NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 3: Panthers vs Vikings

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Two weeks before the season opener, it looked like the Vikings season was over. Their starting Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a gruesome knee injury which will keep him off the field for at least a year about a week before opening day. No one could have expected Minnesota to head into Week 3 undefeated. The Vikings defense deserves a lot of the credit for this, they currently rank fifth in yards allowed, fourth in points allowed and second in takeaways. Players like Safety Andrew Sendejo and Linebacker Eric Kendricks have been giving uarterbacks and coordinators headaches throughout the young season.

On the other side of the ball Minnesota has been able to sustain production despite a limited contribution from the now sidelined Adrian Peterson. Both Shaun Hill and Matthew Stafford have been steady hands on the offensive controls during their respective starts. And they both have been able to move the ball thanks to the emergence of University of Maryland product Stephon Diggs as a superstar at the receiver position.

As they head to the Tar Heel State to take on the defending NFC Champions the enter the game 6 and a half point underdogs. That is a fair betting line; despite the fact that Minnesota has a better record the Panthers have played a harder schedule and have looked like last years squad. Cam Newton seems to be invigorated by the return of his #1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin and Fozie Whitiker is set to fill in for Jonathan Stewart at running back.

The key matchup in this game will be how Carolina's secondary matches up against Diggs. The 49ers scoring 27 points with Blaine Gabbert under center raised some eyebrows as Ron Rivera has a pair of rookies manning the edges of his defense. At the end of the say this should be a competitive game which should go to the home team late in the final frame.

Score Prediction: Carolina Panthers 20 – Minnesota Vikings 17

NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 2: Steelers vs Bengals

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In a week of football slated with seven inter-divisional games, none looms larger than the Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. One of the most intensely competitive matchups in the league over the last few years ratcheted up the hostility a couple notches.

In their first meeting in 2015, the Bengals headed into Pittsburgh with a 6-0 record, ready to take advantage of the fact that Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was playing his first game in four weeks due to an injury. The Steelers took a 10-6 lead into the the 4th quarter, but two interceptions by Big Ben in the final frame allowed Cincinnati to put 10 points on the board and earn the 16-10 victory, giving the Bengals their first 7-0 start ever, and dropping Pittsburgh to 4-4. During the game, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict made an awkward tackle of Steeler star running back Leveon Bell, knocking Bell out of the game and ending his season.

In their second meeting, Pittsburgh (7-5) went to Cincinnati (10-2) to exact some revenge. And they got it. The Bengals previous two margins of defeat were by four points and three points. The 33-20 score in this game blew those out of the water. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a broken thumb in the first quarter, removing him from the game and forcing A.J. McCarron to step up in his absence. While McCarron wasn't dreadful (22 for 32, 280 yards and 2 TDs), his two interceptions helped seal Cincinnati's fate. Pittsburgh did plenty to help themselves, as Roethlisberger went 30 for 39 for 282 yards, and running back DeAngelo Williams ran for two scores. It was Pittsburgh's fifth-straight 30-point performance.

Their final meeting of 2015 was in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Having won the division, the Bengals were the home team. Under a deluge of rain, and with McCarron at the helm again, the Steelers were able to string together a few field goals and a somersaulting, between-the-legs catch by Martavis Bryant to take a 15-0 lead late in the 3rd quarter. The Bengals stormed back, putting up 16 straight points to take a 16-15 lead with two minutes left in the game. A flurry of play that involved a turnover by both teams, a 4th-down conversion, and 30 yards in penalties on a single play allowed Pittsburgh to get in field goal position and convert for the 18-16 victory.

Across those three games, some coaches got into it with players on the field, while other coaches pulled the hair of opposing players. Star players took big hits and were out for long stretches of the season, with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties flying left and right. Referees were forced to stand at midfield before the start of the playoff game to ensure nothing happened. Talk about a rivalry game!

That is the stage as the two teams prepare to face off on Sunday. Both teams enter Week 2 with 1-0 records; Pittsburgh with a 38-16 throttling of the Washington Redskins, while the Bengals managed 1-point victory over the New York Jets. Both teams will be pushing hard to upend the other to achieve the coveted 2-0 record.

NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 1: Broncos vs Panthers

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Football is back, folks, and NFL fans will be given a treat in the very first game of the new season. The Carolina Panthers will travel to Denver, to take on the Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. This game is a rematch of Super Bowl 50, as the Broncos will celebrate their title on Thursday evening. Denver enters this game with a very different roster, with the biggest difference being at the quarterback position. Peyton Manning has retired, meaning he will hand the keys over to Trevor Siemian. Siemian won the job in the preseason over Mark Sanchez, who was cut, and he wound up signing with the Dallas Cowboys. 

