by Ryan Mercier
Last season, there were six unbeaten teams after Week 3. Only one, the Chicago Bears, turned out to be a fraud. The signs were there in Chicago all season. The Chiefs, Packers, Steelers, Bills, and Titans all also started out 3-0 in 2020 with Tennessee winding up with the fewest amount of wins (11).
Turns out, playoff teams often start the year with a bunch of wins in a row. What a concept. The undefeated Buccaneers, Rams, and 49ers of this season pass the test of feeling like a January team ready to rack up wins (with the caveat Tampa Bay and L.A. face each other this week).
Are the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders all destined to finish with double-digit wins? More than likely, a major upset is brewing. On Thursday night, Carolina easily dispatched Houston 24-9 to become a surprising 3-0. The Cardinals, Broncos, and Raiders should be on high alert.
Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders
Since this game is being played in Las Vegas, might as well start with what the oddsmakers see as the most likely upset. The Raiders are only favored by four points over the Dolphins. This game wouldn’t even be in this article if not for the big QB injury. The dirty secret, though, is this may not be a bad thing for Miami to be without Tua Tagovailoa.
Jacoby Brissett had a chance to prove he was a starting QB with the Colts. He didn’t, but Brissett is far and away one of the better quarterbacks a team can hope for coming off the bench in relief. Perhaps he can see things on the field or even just manage the game better right now than a young Tua can.
Regardless, the Dolphins are all about their defense under masterful head coach Brian Flores. Last week’s ugly 35-0 score against the Buffalo Bills is one of the more deceptive blowouts imaginable. This is not to say the Dolphins were going to win, but Buffalo was held to 314 total yards and 4.9 yards per play.
The Raiders almost embarrassingly coughed up their opening Monday night affair and are coming off of a win against a Steelers team which may be worse than expected by season’s end. It’s been a nice start, but can you totally trust this new version of Jon Gruden and the Raiders?
Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars
Kyler Murray should easily rack up 500 yards and six touchdowns against a porous Jaguars defense. Also, there’s no evidence Urban Meyer’s squad can keep up on the other side of the ball. Jacksonville managed just 21 points in Week 1 against the Texans with its last TD coming in complete garbage time. In Week 2, the Jags offense scored on the opening drive and never again (the second touchdown came on special teams). Arizona’s win is a foregone conclusion.
Looking closer, though, Arizona dropped two in a row after starting out last season 2-0. Neither loss came against a formidable team, either. The Cardinals lost at home to the Detroit Lions in Week 3 and were essentially blow out by the 5-11 Carolina Panthers one week later. This was all well before the injury to Murray which sidetracked a nice season for Arizona.
Yes, it would be crazy but keep in mind the Cardinals are traveling across the country for a road game with an extremely unfamiliar opponent. Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick for a reason. The formula for this shocker would be a breakout performance from the former Clemson star.
New York Jets at Denver Broncos
This one is tough but the concept of this article is how the NFL can defy all logic. Sunday features a rookie quarterback coming off a 4-interception game and traveling to one of the tougher places to play in the league, physically, at Mile High.
For the Broncos, it’s their first home game this season. The schedule-makers must wear blue and orange, though. Denver’s first three contests were a gift-wrapped trio of the New York Giants, Jaguars, and now the Jets.
Zach Wilson had to face a Bill Belichick defense last week and will be facing one led by Vic Fangio on Sunday. In fact, the Jets also had to deal with the Panthers defense in Week 1, a unit which may be one of the league’s best. There’s the silver-lining for NY. Each week has been a rough test for the rookie but his talent could shine through at any moment, especially with some experience under his belt now.
The other side of the ball for Denver is not a world-beating unit, though Teddy Bridgewater and company have had a nice start to the season. This is an entirely different regime for the Jets. While the start has looked very Jets-y, the hope is Robert Saleh is not just changing the culture but bringing tangible changes on defense.
A surprising 2-0 start can feel so, so good. It’s human nature to take your foot off the gas and expect to roll out of bed and notch an easy win against a lesser opponent. That’s why one of these three teams won’t get it done.
Struggling Actor Sports 