Get Your Playmakers the Football; Week 3 Picks
One of the things that drives me crazy when watching the NFL is when teams neglect to get the ball to their best playmakers. What's shocking is that it happens in almost every game every single week. Two teams in particular have me fired up this week.
There are some bad offenses in the NFL, the Jets come to mind, but two of the worst so far this season are the Panthers and Seahawks. Both teams have a terrific playmaker on their roster and week after week neglect to consistently get them the football. I'm talking about Christian McCaffrey of the Panthers and Jimmy Graham of the Seahawks.
With McCaffrey it's a very small sample size, two games, but for crying out loud get that man the football, Carolina. I'm talking to you Mike Shula. Shula is the Panthers offensive coordinator, the same guy who was named Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Pro Football Focus in 2015 when the Panthers went to the Super Bowl. Shula has one of the most electrifying playmakers coming out of college in quite some time on his roster and in two games he's gotten Christian McCaffrey the ball a whopping 28 times, 21 carries for 47-yards and 9 receptions for 72-yards. McCaffrey has also returned 8 punts for 37-yards.
The 21 carries is an alright amount for a first year back who is splitting carries with Jonathan Stewart, but one of McCaffrey's best abilities coming out of college that had NFL scouts all excited was his ability to catch passes out of the back field and make people miss. Runs some screens, option routes out of the backfield, jet sweeps, read option plays with Cam Newton, run something that gets McCaffrey an opportunity to make a play. An average of 14 touches per game won't cut it, he needs a minimum of 20 touches per game in my opinion if not more.
I'm fired up about McCaffrey, and not just because he's on my fantasy team, but because he's a gifted player who makes the game more entertaining and he needs the football in his hands. I'm even more fired up about another guy, former crossbar dunker TE Jimmy Graham.
Yeah, remember him?
It's a crying shame he's out in Seattle. He's not a fit in that offense whatsoever. If you exclude Graham's rookie season in New Orleans, he caught an average of 89 passes for 1,099-yards and 11 TD per year from 2011-2014 as a member of the Saints. Not many guys can put up those kind of numbers consistently for four straight seasons. Graham was the best tight end in the league and a lethal weapon on offense. Then he was traded to the Seahawks and his production has plummeted.
In 29 career games with the Seahawks, Jimmy Graham has caught 117 passes for 1,537-yards and 8 TD. Nowhere close to what he averaged per season in New Orleans. Yes, it's a completely different style of offense in Seattle and Graham had Drew Brees throwing to him, but you'd think the Seahawks would adjust their offense a little bit to get Graham the football.
Two games into this season and Jimmy Graham has 4 receptions for a whopping 9-yards with no TD. He was targeted twice in last week's game against the 49ers and caught a single pass for a single yard. Terrible. How does he not have 7-10 targets per game? He's your best playmaker on offense, a guy who can stretch the defense, is a complete mismatch for linebackers and safeties and yet he doesn't get the football!
The Seahawks have had trouble with their offensive line in the first two games of the season, but offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell needs to take a hard look at the film and realize he's wasting a player's talent. Seattle has scored just 18 points in the first two games and if their offensive struggles continue and Graham continues to not get the football, I'd fired Bevell in a heartbeat. Yet again, I would've fired Bevell after he decided to throw it at the goal line instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch to win the Super Bowl. Worst play call in NFL history without question.
Apologies for the rant, but some of these offense's in the NFL are garbage and if anyone saw the Panthers 9-3 victory over the Bills and the Seahawks 12-9 win over the 49ers last week, you'd agree with me. That's not good football and it's definitely not entertaining. Get the ball to your playmakers and good things will happen. The offense will score points, which fans want to see, which ultimately drives up the television viewership, which boosts ratings, which means more TV money for the NFL.
There you go NFL, an idea to boost ratings and make more money. You're welcome.
Now that I'm off my soap box, I could go on about how A.J. Green only has 10 receptions for 141-yards and 0 TD through two games for the Bengals, but the Bengals have so many more problems that it's time to move on to picks for Week 3.
