With just two weeks down, the preseason narratives are starting to give way to the reality of the regular season.
There have been several surprises to start off the season, including which teams leapt to a 2-0 mark and which ones sagged to 0-2. Week 3 promises to erase at least two groups from the unbeaten ranks, as the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings will put their perfect starts on the line against one another, as will the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. And there undoubtedly will be a few more unexpected twists between the start of Sunday and the culmination of the ‘Monday Night Football’ doubleheader.
Here are four bold predictions for Week 3 from USA TODAY Sports’ NFL writers:
Malik Willis will have (another) ‘career day’ in Tennessee…of all places
This depends, of course, on the status of Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who returned to practices this week on a limited basis as he heals from an MCL sprain in his left knee. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said the decision on Love – originally projected to miss three to four weeks after being injured in the season opener – could go right up until the teams release their inactive lists 90 minutes before kickoff.
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But why risk a setback? Willis, a third-year pro who has been with the Packers for less than a month, demonstrated against the Indianapolis Colts last weekend that he’s a decent alternative. I mean, he accomplished more in his one game as the fill-in starter for Love than he did during his entire two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He passed for a ‘career high’ of, uh, 122 yards. He completed 85.7% of his, well, 14 passes. He didn’t commit a turnover. He passed for his first NFL touchdown. And he won. Willis, drafted by Tennessee in the third round in 2022, heads back to Nashville swearing that he is not seeking revenge after his potential with the Titans gave way to the emergence of Will Levis (second round, 2023).
Willis started three games for the Titans as a rookie (with a high passing mark of 99 yards) and in 11 games over two seasons threw 66 passes. Without throwing for a single TD, his Titans stint was summed up with a measly 49.4 passer rating. So much for the diamond-in-the-rough narrative for the project from Liberty. Then came a break: Willis got his next NFL chance with LaFleur, a QB guru who also made the career trek from Nashville to Green Bay.
Here’s to predicting that with LaFleur pushing the buttons, Josh Jacobs running the rock and a bevy of dynamic receivers, Willis will set another career high for passing yards against his old teammates. OK, that equates to at least 123 yards. I’d be really going on a limb in predicting a 300-yard game. Nonetheless, I’d suspect that Willis had to notice something in practicing against the Titans D for two years that he can use on Sunday.
— Jarrett Bell
Lamar Jackson’s MVP performance will lead winless Ravens to first win
The Ravens are too dependent on Jackson, but they need a stellar performance from the two-time MVP to get their first victory of the season. Jackson will put his MVP cape on versus the Cowboys and deliver in a contest that already feels like a must-win game for the Ravens. The dual-threat quarterback will throw for over 200 yards and rush for 100 yards. Jackson has nine games in his career with 200+ passing yards and 100+ rushing yards, the most in NFL history. Sunday will be his 10th ever game with such a stat line.
Baltimore’s defense needs to generate a pass rush and make a couple stops to help Jackson and the offense out. But Jackson is 20-1 in games started versus NFC opponents.
— Tyler Dragon
Dolphins and Jaguars both find a way to win on the road
Things are bad in Jacksonville, to the point quarterback Trevor Lawrence said, “We suck right now.” Going against a Buffalo Bills team that has looked deadly on offense at times through two games on ‘Monday Night Football’ is not an ideal prescription. Can the Lawrence and Doug Pederson combination really be deemed a failure? Because coming back from 0-3 feels impossible and would doom the pairing to that distinction, making this a desperation victory more than anything else.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, had the extended layoff to anticipate Skylar Thompson starting in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Seattle is off to a 2-0 start under rookie head coach Mike Macdonald, but the Dolphins’ speedy playmakers find a way to hit enough home runs to pull off the road upset.
— Chris Bumbaca
Cardinals pull off the upset of the weekend
I typically prefer to be more narrow with my bold prediction than merely picking one winner. But it appears I’m on an island among USA TODAY Sports’ NFL writers in rolling with the Arizona Cardinals to upend the Detroit Lions, so let’s dig into this one.
Dan Campbell’s crew hasn’t carried over last season’s performance seamlessly, with the offense ranking 28th in red-zone efficiency after scoring just one touchdown in seven trips during last week’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s reasonable to believe Ben Johnson’s attack will click at some point, but likely not after just seven days.
Any hitch could prove to be Detroit’s undoing, as the red-hot Cardinals are suited for a shootout thanks to an offense that ranks second in scoring. With Kyler Murray in top form, Marvin Harrison Jr. coming on strong and James Conner again flying under the radar as a formidable lead back, Arizona poses plenty of problems with how many ways it can strike. The Cardinals will have to account for Aidan Hutchinson, who leads the NFL with 5 ½ sacks after feasting primarily on backups through his first two games, but Murray no doubt will be on high alert.
— Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
