NFL 2013 Season : Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens Preview

The Houston Texans (2-0) travel to Baltimore this week to take on the Super Bowl Champion Ravens (1-1). This has all the makings of a great game, however, it all depends on which teams will show up. Will it be the Ravens who fell flat on their faces out of the gate in week one to lose to the Broncos in Denver by a score of 49-27 and giving up seven touchdown passes to Peyton Manning or, the Ravens that came back and scored two touchdowns in week two to beat the woeful Cleveland Browns?On the other side of the ball, you have the Houston Texans who looked terrible in the first half during the Monday Night Football opener against the San Diego Chargers. Well, it was really a tale of two halves. The Texans looked bad on both sides of the ball in the first half, but got their act together and came back and scored 24 unanswered points to beat the Chargers in the 2nd half. The Texans also struggled for most of the game last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans at home. They again rallied and came back to win in overtime, thanks to clutch plays by Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins.Something has to give when it comes to these teams who have both struggled, especially offensive consistency . The Ravens are led by quarterback Joe Flacco who is passing with 58.9% rating with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Texans are lead by quarterback Matt Schaub who is passing with a 64.5% rating with six touchdowns and three interceptions. It’s an intriguing match up.As a sub-plot, there is the Ed Reed story. Ed Reed, the free agent, signed with the Texans on March 22, 2013 after playing 11 years with the Ravens. Reed is still recovering from offseason hip surgery. Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said that he doesn't know when Reed will be able to play as he is listed day to day. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has already stated that he will be surprised if Ed Reed doesn't play on Sunday against his old team.

Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens Week 3 Prediction

The last time these two teams met was last year in Houston. The Ravens had no answers for the Texans as they lost in week seven by the score of 43-13. That and the fact that the Ravens just could not get their offense going against the Texans swarming defense. One of these teams will have the upper hand on Sunday and I think the Texans will prevail again, and its not only because of the Ed Reed x-factor. The Texans have bolstered their offense why the Ravens have lost their firepower on the offensive side of the ball. Especially the loss of wide receiver Anquan Boldin. The Texans two headed running game of Arian Foster and Ben Tate will be tough for the Ravens to stop.

Match Schedule: 

Competitor :Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

M&T Bank Stadium

NFL 2013 Season : New York Giants vs Carolina Panthers Preview

The Giants visit the Panthers for the second consecutive year, this time with both teams winless and already trying to salvage their seasons.New York (0-2) fell 41-23 to Denver last week, getting plagued by turnovers for the second consecutive game. The Giants, who had six giveaways in a 36-31 loss to Dallas on Sept. 8, added four more against the Broncos.All of them came from Eli Manning, whose four interceptions gave him an NFL-leading seven.The inability to protect the ball is only one of the Giants' major problems. The running game was again nonexistent last week, managing 23 yards on 19 carries as New York fell to last in the league with 73 rushing yards.The Giants have also allowed a league-high 77 points and have only two sacks. Perhaps worst of all, at least one key veteran sees something even more critical missing."I don't know where the lack of emotion comes from, especially during the course of a game," safety and captain Antrel Rolle said. "This is something you love to do, this is something you should have passion about doing and the one thing I say, you can always control your effort and you can control how you approach the game."New York needs to find that element quickly if it wants to have a realistic chance of making the playoffs. The last time a team made the postseason after starting 0-2 was 2008, and no team opening 0-3 has qualified for the playoffs since 1998."In this situation, you've got to have a little sense of urgency," said Manning, last in the league in passer rating at 75.9. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. If you make it a must-win, sometimes that's what you need to be put in those situations. It is a big game. We're 0-2 right now. We're looking for our first win. Guys just have to keep their heads up and look at the good things and look at where we've got to make improvements."Manning and his teammates are hoping history repeats itself Sunday, almost exactly one year after the Giants were able to make plenty of improvements in a Week 3 trip to Charlotte amid a similarly shaky start.New York came into the game 1-1 after a disheartening season-opening loss to Dallas and a comeback win over Tampa Bay, then routed the Panthers 36-7 that Sept. 20. Manning threw for 288 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions and the Giants rushed for 125.The defense, which had given up 51 points in the first two weeks, allowed only 327 yards and intercepted a frustrated Cam Newton three times.Carolina (0-2) hasn't gotten better results than New York so far, scoring 30 points, though the Panthers have been more competitive. They led Seattle in the fourth quarter of their opener before losing 12-7 and suffered a heartbreaking 24-23 defeat to Buffalo last week on a two-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel with 2 seconds remaining.That capped an 80-yard drive during which the Bills had no timeouts."It's time to get over the hump," coach Ron Rivera said. "We've been through this - and that is the thing that is disheartening. You'd like to believe that we've gotten to the point where we've learned from these things and now it's about getting things done."Since Rivera took over in 2011, the Panthers have lost 10 games in which they've held a lead in the fourth quarter - tied with Philadelphia for most in the league.Newton was sacked six times Sunday, and he's struggled in the early going with an 86.4 rating.

