We got to experience a number of surprises around the league in week two and no doubt we’re about to see even more in week three. So let’s have a look at three of the biggest games coming up this weekend, starting with an undefeated team battling it out against a winless squad.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
First things first, there is just no way that the Jaguars are able to pull out a win in this matchup. The Cardinals have been playing like the best team in the league throughout the first two weeks of the season whereas the Jaguars can’t seem to get anything figured out. Not only would I place my bet on the Cardinals easily winning this matchup, but I also can see the Jaguars not scoring a rushing touchdown either. This probably has been killing James Robinson fantasy football owners throughout the world, but Jacksonville has yet to attempt a single rush inside the red zone this season. Even when they have gotten into the red zone, Urban Meyer has insisted on having Trevor Lawrence throw the football. Arizona is a great team and unless Jacksonville has some tremendous rushing touchdown from far out, I don’t see it happening.
Arizona to win @ 1/4
New York Jets vs. Denver Broncos
Let’s get straight to it… the Broncos are likely to win this ball game, due to the lack of any offense so far from the Jets. Yes, they have gone up against two talented defenses already, but Denver is going to be their third. Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson has thrown six interceptions already to start his NFL career and their rushing attack has been nearly non-existent. Defensively, they haven’t been horrible but if they end up being out on the field for the entire game once again, the score won’t be that close. Denver has looked great in their first two games of the season, with Teddy Bridgewater fitting right in as the starting quarterback. Their rushing attack has been good and their defense overall has been stellar. Besides betting on the Broncos to win this game, I would bet on Wilson not throwing for over 300 yards in this matchup. Denver is too good in the secondary even if their pass rush can’t get home to allow that many yards to a guy that has struggled mightily so far.
Denver to win @ 4/25
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Both of these teams were incredibly disappointing last weekend. The Bengals found themselves down 20-3 with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter until garbage time allowed them to inch it to 20-17. Joe Burrow had thrown three interceptions on consecutive passes at one point, just not looking in rhythm at all. Meanwhile, the Steelers were seemingly caught off guard by the talent of the Las Vegas Raiders defense. The Raiders took advantage of Pittsburgh’s secondary and stifled their offense. I think that the Steelers are a fantastic bet for this game. Yes, division rivalries are always incredibly hard to predict due to each team knowing one another so well, but the Steelers have a far more talented team than Cincinnati. The Bengals also were thrown around by the Chicago Bears last week, who were embarrassed by the Los Angeles Rams the week before that. Burrow has flashes of greatness then throws multiple interceptions in one contest. Pittsburgh has a great defense but just has to get the ball rolling a little bit offensively. With the talent that they have on that end of the football, there is no way that they get stomped two weeks in a row.
Pittsburgh to win @ 4/9
*All odds correct at time of writing.