Siemian was drafted by Denver in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and the Northwestern alum has only taken one regular season snap. Siemian threw for 5,391 yards and 27 touchdowns in his four seasons with the Wildcats. Siemian might be inexperienced, but he has a plethora of weapons to throw to. Demaryius Thomas caught 105 passes for 1,304 yards and six touchdowns, as he expects to be the number one wide receiver. Another viable weapon is Emmanuel Sanders, who had 1,135 yards and six touchdowns last season. Peyton Manning had the worst season of any starting quarterback in Super Bowl history, but he has a ring because of the Bronco’s defense, a unit that flustered Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. 

Denver’s stingy defense forced the NFL MVP into three turnovers in Super Bowl 50. The Broncos defense is led by Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller. Miller recorded 30 tackles and 11 sacks last season. Denver’s defense is similar to the defense that shut down the Panthers last year, but they lost key pieces in Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan to free agency. Despite the losses, the 2015 NFL MVP will have to be at his best in order to solve the Broncos defense. Newton threw for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns last year, while also rushing for 10 touchdowns.

 It’s a scary thought that Newton had this phenomenal statistics without his best receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, who he’ll have for the 2016 season. Benjamin is returning from a torn ACL, and he clearly clicked with Newton in his rookie season. Benjamin had 1,008 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2014. 

Carolina lost two key members of their secondary, as Josh Norman left for Washington, while Charles Tillman retired. Bene Benwikere is expected to be the number one cornerback. Carolina still has a frightening defense, especially since they have Luke Keuchly hunting down quarterbacks. Kuechly recorded 76 tackles last year. This game will begin at 8:30 ET on NBC.  

NFL 2016 Season Preview

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The 2016 NFL season begins tomorrow night when the Denver Broncos host the Carolina Panthers in a rematch of Super Bowl 50. There are a lot of things to watch for during the 2016 NFL season.

- The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles will start their season with rookies at the helm. Dak Prescott will start in place of the injured Tony Romo for the first 8-10 weeks and Carson Wentz will start for the Eagles.

- Instead of Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looking to lead the team to another NFC North title, it will be Sam Bradford. Bridgewater tore his ACL in non-contact drill last week.

- the Broncos will be looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions under quarterback Trevor Siemian. Siemian has only one career NFL snap, so this will be a big test for him and the Broncos.

- the Texans will pay Brock Osweiler $72 million over the next four years because CJ Anderson led the Broncos to the Super Bowl last season. But he does have a great team around him. Can he and this great team make a playoff run?

- Tom Brady is suspended for the first four games of the season. The Patriots play the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Texans and Buffalo Bills over those four games.

All of this, plus so much more, will go down during the 2016 NFL season, the 96th season of the NFL (the league began play in 1920). At the end of the season, one team and one team alone will host the Vince Lombardi Trophy at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Feb. 5, 2017. 

Denver Broncos 2016 Season Preview

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The Denver Broncos are coming off of a win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. There is just one difference. Peyton Manning isn't their quarterback. 

The Broncos newest starting quarterback is Trevor Siemian. Siemian has played just one career NFL snap. Not even a start, but a snap. So no one knows what he is capable of.

The Broncos also lost key players on defense, including Malik Jackson, who joined the Jacksonville Jaguars. Still, Denver does have Demarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, as well as Emmanuel Sanders and DeMarius Thomas on offense. Maybe the season isn't lost for Denver, after all. Perhaps they could be headed towards a second consecutive Lombardi trophy. 

Minnesota Vikings 2016 Season Preview

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The Minnesota Vikings season took a hard turn down the wrong road when quarterback Teddy Bridgewater tore his ACL and dislocated his knee in non-contact drill at the end of August. Now, the team will rally around running back Adrian Peterson and newly acquired quarterback Sam Bradford.

While the Vikings season may look lost, it's not that lost. Yes, Bradford is the type of quarterback who won't get your team wins, but Peterson is the type of running back that will.

The Vikings may not win the NFC North, but they will be fighting for a playoff spot come Jan. 3, 2017, the final day of the regular season. 

Arizona Cardinals 2016 Season Preview

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The Arizona Cardinals were Super Bowl contenders last season, and are expected to be again this season. With that in mind, the Cardinals added Evan Mathis to an already great offensive line, while re-signing running back Chris Johnson to maintain their depth at the running back position. They also brought in safety Tyvon Branch to help sure up their secondary that has seen its share of injuries. The Cardinals did lose linebacker LaMarr Woodley and Sean Weatherspoon however. So in the off-season, they acquired pass-rusher Chandler Jones from the New England Patriots.

Arizona's quarterback, Carson Palmer, was simply outstanding last season, posting the highest QB rating of his 12-year career, as well as throwing career highs in touchdowns and passing yards. Palmer will turn 37-years-old before the season ends, and critics will be watching closely to see if there is any decline in his production. If the Cardinals star quarterback plays up to his production of last season, then they should be a handful for all their opponents.