Week 3 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
L.A. Rams over SAN FRANCISCO (Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET, NFLN): Not the most exciting Thursday night matchup this season, but I do like the Rams to come away with the win. The 49ers just have not looked good on offense, scoring just 12 points in two games, and I think they'll continue to struggle this season.
JACKSONVILLE over Baltimore (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET from London, Yahoo): The first international game of the year takes place this Sunday as the Jaguars and Ravens fly across the pond to play at Wembley Stadium in London. This game will be streamed on Yahoo free of charge and will be shown on CBS in local markets Sunday morning. As for the game, I know the Ravens are 2-0, but their two wins are against the Bengals and Browns. The Jaguars have looked great on defense and it'll be that defense and running the football with rookie RB Leonard Fournette that gets Jacksonville the win.
Atlanta over DETROIT (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Two of the best teams in the NFC so far this season will square off from the Motor City on Sunday. The Lions have looked good in their first two games going 2-0 and the Falcons are 2-0 as well after beating the Packers rather easily last Sunday night. As good as Matthew Stafford and the Lions have looked I'm going with the defending NFC champs in this one. Should be a good game though.
INDIANAPOLIS over Cleveland (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): For the second week in a row, I seriously considered taking the Browns here. The Colts have not looked good without Andrew Luck, but they still almost beat the Arizona Cardinals last week with Jacoby Brissett playing quarterback. I think this'll be a close game and if Browns QB DeShone Kizer plays the entire game -- he left last week's game against the Ravens with a migraine -- then Cleveland may win their first game of the season.
Tampa Bay over MINNESOTA (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): The Vikings are a good team, but without Sam Bradford playing quarterback it's going to be tough for them to win games. Bradford is uncertain for Sunday, which means I'm taking the Buccaneers, who looked good in their first game against the Bears last week.
NEW ENGLAND over Houston (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): The Patriots sure did rebound from their opening night loss to the Chiefs. 30 points in the first half and Tom Brady throwing for 447-yards and 3 TD against the Saints had to give Patriots fans a big sigh of relief. It would not surprise me at all if New England wins the rest of their games. They got their butts kicked in Week 1, Bill Belichick lays into them because of it, and then they proceed to win 15 in a row. It's possible. Houston has a good defense, but their offense struggles to score points and is a work in progress with rookie QB Deshaun Watson. Patriots get the win at home.
Miami over N.Y. JETS (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Jets fall to 0-3, but the good news is they have two winnable games the next two weeks; home against Jacksonville and at Cleveland. If the Jets win a game this season, it might be one of those two.
PHILADELPHIA over N.Y. Giants (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): The Giants have score a grand total of 13 points in two games this season with only one touchdown. They've also rushed for only 97-yards in their first two games. With WR Odell Beckham Jr. still not 100% and a lack of a running game, the Giants will continue to struggle to score points. Eagles have played well in their first two games this season and get the win.
Denver over BUFFALO (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): While the Bills were in a snooze fest with the Panthers where the most exciting action was four made field goals, the Broncos dominated the Dallas Cowboys. Denver held Dallas to just 268-yards of offense, forced two turnovers and held RB Ezekiel Elliott to 8-yards on 9 carries. The Cowboys have a much better offense than the Bills, so I can only imagine the Broncos will have similar success on defense Sunday in Buffalo.
CAROLINA over New Orleans (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): If there was a time to get Christian McCaffrey the football, this Sunday would be it. The Saints come in with the worst defense in the NFL having given up 32.5 points and 512-yards per game. In comparison, the Panthers have given up just six points in their first two games and are only giving up 196.5 yards/game. Advantage Carolina. I think Brees and the Saints will put some points in this one, but if the Panthers get the ball to McCaffrey, they should have no problem scoring against a terrible Saints defense.
Pittsburgh over CHICAGO (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Last week's 29-7 rout in Tampa Bay has Chicago fans screaming for rookie Mitchell Trubisky to take over for Mike Glennon at quarterback. I think the Bears will stick with Glennon for a few more weeks, but if they lose to the Steelers, which I think they will, and then the Packers next week, we could see Trubisky in Week 5 on Monday Night Football against the Vikings.
