Updated at 2.50pm, 27 September
LAST WEEK, 9-time All-Ireland winner Jackie Tyrrell managed to pick through the carnage of a slate of upsets in the NFL, his 3-3 total comfortably besting our own miserable 1-5. At least we’d a better week in fantasy football.
Regular readers of The42 will know Dan McFarland — now the forwards coach with Glasgow Warriors having left the same role with Connacht — was the only pundit to correctly go 6-0 last season so there’s extra pressure on him this week.
A Green Bay Packers fan, McFarland thinks this could be the year Aaron Rodgers finally picks up a second Vince Lombardi trophy.
Here are his picks for this week:
New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers
Dan McFarland: Carolina has a very strong defence and I think we’re going to see a lot of that on display in this game. The Saints have been poor offensively this season and even if Drew Brees recovers from his rotator cuff injury, I still see Carolina’s defence having the biggest say on this game.
Even though the Panthers offence, especially on the ground, is still pretty much all Cam Newton, the New Orleans defence has been non-existent in the first two weeks so I’m going for a home win.
The42: Though the NFC East is giving it a run for its money as the worst division in football, the South is such a wasteland that, despite starting with two losses, New Orleans — if Drew Brees doesn’t miss significant game time — are still in the hunt for the division.
The Panthers (2-0) are a win away from their best start in 12 years. However, they started that way last year before going 1-8-1 over their next ten so let’s not count any chickens just yet. That said, it’s hard to see the Saints bouncing back from a home loss to the Bucs so Carolina by at least six.
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Dan McFarland: As poor as the Indianapolis Colts have been this year, especially on offence, they have one of the best players in the league in Andrew Luck so they can’t continue to play as badly as they have done.
For the Titans, losing last week to the Browns was a real kick in the balls. If they’d won that game and were going for 3-0, I might change my mind but getting TY Hilton back at full fitness is very important for the Colts so they’re my pick in this game.
The42: This is one of the toughest match-ups of the week to call as the Colts should be multiple point favourites but have played so poorly, particularly on offence, over the first two weeks of the season, that you just can’t really trust them.
For Tennessee, Marcus Mariota saw what NFL defences — even bad ones like the Browns — can do to foil a quarterback and will have to do without right guard Chance Warmack in this game. The return of Delanie Walker should help but, for the Colts, this is a must win and they will.
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins
Dan McFarland: Miami should have beaten the Jags last week, they certainly had chances. I have their defence in all of my fantasy football leagues so I’m definitely not happy with how they’re performing so far but I think Suh and friends will recover this week.
The Bills are probably still smarting from last week’s loss to the Patriots but they’ve experience issues at quarterback and I think, if this comes down to the battle of the pass rush that I think it might, then there’s only going to be one winner and that’s the Dolphins.
The42: Both these teams were quite fancied going into the season but one of them is leaving Sun Life Stadium with a loss to a divisional rival putting an early dent in potential playoff hopes. The Miami defence have looked limp so far but they struggled badly on both sides of the football last week against a Jags team that are far from world beaters.
The Bills are coming off a deflating (sorry, not sorry) loss to the New England Patriots in week two, an embarrassing defeat for Rex Ryan’s team after the highs of week one. Expect Buffalo to win by forcing the Dolphins to throw the ball deep. Since entering the league, Ryan Tannehill has completed about 62% of his passes. On throws of 20-yards or more, however, that drops to around 35%.
Denver Broncos @ Detroit Lions
Dan McFarland: Once more, I’m going to have to go with the team that has the better pass rush and there are very few in the league better than Von Miller and the Denver Broncos.
Detroit have spent years flattering to deceive. They have some serious weapons on offence and have had them for some time but Matthew Stafford is not playing well. They hardly brought Ameer Abdullah into the game last week and need to work on getting the ball into Calvin Johnson’s hands more often.
The42: We really thought the Lions would take the next step this season and make a decent playoff run but their inability to get anything going on offence is killing them so far this season with their 44 points only enough to rank 10th in the NFC.
The Broncos are 2-0, all done on the back of two outstanding defensive performances which have left no doubt as to their rank as the number one unit in the league. The same can’t be said for an offence that is barely functioning because of — rather than in spite of — Peyton Manning. Denver will still have too much here.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Green Bay Packers
Dan McFarland: It’s amazing to see how well the Packers have done given that Jordy Nelson is gone. I watched their game really closely this week and, while the receivers don’t look as explosive, the likes of Randall Cobb, Devante Adams and, of course, James Jones are doing a really good job.
The offensive line has been really impressive too and that keeps Aaron Rodgers safe which is the reason he hasn’t thrown a pick at home in so long. The Chiefs are a good football team — despite last week’s loss — but how could I not pick the Packers at home?
The42: The Chiefs will be absolutely kicking themselves they are not currently sitting at 2-0 and in control of the AFC West. However, they’re very unlikely to make the same play-calling mistakes again this season and will still have a big say in the AFC.
Unfortunately for them they face the best quarterback in the league right now in Aaron Rodgers this week. Number 12 is playing like number 23 (Michael Jordan) was at his peak, with a swagger matched only by his ability. He is still most of that Packers attack — and long term that’s a worry — but in this form they won’t be beaten.
(Thursday night) Washington @ New York Giants
Dan McFarland: I’m going to go with the Giants. Yes, they’ve lost two games so far but both have been close encounters and I just can’t see them losing three-in-a-row, especially against a divisional rival.
New York are massively missing Jason Pierre-Paul from their front seven and their pass rush is non-existant. However, though I’ve been very impressed with the Washington backfield in particular, I’m still going with New York.
The42: The Giants could easily be 2-0 but remain without a win having blown two late leads in as many games thanks to a combination of ineptitude, inaccuracy and an inability to keep time.
There’s absolutely no doubt that Washington have started the season better than most expected with their frisky defence, a rumbling backfield and rhythm passing helping them to a 1-1 start. With Alfred Morris and Matt Jones controlling the clock in this one, Washington will win a narrow, low-scoring affair.
Originally published at 5pm on Thursday, 24 September.
