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Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Ladies and gentlemen, it's the moment you've all been waiting for: John Breech Impostor Day. You know the drill. Your normal friendly mailman is taking a breather on this fine Wednesday (and, if we're being honest, probably pouring one out for Andy Dalton), so you're stuck with me -- Cody Benjamin, the man with two first names -- as we traverse all the latest from around the NFL.
This is the Pick Six Newsletter. And I am your guide. Now let's get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you're signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don't want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)
We've got power rankings, Week 8 predictions, trade deadline buzz and so much more:
  1. Today's show: Which 2-0 teams are pretenders?
Brady Quinn joined Will Brinson on Wednesday's "Pick Six NFL Podcast" to assess quarterback situations around the league as well as break down the league's 2-0 and 0-2 teams. Brady wasn't particularly hot on two different undefeated teams:
  • Panthers: "I'm all for the redemption that Sam Darnold got against the Jets," Quinn said, "I just don't think they're gonna end up being a playoff team." The Buccaneers are clearly NFC South favorites, and Carolina faces a steep road to a Wild Card berth if the NFC West keeps it up.
  • Cardinals: "I love what they're doing so far, (and) Kyler Murray might be in the MVP conversation," Quinn said. "(But) I think the 49ers are better, I think Seattle is better," and only so many NFC West teams are bound to make the playoffs.
Catch the entire discussion (and subscribe for all kinds of daily NFL talk) right here.
2. Prisco's Picks: Bucs edge Rams, Vikings stun Seahawks
Pete Prisco is back with predictions for every single Week 3 game. Here are some of his most notable picks:
  • Buccaneers 33, Rams 30: The Bucs offense has been explosive so far, as Tom Brady is off to a great start. Tampa Bay's defense has issues, which Matthew Stafford can exploit. This will be an offensive treat, with Brady getting the best of it.
  • Vikings 37, Seahawks 30: Both teams have defensive issues. That will lead to a shootout. That could be fun. First one to 35 wins.
  • 49ers 27, Packers 26: I think Aaron Rodgers and the offense found something against Detroit that will carry over here. The 49ers will win the game with their running attack -- no matter who carries it -- but Rodgers will keep up.
3. Insider notes: Winless Colts could be in serious trouble
Jason La Canfora sized up the NFL's seven winless teams ahead of Week 3. Among them, he believes just two of the 0-2 teams have a chance to make real noise this season: the Colts and Vikings. But the situation in Indianapolis, he argues, is already quite dire:
I wasn't in love with the offense, overall, even with Carson Wentz, and now the oft-injured quarterback is dealing with dueling ankle sprains. No Bueno. Jacob Eason is going to need a scaled-back game plan and this team could end up rivaling the  Ravens  in rushing attempts the next few weeks with Wentz likely on the shelf ... Color me concerned. Yeah, it's only Week 3, but their visit to Tennessee looks like an AFC South tiebreaker kinda game to me, and falling to 0-3, with trips looming to Miami (where the heat and humidity is a major factor this time of year) and then at Baltimore on a Monday night (did you see and hear that Ravens crowd against Kansas City Sunday night?) look like big potential problems spots as well.
4. Bold Week 3 predictions: Fields upsets Browns, McCaffrey explodes
Jordan Dajani has offered up five bold predictions for this week's games, and one of them includes a big debut for a certain Bears rookie quarterback. You'll wanna check out Jordan's full story for in-depth explanations, but here's his forecast for Week 3:
  • Christian McCaffrey scores three touchdowns on "Thursday Night Football"
  • Justin Fields starts for the Bears and leads an upset of the Browns
  • Matt Ryan and the Falcons go to overtime with the Giants
  • Tom Brady throws four more touchdowns to beat the Rams
  • Quez Watkins explodes with 150+ yards for the Eagles against the Cowboys
5. QB Power Rankings: Kyler Murray rises, Jimmy Garoppolo slides
We rank all 32 starting quarterbacks every week, and our latest rundown features significant jumps for Kyler Murray and Sam Darnold, with a decent slide by the 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo after an uneven performance against the Eagles in Week 2. Here's our full top 10 for Week 3:
  1. Patrick Mahomes
  2. Russell Wilson
  3. Tom Brady
  4. Aaron Rodgers
  5. Dak Prescott
  6. Justin Herbert
  7. Matthew Stafford (+1)
  8. Kyler Murray (+2)
  9. Josh Allen (-2)
  10. Lamar Jackson (-1)
6. Rapid-fire roundup: Injury updates, RGIII wants to play again
Hungry for more NFL news? Good, because we've got some other nuggets for you right here:
 
 
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