TENNESSEE over Seattle (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Struggling offenses seems to be a theme in this week's post and here's another game involving a team whose offense has yet to show up this season. There's nothing to like about the Seahawks offense right now and I honestly don't see them getting Jimmy Graham the football. Tennessee is a rising team in this league and it'll be a great matchup watching their offense go up against a tough Seattle defense. Just turn the TV off when the Seahawks have the ball. The Seahawks defense will keep it close, but they won't score enough points to beat the Titans.
GREEN BAY over Cincinnati (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Unless the Bengals defense channels the '85 Bears, the Bengals probably don't win this game. The offense has yet to score a touchdown this season, Cincinnati fired their offensive coordinator last week and there are rumors that some players want the Bengals to sign Colin Kaepernick and have him start instead of Andy Dalton. Not a good situation in Cincinnati. Packers rebound from their loss in Atlanta last Sunday night with a win over the Bengals at Lambeau.
Kansas City over L.A. CHARGERS (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Two of the best teams in the NFL reside in the AFC West and the Chiefs are one of those teams. Kansas City has scored 69 points in two games and rookie RB Kareem Hunt is making a strong case for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year already with 5 TD. Kansas City keeps it rolling against Los Angeles. Chargers had 25,381 fans in attendance for their first game at the StubHub Center, which has a capacity of 27,000. It'll be interesting to watch their attendance numbers the rest of the season. I'll say 26,845 show up for this Sunday's game.
Oakland over WASHINGTON (Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC): The other team in the AFC West that looks like a Super Bowl contender is the Oakland Raiders. Oakland has scored 71 points in their first two games and have made it look easy. They travel to the East Coast for a Sunday night game against the Redskins and I think they improve to 3-0 with a win in the nation's capital.
Dallas over ARIZONA (Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Carson Palmer is 37 years of age and he has looked old in the Cardinals first two games this season. Palmer is completing just 54.8% of his passes and has thrown 2 TD to go along with 4 INT. If he doesn't start playing better, the Cardinals are going to be in for a long season. Dallas struggled against Denver last week and they have to be able to run the football if they're to win. Problem is the Cardinals have given up just 158-yards on the ground this season. I don't see Ezekiel Elliott rushing for only 8-yards this week, so I'm going with the Cowboys on Monday night.
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 22-9 (.710)
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| Hey Carolina, get Christian McCaffrey the football. (Photo Courtesy of Panthers.com) |
With McCaffrey it's a very small sample size, two games, but for crying out loud get that man the football, Carolina. I'm talking to you Mike Shula. Shula is the Panthers offensive coordinator, the same guy who was named Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Pro Football Focus in 2015 when the Panthers went to the Super Bowl. Shula has one of the most electrifying playmakers coming out of college in quite some time on his roster and in two games he's gotten Christian McCaffrey the ball a whopping 28 times, 21 carries for 47-yards and 9 receptions for 72-yards. McCaffrey has also returned 8 punts for 37-yards.
The 21 carries is an alright amount for a first year back who is splitting carries with Jonathan Stewart, but one of McCaffrey's best abilities coming out of college that had NFL scouts all excited was his ability to catch passes out of the back field and make people miss. Runs some screens, option routes out of the backfield, jet sweeps, read option plays with Cam Newton, run something that gets McCaffrey an opportunity to make a play. An average of 14 touches per game won't cut it, he needs a minimum of 20 touches per game in my opinion if not more.
I'm fired up about McCaffrey, and not just because he's on my fantasy team, but because he's a gifted player who makes the game more entertaining and he needs the football in his hands. I'm even more fired up about another guy, former crossbar dunker TE Jimmy Graham.
Yeah, remember him?
