Football fans were treated with a five-day stretch of pure NFL action in Week 2 of the preseason, and Week 3 promises to deliver some more great games. Only three days of action will be on tap this week, but all 32 teams will still take to the gridiron as each club continues to gear up for the start of the regular season.
Read on as we break down one key matchup for each day in Week 3 of the preseason, as well as provide predictions for the rest of the games in this week’s slate. While you’re at it, find out who are the emerging stars over in the NCAA with our special features on the best quarterbacks and wide receivers of the 2015-16 college football season.
[sc:Football ]NFL Preseason Week 3 Preview and Predictions
Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
When: Friday, August 28, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Tennessee Titans (+5) at Kansas City Chiefs (-5); total: 43.0 – view all NFL lines
[sc:NFL240banner ]Tennessee quarterback Zach Mettenberger is not handing over the starting job to Marcus Mariota willy-nilly, that’s for sure. After throwing for 129 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, Mettenberger had another superb effort this past Sunday in the Titans’ 27-14 win over the St. Louis Rams. The selfie-loving playmaker found the end zone once again and connected on seven of his nine passes for 91 yards.
Mariota, meanwhile, failed to top his Week 1 output of 98 yards on 7-of-8 passing with a 59-yard outing this past weekend. As the QB controversy in Tennessee continues, an aspiring weapon downfield just made his own case for a guaranteed slot in the Titans’ 53-man roster. Six-year tight end Chase Coffman caught just three passes on Sunday, but two of them were for touchdowns, including a 56-yarder courtesy of fourth-string quarterback Alex Tanney.
Make that two wins in a row for the Kansas City Chiefs this preseason. Despite quarterback Alex Smith’s untimely pick-six at the hands of the Seahawks’ linebacker Bobby Wagner, Kansas City still eked out a 14-13 victory at home over reigning NFC champs Seattle last Friday.
Give credit to head coach Andy Reid for making the most out of his team’s patchwork offensive line. The Chiefs played without left tackle Eric Fisher (ankle) and right guard Jeff Allen (knee) this weekend, and the shifty O-line actually held its own ground against an unrelenting Seattle front seven by allowing just two sacks against the defending NFC champs.
Kansas City’s offense only mustered up 238 yards that day, though, meaning that the team has much more work to do in improving their sputtering offense from last season. Going up against a leaky Titans D this Friday may just be the cure. The Chiefs ranked 25th in the league in total offense last year, and that’s considering that they even ended the season with a winning record of 9-7.
Writer’s Prediction
This time around, Mariota puts on a better show than Mettenberger as he leads the Titans to a 19-13 win over Kansas City.
Predictions for the Other Week 3 Games on Friday, August 28
Carolina Panthers 27, New England Patriots 14
Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington
When: Saturday, August 29, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) at Dallas Cowboys (-2.5); total: 42.5 – view all NFL lines
Not even a storm delay on their own home field could stop the Minnesota Vikings from winning their seventh-consecutive preseason game at the expense of the Oakland Raiders on Saturday.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was once again impressive, going 10-of-14 for 89 passing yards with a 10-yard touchdown to wideout Charles Johnson. Bridgewater has been stellar this entire preseason, racking up 219 total yards in the air and not a single turnover in three contests.
However, while Bridgewater is getting it done on offense, kicker Blair Walsh – who just recently got a four-year contract extension from the Vikes – showed that his leg was not up to the task on that rainy Saturday afternoon. Walsh missed all three of his field goal attempts and even shanked a kick for an extra point. He made all but four of his 30 field goal attempts last season, with all misses from beyond the 40-yard line.
Should the blame really be put on the shoddy turf in Levi’s Stadium? The Dallas Cowboys tended to agree with that notion, especially since they failed to find the end zone on Sunday in their 23-6 loss to the 49ers.
But the problem may actually lie within Dallas’ uninspired play this preseason in general. The Cowboys have lost both of their preseason games thus far and only managed to put up a total 13 points in that span.
Third-string quarterback Dustin Vaughan seems to be the only player relishing every snap of the preseason. The 24-year old has 190 passing yards in 34 attempts through Dallas’ first two preseason games, but did throw a pair of picks against the 49ers this past weekend.
It certainly looks like the ‘Boys are saving up their energy for the regular season. That’s a sound move in the long run, but running back Darren McFadden should get some more touches for the remainder of the preseason to get his gears going as early as now. McFadden, who looks to turn his career around with Dallas, had just three carries for four yards on Sunday.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cowboys collectively sit another preseason game out, and the Vikings pick up another preseason win, 20-10.
Predictions for the Other Week 3 Games on Saturday, August 29
Buffalo Bills 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Miami Dolphins 20, Atlanta Falcons 19
New York Jets 18, New York Giants 13
Cleveland Browns 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9
Chicago Bears 24, Cincinnati Bengals 21
Baltimore Ravens 16, Washington Redskins 10
Indianapolis Colts 24, St. Louis Rams 14
San Diego Chargers 21, Seattle Seahawks 17
Green Bay Packers 33, Philadelphia Eagles 28
San Francisco 49ers 18, Denver Broncos 15
Houston Texans vs. New Orleans Saints
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
When: Sunday, August 30, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Texans (+3.5) at New Orleans Saints (-3.5); total: 44.0 – view all NFL lines
After relatively solid outings in Week 1, both Houston Texans quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett had subpar performances in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos.
Mallett, who started the game this past Saturday, went 5-for-7 for merely 23 passing yards in the first two drives of Houston that led to punts. Hoyer, meanwhile, made seven of 11 passes for just 52 yards and also failed to find the end zone. Head coach Gary Kubiak is still stuck with the conundrum of deciding who his starting quarterback will be, and it could still very well be decided on the opening day of the regular season itself.
On the brighter side of things, undrafted linebacker Kourtnei Brown made his presence felt by picking off Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler’s pass, one that was returned for a 69-yard touchdown. The Clemson product better have more outstanding performances like this if he expects to make the Texans linebacking crew, one that features standouts like Brian Cushing, Whitney Mercilus and former first-overall pick Jadeveon Clowney – who suited up for his first postseason game on Saturday, but did not take any snaps after all was said and done.
Over in the Big Easy, New Orleans fans finally got to see Drew Brees in action for the first time this preseason in the team’s 26-24 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. Brees looks locked-in for the regular season already, as he converted all but two of his ten passes for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Second-year wideout Brandin Cooks was also huge part of the Saints’ early offensive litmus test this past weekend, grabbing four receptions for 117 yards and one trip to the end zone. Cooks, who figures to be the other starting wideout opposite of Marques Colston come the regular season, needs performances like this on a consistent basis once the real action starts. His regular season production will be very critical, especially since New Orleans traded away Brees’ favorite target Jimmy Graham in the offseason.
Writer’s Prediction
The Saints prevail at home, 24-17.
Predictions for the Other Week 3 Games on Sunday, August 30
Oakland Raiders 21, Arizona Cardinals 14
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