by Blake Krantz
Since the end of Week 3, several trades have taken place in the NFL, with the New England Patriots acquiring linebacker Jon Bostic from the Chicago Bears for a sixth-round pick, and the Carolina Panthers acquiring veteran Jared Allen from the Bears for another sixth-round pick.
Bostic led the Bears in tackles in 2014, and Allen has been a great pass rusher his entire veteran career. Both look to be beneficial additions to the defenses in New England and Carolina.
In the games on Sunday, several teams were finally able to tally a win, with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the Bears at home 26-0 and the Indianapolis Colts pulling off a 35-33 comeback victory in Tennessee to save their seasons.
Both teams are now 1-2, and remain in the playoff picture. The Baltimore Ravens, however, were not as fortunate, as they dropped to 0-3 for the first time in the franchise’s history.
The Ravens lost 28-24 at home to the division leading Cincinnati Bengals, despite a two touchdown performance from Baltimore receiver Steve Smith. Cincinnati was led by star receiver A.J. Green, who finished with 227 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner with under three minutes left for the Bengals.
Now, the Ravens sit at last place in the highly competitive AFC North behind the likes of the Bengals and Steelers, and Baltimore looks likely to miss the playoffs unless they start winning fast.
The Ravens will travel to Pittsburgh Thursday night to face a Steelers team that lost its starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, for a large chunk of the season with an MCL tear and bruise in his knee on Sunday against the Rams.
The Steelers will now rely on Michael Vick as quarterback, which gives the Ravens a higher chance of pulling off a potentially season-salvaging upset. I like the Ravens on the road in “absolute desperation” mode, which should be a good game Thursday night.
Sunday morning, the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins will play in London, with the 1-2 Dolphins needing a win to remain in the AFC East playoff picture with the Patriots, Bills, and Jets.
Finally, the 0-3 New Orleans Saints will need a win Sunday night over the crippled Dallas Cowboys to keep their postseason hopes at all alive. I think the Saints will win this game at home, but New Orleans still won’t be able to compete with the rejuvenated Panthers and Falcons in the NFC South.
The same can be said for the 0-3 Detroit Lions, who will look to pull off a major upset Monday night in Seattle. Unfortunately, the 1-2 Seahawks will also be playing with lots at stake at home in order to keep pace with the Cardinals in the NFC West, and the Lions stand no chance Monday. Detroit will suffer their fourth straight loss to start the season, finishing off what will hopefully be another week in the NFL with many storylines, close games, and exhilarating individual performances.