It's a crying shame he's out in Seattle. He's not a fit in that offense whatsoever. If you exclude Graham's rookie season in New Orleans, he caught an average of 89 passes for 1,099-yards and 11 TD per year from 2011-2014 as a member of the Saints. Not many guys can put up those kind of numbers consistently for four straight seasons. Graham was the best tight end in the league and a lethal weapon on offense. Then he was traded to the Seahawks and his production has plummeted.
In 29 career games with the Seahawks, Jimmy Graham has caught 117 passes for 1,537-yards and 8 TD. Nowhere close to what he averaged per season in New Orleans. Yes, it's a completely different style of offense in Seattle and Graham had Drew Brees throwing to him, but you'd think the Seahawks would adjust their offense a little bit to get Graham the football.
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| Hey Seattle, get Jimmy Graham the football. (Stephen Brasher/Getty Images) |
The Seahawks have had trouble with their offensive line in the first two games of the season, but offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell needs to take a hard look at the film and realize he's wasting a player's talent. Seattle has scored just 18 points in the first two games and if their offensive struggles continue and Graham continues to not get the football, I'd fired Bevell in a heartbeat. Yet again, I would've fired Bevell after he decided to throw it at the goal line instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch to win the Super Bowl. Worst play call in NFL history without question.
Apologies for the rant, but some of these offense's in the NFL are garbage and if anyone saw the Panthers 9-3 victory over the Bills and the Seahawks 12-9 win over the 49ers last week, you'd agree with me. That's not good football and it's definitely not entertaining. Get the ball to your playmakers and good things will happen. The offense will score points, which fans want to see, which ultimately drives up the television viewership, which boosts ratings, which means more TV money for the NFL.
There you go NFL, an idea to boost ratings and make more money. You're welcome.
Now that I'm off my soap box, I could go on about how A.J. Green only has 10 receptions for 141-yards and 0 TD through two games for the Bengals, but the Bengals have so many more problems that it's time to move on to picks for Week 3.
Week 3 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
L.A. Rams over SAN FRANCISCO (Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET, NFLN): Not the most exciting Thursday night matchup this season, but I do like the Rams to come away with the win. The 49ers just have not looked good on offense, scoring just 12 points in two games, and I think they'll continue to struggle this season.
JACKSONVILLE over Baltimore (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET from London, Yahoo): The first international game of the year takes place this Sunday as the Jaguars and Ravens fly across the pond to play at Wembley Stadium in London. This game will be streamed on Yahoo free of charge and will be shown on CBS in local markets Sunday morning. As for the game, I know the Ravens are 2-0, but their two wins are against the Bengals and Browns. The Jaguars have looked great on defense and it'll be that defense and running the football with rookie RB Leonard Fournette that gets Jacksonville the win.
Atlanta over DETROIT (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Two of the best teams in the NFC so far this season will square off from the Motor City on Sunday. The Lions have looked good in their first two games going 2-0 and the Falcons are 2-0 as well after beating the Packers rather easily last Sunday night. As good as Matthew Stafford and the Lions have looked I'm going with the defending NFC champs in this one. Should be a good game though.
INDIANAPOLIS over Cleveland (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): For the second week in a row, I seriously considered taking the Browns here. The Colts have not looked good without Andrew Luck, but they still almost beat the Arizona Cardinals last week with Jacoby Brissett playing quarterback. I think this'll be a close game and if Browns QB DeShone Kizer plays the entire game -- he left last week's game against the Ravens with a migraine -- then Cleveland may win their first game of the season.
Tampa Bay over MINNESOTA (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): The Vikings are a good team, but without Sam Bradford playing quarterback it's going to be tough for them to win games. Bradford is uncertain for Sunday, which means I'm taking the Buccaneers, who looked good in their first game against the Bears last week.
NEW ENGLAND over Houston (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): The Patriots sure did rebound from their opening night loss to the Chiefs. 30 points in the first half and Tom Brady throwing for 447-yards and 3 TD against the Saints had to give Patriots fans a big sigh of relief. It would not surprise me at all if New England wins the rest of their games. They got their butts kicked in Week 1, Bill Belichick lays into them because of it, and then they proceed to win 15 in a row. It's possible. Houston has a good defense, but their offense struggles to score points and is a work in progress with rookie QB Deshaun Watson. Patriots get the win at home.
