Pittsburgh Steelers vs New England Patriots

Tonight sees the return of the NFL as the road to Super Bowl 50 begins and we have a mouth-watering encounter for opening night with Ben Roethlisberger's Steelers heading to Gillette Stadium to face an old foe in the form of Tom Brady and the defending champions New England.

The Steelers will look to gate-crash tonight's party at Foxboro as the Patriots unveil their fourth Super Bowl winners banner before giving the team a heroes reception as they step on to the field especially Tom Brady who has an to endure a troublesome offseason with the drama of 'Deflategate' and he more than anyone will be glad to get back to playing football. The last time the Patriots were involved in controversy was back in 2007 with 'Spygate' which seemed to ignite a spark in Bill Belichick's team and saw them finish the regular season 16-0 so who would bet against Bill and Tom pulling off one more masterclass this season just to rub further salt in to the wounds of Roger Goodell.

An undefeated season is a long way away and admittedly talking about one is crazy especially in week one plus as we know going unbeaten doesn't guarantee you a Super Bowl ring as the Pats found out back in 2007 (ask Peyton Manning too) but those demons were put to rest back in February so now its onwards and upwards. The quest for a fifth championship will be very tough especially against a Steelers team that has a powerful offense led by their two time Super Bowl winning quarterback. Big Ben and Mike Tomlin are quite the force themselves and they will have prepared their game plan very well for tonight looking to exploit a Patriots secondary that has seen Revis and Browner depart which I am sure will take a few weeks to sort out.

There are suspicions that Devin McCourty will move to corner but as the linchpin of the teams secondary at his normal position of safety taking Devin back to his old position at corner where he endured some struggles early in his career could be a risk especially as he himself has said that if he is moved to the outside that he hopes it isn't permanent. It will be interesting to see how Malcom Butler kicks on after his Super Bowl heroics especially as he will see a lot more snaps this season following the departures mentioned above.

With there being concerns regarding New England's secondary the Steelers will look to use Big Ben's rocket arm to exploit any holes downfield and he could well do so as he has arguably the most dynamic receiver in the NFL at his disposal in Antonio Brown. Brown is poised to have a fantastic year but without Martavis Bryant opposite him for the first four games of the season due to suspension as well as the fact that the brilliant Le'Veon Bell is suspended tonight as well so the Steelers’ game plan could become rather predictable.

When coming up against Bill Belichick it is very hard to spring a surprise on the Patriots head coach and considering that without Bell the Steelers will lack any real threat in the running game it will be interesting to see if Mike Tomlin has anything up his sleeve. Wide receiver Markus Wheaton will get a chance in these first four games to prove his worth to the Steelers offense without Bryant as he will step up to WR2; Roethlisberger will have to release his passes quickly which does basically sound like using a recipe for success that has worked so well for Tom Brady and the Pats over the years against themselves tonight.

That will be key to any success the Steelers have offensively tonight especially as the Patriots front 7 on defense this year looks incredible so running the ball on them will be extremely difficult as well as passing in the middle of the field as Jerod Mayo, Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins are three incredible linebackers who know how to get the job done. The loss of Mayo to a season ending injury last campaign appeared to be troublesome for New England at first but in fact it increased the responsibility for Collins and Hightower which sky rocketed their development with the two excelling in pressure situations which ultimately gave the defense a new identity and was truly influential in helping the Pats win the Super Bowl last season.

On the flip side of things the Steelers defense is not what it once was in terms of your typical hard defense that themselves and the Baltimore Ravens are known for over in the AFC North. The Steelers are going through a transitional stage on that side of the ball and despite the fact that Tom Brady won't have former Steeler Lagarrette Blount to hand the ball of tonight everyone knows that Brady is more than comfortable in throwing the ball 35-45 times tonight and getting the job done through the air. If anything that will suit Brady as I am sure he is so pumped up and fuelled with the fire inside to get on the field tonight to just get back to playing football and show why he is the greatest quarterback of all-time.

The 4 time winning Super Bowl QB is also without wideout Brandon LaFell but his rapport with Julian Edelman is impeccable so you can expect the two to have a great season together. Danny Amendola will look to kick on following his impressive postseason and establish himself in the offense. The most exciting sign for Patriots is Scott Chandler being paired with superstar Rob Gronkowski as this could be the new two-headed monster that the team has longed for at the tight end position. The Patriots will be incredible in the red zone tonight with these two on the field especially with Edelman and Amendola running the slants and then when Blount is back you can add a power running game in to their arsenal which will only make the red zone offense more devastating.

The Steelers will try their best to catch the Patriots off guard and may even throw in some surprise nickel and dime packages on defense but a New England win appears to be well on the cards tonight. With the red zone threat mentioned above despite the Patriots having some uncertainties in their own running game they'll be able to pass their way through the Steelers as they don't have the personnel to jam the Patriots weapons at the line and stop them. With opening nights there are usually fireworks but they are also prone for error as during the early weeks the teams get a feel for the new season with what is working and what isn't but with this old rivalry being renewed I think we can expect more fireworks than anything else with Tom Brady bringing home a victory to a crowd of happy Patriots!

