NFL Week 3: Top Games to Watch

Sep 14, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) looks to pass the ball during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Week three is upon us in the National Football League and after a wild week two there are plenty of story lines and big games to look at. How will the Minnesota Vikings fair without Adrian Peterson? Will the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints snap out of their win less streak? Aside from all the story lines heading into week three, here are my three games to watch this week in the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals

An NFC West showdown here, the Cardinals are looking to defend their home field and division lead over the 49ers. Last week the Niners blew a big lead to the Chicago Bears and are looking to bounce back in a tough contest against one of the most talented secondaries in the NFL. The Cardinals lost quarterback Carson Palmer last week to an injury and his status is still up in the air for this weeks contest versus the tough San Fran defense. The Cardinals will need to harass Colin Kaepernick and force him to make the same mistakes he did last week. That will require them to play a solid run defense in the first half and make the 49ers play catch up. The 49ers certainly are looking to find their balance in this game and not fall behind in the division race this week. If Palmer plays they will certainly have to crank up the pressure and keep this Cardinal offense limited, but if Drew Stanton plays expect the 49ers to harass him all afternoon and force the Cardinals into a one-dimensional offense. As always, divisional football games bring a special feeling about them with the heated rivalries and fights for division supremacy, these two teams vying for the top spot should be a great contest to watch.

Prediction: San Francisco takes advantage of an inexperienced quarterback and trounces the Cardinals. San Fran 28 Arizona 17

Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks

A rematch of last years Super Bowl, the Broncos and Hawks are looking to make statements in this big time game. Russel Wilson and the Hawks have looked good so far this season minus last weeks painful loss to the San Diego Chargers. They have had a very strong offense to go with their prolific defense and have been rolling so far. The Broncos picked up offensively right where they were last year, and their defense is vastly improved. The Broncos certainly will be looking to expose the Seahawk defense in this one and put up much more offense in this meeting. Expect them to spread out the secondary and use as many weapons as possible. The Seahawks are likely to try to put the pressure on Peyton Manning again and disrupt the legendary quarterback. Both of these teams are out to prove they are the best in the league and this one will be running high with emotion and pride as these teams take the gridiron.

Prediction: Denver exacts sweet revenge. Denver 31 Seattle 27

Chicago Bears vs New York Jets

This game should be a great one to watch as two of the higher scoring offenses this season face off in a Monday night showdown. The Bears came roaring back to take down the 49ers last week and the Jets were a bad timeout call from taking the Green Bay Packers to overtime. These two teams are possible wildcard contenders and need to keep themselves in the thick of things as the season progresses. The Bears will be looking to take advantage of the Jets secondary with their talented bunch of pass catchers. They have to protect quarterback Jay Cutler and give him time against the Jets talented pass rush. The Jets will likely look to spread the Bears already thin defense out even more and aggressively attack them at every point. After last week, Geno Smith will have to be careful though as the Bears forced three turnovers and looked like a much better squad. These two teams both have a lot at stake and this should be one heck of a showdown between these inter conference squads.

Prediction: The Bears experience leads them to a tight win over the Jets. Chicago 34 New York 31

There you have it folks the top three games of the week. As always there is a divisional game on the slate that is just too good to pass up but this week features plenty of on and off the field story lines that should keep plenty of eyes glued to the TV screens this week.

Joe Kleine is also co-host of the finsradio.com show The Direct Snap, alongside fellow host Tyler McMullen.  Please check our Facebook and Twitter pages! Our free to listen show about the NFL is on Saturday September 6th at 8:30 PM Eastern time! Check out our show here, give us a call, or e-mail us at officialdirectsnap@gmail.com! Also be sure to check out OntheFinside, another great finsradio program!