Week’s 2 bold predictions were a bust, which brings them to an unimpressive 0-10 on the season. There have been a few close calls, but the closest prediction last week was the Seattle Seahawks getting blown out in Green Bay.
Undeterred, bold predictions saunters on fearlessly against the grain. After all, what are bold predictions if they are not risky? Any schmuck can make predictions with a decent shot of coming true every Sunday.
Still, it would be easy to water down bold predictions to try to get a couple correct. It may legitimize the process to some extent, but close should be good enough for bold predictions.
Call it a rationalization, but there’s no shame in not catching every Hail Mary pass. When that day comes, it will be glorious. Maybe the magic moment will come in Week 3 from one of the following bold predictions.
Big Performance by Jamaal Charles Will Lead Chiefs over Packers
Last week, Jamaal Charles was to blame for the Kansas City Chiefs losing to the Denver Broncos. Charles had two key fumbles—including one that was returned for the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute to play.
Charles will be trying to redeem himself in front of a national television audience against porous run defense Monday night. Charles is still one of the best running backs in the league and he’ll have a little extra motivation.
Through two games, only the Cleveland Browns have allowed more rushing the yards than the Packers. Only the New England Patriots have allowed more yards per carry than the Packers. The Chiefs also have a defense that should be able to keep the game close enough in Green Bay to get Charles plenty of touches.
So Charles will have 200 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns Monday, which is a feat he’s only accomplished twice in his career. Both of those times were on the road. His performance will propel the Chiefs victory in Green Bay, one of the league’s most difficult road environments. Charles and the Chiefs also are coming off 10 full days of rest having last played on Thursday night football in Week 2.
Colin Kaepernick Will Carve up the Arizona Cardinals
Lost in the San Francisco 49ers blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week was the play of Colin Kaepernick. He’s quietly put together a solid start to the season, bu few are taking him seriously. Since his big performance came in a loss and his average performance a win, it’s hard to trust that Kaepernick has turned a corner.
Last week, Kaepernick had 335 passing yards and two touchdowns. Kaepernick has gone over 300 yards passing and two touchdowns only three other times in his career. He’s never done it in back-to-back weeks, but that will change on Sunday.
For Kaepernick to prove he’s a capable quarterback again, he needs to consistently put up the big numbers. The Arizona Cardinals are also the perfect opponent since he’s traditionally done well against them. One of the aforementioned 300-yard, two touchdown performances came in a 23-20 win over the Cardinals in Arizona in 2013.
The pieces all suggest a big day for Kaepernick and the 49ers.
The Philadelphia Eagles will rebound to beat the New York Jets
Tremendous pressure is building in Philadelphia. Another loss would bring head coach Chip Kelly to 0-3 in a season in which the Eagles were supposed to contend for the NFC crown.
Their opponent, the New York Jets, moved to 2-0 on Monday night. We should see a slight course correction for both teams Sunday. The Eagles will learn how to fly again and the Jets just won’t have enough legs to keep up coming off a short week.
While the Eagles looked terrible last week, there was no shame in losing the Atlanta Falcons on the road in Week 1. There is enough talent on the Eagles that better performances should come.
Running back DeMarco Murray has just 11 rushing yards, which isn’t what we expected, but there’s still time for him to turn his season around. There’s even still time for quarterback Sam Bradford to turn things around.
Kelly may have outsmarted himself playing general manager this offseason, but he’s a bright offensive mind. He’s going to put his players in the position to succeed and still has several talented offensive players. They’ll all shine on Sunday.
The Atlanta Falcons will crush the Cowboys in Dallas
Unsurprisingly, the Atlanta Falcons are favored to beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. That’s largely because the Cowboys will be without quarterback Tony Romo and Brandon Weeden will get the start in his place. Weeden doesn’t even have wide receiver Dez Bryant to help him, who is also out with an injury.
What the oddsmakers have wrong is that the Falcons aren’t just going to win the game, they are going to shred the Cowboys to bits. It’s not as if the Cowboys have wide receivers who can fill Bryant’s shoes. It’s not as if the running game wasn’t already a huge question mark. It’s not as if Weeden is capable of making plays on his own. It’s not as if the defense is capable of carrying the team.
If it wasn’t true two weeks ago, it’s not going to be in Week 3. Nothing is going to change overnight, even if the Cowboys show a few glimpses of hope.
Atlanta’s offense is potent enough as-is, but the defense needed another confidence-building game. There’s nothing quite like facing an offense without quarterback and top receiver. Expect a lopsided game tilted heavily in the Falcons favor for this reason.