Prediction: Steelers 17-27 Patriots

Big Ben has two wins to Brady's 5 in their head to head

NFL Playoffs: 2014 season

With the regular season reaching its climax the playoffs are now set to begin with wild card weekend. 8 teams play this weekend whilst 12 are dreaming of appearing at Super Bowl XLIV on February 1st. There are four stellar games on display for all of us NFL fans this weekend whilst the likes of the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers are on a bye waiting to see who they will go up against in next weeks divisional round. Let us have a look at all the teams in the playoffs, the legitimate contenders and their chances to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy with my predictions and thoughts on who will win it in Arizona in less than a month!

NFC contenders:

Seattle Seahawks (12-4) NFC West winners: Home field advantage and a first round bye
Green Bay Packers (12-4) NFC North winner: First round bye
Dallas Cowboys (12-4) NFC East winners

NFC pretenders:

Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) NFC South winners
Arizona Cardinals (11-5) wildcard
Detroit Lions (11-5) wildcard

Seattle Seahawks: 

Can the Seahawks repeat?

The NFC's road to the Super Bowl will go through Seattle for a second successive season after the Seahawks reeled off a 6 game winning streak to end the season in style and take the number one seed. The defending champions are looking to establish a dynasty and become the first franchise to win back to back Super Bowls since the Patriots did it in the 2003 season and then the 2004 season. It is hard to bet against Pete Carroll's team considering their many qualities as well as their 24-2 record at CenturyLink Field since Russell Wilson became the team's starting quarterback.

The defense has got back to its devastating best following a sluggish 2-2 start to the season. They lead the league in many categories giving up a league best of just 15.9 points a game and only 254 points in the teams 16 regular season games making them one of just 5 teams to give up less than 300 points on the year as well as being the only defense to give up less than 300 net yards per game (267.1). These stats along with the fact that the team ranks 4th in turnover differential shows how hard it is to compete against this defense and personally I think only the Packers or Cowboys are equipped to dethrone the current champions.

We know how good their defense is with the playmakers they have and whilst their offense may not have many superstars but they have two of the best at their respective positions in the shape of Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch. Wilson had back to back seasons with 26 touchdowns and although that has dropped to 20 this season his interceptions are down to just 7 on the year and the 2014 has seen him rack up the most passing yardage in a season since he has come in to the league. Wilson is one of the best game managers in the game and grows as a leader as well as a QB all the time so with Lynch behind him, who is tied for first in the league, with 13 touchdowns on the year then we can see why this team has many tools to beat any opposition and with this team firing on all cylinders at the right time Seattle could well be appearing in another Super Bowl.


Green Bay Packers:

Can Rodgers guide Green Bay to his second Super Bowl?

The Green Bay Packers just missed out on the first seed in the NFC following an uncharacteristic slip up against the Bills towards the end of the season. After their week 8 loss in New Orleans when the Packers were blown out by the Saints 44-23 the Packers had a bye week and then came out on a vengeance racking up 5 wins in the process scoring 201 points meaning they averaged 40.2 points per game during that streak before the collapse in Buffalo. That slip up allowed Seattle to snatch the first seed which could prove crucial if these two teams go head to head in the NFC Championship.

Luckily for the Packers is that should Seattle lose or at least until they have to face Seattle they will play at Lambeau Field where they finished the season 8-0. Should the Cowboys defeat the Lions on Sunday then Dallas, who are 8-0 on the road this season, will travel to Lambeau and face off in a thrilling contest. It appears likely in most people's eyes that Green Bay will face Dallas with the winner traveling to Seattle in the NFC Championship and that is a sentiment I would agree with.

Aaron Rodgers walking in to Seattle with the Super Bowl on the line will definitely mean that we see the real A-Rod as opposed to the timid Aaron Rodgers that was rattled and came unstuck back in week one of the regular season when the Pack were blown out 36-16. Rodgers is for me the most complete quarterback in football as he can make all the throws and when he is in the groove there is nobody better. I also agree with an article I read recently regarding the MVP race which suggested Rodgers could and probably would have hit 50 touchdowns with over 5,000 passing yards this season had the Packers not blown out so many teams by halftime this campaign. Rodgers finished the regular season with 38 touchdowns (ranked 3rd) to just 5 interceptions and a overall QB rating of 112.2 which ranked second only to Tony Romo. With Rodgers' talent, the weapons he has around him on such as Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy on the ground along with a defense that leads the league in turnover differential with +14 then it is easy to see why Green Bay are equipped to make a run at a Lombardi this month.


Dallas Cowboys:

Big D finally has something to smile about

The Dallas Cowboys have finally made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 as they go in pursuit of their first championship since 1995. Personally I am glad the Cowboys made the postseason and that is for one reason... Tony Romo! I for one am a Romo supporter and Tony himself hasn't had his fair share of them in years gone by but he has stepped up this season coming off a back surgery and on a year when many were predicting an awful campaign from Dallas. Now Romo's supporting cast has definitely helped him but all the great quarterbacks have had support in their careers whether it be on their side of the ball or a defense that has stepped up during runs to a championship.

