After Sunday’s round of games each division leader is 3-0, the Jets in the East, Colts in the South, Ravens in the North, and the surprising Broncos in the West. Equally surprising was defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers’ 23-20 loss to Cincinnati. The Bengals never quit in this one, scoring the winning touchdown with only 14 seconds left to play on a four yard pass from Carson Palmer to Andre Caldwell to the delight of the home town crowd. The Jets continue to impress has they built an early 14-0 lead against Tennessee and then held onto win 24-17. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez threw for 2 TDs but the real story in this game was the continued dominance of the Jets defense. While the Titans were able to move the ball early in the game, they shut down Tennessee QB Kerry Collins in the 4th quarter with the game on the line. Indianapolis and New England both had big wins with the Colts easily handling the Arizona Cardinals winning 31-10 and the Patriots handed Atlanta their first loss of the season beating them 26-10.
Moving onto week four in the AFC the key match ups we will be reviewing are; Buffalo@ Miami, Baltimore @ New England, and San Diego@ Pittsburgh.
Buffalo Bills (-1) @ Miami Dolphins Current Over/Under 37
Both these teams will be fighting for their season as the Bills are 1-2 and the Dolphins are 0-3. Whichever team loses on Sunday will occupy the AFC East basement. Buffalo will try and rebound from a 27-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The moral victory in this one was the fact they held the Saints to only 27 points and QB Drew Brees to only 172 passing yards. Were they failed miserably was stopping the Saints ground game which chewed them up for 222 rushing yards. Their inability to stop the run will play right into the strength of the Dolphin offense. Miami lost another tough game, falling to San Diego 23-13. Dolphin QB Chad Pennington left the game in the 3rd quarter with a shoulder injury and his status for this game in still unknown. Miami will look to control the line of scrimmage and build an early lead against a Bills’ defense that is ranked 27thoverall. Their defense should be able to contain Buffalo’s offense getting a much needed win in another close, low scoring game.
Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-2) Current Over/Under 44
This is a marquee matchup between two of the best teams in the AFC. Baltimore’s offense has been dominant in their first three wins scoring over 30 points in each game. While part of this is due to the teams they have played, Raven QB Joe Flacco has been given much more lead way in the passing game as they are ranked 5th in the league in yards per game. Teams have been able to move the ball against Baltimore’s defense, but they have still been able to create the turnovers when they need them the most. New England bounced back from their loss to Jets with an impressive win over the Falcons. Still without All Pro WR Wes Welker, Tom Brady was able to overcome a shaky start throwing for 277 yards and 1 TD. This game should come down to which team’s defense can best disrupt the other’s offensive scheme. If the Ravens can get to Brady as some other teams have, they will be able to force some bad throws. Look for a key turnover to change the complexion of this game that allows the Ravens to go to 4-0 with a win on the road.
San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5) Current Over/Under 42.5
San Diego has not looked overly impressive so far, but at 2-1 they continue to find ways to win. With LaDainian Tomlinson still out of the lineup the weight has fallen on RB Darren Sproles to pick up the slack. He will need a big game if the Chargers are to have any chance of upsetting the Steelers. Charger QB Philip Rivers is leading the league in passing yards but has thrown 3 interceptions along with his 3 TD’s. Pittsburgh’s QB Ben Roethlisberger is ranked 5th in totals yards, but he has thrown 4 interceptions along with his 3 TD’s. Against Cincinnati, Big Ben had an interception returned for a 30 yard score early in the third quarter that ended up changing the momentum in this game. Whichever of these two that avoids the crucial mistake with the ball gives their team the best chance to win. Something is missing this year with Pittsburgh as they seem to still be suffering from a Super Bowl hangover. I like the Chargers to pull off the upset in a high scoring tilt.
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