The NFL Roundup 2017 - Week 3 - The Most Fascinating Games to Watch on Sunday & Monday

Written by John Edward Betancourt

If there's one thing I've always truly enjoyed, it's the fact that Week 3 in the NFL is a solid separation of the proverbial wheat from the chaff. Great teams continue to prove they're great, while bad teams continue to make their ridiculous mistakes. But there are of course teams that surprise, and teams that fight back to not be part of any NFL Stereotype and that's precisely what we will be looking at today in the NFL Roundup; teams that are hungry to change their fortunes, and other squads that are looking to continue to dominate in every single facet of the game. 

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Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions
Ford Field - Detroit, MI
​1:00 p.m. EST - FOX

Every week there seems to be that one game on paper that should wow football fans everywhere and this is that game. The Falcons and the Lions have been electric to watch during the first two weeks of the season, and dominant for that matter as well which means this particular game is shaping up to be quite the clash of the titans. I would expect that this particular matchup is going to be quite the shoot out since both Matt Ryan and Matt Stafford have been throwing bombs into the end zone all season long and really, the winner of this potential thriller will likely come down to who plays mistake free football because in order to survive a scoring fiesta, it's all about limiting turnovers. But any way you slice it, this matchup should be a complete and utter joy to watch. 

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
​Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia, PA
1:00 p.m. EST - FOX

Now we move on to our first game featuring a team that has something to prove and for a change, it's not the Philadelphia Eagles, since they've shown plenty of fight and grit in this short start to the season, no, instead the team that needs to prove to the football world they will do something special this year...is the New York Giants. They've been anemic on offense through two games and if they hope to salvage any part of their season, they need to make something happen in this game and if they can't win it, they need to show their fans that they are trying to correct their biggest issues on offense. That means we need to see better offensive line play, some points through the air and some yards on the ground and if they can produce that...then all will know that the Giants have some fight left in them.

Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers
Lambeau Field - Green Bay, WI
4:25 p.m. EST - CBS

While the Packers didn't exactly get the storybook ending they wanted in Atlanta last week, they're still a solid football team that is able to score and win games, which is a far cry from what their opponent this week is capable of in the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have yet to score an offensive touchdown this season, and they've already changed offensive coordinators which means this game...is a huge deal to every single player on that team. This game needs to serve as a statement that the Bengals have not in fact, quit on their teammates and their coach and they need to be competitive in this game and score some points to prove just that, and if they cannot accomplish any of that, then expect this season to fall to pieces...

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals
University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, AZ
Monday Night Football - 8:30 pm. EST - ESPN

Most of the time, when you get a prime time game featuring a pair of juggernauts from the previous season, you get a quality matchup with a pair of teams that are consistent and confident but that's simply not the case with this Monday night game. The Cardinals are trying to find consistency and their swagger once again since this once dominant squad comes into this game at 1-1 and as for the Cowboys, well they're trying to figure out how to handle adversity since the Denver Broncos came out swinging and Dallas folded once they realized they were dealing with a team that wasn't afraid of them in the slightest. With both of these teams hungry to prove they are still elite, expect this one to be a knock down, drag it out battle for the win, because the loser of this game...is going to face an uphill climb toward the playoffs.