Romo had the leagues leading rusher behind him this year in DeMarco Murray who ran for 1,845 yards, a league best 15 touchdowns and was also the only back in the league who averaged over 100 yards per game (115.3). He has Dez Bryant in the passing game with the two having amazing chemistry, a revamped offensive line that has made his life a hell of a lot easier and a defense that has completely turned themselves around following a horrendous 2013 campaign to a defense that can make plays and force turnovers; they rank 9th in turnover differential with +6 and have 18 interceptions on the year ranking them in 7th.

Romo himself had a very good year and a fantastic December which put his name in the MVP conversation in December he completed 74.8% of his passes with 12 touchdowns and to just one interception for a 133.7 passer rating which is the highest passer rating in NFL history for the month. Overall on the year Romo had 34 touchdowns (ranked 4th) to just 9 interceptions which matched his career best in a season where he has started every game and funnily enough that was in 2009 which was the last time Dallas made the postseason and where Romo got his lone playoff win. Romo led the league with a passer 113.2 and his fantastic 2014 season has propelled himself to second on the list all-time for career passer rating leaders at 97.6 which puts him 0.1 ahead of Peyton Manning and only behind Aaron Rodgers on the list, his main rival for the MVP award. Now we could talk all day about how Romo and the Cowboys have improved but that will count for nothing if they don't at least beat the Lions on Sunday and give themselves a shot of mixing it with the big boys in the form of Green Bay and Seattle and based on the talent of this team I think Jason Garrett's men will get that chance.


AFC Contenders:

New England Patriots (12-4) AFC East winners: Home field advantage and a first round bye
Denver Broncos (12-4) AFC West winner: First round bye
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) AFC North winners

AFC Pretenders:

Indianapolis Colts (11-5) AFC South winners
Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1) wildcard
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) wildcard


New England Patriots:

Will Gronk ride Brady all the way to his 4th Super Bowl?

Year in year out the New England Patriots are the one NFL franchise to is in the Super Bowl conversation but for a decade the big prize has alluded them. This year Bill Belichick has, in my opinion, his best and most talented roster since the 2007 season when they almost pulled off perfection. Since that 18-1 season which ended in heartbreak the Pats have made close runs losing in the past two AFC Championship games to Baltimore and Denver with a second Super Bowl to the Giants before that back in 2011. The Patriots started the 2014 season with a lack of identity and a 2-2 record with many people questioning Tom Brady's performances, boy look how wrong they were, and Belichick's team facing adversity once again.

Fast forward to today and the Patriots are many people's picks to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl come February 1st and a lot of people's picks to be Super Bowl winners. Tom Brady only cares about winning and that was proven the other day when he once again restructured his contract. The Patriots have assembled talent along with a winning formula to post another winning season and clinch home field advantage over Denver which may prove crucial in deciding who wins the AFC in the next few weeks. The defense is one of the best in the league ranked second in turnover differential (+12), one of 5 playoff teams giving up less than 20 points a game (19.6) and with the best corner in the league not named Richard Sherman (Darrelle Revis). Add the experience of Revis to young guys coming in to their prime such as safety Devin McCourty, linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins who has been a revelation this year along with other key defensive pieces and it is clear to see why this defense is the best assembled since the old guard that has the likes of Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, Ty Law and Rodney Harrison.

Brady's talent as a quarterback was never in doubt as he has always put his team in contention to win championships as after all he has the most postseason victories with 18 to his name and most important of any stat Brady has the highest winning percentage amongst any quarterback to ever play the game at .773. He has 160 wins to just 47 losses and is one of only 3 quarterbacks in the leagues history have a winning percentage of above .700 which are Joe Montana at .713, 117 wins to 47 losses, and Robert Staubach .746 with 85 wins to 29 losses. Brady is seeking the elusive 4th Super Bowl championship that would surely make him the greatest quarterback of all-time and this season is his best chance in recent memory because of one name... Rob Gronkowski! Gronk's busted ankle limited him almost completely against the Giants in the 2011 Super Bowl and injuries in the past 2 seasons have meant that he has missed the playoffs but Gronk is putting up his best numbers since 2011 after regaining full health and has caught 12 of Brady's 33 touchdowns this season. Brady leads the league in red zone touchdowns and that is down to the fact that he rarely turns the ball over, just 9 picks on the year, and that Gronk is his favourite red zone target plus the fact that he is a nightmare matchup for any defender in the league meaning he gives time for the likes of Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell, who has been critical players for this Pats offense too, to come up trumps (11 TD's in total). Add these offensive weapons to a running game that includes the versatile Shane Vereen, young running back Jonas Gray and the return of LeGarrette Blount along with the talent of defense already been mentioned and it is clear to see why the New England Patriots could well end up Super Bowl Champions in Arizona in less than a month.


Denver Broncos:

Can Peyton silence the postseason doubters and go one better this time around?