"With us being in so many tight games, you would think we would know by now, but it's still a learning and maturing thing for us," Newton told the team's official website. "In tight situations, we have to somehow make a play."We will scratch and claw and find a way to win games."The defense has allowed 403.0 yards per game, including 293.5 passing, and now must play without Charles Godfrey for the rest of the season after the starting free safety tore his right Achilles tendon last Sunday.One area in which Carolina has succeeded is running the ball, as the Panthers are among the NFL leaders with 259 rushing yards. DeAngelo Williams has led the way with 171, and he'll face a Giants team that gave up 109 and two touchdowns on the ground last week.

Match Schedule: 

Competitor :New York Giants vs Carolina Panthers

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

Bank of America Stadium

NFL 2013 Season : Detroit Lions vs Washington Redskins Preview

While the Washington Redskins contemplate what has happened in the first two losses of the 2013 season, if they do not defeat the Detroit Lions in Week 3, it will be the first time in nearly 75 years the Lions come to Washington and leave with a victory.According to Rich Tandler, one of Comcast SportsNet Washington's lead writers, the Lions are looking for the franchise’s first win ever as a visitor to Washington.They are 0-21 in Griffith Stadium/DC Stadium/RFK Stadium/Jack Kent Cooke Stadium/FedEx Field, a skid that stretches back to 1939. A loss to the Lions, at home in front of disappointed fans, will burst the bubble of enthusiasm and optimism for some. That's happens after any home game loss. A win for Detroit lands the Lions in the record books and into the land of sports trivia. A Redskins loss could really impact team attitude, pride and morale as the team continues to ask themselves, "What's wrong?" So far the Redskins can't watch much video of "What's right?" based on their performances in their first two games. More accurately, the two second half's.I only say this because so much was made about the return of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III following his nine months of rehabilitation following reconstructive right knee surgery. This would not be such a big deal but RG3 had to have surgery on both of his knees in order to resurrect one good knee.But that's not the extent of the significance of a Redskins win after falling face-first in their first two regular season games to start the much-anticipated 2013 season. Throughout the offseason and preseason, many Redskins fans were overly concerned about RG3 and his return in time for the start of the 16-game regular season. Some debated the merits of having RG3 playing in the preseason to help polish his game-time efforts and playability in the games that count.Their conclusion was the preseason doesn't count.  Why put such a high-profile QB in a meaningless game in the preseason and jeopardize his successful return to NFL game-time situations that earned RG3 the Offensive Rookie of the Year accolades he so deservedly earned in his first year in the league?The problem the Redskins face is a resurgent Lions football team under the direction of quarterback Matthew Stafford, the hit-or-miss effectiveness of running back Reggie Bush, and perhaps one of the best receivers the NFL community and fan-base has seen in a decade in wide receiver Calvin Johnson—aka "Megatron."

Match Schedule: 