Just like his quarterback, the 32-year-old Larry Fitzgerald seems to have gotten better with age. Fitzgerald had his first 100-reception season in his career, and the nine-time Pro Bowl will look to duplicate his performance of 2015. The Cardinals will, however, need to find a long-term replacement for Fitzgerald, but at least for now they can still count on him.

The Cardinals defense is definitely worth watching, even if it's to see if Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson can come back healthy, and to see what kind of an impact their new linebacker, Jones will have. The x-factor on defense could be rookie Nkemdiche. If he can make an immediate impact, it'll help take some of the pressure off their linebackers and secondary.

Kansas City Chiefs 2016 Season Preview

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The AFC West appears to be the Kansas City Chiefs to lose in 2016.  However, the AFC West also appears to be a very tough division in the 2016 season. The Chiefs do have a three some might consider four head monster at running back though. Jamaal Charles is working his way back into the lineup after tearing his ACL in 2015. Former Seattle Seahawk Spencer Ware appears to be the starting running back to begin the season. Charcandrick West will also see playing time after having a solid 2015 season after Charles went down.  As of right now the Chiefs still have Knile Davis as their fourth string back who is considered capable to be the main back for many teams in the NFL as well.

Kansas City hopes to see receivers Chris Conley and Albert Wilson step up to give Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce some help. Pro Bowl Tight End Kelce had 875 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Jeremy Maclin became the first receiver to record over a 1,000 yards receiving with Alex Smith as his quarterback. The offensive line gets better after signing Mitchell Schwartz in the off-season. Schwartz helps out the left side of the offensive line and will cover Alex Smith's blindside.  This is important in a division that features Von Miller and Khalil Mack. Justin Houston who is also in that discussion but not necessary to mention since he is on the Chiefs.

The defense took a step back after losing inside linebacker Josh Mauga for the season and Sean Smith to the Oakland Raiders. However, they were able to lock up Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali for a couple more years. This is key to the defense because these players are both veteran leaders on the team.  Hali helps because it appears Justin Houston will be out for at least the first six games of the season and the Chiefs defense depends on a heavy pass rush.

Younger outside linebacker Dee Ford hasn't quite showed that he can fill the outside linebacker role that Hali would leave behind.  If Ford wants to prove himself this is the season to due so. Former Defensive Rookie of the Year Marcus Peters returns to help out the secondary but there are question marks about the other corner spot on defense. There is hope that Phillip Gaines will be able to fill that spot now that Sean Smith is gone. Gaines was effective in 2014 and started out strong in 2015 before spending the season on the IR.

The defense gets a boost with Eric Berry signing the franchise tag.  Berry beat cancer and is effective for the Chiefs to stop the run as well as the pass. The former Tennessee Volunteer is also a leader on defense and is very respected throughout the team. The team will all look towards veteran quarterback Alex Smith to lead the team far.  Some people question his style of play and that he doesn't throw many deep passes while just game managing the team to victory.  Every year Alex Smith has quarterbacked the Chiefs his numbers have improved. He is also a dual threat quarterback that can use his legs to burn defenses as well. 2016 could be the Chiefs year to shine and it all depends on Alex Smith.

Green Bay Packers 2016 Season Preview

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The Green Bay Packers had a terrible season, although many would call it a successful one. The team got off to a 6-0 start. Had they not succeeded on a Hail Mary in Detroit, they would have finished 3-7 in their final 10 games. Instead, they finished 4-6. 

They also fell behind 11-0 in their wild card game against the Washington Redskins and needed another Hail Mary to force overtime against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Packers can not repeat that kind of season in 2016. They have their star wide receiver in Jordy Nelson back after he tore his ACL last preseason. They will have a skinnier running back in Eddie Lacy, who dropped 30 pounds over the offseason.

There are no excuses for this team. They need to show that they are one of the top teams in the NFL this year or there could be changes occurring.  

Atlanta Falcons 2016 Season Preview

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The Atlanta Falcons enter the 2016 NFL season with the knowledge that they have the talent to keep up with some of the best teams in the league, in addition to the reality that it is really difficult to win week in and week out in the NFL. Opening 2015 with five straight victories, the Falcons were 6-1 heading into their Week 8 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After overcoming a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to send the game into overtime, Tampa Bay prevailed. The loss was the first of six in a row for Atlanta, spiraling them to 6-7 and an eventual 8-8 season record. From exceedingly hopeful to disappointingly heartbroken in the span of two months.

Atlanta still boasts playmakers all over the field. Offensively, quarterback Matt Ryan enters his ninth year as one of the major workhorses in the league, having missed just 2 out of 128 possible games in his career and finishing no worse than seventh in passes attempted in each of the last six seasons. Running back Devonta Freeman continues to be one of the most explosive playmakers in the league. During one five-week stretch last season, he gained 578 yards rushing, 247 yards receiving, and scored nine touchdowns. And wide receiver Julio Jones consistently leaves no doubt that he is one of the best pass catchers of our generation. He tied Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown in leading the league with 136 receptions, the second-highest total in league history, and he lead the league all by himself with 1,871 receiving yards, also the second-highest total in league history.

