NFL Week 3: Arizona Cardinals-San Francisco 49ers Must See
By Scott Allen
Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis (52) tackles Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington (38) at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
When the NFL schedule came out in April, many of the games this week that look great or very good right now didn’t look like that back then. Some of the games that were thought to be great then look like duds now. That’s the NFL for you. The Arizona Cardinals have a huge game this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers.
5-star games (must see):
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks: Clearly the number one game of the week. A Super Bowl rematch. Some of roster for both teams have changed but the major players are still there. This one should be fun, especially with the Hawks coming off a loss.
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals: Both teams have injury and off the field distractions but this is still going to be a huge game. Arizona is 2-0 and the Niners 1-1. A Niners loss essentially puts them three games behind the Cards. Not exactly the spot you want to be in after just three weeks. Niners have won nine of last 10 between these two though, so they still have the perceived upper-hand until the Cards prove otherwise.
4-star games (don’t stray far from tv):
San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills: The Chargers coming off a huge home victory over the Seahawks. The Bills are a surprising 2-0 and get this one at home. This will be a great measuring stick of where the Bills are at.
Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: You never know what you’ll get when these two NFC East teams tangle. Redskins go with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. He looked good against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday but that was the Jags. Eagles coming off huge road win on Monday Night Football over the Indianapolis Colts.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions: Which Packers team and which Lions team will we see? Does it really matter? This rivalry is a fun one to watch no matter how they’ve previously performed or where they are in the standings.
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns: If the Browns had shown up in the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they could be 2-0. The Ravens dominated the Steelers last week.
3-star games (check it out if you have some spare time):
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints: Check this out only to see if the Saints can finally win one. For the Saints home is a much different beast than the road.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers: It’s Sunday Night Football on NBC, so I imagine more will tune in that would on a Sunday afternoon. Steelers have scored only 12 points since the first half of week one against the Browns.
Chicago Bears at New York Jets: Bears with a great in in San Francisco. Jets blew a large lead in Green Bay. This one could go either way.