Competitor :Detroit Lions vs Washington Redskins

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

FedEx Field

NFL 2013 Season : Arizona Cardinals vs New Orleans Preview

Coach Sean Payton has the New Orleans Saints back to their winning ways, but his usual high-scoring offense isn't where he'd like it to be quite yet.The Arizona Cardinals certainly won't be as dangerous if Larry Fitzgerald can't recover from a hamstring injury.The Saints hope to get their offense headed in the right direction against the Cardinals on Sunday when they try to start 3-0 for the first time since their 2009 Super Bowl-winning season.Following Payton's 2012 suspension for the bounty scandal, New Orleans won its 10th straight regular-season game under the head coach dating back to 2011 with Sunday's 16-14 victory at Tampa Bay.The Saints have averaged 32.6 points and 471.1 yards during that streak, but have scored 19.5 and gained 395.0 per game in 2013.New Orleans managed one offensive touchdown Sunday, and Drew Brees was intercepted twice and sacked four times."We've got a lot to fix. We've got a ton of football to play," Payton said. "Obviously, we've got to be better at scoring and I've got to do a better job."New Orleans has converted only one of seven red-zone chances into touchdowns. That 14.3 percent conversion rate ranks last in the NFL."We've certainly had some opportunities and just haven't taken advantage of it yet," Brees said. "Eventually, that will bite us if we don't get it fixed."Despite the team's scoring slump, Brees seeks his eighth straight 300-yard passing game after completing 26 of 46 for 322 yards with one touchdown in Week 2. His primary target has been tight end Jimmy Graham, who had 10 catches for 179 yards - including a 56-yard score.Running back Darren Sproles and wideout Marques Colston have also been key contributors with a combined 21 catches for 255 yards and a touchdown.Now they'll face an Arizona team that has allowed St. Louis' Sam Bradford and Detroit's Matthew Stafford to complete 68.9 percent of their passes for 577 yards and four touchdowns. The Cardinals (1-1) have only one interception and one sack.Arizona hopes to have Fitzgerald as it tries to build on Sunday's 25-21 home victory over the Lions. The seven-time Pro Bowler had two catches for 33 yards before aggravating his hamstring injury in the second half.He sat out Wednesday's practice and his status is uncertain for Sunday."I want him resting. I do not want him aggravating that thing again," coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday. "We'll take that day to day."Kerry Taylor, promoted from the practice squad, had three late catches for 40 yards - his first NFL receptions - while Jim Dray led the Cardinals with five catches for 31 yards. Veterans Andre Roberts and Michael Floyd, however, combined for six catches for 58 yards.Carson Palmer has completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 575 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, though both his scoring strikes to receivers have gone to Fitzgerald. While with Oakland, Palmer went 22 of 40 for 312 yards with two touchdowns and two picks in a 38-17 loss to the Saints last November.If Fitzgerald can't play, Arizona may have to lean more heavily on running back Rashard Mendenhall, though he is nursing a toe injury. Mendenhall has rushed for 126 yards on 31 carries (4.1 ypg) with one touchdown, and New Orleans has given up 124.0 rushing yards per game - 27th in the NFL.The Saints, however, have been much improved defensively under new coordinator Rob Ryan after yielding an NFC-worst 28.4 points per game and a league-record 7,042 yards last season.They've given up the sixth-fewest points (31) and the 11th-fewest yards (640)."We are flying pretty high as a defense," linebacker Curtis Lofton said. "Last year is last year, that's in the past. This is a new team, new defense, new defensive coordinator, so we moved way past that."New Orleans, which has produced four turnovers and four sacks, suffered a blow to its depth in the secondary Sunday when cornerback Patrick Robinson was lost for the season with a right knee injury.The Saints have won six of seven home meetings, last hosting the Cardinals in a 45-14 win in the 2010 divisional playoffs.

Match Schedule: 

Competitor :Arizona Cardinals vs New Orleans

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

Mercedes-Benz Superdome

NFL 2013 Season : Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New England Patriots Preview

It's not surprising that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick expressed support for good friend Greg Schiano ahead of this weekend's contest with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.It's probably more important to Schiano that star cornerback Darrelle Revis also did the same, although both parties insist there was no truth to rumors of friction between them.On the field, Revis and the Buccaneers will have Dashon Goldson available as part of a secondary that will try to slow down Tom Brady in Sunday's matchup at Gillette Stadium.New England has won its first two games by a total of five points while Tampa Bay has lost its two by a total of three. The embattled Schiano knows that his team must find a way to turn that around."We're close. Close isn't good enough, we've got to get over the hump," Schiano said.The second-year coach was recommended for the Tampa Bay job by Belichick, whose son Stephen played for Schiano at Rutgers. The Patriots drafted three former Scarlet Knights players this year, and the coaches had their teams scrimmage and practice against each other this year ahead of a preseason game won 25-21 by New England at home Aug. 16."I have a lot of respect for coach Schiano," Belichick said. "I think he's done an excellent job. We certainly had good work with him, here, in the preseason. I think his team's well prepared. They're a couple plays away from being 2-0. That's the way we look at it. I think he's an outstanding coach."Schiano returned the compliments."I think the common passion for the game of football and what it's done for our lives is what brought us together, that and his son playing for us at Rutgers," Schiano said. "And then, he's a great coach. He's another Hall of Famer. So you're looking at certainly a challenge for all of us going up there to Foxborough."The winless Buccaneers did their best to quell a controversy stemming from reports that Revis was unhappy with Schiano. The two met Tuesday."Zero truth," Revis said. "Why wouldn't I be happy here? They gave me an opportunity coming off my (knee) injury to play football again, so I'm excited to be here."The Bucs got good news Wednesday when the NFL reduced Goldson's one-game suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Saints running back Darren Sproles in last Sunday's 16-14 loss to a $100,000 fine."I try to keep my hits within the rules," Goldson said. "That's what I'm going to do week in and week out. I'm going to try to get guys on the ground. But at the same time, I've got to be careful."Goldson drew support from an unusual source in Brady, who has thrown six touchdowns in two meetings with Tampa Bay in which the Patriots have outscored the Buccaneers 63-7."If I were a safety, I'd try to play like him," Brady said. "He's a great player. I played against him last year, always kind of watched him as a 49er and he got his opportunity there after a few years in San Francisco and took advantage of his opportunity."

