With just two weeks to go, preseason narratives are starting to give way to regular season reality.
There have been plenty of surprises to start the season, including teams that went 2-0 and teams that dropped to 0-2. Week 3 promises to wipe at least two groups off the undefeated list, as the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings will put their perfect starts on the line against each other, as will the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. And there will undoubtedly be a few more unexpected twists and turns between Sunday’s opener and the climax of the Monday Night Football doubleheader.
Here are four bold predictions for Week 3 from USA TODAY Sports’ NFL writers:
Malik Willis to have (another) ‘career day’ in Tennessee…of all places
That, of course, depends on the status of Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who returned to practice this week on a limited basis as he recovers from a medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said the decision on Love — who was initially expected to miss three to four weeks after being injured in the season opener — could be made until teams release their inactive lists 90 minutes before kickoff.
But why risk a setback? Willis, a third-year pro who has been with the Packers for less than a month, showed against the Indianapolis Colts last weekend that he is a decent option. I mean, he accomplished more in his one game as Love’s backup starter than he did in his entire two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He threw for a “career-high” 122 yards. He completed 85.7 percent of his, well, 14 passes. He didn’t commit a turnover. He threw his first NFL touchdown. And he won. Willis, a third-round pick by Tennessee in 2022, returns to Nashville vowing not to seek 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 career-high 99 yards passing) and in 11 games over two seasons, he threw 66 passes. Without throwing a single TD, his time with the Titans amounted to a paltry 49.4 passer rating. That’s the story of Liberty’s rough draft diamond. Then came the lucky break: Willis got his next NFL chance with LaFleur, a QB guru who also made the career trek from Nashville to Green Bay.
I predict that with LaFleur pushing the buttons, Josh Jacobs running and a host of dynamic receivers, Willis will set a new career high in passing yards against his former teammates. OK, that’s at least 123 yards. I’d really venture to predict a 300-yard game. Still, I suspect Willis must have noticed something from practicing against the Titans defense for two years that he can use on Sunday.
—Jarrett Bell
Lamar Jackson’s MVP performance will lead winless Ravens to first victory
The Ravens are relying too much on Jackson, but they need a breakout performance from the two-time MVP to get their first win of the season. Jackson will don his MVP cape against the Cowboys and deliver a performance in what already looks 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 career games with 200-plus passing yards and 100-plus rushing yards, the most in NFL history. Sunday will be his 10th never a match with such a stat line.
Baltimore’s defense needs to generate pass pressure and make some stops to help Jackson and the offense. But Jackson is 20-1 in games against NFC opponents.
— Tyler Dragon
Dolphins, Jaguars both find ways to win away
Things are bad in Jacksonville, quarterback says Trevor Lawrence said“We suck right now.” Playing against a Buffalo Bills team that has looked deadly on offense at times in two Monday Night Football games isn’t an ideal prescription. Can the Lawrence-Doug Pederson combination really be considered a failure? Because coming back from 0-3 seems impossible and would condemn the duo to that distinction, making this victory more of a desperation win than anything else.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, took advantage of an extended break to anticipate the start of Skylar Thompson in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Seattle started 2-0 under rookie head coach Mike Macdonald, but the Dolphins’ speedy playmakers found a way to hit enough home runs to pull off the upset on the road.
— Chris Bumbaca
Cardinals pull off surprise of the weekend
I usually prefer to be more specific in my bold predictions rather than simply picking a winner. I seem to be on an island among the NFL reporters at USA TODAY Sports on the road with the Arizona Cardinals to knock off the Detroit Lions, so let’s dig into this one.
Dan Campbell’s team hasn’t been able to seamlessly replicate last season’s performance, with the offense ranking 28th in red-zone efficiency after scoring just one touchdown on seven drives in last week’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s reasonable to believe that Ben Johnson’s offense will eventually work, but probably not after just seven days.
Any setback could be fatal for Detroit, as the healthy Cardinals are ready to make a shootout with an offense that ranks second in scoring. With Kyler Murray healthy, Marvin Harrison Jr. healthy and James Conner still flying under the radar as a fearsome playmaker, Arizona poses a number of challenges in terms of how many ways it can strike. The Cardinals will have to account for Aidan Hutchinson, who leads the NFL with 5 ½ sacks after relying mostly on backups in his first two games, but Murray will undoubtedly be on alert.
—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: NFL Predictions: Four Bold Projections for Week 3 Games
