Ben Roethlisberger shoulder – The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog https://www.scoresreport.com The National Sports Blog Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:22:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.8 Week 3 NFL Primer https://www.scoresreport.com/2008/09/19/week-3-nfl-primer/ Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:15:33 +0000 https://www.scoresreport.com/?p=6124 Aaron RodgersSunday’s Best: Cowboys (2-0) at Packers (2-0) 8:15 PM ET NBC
General NFL fans and fantasy football owners alike are pumped for this Sunday Night Football matchup. The home team generally has the upper hand, with the host going 14-2 in the last 27 years of this underrated rivalry. Before becoming a starter this season, Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers only saw significant playing time one other time in his career – last year in a regular season loss to the Cowboys after Brett Favre was injured following two interceptions. Rodgers did well, too, completing 18 of 26 passes and tossing one touchdown. The Dallas defense will be well prepared for Rodgers this time, although the Cowboys are coming off a short week after beating the Eagles on Monday night.

Upset Watch: Saints (1-1) at Broncos (2-0) 4:05 PM ET FOX
If there’s one thing the NFL has taught fans over the years is to expect the unexpected. After two weeks, the Broncos look like world-beaters and after losing last week in Washington, the Saints appear to be vulnerable. But Denver’s defense didn’t play well in the second half last week and even without WR Marques Colston, New Orleans has more than enough offensive weapons to make things interesting this weekend in Denver. The Broncos are coming off an emotionally draining win last Sunday against San Diego, not to mention an emotionally draining week having to answer questions about Ed Hochuli’s blown call. Could the pissed off Saints be catching Denver at the right time?

Ben RoethlisbergerIntriguing Matchup: Steelers (2-0) at Eagles (1-1), 4:15 PM ET CBS
If it weren’t for the mega matchup in Green Bay on Sunday night, the Steelers-Eagles game Sunday evening would be the best of the Week 3 schedule. Pittsburgh has looked very good in its two victories, but questions remain about the health status of QB Ben Roethlisberger, who is dealing with a bad shoulder (although head coach Mike Tomlin says Big Ben’s shoulder isn’t separated). Philadelphia will be coming off a short week after playing on Monday night, but the Eagles are always tough to beat at home. Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook will also look to bounce back after fumbling away an opportunity to beat the Cowboys. This should be a physical game between two very good teams.

Other Notable Games:
Jaguars at Colts, 4:15 PM ET CBS
Jacksonville’s offensive line is incredibly beat up, which hasn’t bode well for the usually-explosive Jag running game. But Indy lost its best run-defender in Bob Sanders for 4-6 weeks and the Vikes’ Adrian Peterson ran wild on them last Sunday. Could the Jaguars really start the season 0-3? Could the Colts really start 1-2? Neither team looks like the potential Super Bowl contenders everyone thought they would be entering the season.

Panthers at Vikings, 1 PM ET FOX
The Vikings are looking for their first win of the season while the Panthers are looking to gain even more of an edge in the NFC South. Can Carolina keep Adrian Peterson in check? Will Steve Smith take advantage of a weak Minnesota secondary in his first action of the season after serving a two game suspension?

Cardinals at Redskins, 1 PM ET FOX
Usually this game would be a bore-fest, but Arizona is 2-0 and Washington might have gotten on track after beating the Saints last Sunday. The Cardinals could open up a decent size lead in the NFC West with a victory.

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