Buffalo's upset of the surging Broncos was one upset from Week Three that cast looking ahead to Week Four in a different light
The third week of the 2017 season was marred by the petulance of NFL players and the larger league when Donald Trump attacked anthem protests. Players escalated their anthem protest and were loudly booed for it, while Roger Goodell enabled them via a stupid message of support that managed to get everything wrong - again.
Army - and Afgahnistan - vet Alejandro Villanueva showed up his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates and coach by standing for the Anthem; he was sold out by being forced to apologize for it later, while Ben Roethlisberger reportedly also opposed sitting for the Anthem
And the anthem protest fiasco is exposing the complete lack of credibility of rationalization for it - for the players are not courageous or standing for social justice, they are simply being petulant children; when they try to justify their stand, such as Duron Harmon's claim that "we're standing for those who have no voice," they merely prove how foolish they are - there is no "those who have no voice, and it never occurs to them that "those who have no voice" may not have earned a voice. "Nor do the protesting players come across as informed......but as mostly unable to explain to their fans precisely why and how they are mistreated or why America is a flawed society...." Of course they can't because their premise is factually untrue - especially given how these players worked and worked to reach this level, thus again validating the meritocracy of football - and fans (and Trump) know it - they also know the First Amendment does NOT give them the right to protest. So players come across not as courageous but as gutless.
And also grossly enabled - that they took umbrage at Trump's comments shows no one is challenging them to justify their stand - least of all coaches or team owners who foolishly supported their players instead of demanding they offer some credible information. Indeed the players' outrage smacked of self-entitlement - that they feel the rules of freedom of speech (it's a two-way street) don't apply to them. Thomas Sowell calls is differential exemption, and it's the classic swerve of Intellectuals - "I the NFL player have the right to protest the anthem and you do not have the right to call me out for it."
Such gutlessness is enabled by media (and typical of its approach to social issues) but fan booing will not go away. All of it mars enjoyment of a thrilling game whose third week was genuinely spectacular. We allude to Week Three as we make our picks for Week Four -
The ethic of celebrating touchdowns got exposed for the farce it is in the Steelers-Bears game as John Fox may finally be getting things turned around there
Bears over Packers - This is a tricky pick given Aaron Rodgers did the rarest of things - for only the fifth time in his career he led a comeback from down two or more scores in beating a surprisingly strong Bengals squad. The Bears, though, we think are not the same old Bears despite being in the bottom third in scoring and points allowed so far. The Packers are midpack on both sides of the ball and blew a 17-point lead last time they met the Bears, so we can expect a tight one here, especially after the last Thursday Night game played in the league.
Saints over Dolphins in London - The Saints got on the board by hammering the Panthers and they fly to London to face a Dolphins team embarrassed by the NY Jets. The Dolphins are sixth in fewest points allowed but they face a Saints offense eleventh in scoring while Jay Cutler has become the Jay Cutler we all knew in scoring just 25 points in two games. Except more of the same here.
Patriots over Panthers - It's a rematch of 2013's controversial Monday Night affair; the difference here is Tom Brady is even better than he was then and Cam Newton is not. The big semi-shocker is the Panthers are second in fewest points allowed taking on the second-highest scoring offense in the league. This is a battle of strength against strength and also weakness - the Panthers have scored just 45 points, 29th in the league - against weakness - the Patriots have gagged up 95 points, dead last in the league. While the Panthers were getting smacked around Tom Brady was leading the 51st comeback of his career as he is now integrating more people into the passing game, notably Brandin Cooks after a slow start and unheralded Jacob Hollister. While Hollister's stats aren't close to gaudy (and in the process giving his defense something to work with and thus improve), he is beginning to establish something with the other tight end Dwayne Allen struggling badly to fit in the offense. The run game meanwhile was in Witness Protection against Houston - who played like the Oilers of old - and is only at 3.5 yards per carry.
The question turned out to be - who would score more lustily, Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay with each other or the Jaguars against the Ravens? If you took a tie and the points in this bet, you won
Jaguars over NY Jets - Tom Coughlin will never have to buy groceries again in Jacksonville, for he is authoring a genuine turnaround for the Jaguars - presently fourth on both sides of the ball. Blake Bortles looked like Mark Brunell at 64% completion and four touchdowns, reminiscent of Jacksonville's ten-game winning streak over the Ravens in the Jaguars' first five seasons in the league. Joe Flacco meanwhile looks more and more like a fading quarterback at three touchdowns and four INTs all season, and it makes the Ravens' fifth-ranked defense (and 2-1 record) look illusory. The Jags march into Coughlin's old house in The Meadowlands as the Jets spoiled Suck For Sam by hammering the Dolphins. We still don't think the Jets are any good and have too much incentive to try to get Sam Darnold for 2018.
