NEW YORK (AP) Matt Ryan and Julio Jones have the Atlanta Falcons on the kind of roll Tony Romo and Dez Bryant were enjoying with Dallas before long-term injuries sidelined both and clouded the Cowboys’ hopes of defending the NFC East title.
The Cowboys have a 2-0 record, but lost wide receiver Bryant in their NFL opener with a broken right foot, and quarterback Romo last week with a broken left collarbone that will cause him to miss at least seven games.
Ryan and Jones, meanwhile, are leading the NFC in yards passing and receiving for the Falcons (2-0), who didn’t get their third win until November last year after waiting even longer in 2013. But they have a shot to get there on Sunday in Texas against a Dallas offense which also won’t have suspended Rolando McClain and Greg Hardy, and maybe star tight end Jason Witten.
The Falcons already have wins over the NFC East’s Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, but they’re not feeling overconfident.
”All across the league, people get injured and other people step up. It’s no different with them,” new Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. ”We expect a heck of a fight.”
The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the limelight on Monday at Green Bay, keen to make up for their most recent prime-time appearance, when they blew that Thursday home game against Denver in the final minute, allowing two scores. If anything, look for running back Jamaal Charles to better protect the ball.
Green Bay has two relatively close wins, and 2014 MVP Aaron Rodgers is at his very best at home. He’s thrown 451 straight passes there in the regular season without an interception, and has 38 consecutive touchdown passes at home without a pick, both NFL records.
For historians, it’s a rematch of the first Super Bowl, won by the Vince Lombardi-led Packers 35-10 in January 1967. But Kansas City is 3-0 at Lambeau Field.
After squeezing out two tight victories, the Denver Broncos are looking strong on defense, mediocre with the football. If Peyton Manning (29th in passer rating, sacked seven times already) is going to break out, this could be the time. Denver is well rested after a Thursday nighter at Kansas City, and the Detroit Lions have the 30th-ranked defense.
Special teams also have been an issue with the Lions, and the defense clearly misses the big-play ability of Ndamukong Suh.
Winless Baltimore, welcoming unbeaten Cincinnati, can’t afford to fall three games behind the Bengals in the rugged AFC North division, but the Bengals have won four of the past five meetings. In the Ravens’ home opener, Cincinnati probably will need to throw: The Ravens haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 28 straight games, the NFL’s longest active streak.
With the way quarterback Andy Dalton has begun the season, though, the aerial game is just fine by the Bengals. Top receiver A.J. Green has a touchdown catch in three straight matches against Baltimore.
The Seattle Seahawks are angry after road losses to St. Louis and Green Bay, both of which they were in position to win.
So there may not be a better elixir for Seattle than a visit from the undermanned Chicago Bears, who have dropped two home games.
Seattle’s home opener will already be amped thanks in part to the return of strong safety Kam Chancellor, likely to make his season debut after ending a holdout that stretched nearly eight weeks. Then mix in the anxiety of a team with Super Bowl aspirations knowing it can’t afford to start 0-3.
Week Three began with the Giants actually holding onto a late lead and beating Washington 32-21 on Thursday. New York had lost twice by falling apart in the fourth quarter, but this time built a big margin on the sloppy Redskins, and staying in front.
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