |
| already forced a ridiculous 10 takeaways. | | | | guy in the corner booth of the bar. He seems |
| | | | unassuming, but you keep looking over your shoulder |
| And in this corner, Chicago has been the "Best Team | | | | because you don't know if he's going to snap and kill |
| that Everyone Forgot Existed" until they posted a | | | | everyone or just get blasted and stumble home. |
| 32-point win last week over the Lions. The Bears have | | | | 15) Chicago Bears (1-1) - Brian Urlacher has 15 solo |
| gone back to their roots - run the ball (114 ypg, 4.1 ypc) | | | | tackles and three sacks in two games. Now where |
| and playing good defense (7th overall). This is a big | | | | are all those ass-clowns that said he was overrated? |
| spot for a team that's on the verge of having some | | | | Also, linebacker Lance Briggs has just been wrecking |
| confidence. If they can defend their turf they enter | | | | people. |
| their bye week on a 2-1 roll with putrid Cleveland | | | | 16) Denver Broncos (1-1) - Remember how everyone |
| waiting on the other side. | | | | ripped on them for picking up the Browns front four |
| | | | (worst in the league against the run in '04)? Well, |
| But a win is far from given. Kyle Orton played well for | | | | Denver is currently 22nd against the rush (115 ypg) with |
| Chicago last weekend (translation: no turnovers) and | | | | K.C. rolling into town. |
| will again have to protect the ball against the Bengals. | | | | 17) New York Giants (2-0) - If they go on the road |
| | | | and beat San Diego I still won't jump on the |
| Atlanta at Buffalo (2.5) | | | | bandwagon - but I'll be very, very impressed. |
| There are certainly quarterback issues for both of | | | | 18) New Orleans Saints (1-1) - After what they've |
| these teams. Mike Vick is listed as questionable this | | | | been through and where they've been through over |
| weekend with a sore hamstring, and J.P. Losman is | | | | the last month (Oakland to Texas to Carolina to New |
| unofficially questionable after getting benched last | | | | York and now to Minnesota) Jim Haslett has a right to |
| week for one drive against Tampa Bay. I would put | | | | vent. That team just looked worn out in the fourth |
| Vick at about 85 percent to play. Also, Losman will | | | | quarter of that MNF game. |
| again seize the reigns for Buffalo, and don't be | | | | 19) New York Jets (1-1) - The good news is that |
| surprised to see Mike Mularkey dig into his | | | | Curtis Martin didn't tear any knee ligaments (MRI was |
| bag-of-tricks and pull out some gimmicks this weekend. | | | | negative). The bad news is that safety Erik Coleman |
| | | | just had thumb surgery and may not be available. |
| This game will be a slugfest. Atlanta is fifth in the | | | | 20) Detroit Lions (1-1) - Monday, Steve Mariucci says |
| league in rushing (157 ypg, 4.6 ypc) and Buffalo is 15th | | | | that the team has no interest in ex-Buc Shaun King. |
| (100 ypg, 3.8 ypc). The Bills are second in the league in | | | | Tuesday, King and Jeff George worked out for the |
| total defense, but are just 30th in rushing after getting | | | | Lions. Tick-tock, Joey Harrington. Tick-tock. |
| rolled by Tampa Bay (191 rush yards) last Sunday. | | | | 21) San Diego Chargers (0-2) - This isn't a bad team |
| Atlanta, on the other hand, will most likely be without | | | | at all. However they've absolutely given away two |
| cornerback/kick returner Allen Rossum and defensive | | | | games already. Ah, Marty Ball. |
| end Brady Smith, who are two key cogs. Rossum is | | | | 22) St. Louis Rams (1-1) - I still don't think they're |
| particularly important because the Falcons are already | | | | running the ball enough. However, they are third in the |
| without corner Kevin Mathis - leaving the secondary | | | | league in offensive time of possession (34:07 per |
| very vulnerable. | | | | game). |
| | | | 23) Oakland Raiders (0-2) - Despite playing two of |
| New York Giants at San Diego (-5.5) | | | | the best rushing teams in the NFL, the Raiders D is |
| I hope Eli brings his ear plugs. This will be Manning's | | | | giving up a paltry 3.0 yards per carry. However, they |
| first appearance in San Diego, the city that drafted him | | | | need to start pressuring quarterbacks. Their two |
| first overall in 2004 even though he said he wanted | | | | sacks are tied for worst in the league. |
| nothing to do with that organization. Also, Manning and | | | | 24) Tennessee Titans (1-1) - Their win over Baltimore |
