It seems like every time you turn around this week another NFL player is getting arrested. Can we please just get back to football? Here’s some (football-related) stuff to watch for in Week Three:
Ryan Tannehill vs. the Kansas City Chiefs defense: Ryan Tannehill hasn’t had the best start to the 2014 NFL season, but things may be looking up for the young man heading back to Miami to take on the Chiefs. The Chiefs have had a horrible start on defense giving up over 500 yards and five touchdowns over the first two games. If you desperately need a fantasy quarterback for this week (say you drafted Robert Griffin III), Tannehill may be the answer to your prayers.
Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars defense: After starting 0-2, the Indianapolis Colts really need a win—fortunately for them they’re playing the Jaguars this week. One big thing to watch for in this game is how the Colts will use their two running backs against one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL. Bradshaw heard his number called significantly more times than Richardson in the team’s Monday Night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, Bradshaw was in on 46 snaps while Richardson only got in on 31. Either running back would have a great game this week, but there is a lot more pressure on the Colts to get some use out of Richardson after trading away a first-round pick for him last season. It’ll be interesting to see who the Colts give the majority of the carries to, since that will most likely determine which back they will go with moving forward.
Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos vs. the Seattle Seahawks: That’s right, the highly anticipated Super Bowl XLVIII rematch is upon us. The Seahawks won the big game 43-8 and absolutely embarrassed the Broncos; however, the Broncos have significantly improved their squad since February. In fact, there are 10 new starters on the Broncos that did not play in the Super Bowl. Some of these players were injured at the time (most notably linebacker Von Miller), and a good number of them were added during the offseason. The Seahawks may have home-field advantage, but it will be a lot harder for them to manhandle the new defense consisting of Demarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, and T.J. Ward. This game could have huge implications: if the Seahawks win then they won just another home game; but if the Broncos pull off the upset then they will emerge as the top team in the NFL and should have no problem getting back to the Super Bowl this season.