One of the faces of Anthem protest is the Seahawks and phony victim Michael Bennett - despite four touchdowns by Russell Wilson the Seahawks got put down by the Titans
Texans over Titans - This game may become a shootout of the 38-35 model as the first of the semi-annual Houston Oilers Bowls hits The Stadium Next To The Astrodome. The Titans come in off 469 rushing yards - a whopping 156 per game at 5.1 YPC - so far and after a bit of a slow start Marcus Mariota has reached 60% completion and had a better completion percentage (20 of 32 for 225) than Wilson (29 of 49, but he hit 373 yards and edged Mariota in passer rating 110.3 to Mariota's 104.3). They get a Texans defense that showed its toughness in Foxboro but which is 26th in points allowed. The Texans offense got going with Deshaun Watson's breakout game and he faces Tennessee's defense ranked 21st in points. So expect fireworks.
Ravens over Steelers - Both teams come in off bitter losses and with mediocre or worse offenses between Baltimore's 23rd in scoring to Pittsburgh's sixteenth. Neither run defense is all that good - both in the 4.3 YPC allowed category. The edge may be in turnover differential (plus-four for the Ravens to plus-one for the Steelers) but then the flaw there is the Ravens have more turnovers involved (six given up to ten snatched) than the Steelers.
Bengals over Browns - The Bengals at least finally started scoring after changing offensive coordinators and they get an annual patsy to practice against, but the Browns have shown some genuine fight.
Call it heartbreak, call it karma for a team 7-52 against quality foes in the Matthew Stafford era, but the Lions won't get over the Falcons game for awhile and look to take it out on the Vikings
Lions over Vikings - Will Bradford or won't Bradford? Sam Bradford had to sit out the last two games so we think Case Keenum will start here. The Lions have won the last two meetings in this rivalry and are seventh in points to 12th for the Vikings.
The early candidate for Game Of The Year was the Rams' 41-39 thriller of an escape at the 49ers; it illustrated these aren't the Same Old Rams
Rams over Cowboys - The Cowboys got a rude awakening in getting hammered by the Broncos and responded with a tough win over the Cardinals highlighted by an explosive game by receiver Brice Butler. The Cowboys now host a Rams team leading the league in scoring but 27th in points allowed. The revelation is Jared Goff, at 70% completion and five touchdowns to one pick. The Cowboys' dependence on Zeke Elliott is now hurting them, so they need to get more out of the passing game. This game like others promises a lot more offense.
Brice Butler may be emerging as a go-to receiver for the Cowboys
Falcons over Bills - Buffalo's big win over the Broncos makes this a tougher matchup than it might have looked earlier this season, especially with the Bills leading the league in fewest points allowed (just twelve per game so far). Offensively the Bills haven't lit it up while the Falcons are 16th in points allowed and fifth in scoring, with no sign of a Superbowl hangover.
The Eagles won a brass-knuckle affair against the NY Giants and now get a Chargers team that we're not sure won't play in San Diego by December
Eagles over Chargers - What you need to know - the league looks to shift the Chargers back to San Diego. Expect this to happen - even this year, though unlikely for so short a timetable - as the 0-3 Chargers host an Eagles team beginning to build momentum.
49ers over Cardinals - Something amazing happened - the 49ers despite losing had a coming-out party in the game against the Rams. Kyle Shanahan and Brian Hoyer travel to Arizona with the Cardinals looking schizophrenic with a big loss to the Lions followed by the grinder of a win over the Colts followed by a tough loss to the Cowboys.
Buccaneers over NY Giants - The Giants showed fight in the loss to the Eagles and go to a Bucs team that got punched out by Case Keenum. Despite that embarrassment the Bucs are in the top-15 on both sides of the ball. Jameis Winston's three picks against the Vikes, though, is something that needs to be cleaned up.
Raiders over Broncos - The wild and wooly AFC West just got wilder with both teams coming off ugly losses, the Broncos vaunted defense perhaps now exposed as somewhat illusory despite still being 15th in points allowed, and the Raiders now no longer the juggernaut advertised entering the season. Trevor Siemian's explosion against the Cowboys revealed that kind of potential, but as was the case last season the issue becomes sustaining it.
Seahawks over Colts - The Seahawks haven't shown much if any weakness at home as they host a Colts team that finally broke through, albeit against a Browns squad that staged a tough comeback. With the Colts hinting Andrew Luck will begin practicing before this game there's clearly desperation to get him back on the field. The Seahawks meanwhile come home having finally established some offensive power, so Russell Wilson should have the edge here.
Chiefs over Redskins - Andy Reid opened his Chiefs career by sweeping the NFC East and he looks to do it again. The Redskins come in, though, with momentum and confidence after upending the Raiders; even with that Reid has owned the NFC East for a long time.
The league needs some growing up to do as it hits Week Four.
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