FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

After an opening preseason win, Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers got a taste of how the other half lives with a thumping at the hands of the Broncos last week. The new coach will get a first-hand look at what he has to work with when his Niners take on the Minnesota Vikings in the Week 3 dress rehearsal game. The Niners are looking to improve one of the worst offenses in the NFL from last season and will go up against one of the stingiest defenses in the league.This contest in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Sunday, August 27, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at U.S. Bank Stadium. The game will be televised on NBC.... 

Only the New York Jets ( +35000 ) have longer odds to win Super Bowl LII than the San Francisco 49ers ( +26500 ) who to nobody’s surprise are the biggest dogs on the board to win the NFC ( +12500 ). The 49ers franchise is currently in tank mode. They’ve stockpiled draft picks and have plenty of money in the coffers to become respectable once again in the next 2-3 seasons. You’re better off taking a blowtorch to whatever amount of money you plan to throw on them this year. At least that way it’d be fun to watch something go down in flames!... 

The New York Jets are the biggest joke in the league right now. Experts around the NFL are calling this team one of the least talented teams in recent memory and many would consider five wins to be a successful season. The offense has no playmakers whatsoever and the defense let go of its best player in the offseason. It’s almost impossible to see how they could win the AFC East and 80-1 on them might be too low.... 

In one of the least surprising moves of the offseason, new head coach Vance Joseph named Trevor Siemian the starter for the Denver Broncos on Monday. The Broncos gave Paxton Lynch every opportunity to extend the battle, but last year’s first-round pick has not played well at all in either preseason or training camp. Now it’s up to Siemian to lead the Broncos back to the postseason in his second year as the team’s primary quarterback.... 

The Saints have made some changes this year, adding Adrian Peterson to the backfield and some key players on defense. They are in a tough division, alongside the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons, the 2015 NFC Super Bowl entrant, the Carolina Panthers, and the up-and-coming Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The Saints are heavy underdogs to not just survive the division but also push all the way through to the Super Bowl. However, any team with a star signal-caller can at least legitimately theorize that if everything goes right they will have a chance of making a magical run.... 

Bortles will aim to hang on to his spot while Chad Henne pushes for the gig. Both signal-callers will be under the microscope when the team takes on the Carolina Panthers in the third week of the preseason. The Panthers are the more talented team but won’t have the same type of motivation in this one.While Carolina’s starters should see a good deal of action, the Jaguars will be the ones more intent on playing well, which could affect the spread.... 

Arizona’s streak of three straight seasons with double-digit wins came to a halt in 2016, but the Cardinals have the talent to be a playoff team this season. Last year, the team was a little unfortunate to finish at 7-9 with a point differential of +56 on the season. Improvement should be in the cards in 2017, but will it be enough to win a division crown?... 

It’s not easy learning a playbook in a matter of weeks, and this will be a good test against a solid Eagles defense. The third game of the preseason always most closely resembles the regular season, and the Eagles are hoping to tune up for a playoff run of their own. This could be a competitive contest, with the home field advantage a slight factor.This game in Week 3 of the preseason contest will go down Thursday, August 24, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... 

Atlanta will have its most thorough preseason showing in the third week of the preseason against the Arizona Cardinals. While these teams may not put in as much game-planning as the regular season, this will be the closest it comes to the real thing during the exhibition slate.Atlanta averaged more than 33 points per game a season ago but the Cardinals have a pretty solid defense, so it will be an interesting matchup.... 

The New York Jets are widely expected to be the worst team in the NFL in 2017. Wins will be hard to come by, let alone a conference title. The Jets are the longest of shots to win the AFC Championship and that will scare off most bettors. But for you diehard Jets fans who believe miracles can happen, even the smallest bet will have a big payout. But honestly, that money would be better spent on another team.... 

The annual battle for New York will take place in New Jersey when the New York Giants host the New York Jets in Week 3 of the NFL preseason. It’ll be hard to give the Giants the edge for home field advantage since both teams call MetLife Stadium home, and thus the game has been dubbed the MetLife Bowl. Not much is expected from the Jets this season as they are in the throes of a complete overhaul, but you can throw the records and expectations out the window in this matchup.This duel in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium.... 

A game between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers usually has plenty of offensive talent and scores could soar. Even in Week 3 of the preseason when starters generally play the most snaps, that could be a treat for fans. However, the stars won’t be shining at Heinz Field with both teams missing some important pieces. The Colts are hopeful Andrew Luck is ready for the regular season opener while the Steelers need Le’Veon Bell back to make their offense click. It just won’t be the same without them.This Week 3 preseason matchup will take place on Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Heinz Field.... 

It hasn’t been a smooth move so far for the Los Angeles Chargers, who have done little to impress their new fan base. Working on a streak of seven consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown, it’ll be up to Philip Rivers to change that when the battle for L.A. takes place in the Coliseum against the Los Angeles Rams. For more than two decades the area was without an NFL team. On Saturday in Week 3 of the preseason, the two clubs that now call the area home will battle for bragging rights.This matchup in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Watch the game live on CBS.... 