Match Schedule: 

Competitor :Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New England Patriots

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

Gillette Stadium

NFL 2013 Season : Cleveland Browns vs Minnesota Vikings Preview

The Minnesota Vikings (0-2) host the Cleveland Browns (0-2) in their home opener on Sunday, September 22 at Mall of America Field with kickoff scheduled for noon. Minnesota owns the series record 11-3 and holds a 7-1 mark at home against the Browns. The Vikings have won 4 consecutive games over the Browns.Next Monday could mark desperate times in Cleveland or Minnesota, as either the Browns or Vikings will find themselves at 0-3 after their game this Sunday.The Browns have looked anemic in losses to the Dolphins and Ravens to start the season. After starting quarterback Brandon Weeden put up a 62.0 rating in those games, the team has turned to second-year man Brian Hoyer to lead them this weekend. Meanwhile, it's been a disappointing start for a Vikings team that is hoping to repeat its surprising 2012 playoff appearance. Already saddled by two losses to division foes (Lions in Week 1, Bears in Week 2), and with two games still looming against powerful Green Bay, the Vikings are in danger of falling into a hole they can't climb out of.The Vikings still have Adrian Peterson though, and that fact has them as heavy favorites among NFL experts. The eight-analyst panel at CBS Sports has Minnesota as unanimous favorites, and four of them believe they will cover the 4½-point spread. It's a similar story over at ESPN, where the seven experts that have entered picks are all on the Vikings.

Match Schedule: 

Competitor :Cleveland Browns vs Minnesota Vikings

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

Mall of America Field

NFL 2013 Season : San Diego Chargers vs Tennessee Titans Preview

A few weeks ago, no one would have pegged the San Diego Chargers vs. the Tennessee Titans as a particularly interesting affair. After an impressive opening couple of games for the Titans and a resurgent Week 2 from the Chargers, however, Sunday's game all of a sudden carries a fair amount of intrigue, and has experts torn over who will emerge victorious.The Titans kicked off 2013 with an win over an admittedly hapless Steelers team, but followed it up with an impressive performance against the Texans, coming up just short in overtime of knocking off the AFC South favorites. After blowing a 21-point second-half lead to those same Texans in Week 1, Philip Rivers and the Chargers redeemed themselves with a 31-28 victory over Chip Kelly's run-and-gun Eagles last weekend.It will be interesting to see in which direction these two teams head from here on. For their part, experts around the country are torn over who will come out on top. Over at ESPN, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter are taking the Titans, while Mike Golic has the Chargers. CBS Sports is also giving the slight edge to Tennessee, with five of it's eight experts leaning that way.San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy has wasted little time in helping Philip Rivers return to an elite level, while also turning Eddie Royal into the top scoring receiver in the NFL.The high-scoring attack will try to carry San Diego to its 10th straight win over the Tennessee franchise, with the Titans playing their home opener Sunday.After serving as coordinator for Denver teams that went to the playoffs with Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning running his offense the past two years, McCoy has brought out the best in Rivers through two games as San Diego's head coach.The four-time Pro Bowler went 36 of 47 for 419 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in a 33-30 win at Philadelphia on Sunday, earning AFC player of the week honors. He's tied for second in the league with seven touchdown passes, is fourth with a 115.8 passer rating and eighth with a 65.8 completion percentage.Rivers posted ratings of 88.6 and 88.7 the previous two seasons, throwing 35 interceptions. He has one this year."He's a great player and one of the smarter guys I've been around,'' wideout Keenan Allen said. "He can read coverages and change calls at the line of scrimmage. He's really great to play with.''Rivers has also played a key role in his team's success against the Titans (1-1). He's completed 68.5 percent for 268.0 yards per game with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while winning all six meetings, including playoffs.Rivers went 24 for 32 for 284 yards with three scores and one pick in a 38-10 home win over Tennessee last Sept. 16.Malcom Floyd led the Chargers (1-1) with six catches for 109 yards in that meeting, but he isn't expected to be available after suffering what appeared to be a serious neck injury in the second half Sunday."They are continuing to do some tests on him throughout the week just to make sure we are doing things the right way," said McCoy of Floyd, who had five catches for 102 yards.Royal has emerged as the top playmaker in McCoy's fast-paced offense with an NFL-best five touchdown receptions. He had seven catches for 90 yards - 43 after the catch - and three scores against the Eagles.The Chargers, who rank among the league leaders with 30.5 points and 401.0 yards per game, will try to keep rolling against the Titans.After failing to hold an eight-point lead with less than five minutes left in a 30-24 overtime loss at Houston on Sunday, Tennessee hopes to bounce back as its begins a three-game stretch at home."To be able to come home to familiar territory where we don't have to travel the day before the game, we can be in a routine for these next three weeks without having ... to travel or go anywhere," safety George Wilson said. "I think that'll give us a lot more confidence going into this stretch."Chris Johnson, held to 17 yards on eight carries by the Chargers last season, has rushed for 166 on 50 attempts this season. Tennessee coach Mike Munchak said Jackie Battle will get more chances to carry the ball after Shonn Greene underwent knee surgery earlier this week.