The Denver Broncos are looking to get back to the Super Bowl again following the blowout defeat in the big game to the Seahawks at the climax of the 2013 season. With a revamped defense that includes the likes of Von Miller, TJ Ward, Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware to go with an offense that has managed to establish a run game in recent weeks to go with the passing attack led by Peyton Manning then it is obvious as to why the Broncos are the most legitimate threat to the New England Patriots.

Another Manning vs Brady classic would be something millions of NFL fans would enjoy but Peyton hasn't looked too much liked himself in recent weeks as many suspect he is carrying an injury but despite that along with 4 picks in a week 16 defeat to the Bengals Manning is having another good year statistically having thrown 39 touchdowns, only second to Andrew Luck who finished with 40, to 15 interceptions. The running game inspired by newbie CJ Anderson and the return of Ronnie Hillman will help take the load of Manning and the passing attack if need be. If effective it will make the passing game that includes both Demaryius and Julius Thomas along with Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders more successful, somehow, which will cause problems for opposing defenses especially their divisional round opponent as they will almost definitely be in for an element of surprise especially with Manning being well rested for the Broncos opening playoff game a week on Sunday.

With Denver's first home game at Mile High where they finished 8-0 during the regular season and the fact that this team leads the league with the Packers in touchdowns at 58 who would bet against John Fox's team making the trip to Gilette Stadium to face the Patriots in a second consecutive AFC Title game on January 18th especially after the arms race these two had in the offseason and the rivalry they have endured in the past few years I for one can envision the two locking horns once again.


Pittsburgh Steelers

Coming off a career year big Ben and the Steelers are a force to be reckoned with.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a dangerous football team and are my dark horses in the AFC for this years playoffs. With a defense that has started to play football that great defenses of past Steelers teams gone by would be proud of along with an offense that includes a two time Super Bowl winning quarterback who has two very dangerous weapons then there are areas you can highlight for why this Pittsburgh team could pull off a surprise or two and make a deep run in this years postseason.

A 4 game winning streak to end the season saw the Steelers clinch the AFC North and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 to set up a home playoff game against divisional rivals Baltimore in what will be a hard hitting old-style playoff game. The weaknesses in Baltimore's secondary should be exploited by the brilliance of Ben Roethlisberger who had an outstanding regular season throwing 32 touchdowns to just 9 interceptions for a passer rating of 103.3 (ranked 3rd and one of only 4 QB's to have over 100.0). He also threw for 4,952 passing yards leaving him tied for 1st with Drew Brees and just shy of the illustrious 5,000 mark and is averaging 310 passing yards per game. This is a big thanks to his brilliant rapport with breakout star Antonio Brown who himself racked up a league best 1,698 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns (tied 2nd) meaning he caught over a third of Big Ben's TD's and accumulated way over a third if not almost half of his passing yardage.

Now we spoke about supporting casts and MVP awards earlier with the likes of Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers and personally when I look at Big Ben's stats I wonder why his name hasn't been touted around more especially as he is ranked 3rd in pass completion percentage only below Drew Brees (2nd) and Tony Romo (1st) and again only 3rd in yards per attempt to Aaron Rodgers (2nd) and Tony Romo (1st). It is safe to say that despite the injury to running back Le'veon Bell, suffered in the finale vs the Bengals, who offers a different dimention to this offense that this Steelers team can cause trouble in the postseason but there one cause for concern that they lack which the other 5 teams I have looked in depth at possess is the fact that this Steelers team doesn't force a lot of turnovers and is minus 1 in differential so that is something they will need to address if they are to go deeper in to the playoffs.

PREDICTION:

Wild Card weekend:

Cardinals vs Panthers: 

Carolina wins in a close battle between two of the leagues best and in form defenses just because Cam Newton has the ability to make big plays at the QB position with his raw talent whereas his counterpart Ryan Lindley will be exposed in the bright lights of the playoffs

Ravens vs Steelers:

Big Ben trumps Joe Flacco in the battle between two Super Bowl winning QB's because the Steelers will expose the cracks in this Baltimore defense.

Bengals vs Colts:

Two teams who have various weaknesses and will be exposed by better teams but the fact that Andrew Luck is the shining light for Indianapolis will be enough for them to progress at least one round in this years playoffs.

Lions vs Cowboys:

Stafford is 0-17 on the road against winning teams and 3-31 against winning teams overall in his career at Detroit so it is the safe bet that this talented Dallas team continues to make noise by setting up a mouth watering encounter against the Packers in the divisional round.


Divisonal round:

Colts vs Patriots:

Tom Brady and the Patriots have knocked the stuffing out of the Colts in recent encounters which won't change if Indianapolis ends up coming to Gillette Stadium where the Pats finished 7-1 during the regular season. Andrew Luck can weave his magic wand all he wants but his lack of a run game will be too much of a burden to give the Colts any real chance of winning this one.

