Six One Three's NFL Week 3 Preview

613 breaks down every Sunday matchup, as well as the Monday nighter.  Find out who will win, who to watch, who will surprise and more here in our Week 3 Preview.  Check here every Sunday morning before making your picks, or choosing your starters.

J.J. "Swatt" and the Texans travel to Baltimore

TEXANS @ RAVENS:

• Not having Ray Rice will hurt an already damaged Baltimore offense.  The pressure is going to be all on Flacco's shoulders as the SB MVP will be relied upon even more heavily now.
  
• Ed Reed suits up for his first game of the year - just so happens to be vs. his former team.  Look for Houstons pass rush to cause problems for Ravens.
  
• The Ravens offense will continue to struggle to make enough plays while the Texans defense should force enough mistakes by the Baltimore offense to come away with a win on the road.
• Players to watch:  HOU Run Offense vs. BAL Defense, Bernard Pierce, Ed Reed
  

GIANTS @ PANTHERS

• Carolina's front seven continues to impress while their offense maintains its mediocrity.  Cam needs to get back to running more as he needs to create more offense for Carolina.
• Giants need to give David Wilson another shot as their ground game needs a lot of help.  What happened to the once feared NYG pass rush?  Look for Giants WR's and TE Brandon Myers to have good days.
• Eli Manning and the G-Men WR's should beat up on an injury riddled Panthers secondary unless Cam Newton has a superman like performance.
• Players to watch: David Wilson, Steve Smith, Brandon Myers

LIONS @ REDSKINS:  

• The Redskins haven't given fans much to be positive about with a timid RG3 and a terrible D, Washington needs to make some strides fast.  This could be the week as a beatable Lions D rolls into town.  Should be another shootout for 'Skins fans.
• Lions will likely be without a key part of their offense Reggie Bush, but they still have Stafford and Calvin to beat up on Washingstons defense.
• Lions may be favoured but anticipate a tight game as pressure to win mounts in Washington - look for Griffin and the Skins to get going a little faster this week.
• Players to watch: RG3, Matt Stafford, Washington D vs. Detroit D

CHARGERS @ TITANS:

• Could the real Phillip Rivers please stand up.  In fact who are these Chargers?  Written off during preseason San Diego needs some respect thanks to outstanding play of Rivers, Eddie Royal and with the health of Antonio Gates and Ryan Matthews.  
• Similar story in Tennessee - who are these guys?  Strong play on the defensive side of the ball has kept Tennessee in the mix during their first two contests.
• This game should help us determine who may be pretending and who may actually be a contender.  Look for Rivers hot streak to continue as Chargers win. 
• Players to watch: Phillip Rivers, Eddie Royal, Titans D

CARDINALS @ SAINTS:  

• Saints new look defense is playing well.  Rookie Safety K. Vaccarro has taken on a big responsibility in Rob Ryan's defense and it's paying off so far.  Brees and the offense will produce no matter who they play.
• The Cards come off a big win over the Lions and actually have a respectable offense this year.  Add the improved offense to a stellar defense and 'Zona won't be going down without a fight.
• Brees and the Saints offense playing at home will be too much for the Cardinals to keep pace with.
• Players to watch: Darren Sproles, Patrick Peterson, Michael Floyd

BUCCANEERS @ PATRIOTS:  

• Patriots certainly aren't playing pretty football right now but they still are 2-0 and coming off a few extra days of rest following Thursdays game.  Look for Patriots to have much better rhythm on offense this week.
• Unfortunately for Tampa fans a lot was invested into the defense this off-season but the offense may have needed the help just as bad.  Lots of talent going to waste for the Buc's right now - this is a great opportunity to silence the critics with a win in Boston.
• Belichek should have New England playing at a higher level this week although it may not show on the scoreboard vs desperate Bucs team.  Look for Pats to squeak out another narrow victory this week.
  
• Players to watch: Revis vs. Edelman, Josh Freeman, Legarrette Blount

PACKERS @ BENGALS:  

• Rodgers and Packers come off a huge game last week.  They have so many weapons at their disposal its tough to picture the Bengals being able to slow them down enough to win this game.  James Jones has been nearly invisible after leading the league in TD catches last season.  Watch for him this week.
• Gio Bernard adds a needed spark to the Bengals offense but they still need to grow as a team in order to be considered legitimate contenders.  Big opportunity for Cincinnati to register a win versus a quality opponent.
• This should be a hard fought game and could come down to the wire - however we will go with the SB MVP Aaron Rodgers for the win.
• Players to watch: Gio Bernard, James Starks, James Jones
  

RAMS @ COWBOYS:  

• Rams almost made up for their slow start last week in Atlanta thanks to a strong second half from Bradford and rookie T.Austin.  Look for that energy to carry forward in what should be a great game to watch. 
• Romo and the Cowboys continue to agonize fans of "America's Teams" they need to get DeMarco Murray going to help out Tony.
  