Match Schedule: 

Competitor : San Diego Chargers vs Tennessee Titans

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

LP Field

NFL 2013 Season : St. Louis Rams vs Dallas Cowboys Preview

The Cowboys have had so many great weapons on offense for years now. The Rams have put together a great defensive core and will do their best to lock down the Cowboys' many weapons. The Rams are averaging 325.5 yards per game while Dallas is putting up 262.5 per game.St. Louis is averaging 68 yards per outing while the Cowboys are averaging 62 yards per contest.Passing yards against per game: The Rams are averaging 330.5 yards against per outing while Dallas averages 313.5 yards against per game.St. Louis is averaging 61 yards against per game; meanwhile the Cowboys are averaging 82 yards against per outing.he Rams are coming off a loss to the Atlanta Falcons while Dallas fell short to the Kansas City Chiefs. While I think it will be close, I like the Cowboys to take care of business at home and get the win.The Cowboys are looking to redeem themselves following a disappointing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this past Sunday.Both Romo and Dez Bryant were on the same page, as they connected nine times for 141 yards one touchdown which ended up being a beautiful catch and throw at the very back of the end zone.The difference in the game happened to be two fumbles that were lost by the Cowboys. Although they were ahead by a couple yards in total yards and passing first downs, it still wasn’t enough to squeeze by the Chiefs. Now this week could be an even tougher task for Tony Romo and this offense.St. Louis has one of the best up and coming young defenses in the league but tend to find themselves struggling at times. They gave up 31 points against the Atlanta Falcons but the offense was able to bring them back within a touchdown near the end of the game.Early on Bradford threw an interception to Osi Umenyiora who managed to return it 68 yards for a touchdown.Starting quarterback Sam Bradford  was able to get things rolling late in the third and fourth quarter with multiple touchdown passes. He found rookie Tavon Austin for two and Austin Pettis early on in the fourth which brought them within a touchdown.This week I expect Tony Romo and Dez Bryant to continue their terror on defenses. Since it’s a home game, Dallas should have an advantage over the young St. Louis Rams organization.Tony Romo finished the game against Kansas City with 30 of 42 passes complete for 298 yards with one touchdown.Sam Bradford finished with 32 of 55 passes completed with three touchdowns and one interception.

Match Schedule: 

Competitor : St. Louis Rams vs Dallas Cowboys

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

AT&T Stadium

NFL 2013 Season : Green Bay Packers vs Cincinnati Bengals preview

Two of the league's upper-tier teams face off in a big inter-conference showdown this Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals play host to the Green Bay Packers. Both teams sit at 1-1 after bouncing back from opening losses to grab wins in Week 2. The Packers avenged a controversial loss to San Francisco by dominating the Redskins last weekend while Bengals picked up a division win over the Steelers on Monday.It's likely both of these teams will find themselves in the playoffs regardless of Sunday's outcome, but the game nevertheless could have major seeding implications down the line. A 1-2 start could be detrimental to either club's hopes of capturing their respective division crowns this season.The experts are somewhat torn over this matchup. CBS Sports's staffers are split down the middle, with four on the Packers and four on the Bengals, though Senior NFL Columnist Pete Prisco thinks a shaky Green Bay offensive line will cost them the game. Of the three ESPN analysts that have picked, the Packers are a unanimous favorite.Betting lines are tight as well, as the opening line has Cincinnati by just 1½ points. That edge is a nod to the Bengals' home field advantage, however, more than anything happening on the field.

Match Schedule: 

Competitor : Green Bay Packers vs Cincinnati Bengals

Series : NFL Regular season,Week 03

Play-Off :1:00 PM, SUN, SEP 22

Paul Brown Stadium