Panthers vs Seahawks:

On Madden 15 the intro gets you to construct a game winning drive with Cam Newton against Seattle in the NFC title game and that is why it is a video game folks! The Panthers D may provide a stern test for Russel Wilson and the Seattle offense which is something it will need with either Dallas or Green Bay to play in the title game but the lack of offensive weapons for Carolina will be thwarted by the Seahawks and give them the win.

Steelers vs Broncos:

Big Ben vs Peyton could well go down as a playoff classic. Last week I said to a friend I believed that whoever wins the AFC North title on Sunday when the Bengals took on Pittsburgh, providing the Ravens don't make the playoffs, would make the AFC title game but now that Baltimore are in the postseason, despite the fact I think they'll lose to Pittsburgh, I think the Broncos will win. The return of Bell won't be enough to save the Steelers but it will be enough to give the Broncos a run for their money and ultimately a massive scare!


Cowboys vs Packers:

8-0 on the road vs 8-0 at home... An unstoppable force meets an immovable object (that's been used way too many times). A game that could truly be predicted by a flip of a coin but ultimately the playoffs will always have shocks and I think Dallas will triumph in Lambeau in what many would consider an upset to set up an NFC Title game against Seattle and leaving Aaron Rodgers to wonder what if for another season.

Championship games:

AFC Title: Broncos vs Patriots:

Manning vs Brady. Episode 17 would be their 5th installment of the playoff wars. Brady has defeated Peyton in 11 of their 16 encounters but they are 2-2 in the postseason and with a shot at a Lombardi at stake it would maybe be the highest stakes ever between these two. The teams have battled all offseason to build rosters capable of going all the way and I think that just because of home field advantage, if the Pats stay healthy, they will ultimately defeat the Broncos and go on to Arizona.

NFC Title: Cowboys vs Seahawks:

The chances of their being a second successive Super Bowl where the two number one seeds face off seems virtually impossible and while I think it is tough to bet against Seattle the fact is that unless Marshawn Lynch has another installment of beast mode, which granted he can at any given moment, then this Cowboys team is very well capable of winning at CenturyLink for a second time and shocking the world once again. They have all the tools including the know how to win on the road, something some people would argue the Packers don't have, which is why I feel Dallas can win the NFC.





Super Bowl XLIX: Cowboys vs Patriots

Behold the 49th installment of the Super Bowl will see the Dallas Cowboys take on the New England Patriots with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady facing NFC East opposition for a third consecutive time in the big one but this time it isn't the Giants. Both defenses have the ability to cause turnovers but Bill Belichick's winning teams thrive off of this and that is something that this Pats team has. As much as I am a fan of Tony Romo and fight his corner unfortunately I think if he makes it to the big one the moment where he may throw an infamous pick will come around and ultimately "cost" Dallas the game. Eli Manning albeit nowhere near the greatness of his brother Peyton in the regular season has proven he has the ice cold veins to be clutch in the big moments which prized away a potential two futher Lombardi's for Belichick-Brady. As well as that is the fact that the Giants had a head coach in Tom Coughlin who quite frankly is a footballing genius himself and proved a worthy adversary for coach Belichick whereas I feel Belichick would definitely outsmart Jason Garrett and that's with no disrespect intended but 98 times out of 100 Belichick outsmarts any given opponent and that same figure is the same when it comes to Tom Brady and beating any given opposition. In this scenario and my prediction for the 2014 NFL playoffs the Patriots end a 10 year hiatus to finally win their 4th championship providing that Gronk is healthy as I firmly believe and have said all along that with Gronk healthy the Patriots will win the Super Bowl. It sounds like such a huge statement and a bold prediction but the one thing that has derailed the Pats in recent years was injuries to Gronk so taking that in to account with everything mentioned above this is what I believe will happen.

Number 4 around the corner?

Week 3 NFL Predictions:

After predicting Andy Reid's Chiefs to move on to 3-0 with a 27-24 win I can say I am satisfied with my prediction after they recorded a 26-16 win. Alex Smith defied my assumption that both he and Michael Vick would throw their first picks of the season but Vick made up for that by throwing two. The running back battle between Jamaal Charles and LeSean McCoy was great to watch with both putting up more than respectable numbers. 

Now that the Chiefs have moved on to 3-0 how will the other unbeaten teams fair in week 3? The New England Patriots host the winless Buccaneers while their AFC East rivals the Miami Dolphins host the talented Atlanta Falcons hoping to also go 3-0 in a match that will surely be used a benchmark for the Dolphins. The 2-0 Texans go on the road to M&T bank stadium to take on the Ravens and the New Orleans Saints will look to also continue their good start to the 2013 season when they take on the Cardinals whilst the Seattle Seahawks welcome the Jaguars to CenturyLink Field as Russell Wilson looks to help the team make in 10 straight home wins.

