Week 3, our first GPS games

Here we go, into one of the most pivotal weeks of the year. You’ll start hearing all types of things about the percentage of teams that go to the playoffs after starting 0-3 or 3-0 etc. And all that’s fine, but let’s see which teams pass the all important eye test. Or as Ronnie Lott told the Saints last year on their way to the Super Bowl, can you “smell greatness”. So apparently many people in the NFL, including the fans, may be on sensory overload. But I digress.

Stealing a term from one of my favorite sports writers, Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, these are GPS games. What are GPS games? They give a nice barometer of where a team sits on the NFL landscape, so let’s take a look at a few.

The Tampa Bay Bucs are 2-0 heading into a home game against the Steelers, this is really a “show me who you are game.” It is about this time in the NFL season that teams start picking up tendencies and patterns. If Josh Freeman can stay hot, and the Bucs can finish Sunday with a win moving to 3-0, they will be a team to keep an eye on and not nearly the walk-over many suspected. However, the could very well be taken to the woodshed despite the Steelers having a fluid QB situation. The Pittsburgh defense and running game could cause all kinds of problems and expose the currently undefeated Bucs. Keep an eye on Tampa this Sunday.

The Falcons head to the Superdome in New Orleans to take on a Saints team coming off a short week and an emotional win over the 49ers. Now this really is a GPS game for the Falcons. Which team is the real Falcons? The one that couldn’t move the ball and lost to Pittsburgh, or the one that kicked the stuffing out of the Cardinals? We’ll see this week. This is also a battle in the NFC South, meaning if the Falcons have any intention of making a push for the division, it starts in New Orleans.

The New York Giants host the Tennessee Titans, and this is a GPS game for both teams. The Titans just fell at home to the Steelers, a game in which they were favored. The Giants just got Peyton-slapped by the Colts. So which team responds? Can the Titans establish the run? The Colts, the team farthest away from being a run-oriented team, didn’t have a problem. So what will Chris Johnson and company do? Can Eli and his receivers get the timing back? I’m going with the Giants in this one. Playing at home should be a benefit, and the QB situation in Tennessee scares me. Even with Johnson running the rock, I don’t think the Titans have enough. We’ll see at the end of Sunday which team is for real, and which one was just pretending.

Another great game on tap will be the Cowboys and Texans. The Cowboys looking for their first win are in a little bit of a tailspin. While the Texans are feeling good about themselves after taking out the Colts in week one and coming from behind to beat the Redskins in week 2. This battle for Texas has huge implications. The Texans believe this is there year to make some noise in the playoffs, and if the Cowboys have any intention of living up to their Super Bowl expectations, it starts this week in Houston. Dropping to 0-3 won’t be the end of the world, but the seat’s temperature will surly be tuned up on Wade Phillips. Fantasy Alert – The Bears were able to get deep on the Cowboys multiple times in week 2, and with threats like Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones, the Texans will try and expose that secondary some more. So look for another big day from Matt Schaub and his crew.

Quick hits

The battle in the AFC South looks to be for real. After the Texans mounted a comeback against Washington and the Colts completely destroyed the Giants, their next matchup will be a doozy.

Free trip to the playoffs. That’s the motto going around the NFC West. The Niners and Rams are 0-2, and the Seahawks and Cardinals are 1-1, with not just loses this week, but major beat-downs. Plus, the only wins for the Seahawks and Cardinals came against....you guessed it, the Niners and Rams. This will be a fight all year, but right now it doesn’t look like a good fight. Watch for the 49ers to win the division, especially if they can play like they did Monday Night against the Saints.

What is to be made of all the QB changes? Two things. 1) QB play is not nearly as good as it has been in the past and 2) Coaches and organizations are more likely to make a switch because they know their jobs are on the line. From an NFL standpoint it’s pretty tough, 10 QBs that were starters in week 1 are now no longer the starter, or were benched already this season. If QB is the most important position in the NFL, teams aren’t giving these guys much room to make mistakes. From a fantasy standpoint, how much does it suck to have drafted Kevin Kolb, Matt Stafford, Jason Campbell or Vince Young? And with the position in constant flux, I sure hope you headed my advice and secured one of the top 7 QBs in your draft. If not, time to play QB roulette.

Feel free to comment or contact me directly at nfldraftpros@yahoo.com. Until next week.