Miami over N.Y. JETS (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Jets fall to 0-3, but the good news is they have two winnable games the next two weeks; home against Jacksonville and at Cleveland. If the Jets win a game this season, it might be one of those two.
PHILADELPHIA over N.Y. Giants (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): The Giants have score a grand total of 13 points in two games this season with only one touchdown. They've also rushed for only 97-yards in their first two games. With WR Odell Beckham Jr. still not 100% and a lack of a running game, the Giants will continue to struggle to score points. Eagles have played well in their first two games this season and get the win.
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| The Denver defense held Ezekiel Elliott to just 0.9-yards/carry last Sunday. (Gabriel Christus/DenverBroncos.com) |
CAROLINA over New Orleans (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): If there was a time to get Christian McCaffrey the football, this Sunday would be it. The Saints come in with the worst defense in the NFL having given up 32.5 points and 512-yards per game. In comparison, the Panthers have given up just six points in their first two games and are only giving up 196.5 yards/game. Advantage Carolina. I think Brees and the Saints will put some points in this one, but if the Panthers get the ball to McCaffrey, they should have no problem scoring against a terrible Saints defense.
Pittsburgh over CHICAGO (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Last week's 29-7 rout in Tampa Bay has Chicago fans screaming for rookie Mitchell Trubisky to take over for Mike Glennon at quarterback. I think the Bears will stick with Glennon for a few more weeks, but if they lose to the Steelers, which I think they will, and then the Packers next week, we could see Trubisky in Week 5 on Monday Night Football against the Vikings.
TENNESSEE over Seattle (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Struggling offenses seems to be a theme in this week's post and here's another game involving a team whose offense has yet to show up this season. There's nothing to like about the Seahawks offense right now and I honestly don't see them getting Jimmy Graham the football. Tennessee is a rising team in this league and it'll be a great matchup watching their offense go up against a tough Seattle defense. Just turn the TV off when the Seahawks have the ball. The Seahawks defense will keep it close, but they won't score enough points to beat the Titans.
GREEN BAY over Cincinnati (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Unless the Bengals defense channels the '85 Bears, the Bengals probably don't win this game. The offense has yet to score a touchdown this season, Cincinnati fired their offensive coordinator last week and there are rumors that some players want the Bengals to sign Colin Kaepernick and have him start instead of Andy Dalton. Not a good situation in Cincinnati. Packers rebound from their loss in Atlanta last Sunday night with a win over the Bengals at Lambeau.
Kansas City over L.A. CHARGERS (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Two of the best teams in the NFL reside in the AFC West and the Chiefs are one of those teams. Kansas City has scored 69 points in two games and rookie RB Kareem Hunt is making a strong case for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year already with 5 TD. Kansas City keeps it rolling against Los Angeles. Chargers had 25,381 fans in attendance for their first game at the StubHub Center, which has a capacity of 27,000. It'll be interesting to watch their attendance numbers the rest of the season. I'll say 26,845 show up for this Sunday's game.
Oakland over WASHINGTON (Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC): The other team in the AFC West that looks like a Super Bowl contender is the Oakland Raiders. Oakland has scored 71 points in their first two games and have made it look easy. They travel to the East Coast for a Sunday night game against the Redskins and I think they improve to 3-0 with a win in the nation's capital.
Dallas over ARIZONA (Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Carson Palmer is 37 years of age and he has looked old in the Cardinals first two games this season. Palmer is completing just 54.8% of his passes and has thrown 2 TD to go along with 4 INT. If he doesn't start playing better, the Cardinals are going to be in for a long season. Dallas struggled against Denver last week and they have to be able to run the football if they're to win. Problem is the Cardinals have given up just 158-yards on the ground this season. I don't see Ezekiel Elliott rushing for only 8-yards this week, so I'm going with the Cowboys on Monday night.
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 22-9 (.710)
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