The final two unbeaten teams are the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. The Bears are on a high after a last grasp victory in week 2 against the Vikings and will be looking to get a win on the road. As for Denver well they host fellow AFC West rivals the Raiders as Peyton Manning and co look to wrap up another easy looking victory. With those six games on show as well as nine others let us take a look at the rest of my predictions for week 3:

Houston Texans (2-0) vs Baltimore Ravens (1-1)

Andre Johnson is expected to play on Sunday for the Texans and after rookie wideout DeAndre Hopkins stepped up to help Houston overcome the Titans in overtime the two could well become a formidable force. Quarterback Matt Schaub is performing well with 6 touchdowns in two games whilst averaging 322 yards per game; add that to a running game which includes a potential breakout star in the form of Ben Tate to go with superstar back Arian Foster and this Texans offense is suddenly starting to show potential signs of becoming devastating for opponents plus we know what their defence can do to!

They will show their talents against this new look Ravens defense which kept their team in it last week against the Browns as the team edged out their divisional rivals 14-6. Joe Flacco and the offense need to step up accordingly and haven't done so yet. Now that the nerves of their opening home game as Super Bowl champions has passed by they may perform better than last week but it is hard to look past the Texans.

Score: Texans 27-17 Ravens

New York Giants (0-2) vs Carolina Panthers (0-2)

Both of these NFC teams have looked equally unimpressive in the first two weeks of the season but the good news is that one of them will get their first W of the season this Sunday when they go head to head. Carolina have only lost by a combined total of 6 points so in a sense they have been unlucky after suffering narrow defeats to Seattle and Buffalo respectively. 

The Giants have brought back running back Brandon Jacobs who will help in goal line situations and put points up which is what they need after failing to keep up with the Broncos last week; Jacobs had one touchdown from 7 carries last week. Despite throwing five touchdowns in their first two games Giants quarterback Eli Manning has an awful seven interceptions to his name already and with that has thrown the most interceptions in the league since 2004.

The Panthers do have a chance but they are probably beating themselves up after the one point loss to the Bills last week whereas Big Blue know how to bounce back and even from 0-2 as that was a record they came back from to win the Super Bowl in 2007 and with the NFC East being so competitive they will be eager to get back to winning ways on Sunday.

Score: Panthers 16-24 Giants

Detroit Lions (1-1) vs Washington Redskins (0-2)

Despite two disappointing defeats the Redskins have showed fight and will be looking to record their first win of the season when they welcome the Lions on Sunday. I get the impression many people are favouring a Washington win just because this young Lions team is so unpredictable and you don't know who will turn up.

Reggie Bush is optimistic of playing for Detroit but regardless of that I'm going with a Lions win. I think after losing a nail biter to Arizona this team has to bounce back in style and I'll bank on them to do so. Many people have split opinions on this Detroit team as they are reaching the stage of needing to either put up or shut up. We know they have the talent and that will shine threw on Sunday with Stafford throwing a couple of touchdowns to Megatron along with Suh doing something outrageous plus when you take in to consideration RGIII is having a Cam Newton type sophomore season it is starting to look like 2013 may be dismal for Washington.

Score: Lions 31-20 Redskins

San Diego Chargers (1-1) vs Tennessee Titans (1-1)

This encounter will be interesting with both teams looking to go above .500 with a victory on Sunday. The Titans stunned the Steelers when they knocked them off in week one but narrowly lost in an overtime thriller vs the Texans last week.

San Diego blew a lead in week 1 vs the Texans but bounced back last week with Nick Novak kicking the game winning field-goal against the Eagles. Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers has been something of revelation with the 10th year man throwing 7 touchdowns to just one interception in his first two. His 419 yards last week was part of a fantastic display as he connected with receiver Eddie Royal for all three touchdowns; Royal leads the NFL with 5 touchdown receptions.

With both teams performing respectably well so far this year it is close to call but I feel that San Diego's week two win may be the catalyst for further good performances which gets them the win on Sunday.

Score: Chargers 27-14 Titans

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) vs New England Patriots (2-0)

The New England Patriots may not have found a more desirable opponent than the Bucs considering the turmoil going on in Tampa after it was reported superstar cornerback Darelle Revis had a falling out with head coach Greg Schiano as well as quarterback Josh Freeman reportedly requesting a trade. Despite reports of the air being cleared between Revis and Schiano this is a tough road game for Tampa Bay.

To be honest though the Buccaneers will feel that there isn't a better time to take on the Patriots considering their offensive woes. New England got by a tough divisional match on Thursday Night Football in week 2 against the Jets and despite the criticism of their rookie receivers Tom Brady is helping them develop while the defense has come up big especially in the win over the Jets; tied for 6th in points per game only giving up 15.5.

Belichick's defense has 3 interceptions in two games along with the team recovering 3 of its 4 forced fumbles. The likes of Chandler Jones and Aqib Talib have been standout performer but we know that the Patriots' success always comes down to working as a collective. Tom Brady will look for an improved running game on Sunday to help the Patriots' attack. Expect Aaron Dobson to have a big game but Brady will probably look to Julian Edelman to produce while Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola recover from injuries. While it may be another hard fought victory I have the Patriots to take the spoils on Sunday and move to 3-0.