• Another match-up that could go either way.  The success of Tony Romo against the Rams Defense will determine the outcome of this game. 
• Players to watch: Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray, Rams Secondary

BROWNS @ VIKINGS: 

• Where's Trent?  Brian Hoyer to start at QB this week?  Lots of questions in Cleveland take away from Jordan Cameron's strong play.  Rare good news for Browns fans - Josh Gordon returns from his suspension this week!
• Vikings may be the best 0-2 team in the NFL right now.  Their defense is always underrated and Adrian Peterson is the best player in the league period.  
• Vikings D and A.P. should cruise to victory at home although the Browns may put up a tougher fight than anticipated with Brady's former backup Brian Hoyer as QB.
• Players to watch: Josh Gordon, Brian Hoyer, Cordarrelle Patterson
  

FALCONS @ DOLPHINS:

• Matty Ice continues his stellar play - although it sure doesn't hurt having Julio Jones!  The injury to Stephen Jackson doesn't help but Atlanta has more than enough weapons to compensate.
• Perhaps we need to give Ryan Tannehill and Joe Philbin more credit.  The offense makes enough plays to keep the game close long enough for them to make a few plays late to seal the deal.  Credit also needs to be given to the defense.  
• Not many would've had this circled on their calendar as a game to watch however the surprise Dolphins and the always strong Falcons make this one of the leagues best match-ups of week 3.  Miami is going to need to take advantage of the energy coming from their fans during their home opener if they want to push to 3-0 to begin this season.
  
• Players to watch: Jason Snelling, Lamar Miller, Charles Clay

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DC Pettine faces former team in AFC East battle

BILLS @ JETS:  

• Jets are coming off a long week of rest and they always play tough against the Bills.  Look for Jets to try and establish the ground game early to open up things for rookie QB Geno Smith.
• Bills have much more familiarity with the Jets this season.  Former Jets DC Mike Pettine has Buffalo's defense playing at a high level while Doug Marrone was 3 - 0 coaching against Geno Smith and West Virigina while he was HC of Syracuse.
• Story lines fill this AFC East showdown as both Coach's try to best utilize their rookie QB's in this chess match.  Look for the Bills to come up big defensively and pick up the win on the road.
• Matchup/Players to watch: Geno Smith vs EJ Manuel, Bills D (M.Pettine) vs Jets O, Mario Williams
  

JAGUARS @ SEAHAWKS:

• Jags can only get better from here right?  In what should be the blowout of the week don't be surprised if Jacksonville actually makes some plays.  They are due for a score at some point and may be able to catch the Seahawks off guard early.
• Seahawks come off a huge victory over division rival 49ers last week and now have a cake walk at home vs. the GAGuars.  The defense should have a field day once again as Seattle breezes to an easy victory.
• The gambling man may like the odds on the Jaguards but a reasonable man will tell you there is no way this upset is happening.  Seahawks may not look as dominant as last week but they will get the job done and move on to next week.
• Players to watch:  Ace Sanders, Cecil Shorts, Earl Thomas

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"It's this easy in the NFL too - you're kidding?"

COLTS @ 49ERS:

• Andrew Luck couldn't get in done late in the 4th quarter for a change and the Colts now face an even tougher test in San Fran.  Luck will be competing against his former coach at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh, and although he may have hopes of taking it to his former master he faces a tough test vs the 49ers defense.
  
• The entire 49ers franchise was embarrassed in Seattle last week and they don't want anything more than to erase that from their memories with a dominant win of their own.  Expect San Fran to get back to their winning formula of running the football with Gore and Kaepernick early and often.
• Most expect San Fran to bounce back and take out their frustrations on Indy however Andrew Luck, new addition Trent Richardson, and the Colts will be battling til the final whistle.  This game will be closer than most are predicting.
• Players to watch: Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson, Frank Gore

BEARS @ STEELERS:  

• The Bears have a great chance to push to 3-0 with a win in Pittsburgh.  Chicago defense should cause enough problems for Steelers offense to allow Jay Cutler and Matt Forte to control the pace of the game.
• Rumors of Le'Veon Bell playing this week show us how desperate things may really be in Steeltown.  Big Ben and Antonio Brown need someone else to step up if they are going to have a chance moving forward.
• The Steelers are probably still a week away from establishing any consistency on offense and the Bears defense should take advantage of the struggles in Pittsburgh.
• Players to watch: Charles Tillman, Jay Cutler, Ben Roethlisberger

RAIDERS @ BRONCOS: 

• It's not about whether they will win at this point - its about how many points will they win by for Denver fans this season.  After crushing his little brother last week Peyton now gets to host the lousy Raiders in Mile High.
• Terrelle Pryor took a step back last week - he needs to take a gigantic step forward this week in order to keep pace with the Broncos attack.  Raiders secondary is no match for Denvers aerial assault - but to their credit who really is this season?
• Look for the Broncos to put up another 40 burger and walk to victory barring a miracle or major injury.
  
• Players to watch: Darren McFadden, Terrelle Pryor, Eric Decker

Thanks Folks!

Happy Sunday.

-D.M.

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