The Cleveland Browns have already won more games than they did all of last season and the victories are not about to stop. This looks like a different team, at least through the first two preseason games, and the defense has been solid with Myles Garrett looking every bit like the first overall pick he was. The Browns need to decide on a starting quarterback, but that’s not a problem the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have with Jameis Winston ready to lead them to bigger things. The teams hook up in Week 3 of the NFL preseason schedule.This contest in Week 3 of the preseason will take place on Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium.... 

The Buffalo Bills turned to Sean McDermott in hopes of ending the NFL’s longest playoff drought, now the new coach will have to patch an offense together in hopes of securing enough victories to do that. The Bills traded away their top receiver and saw one of their free agents retire in the span of a few days, severely hindering their chances of moving the ball through the air. It’s a good thing Buffalo had the best rushing team last season because they will need it again. The offense will search for answers in the Week 3 preseason matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.This matchup in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at MT Bank Stadium.... 

The Los Angeles Chargers are snakebit. Unfortunate injuries have been a common scene for the team the past several years, which has helped rob any chance of success despite the presence of upper-tier quarterback Philip Rivers.... 

All eyes will be on Jared Goff this season as the former No. 1 overall draft pick hopes to show he can be the franchise quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams. Goff struggled mightily as a rookie in 2016 but there is still plenty of time for a turnaround.... 

The Cleveland Browns have been the laughing stock of the NFL since returning to the league in 1999. Cleveland has been to the playoffs just once since then and hasn’t won more than seven games in the last decade. However, things might finally be starting to turn around. The Browns still don’t have a very good offense, but this defense has some talent and all four of the team’s top draft picks look set to immediately contribute.... 

The Buffalo Bills don’t want to admit it, but this is a rebuilding season. Buffalo dealt two of its best players for a lesser talent and a draft choice on August 11. In the first deal, the Bills sent Sammy Watkins and a sixth-round pick in 2018 to the Rams for cornerback EJ Gaines and a second-round pick in 2018. A few minutes later, they dealt Ronald Darby to the Eagles for wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a third-round pick in 2018. GM Brandon Beane stated that the team hadn’t given up on the season and pointed to the signing of Anquan Boldin as a sign that the Bills were serious about competing in 2018, but Boldin retired on Sunday. This team has a clear eye on the future, which is a shame because it can win now in this division.... 

The Denver Broncos have long been the team to beat in the AFC West dating back to the 2011-12 season. During that stretch, they won the division five straight seasons and went to a pair of Super Bowls winning one. That wasn’t the case in last year’s rebuild with Peyton Manning retiring from the game leaving the club scrambling at the quarterback position. Even with one of the more dominating defenses in the game, Denver watched on as Kansas City and Oakland each went to the playoffs. They still went on to win nine games and have an 8.5 season win total to conquer this upcoming season.... 

A year removed from winning 13 games and going to the NFC Championship Game, the Arizona Cardinals took a major turn for the worst last season. Bruce Arians squad managed a disappointing 7-8-1 record and had their two year playoff streak snapped. The betting public looks to be all in on Carson Palmer and company heading into the regular season with the opener of 8 wins already being bet up to 8.5 with heavy juice still supporting the high side of that number.... 

While they do have odds listed to win it, they are huge underdogs because there is virtually no scenario where it happens. The Jets have some decent pieces on defense but a horrendous offense and are in full-blown rebuilding mode. It would take a miracle for this team to make the playoffs, and it would be the most unlikely run in NFL history for them to win the Super Bowl.Even the most diehard fans of the Jets know it would be a waste of money to put some down on them, although the odds are so long that even a tiny wager would pay off hugely if the unthinkable happened and the Jets won the title.... 

Beating up on the lowly Jets is one thing and now the Detroit Lions get the best of the AFC East when they take on the defending champion New England Patriots in Week 3 of the preseason slate on Friday. The Pats are favored to win another Super Bowl title and we will get the chance to see all of their offensive weapons on display in this matchup. So will the Lions, who are looking to recover after losing two defenders to season ending injuries in their first preseason game.This preseason Week 3 matchup will go down Friday, August 25, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at Ford Field.... 

The Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks played as AFC West rivals for a quarter of a century until the NFL realigned in 2002. The meetings have been infrequent since then with only four regular season hookups. But the teams will meet for the third consecutive year in the preseason with their Week 3 contest. The teams split the last two meetings with each decided by a single point. Those took place at Arrowhead Stadium and now the Seahawks have their rabid fan base behind them in an effort to take down one of the AFC favorites.The Week 3 preseason contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks will take place Friday, August 25, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field. Watch the game line on CBS.... 

It’s not a stretch to think the Arizona Cardinals can return to their 2015 form when they went 13-3 and advanced to the NFC Championship. There was a setback last year when the Cards were expected to carry over that momentum, but the offense fell hard, the defense had to deal with injuries and special teams proved costly. The championship window might be closing on the Cards, but Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald are back to give it one more try. As long as the window isn’t sealed shut, there’s still a chance the Cards can fly through it....