Top Matchups: Week 3

By: Matt

3. Arizona Cardinals vs. Indianapolis Colts

This primetime matchup features two former playoff teams and two of the most potent offenses in the NFL. After rocky starts in week 1 both the Colts and Cardinals showed fans in week two that there offensive dominance is still present. The Cardinals feature two of the league’s best receivers, Anquan Boldin and playoff phenom Larry Fitzgerald, while the Colts offense is lead by reigning MVP Peyton Manning and a young receiving core. Both of these teams feature high powered passing attacks, but neither team is particularly adept at running the football. In week 2 Arizona showed that sophomore tailback Tim Hightower may be able to carry some of the load, and if the young runner can keep the ball away from Peyton Manning and the Colts that would be a tremendous help to an average Cardinals defense. The Colts will have elite safety Bob Sanders on Sunday Night and when Sanders plays the Colts are a much more successful defensive team. Ultimately, this game will likely be a shootout decided by a big play on defense or an unexpected ability of either of these teams to run the football.

2. Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers

In this game two of the remaining undefeated teams in football will face off. Both of these NFC clubs feature dominant defenses and high-powered running games. Last week both Adrian Peterson, now clearly entrenched as the best running back in football, and Frank Gore, the leading rusher in week 2, showed their dominance and carried their teams to victory. In this game both rushers will face a much greater challenge in trying to get past much stronger defenses. 49ers Middle Linebacker Patrick Willis is one of the best young defenders in football and the Vikings mammoth defensive line always shuts down the running game. This game will likely be decided by the passing attack, something that the Vikings bolstered by signing Brett Favre during this pre-season. After two weeks of managing the game this week could offer fans a chance to see Brett Favre really throw the football for the first time in 2009.

1. New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans

This game features two of the biggest surprise teams of 2009. The Jets, after falling short of the playoffs in 2008 and firing their coach and quarterback in the offseason, have been simply dominant early this year. The Jets dismantled a Texans team with high expectations in week 1 and shocked the Patriots in week 2. Rookie Quarterback Mark Sanchez has looked great and the unconventional methods and stifling defense of Rex Ryan have produced success. The Titans, the team with the best record in the regular season in 2008, are already halfway to their loss total from last year. Despite valiant efforts against both the reigning champion Pittsburgh Steelers and upstart Houston Texans, the Titans are now 0-2 and facing a do-or-die game in the Meadowlands (no team has ever won a Super Bowl after starting a year 0-3). The Titans rushing attack was phenomenal in Houston, but the Jets defense is much stronger and if they can stop the lighting quick Chris Johnson, spellback LenDale White has been almost absent through two weeks of the 2009 season. The Titans defense could be the group to finally make Mark Sanchez look like a rookie, but the young signal caller has made smart decisions thus far and has shown no reason to expect otherwise. Tennessee is clearly better than their record, but this game could be the final test for a Jets team trying to prove that they are legitimate contenders.