The NFL has another interesting slate of games in Week 3, but a key showdown between division leaders in the AFC and a big test for Teddy Bridgewater and the Saints rate among the best games on Sunday.
We’re now two weeks into the 2019 NFL season, and the action is heating up as the world starts to get a sense of which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. There are a few matchups featuring contenders in Week 3, and they headline our must-watch action for this coming Sunday.
Let’s kick things off with a matchup between two NFC squads that had very different Sundays.
Detroit Lions (1-0-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
Of all the teams that took the field last Sunday, perhaps the two most bizarre results involved the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions took advantage of a sluggish Chargers’ squad that was down a kicker, using a late touchdown from Kenny Golladay to steal a 13-10 victory at home.
Detroit hits the road to take on an Eagles’ squad that is very banged up entering the matchup. The Eagles lost in Atlanta on Sunday night after a shaky showing from Carson Wentz, but they did get extremely banged up in the game.
Receivers DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery left the contest with injuries, while Dallas Goedert didn’t even make it into the game after hurting his calf in warmups. Add in a shoulder injury for Corey Clement and a knee issue for Timmy Jernigan, and the Eagles are going to be limping into this game with Detroit.
The Lions, who are relatively healthy at this juncture, have a big opportunity to steal a road win against a very dinged Eagles’ team. This contest could be huge for the Lions’ chances of sneaking into playoff contention while the Eagles need to stabilize after a tough loss in Atlanta.
Baltimore Ravens (2-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (2-0)
This should be the game of the week as the Baltimore Ravens and red-hot quarterback Lamar Jackson invade Arrowhead Stadium for a showdown with reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Both quarterbacks have started the season on fire, with Mahomes picking up where he left off a year ago and Jackson making significant strides with his arm.
With Ben Roethlisberger out for the year in Pittsburgh, this game features the AFC’s two best teams outside of Foxboro. A win here brings the victor to 3-0, and that should allow them to keep pace with the Patriots, who will likely cruise to a victory over the Sam Darnold-less Jets.
This game should also be a good test for the new look Ravens’ defense, which has looked good early on but has only had to face the tanking Dolphins and rookie quarterback Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals. The Chiefs have been clicking on all cylinders even without Tyreek Hill, so they will be a beast for the Ravens to deal with.
These two teams met in the regular season a year ago, with the Ravens taking the Chiefs to overtime before falling 27-24. Don’t be shocked if we get another thriller between these two at Arrowhead on Sunday.
New Orleans Saints (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (2-0)
This game was going to be exciting regardless as a matchup of two 2018 playoff teams, but it took on a whole new context after Drew Brees got hurt in the Saints’ loss in Los Angeles on Sunday. Brees is going to be out for a few weeks with a thumb injury, leaving the Saints’ offense in the hands of Teddy Bridgewater.
Bridgewater wasn’t very explosive in his first extensive action of the year, completing 17 of 30 passes for just 165 yards. The Saints now have a full week to get Bridgewater reps in practice, but he will have a tall order ahead of him in the form of a road trip to Seattle.
The Seahawks are off to a 2-0 start, but they haven’t been particularly impressive in either game. After struggling to get by the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Week 1, the Seahawks escaped with a two point win in Pittsburgh after Ben Roethlisberger went down early in the contest.
This game is in Seattle, and that’s going to make life a living hell for a quarterback who hasn’t gotten regular work with the first team offense. The Saints don’t have much room for error if they want to defend their NFC South title, so Bridgewater will need to find a way to win in Seattle in order to help keep the Saints afloat while Brees rehabs.