| the 2-0 G-Men will be rolling into the den of a team | | | | last week wasn't a fluke from the standpoint that while |
| that, at 0-2, is desperate for a win. | | | | they don't have the depth to compete this season, |
| | | | they certainly have the talent to jump up and bite an |
| Yes, the Giants are 2-0. But they are the fraudulent | | | | unsuspecting team. |
| kind of undefeated. They tooled on the Cardinals (who | | | | 23) Baltimore Ravens (0-2) - Right now their run-pass |
| doesn't?) and then topped an emotionally spent Saints | | | | ratio is almost 3-to-1, but not the way you'd expect. So |
| club in a "road" game in Jersey. They have scored 69 | | | | far they've thrown 95 passes to go with only 34 |
| points so far. Pretty impressive, right? But they're 26th | | | | rushes. Unreal. |
| in total offense and have run the second fewest plays | | | | 26) Miami (1-1) - People are already calling Ronnie |
| (104) in the league. They've mostly been the | | | | Brown (34 attempts, 94 yards, 0 TD's) a bust because |
| beneficiary of special teams flukes and turnovers. | | | | he's not putting up the numbers that Cadillac Williams |
| Defensively, they're allowed 370 yards per contest. | | | | (54-276-2) is. I think it's way too early to be making |
| | | | those claims. |
| San Diego, on the other hand, is playing well until it | | | | 27) Minnesota Vikings (0-2) - Just a thought, but |
| matters. Drew Brees and Co. were on their way to a | | | | maybe it's not Randy Moss that they miss the most. |
| crucial road win over Denver last weekend until Drew | | | | Maybe it's former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan |
| Brees threw a horrible INT that Champ Bailey returned | | | | (now in Miami). |
| for a touchdown. The week before, they had benched | | | | 28) Cleveland Browns (1-1) - As bad as the Packers |
| Antonio Gates and decided to give LaDainian | | | | were, any time you go into Green Bay and get a win |
| Tomlinson only two touches in the fourth quarter of a | | | | it's an accomplishment. |
| four-point loss to Dallas. It's tough to have must-win | | | | 29) San Francisco 49ers (1-1) - They lost by 39 points, |
| games in September, but this is pretty close for the | | | | but I had to move them up one slot this week because |
| Bolts. | | | | the teams behind them looked that awful. |
| | | | 30) Arizona Cardinals (0-2) - Kurt Warner got sacked |
| FREE PICK (YTD 0-1): This week I like Indianapolis to | | | | five times last week and was hit six others. If they |
| cover the 13.5 against the Browns. In 2004 the Colts | | | | can't get the running game going - Marcel Shipp will |
| had one of the Greatest Offenses Football Has Ever | | | | start this weekend - then they're going to get Warner |
| Seen. But over their last three games - dating back to | | | | killed. Their run-pass ratio is 37 rushes to 98 passes. |
| the playoff loss in Foxboro - they've managed just 12 | | | | Not good. |
| points per contest. I'm looking for them to break out in | | | | 31) Green Bay Packers (0-2) - Wow. This team is a |
| a big way at home against a Cleveland team that's | | | | total mess, on all fronts, and shows no signs of |
| 30th in the NFL against the pass. Also, I think the | | | | improving. They just don't have the talent on either side |
| Brownies are due for a letdown after a tough road | | | | of the ball. |
| win in Lambeau last Sunday. | | | | 32) Houston Texans (0-2) - Jason Babin and Philip |
| | | | Buchanon - a tandem whom the Texans traded a |
| 1) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) - It's really tough to be | | | | combined five first-day draft picks for the rights to - |
| picky about a team that's looked so good, but they are | | | | have both been benched. |
| allowing the opposition to convert 48 percent of their | | | | |
| third downs. | | | | Questions or comments for Robert? e-mail |
| 2) Indianapolis Colts (2-0) - This team has the | | | | |
| purposeful look of a group on a Mission. It hasn't been | | | | Doc's Sports Handy Links:2005 NFL SchedulesSuper |
| smoke and mirrors, but good ol' fashioned toughness. | | | | Bowl 2006NFL power rankingsDoc's Sports |
| Let's see if they can sustain it. | | | | Handicapping Service |
| 3) New England Patriots (1-1) - This game at | | | | 1-866-238-6696Since 1971 Doc's Sports has been |
| Pittsburgh is part of their Murderer's Row schedule | | | | recognized as one of the leaders and most trusted |
| that has them hosting San Diego, at Atlanta, at Denver, | | | | names in sports handicapping information. |
| bye, hosting Buffalo and hosting Indianapolis. But hey, | | | | |