Score: Buccaneers 17-24 Patriots

Arizona Cardinals (1-1) vs New Orleans Saints (2-0)

Both of these teams seem rejuvenated in 2013 with Sean Payton and Bruce Arians both showing of their coaching skills for their respective franchises. The Saints overcame a tough trip to Tampa in week 2 by grinding out the win 16-14 while the Cardinals left it late to knock off of the Lions in that week 2 match.

Both teams have improved on the sides of the ball that let them down for the duration of the 2012 season. For Arizona it was their offense but Carlson Palmer has helped restore some stability in their passing game and also managed to get Larry Fitzgerald going again. As for New Orleans well we know that their offense has major weapons which can cause anyone trouble but thankfully their defense has stepped up as well so far in 2013 thanks to Rob Ryan's influence; they rank tied for 6th in points given up per game with just 15.5 and have recovered 2 of their 3 forced fumbles.

Arizona's defence may keep them in it but the danger of facing Drew Brees is that if he gets going only certain teams can make it a shoot-out and with the Saints at the Superdome it appears likely that Payton's side make it three wins in a row.

Score: Cardinals 14-24 Saints

Green Bay Packers (1-1) vs Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)

Both the Packers and Bengals bounced back from narrow week one defeat by winning their week two game against the Redskins and Steelers respectively. The main factor for this game will be if Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton can hang in there with Aaron Rodgers in a shootout. The Bengals put in a convincing performance when they beat their AFC North rivals the Steelers on Monday Night Football so will be confident of holding their own when they host Green Bay on Sunday.

We know that both of these teams have plenty of offensive firepower and you can expect a high-scoring game on Sunday. With both teams keen to throw the ball it shouldn't disappoint in what promises to be a mouth-watering encounter. Aaron Rodgers is second in the league for passing yards but has played a game less than league leader Michael Vick and despite that is only 19 yards behind him.

Rodgers is on for another monster season as Green Bay's offense is already red shot with the quarterback currently on 7 touchdown passes to just one pick after two games. The Packers defense has improved and to be honest generally speaking head coach Mike McCarthy probably doesn't get enough credit for the teams performances. Personally I feel although that this road game is a potential banana skin for the Packers they will find a way to get the win in a close fought encounter.

Score: Packers 31-28 Bengals

St. Louis Rams (1-1) vs Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

The Rams look like a much better team already just from their two performances so far this season. They gave the Falcons a scare last week and rookie Tavon Austin showed off his dynamic skill-set which has probably put the entire league on watch in particularly their week 3 opponents the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys know that this game won' be easy but being at home should stand them in good stead as they look to bounce back from a one point loss to the Chiefs last week. Tony Romo & co will want to take advantage of the fact that the Giants and Redskins are in a bit of a rut at the moment and that the Eagles are inconsistent.

Dallas could take the early initiative in the NFC East if they start to get some wins together but I think that their success unlike other teams stems down to their offense. DeMarco Murray makes the Cowboys tick when he get the run game going and he will put up impressive numbers on Sunday helping Dallas get the win.

Score: Rams 17-26 Cowboys

Atlanta Falcons (1-1) vs Miami Dolphins (2-0)

As predicted by myself the Miami Dolphins overcame a tough test last week when they knocked off the Colts 24-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Despite being branded by many to underachieve after their big spending during the offseason the Dolphins have impressed in the first two weeks of the season with sophomore quarterback Ryan Tannehill leading the way with two good displays.

Mike Wallace has also played well and the wideout will cause the Falcons secondary problems while Miami's defence has also taken a step forward from last year. As mentioned in the intro to these predictions this match is a benchmark for Miami to see where they are right now considering they are coming up against one of the best regular season teams in the league.

The Falcons are a team stacked full of talent but in a sense are staring adversity in the face now that NFC South rivals the Saints have re-established themselves early on this year. A defeat for Atlanta could prove costly come the end of the year and I think you can expect to see an upset this Sunday at Sun Life Stadium

Score: Falcons 24-27 Dolphins

Buffalo Bills (1-1) vs New York Jets (1-1)

With both of these teams narrowly losing out to the New England Patriot the Bills and Jets stand at 1-1 after two weeks of the 2013 season. Both will feel that they need to win considering there other two divisional rivals are 2-0 and will not want to be the one team to slip below .500.

The match sees rookie quarterback's EJ Manuel and Geno Smith go head to head and considering both have already had a taste of a rivalry matchup you can expect all guns to be blazing when they go head to head on Sunday.

EJ Manuel has been more impressive throwing 3 touchdowns to 1 interception whereas Smith has 1 touchdown to 4 interceptions although to be fair to Smith he lacks a running game and is in dire need of some help in the Jets' offense. This game will come down to which defense outperforms the other as both are talented and will make the most of any mistakes the opposing offense makes.

Score: Bills 19-16 Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) vs Seattle Seahawks (2-0)

You would bet your life savings on Seattle beating the Jags tomorrow when you considering how talented the Seahawks are and how talentless their AFC South opposition is. That is not being disrespectful to Jacksonville but the fact of the matter is that the franchise seems to be lacking an identity and no real direction despite being taken over by the wealthy Shahid Khan in 2012

The Jags face mission impossible when they walk in to CenturyLink Field tomorrow as they bid to become the first team to put a blemish on Russell Wilson's unbeaten home streak which now stands at 9-0 after Seattle easily dispatched of arch rivals the 49ers last weekend 29-3.

