By Ryan McSheffrey, For The Miami Student
Welcome to 2015: the year of the backup quarterback.
Seriously, look around the league right now. I count nine field generals that aren't either high-upside young players (your Derek Carrs and Blake Bortleses) or established starters. A lot of very poor options starting.
Some of it's due to injuries to guys like Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo and Jay Cutler, but there's still a high amount of murky signal-callers trotting out there relative to recent seasons.
Good luck watching some of these games this weekend, because erratic and unsure quarterback play tends to lead towards games that are really crappy to watch.
Jets (2-1) vs. Dolphins (1-2)
It's fun to have a 9:30 a.m. game if you're up for it, but for the majority of us, that's a big "if." The Dolphins have failed to impress thus far in head coach Joe Philbin's make-or-break year. Honestly, the Jets may be better in every facet of the game right now. >>Jets 23, Dolphins 20
Jaguars (1-2) at Colts (1-2)
The Jaguars look like the worst team in this division. The Colts still look like the best. This one still carries weight for the Colts as a opportunity for them to start looking like they really are part of the upper-echelon. Another game that's close will only further the media blitz on Indy. >>Colts 34, Jaguars 20
Giants (1-2) at Bills (2-1)
Ah, a rare New York state rivalry. The Bills seem to have eaten up every little morsel of wisdom head coach Rex Ryan has offered and look like they're humming. Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy looks like he'll miss this one, just like the Giants look exploitable. >>Bills 30, Giants 24
Panthers (3-0) at Buccaneers (1-2)
Quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers ride into Tampa as hot as Florida tar. Two quarterbacks who won both a national title and Heisman in their respective seasons and were picked number one in the ir respective drafts face off for the first time. Jameis Winston is the other, of course. Unfortunately for him, the Bucs still look like bottom feeders in the league. At least there's plenty of hope. >>Panthers 24, Buccaneers 14
Chiefs (1-2) at Bengals (3-0)
Cincy has blown through pretty much every object placed in front of it so far. They don't get a break this week against a decent Chiefs team that just got annihilated by the Packers. This is KC cornerback Sean Smith's first game back from suspension, and if his pass D can get back on track, that'd be a boon for KC's prospects here. >>Bengals 27, Chiefs 21
Vikings (2-1) at Broncos (3-0)
The Vikes have run an ultra-conservative game plan for their two-game win streak, pounding the ball with running back Adrian Peterson. I don't think they're going to be able to do that here. The Broncos
defense is too good to have many clock-consuming drives mounted on it. In that case, the key is how well second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater can push the ball at least a little ways downfield. >>Broncos 34, Vikings 20
Lions (0-3) at Seahawks (1-2)
I don't think the Lions have the slightest chance in hell in this game. It's another case where their opposition might be better at everything. >>Seahawks 30, Lions 10