It’s Week 3 of the NFL season, which means it’s time to start making wildly ill-informed predictions based on two games. The Dallas Cowboys saved their season with an incredible come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons that featured one of the craziest onside kicks in franchise history. Like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson before him, Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is going to win the MVP award in just his second season. And thanks to their impressive stadium-opening win over the New Orleans Saints, the Las Vegas Raiders are going to be this year’s surprise playoff team. 

All prognostications are guaranteed for at least one week, at which point they may or may not self-destruct.

In truth, we don’t know a whole lot about any team at this stage, except that the New York Jets will be really bad and the Baltimore Ravens will be really good. We’ll find out just how good when they face off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, which — let’s face it — is almost certainly going to be an early season preview of next year’s AFC Championship game. I’d put, like, a solid $5 on that, no reservations.

Here’s a look at this week’s NFL Schedule on Sling, along with full previews of three notable games.

^ Full game not available on Sling
*Games may be restricted based on market

(2-0) Los Angeles Rams at (2-0) Buffalo Bills
Sunday, Sept. 27, 1pm ET, FOX

Are we sleeping on the Rams? I know time has moved at odd intervals in 2020, but we’re only 19 months removed from L.A. coming a quarter away from winning the Super Bowl (can’t blame you if you forgot the game itself). They beat a stacked Cowboys team in Week 1 as they opened their new stadium and thumped the perplexing Philadelphia Eagles last week. Fame is fickle — in the NFL and their hometown — but with solid coaching and a defensive star who can simply run over two players to get to the quarterback, the Rams should not be overlooked.

With Tom Brady leaving for Florida to (not quite) retire, the Buffalo Bills became a trendy preseason pick to win the AFC East. Early results have been very promising: Bills QB Josh Allen leads the league with 729 passing yards and he’s already tossed six touchdowns with no picks. Given that they played the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, it’s still a little too soon to start smashing tables, but if the Bills can pull off the win to start 3-0, it will go a long way toward erasing doubts about their playoff viability.

(1-1) Dallas Cowboys at (2-0) Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, Sept. 27, 4:25pm ET, FOX

Following an offseason that featured near daily will-he/ won’t he updates on Dak Prescott’s contract, the Cowboys QB opted to sign the franchise tender instead of a long term deal. After Sunday’s performance, that’s looking like a savvy bet: Prescott went a head-spinning 34-of-47 for 450(!) yards and 4 TDs in the ‘Boys historic comeback over the Falcons. Dallas is as mercurial as any team in sports but one thing’s for sure: Dak Prescott is going to get paid very handsomely, as he should.

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson also parlayed his first several underpaid/ overperform seasons into a blockbuster contract, and it's safe to say all parties are pleased with the results thus far. Wilson has been a top 5 — arguably a top 3 — quarterback every year he’s been in the league and this could be the season he finally breaks through to claim his first MVP honor. In a genuinely breathtaking stat, Wilson has thrown only two more incompletions (11) than touchdowns (9) through the first two weeks of the season, and last week he was facing what many consider to be the league’s best secondary in New England. This game should be a thrilling showdown between two of the NFL's best QBs.

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
Monday, Sept. 28, 8:15pm ET, ESPN

Speaking of elite QB showdowns, the last two MVPs are set to face off for the third time in what’s quickly becoming the Brady-Manning rivalry for a new generation. Mahomes and the Chiefs got the better of Jackson and the Ravens in last year’s Week 3 matchup, and they pulled off a win in OT during Jackson’s rookie season in 2018. In fact, Jackson has lost just three regular season games since becoming a starter and two of them have been to the Chiefs. 

Still, this Chiefs team needed OT to beat the Chargers last week and the Ravens have been the most well-rounded team in the league through their first two games. Jackson has looked brilliant on offense but just as impressively, the Ravens D has allowed a league-low 22 points in their first two games. Taken together, the Ravens currently have a +49 point differential, by far the best mark in the league (the Packers are second at +30). Add in Jackson's 4-0 record in primetime games and it's very possible he finally gets the better of Mahomes in this one.

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