Defensively, second-year defensive end Vic Beasley shifts to the second level and looks to make an impact as a pass-rushing outside linebacker. Robert Alford and Desmond Trufant are consistent playmaking corners both entering just their fourth year in the league, with Trufant making a slightly larger impact having appeared in last season's Pro Bowl. Tyson Jackson and Adrian Clayborn are the headlining veterans on the defensive line.

If Atlanta hopes to have a good season, they'll have to get off to a fast start. Their first three games are against Tampa Bay, Oakland, and New Orleans, all of whom were below .500 last season. From there, four of the Falcons next five games are against the Panthers, Broncos (that's both Super Bowl teams from last season on consecutive weeks), Seahawks, and Packers. They then face Tampa Bay again and the Eagles before heading into their bye. That week off will be necessary before facing the recently-dominant and perennially playoff-bound Cardinals and Chiefs in back-to-back weeks. From there the Falcons' season ends with the Rams, 49ers, Panthers and Saints. With that schedule, a good season would wining all the games they're supposed to and stealing a couple from the top contenders, to finish at 9-7 or 10-6. They could very easily finish 6-10 or 5-11 if things don't go their way, though. They'll need to stay healthy and make some strides defensively to see the positive results they are hoping for.

Los Angeles Rams 2016 Season Preview

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The Los Angeles Rams have a glut of young talent that make them intriguing sleeper picks for the upcoming season. The Rams return to LA for the first time in 22 seasons, and they have a lot to showcase to the city of angels. Los Angeles plays in a very difficult division: the NFC West. The Rams have been staring up at the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals for the past couple of seasons, but Head Coach Jeff Fisher and company are confident because of the collection of young talent that they have.

Los Angeles has a relatively easy schedule to begin the season, as they’ll only play two playoff teams from last year (Cardinals and Seahawks), before they head into their Week 8 bye week. The back-end of the schedule gets tougher, as they’ll face off against four playoff teams from last year, including the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers. The Rams fate lies squarely on the shoulders of second-year running back Todd Gurley. Gurley racked up 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, which earned him the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. 

Los Angeles selected quarterback Jared Goff out of California with the first pick in last season’s NFL Draft, but he won’t even be the backup quarterback to start the season. Goff is expected to be behind Case Keenum and Sean Mannion to begin the season. Keenum’s season was shortened by injury last year, as he threw for 828 yards and four touchdowns in only six games played. Keenum will have an elite weapon to throw to, as Tavon Austin will be his number one target. 

Austin, who is only 5’9,” recently signed a four-year extension with the team. Austin is a threat in many ways, as he can score as a wide receiver, as a running back, or he could even wreak havoc on special teams. Austin caught 52 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns last season. The Rams defense is anchored by their defensive line. 

Robert Quinn and William Hayes are both players that instill a lot of fear into the quarterback. Quinn has totaled 50 sacks and 146 tackles over his career thus far. Hayes recorded 5.5 sacks and 36 tackles last year in his best season as a Ram. Los Angeles has the talent to make it to the playoffs, but they’ll have to get past Seattle or Arizona in order to get to the playoffs.

New York Jets 2016 Season Preview

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After presumptive starter Geno Smith had his jaw broken by a teammate during the 2015 preseason, everyone thought that it was going to be another disastrous season for the Bombers. But career back-up Ryan Fitzpatrick surprised everyone by throwing for 3,905 yards and having the best year of his career. After missing the playoffs the previous three seasons Fitz had New York as the six seed heading into Week 17. Fitzpatrick came back to earth and they lost to the Bills.

The Jets are returning the core of their defense who ranked in the number ninth in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed. After stints in Tampa and New England, Darrelle Revis returned to the Big Apple and,  along with Marcus Williams, had 11 picks.

We can expect some regression in Revis production since he's on the wrong side of 30; but Williams should continue to develop as a shutdown corner in his third year. The front end of New York's defense should stay in the top part of the league thanks to pass-rushers like Muhammed Wilkerson.

Ultimately the Jets season will depend on their Quarterback play. The offense is loaded with weapons like thousand yard receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. And the offense will be balanced as they brought in former Pro Bowler Matt Forte to split carries with thousand yard rusher Chris Ivory. During the draft, Bowles staff made it clear that the Smith era is over, drafting Penn State's Christian Hackenberg in the third round. But right now, Fitzpatrick is set to be the starter.

Given his track record going 43-61-1 as a starter and the fact players don't turn the corner in their mid 30s last year was likely a fluke. This means that the Jets will probably finish third in the AFC East and their win total will be closer to eight than 10.