The chances of that happening are oh so slim and you can expect this to be a blowout with Pete Carroll's high flying Seahawks remaining undefeated leaving Jacksonville still winless. Expect Seattle's defence to have a field day against this lacklustre offense of the Jags.

Score: Jaguars 6-34 Seahawks

Cleveland Browns (0-2) vs Minnesota Vikings (0-2)

After trading away franchise running back Trent Richardson to the Colts it appears that the Cleveland Browns have given up on the 2013 season and will look to start fresh from next year's draft now that they are stacked with picks.

That is good news for another running back who goes by the name of Adrian Peterson as last year's league MVP looks to help the Viking get their first win on the board. Unfortunately for anyone watching this game on Sunday both team's lack any real passing game but I believe this could be the week the Vikings put up big numbers as they look to reassert themselves.

Whether that is on the ground alone or we see a passing threat from the Vikings remains to be seen. Matching up against this Browns defence won't be easy when you consider they gave the Ravens a massive headache last week but you can expect Minnesota to please their fans with a win.

Score: Browns 13-26 Vikings

Indianapolis Colts (1-1) vs San Francisco 49ers (1-1)

The acquisition of Trent Richardson was a blockbuster trade by the Colts as they look to take advantage of a weakened AFC conference by hoping to make a run come playoff time. It would be hard to bet against Indianapolis making it back to the postseason but they do have a tough schedule and after a narrow defeat to Miami last week they now face the Niners in week 3 as well as Seattle in week 5.

The Colts vs 49ers game has given me much food for thought especially after the Niners were humiliated by Seattle last weekend. It was probably Colin Kaepernick's worst performance as a starter and now it will be intriguing to see how he bounces back when the Niners welcome the Colts on Sunday evening.

Richardson will be a force for the Colts and will have affected the San Francisco's planning of their opposition's offense but the 49ers D is more than capable of dealing with problems. I think the Colts will put up a fight and it will be very enjoyable watching Andrew Luck battle against Colin Kaepernick but I am going to go with the Niners to bounce back and win with Kaepernick throwing at least two touchdowns and getting one on the ground two.

Expect Luck to put up great numbers like he always does. My bold prediction is that the Colts fall to 1-2 with defeat tomorrow but bounce back in week 4 to beat the Jaguars and then go on to beat the Seahawks when they visit Lucas Oil stadium in week 5. By then Trent Richardson will have settled in and we will see what this new look Colts offense can do now they have a ground game to complement the talents of quarterback Andrew Luck.

Score: Colts 24-30 49ers

Chicago Bears (2-0) vs Pittsburgh Steelers (0-2)

The Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers have endured different fortunes at the start of the season with the Bears undefeated after two games while Pittsburgh remains winless after defeats to Tennessee and Cincinnati.

The Bears roll in to Heinz Field for Sunday Night Football on the back of a memorable victory over the Vikings last week when Jay Cutler hit Martellus Bennett down field with 11 seconds to go to win the game. Many people will feel that Marc Trestman's Bears will walk out with the win on Sunday night but Pittsburgh are not to be underestimated despite their lack of threats in the passing game and a poor running game.

Thankfully for the Steelers they have a defense that can unsettle Chicago and their home fans will create a tough atmosphere for the visitors. Of course the Bears have one of the most talented defenses in the league but I just get the impression that complacency may creep in for the visitors and that the Steelers could manage to pull off the win; if they do you can expect it to be because Ben Roethlisberger came up big. The beauty of the NFL is that week by week there are shocks and the Steelers are capable of pulling one of come game-time tomorrow.

Score: Bears 17-19 Steelers

Oakland Raiders (1-1) vs Denver Broncos (2-0)

The Denver Broncos welcome division rivals the Oakland Raiders as they look to steamroll through another opponent after two fantastic wins so far this season. Week 1 saw Denver tear the Ravens apart 49-27 and last week they knocked off the Giants 41-23 with another convincing victory.

Peyton Manning is stacked with a load of talented receivers from Wes Welker to Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas. Tight end Julius Thomas has been a revelation for Denver and his two stellar performances have made him a valuable part of this offense. Peyton Manning has thrown 9 touchdowns to zero interceptions so far and leads the league with a passer rating of 131.0. When you take in to consideration that Knowshon Moreno is getting it done on the ground too as well as the fact that Denver's defence is one of the best in the AFC and has Von Miller to return to the fold you have to say the Broncos are looking like a force to be reckoned with.

All of that doesn't bode well for Oakland but the Raiders appear to have a good QB in Terrelle Pryor who is developing and making plays. The Raiders will almost certainly struggle to keep up with the Broncos but it makes for an interesting Monday night divisional rival matchup.

Score: Raiders 17-37 Broncos