As the NFL prepares to celebrate its 80th birthday this weekend, one question is on the minds of football fans around the country: Who will win the inaugural "Joe Nedney Bowl" in Oakland on Sunday?
Nedney was released by the Raiders two weeks ago. He was one of three kickers the Denver Broncos invited to their headquarters as they sought a temporary replacement for Jason Elam, who is expected to miss 3-8 weeks because of two fractured bones in his lower back.
All right, so the Broncos-Raiders game may not have the same bad blood as last week's "Tuna Helper Bowl" between the Patriots and Jets, but Mike Shanahan isn't exactly the most popular guy with Raiders fans.
Shanahan struggled in his short tenure as head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders, getting his pink slip from Al Davis four games into the 1988 season after starting off 1-3.
Since taking over the Broncos prior to the 1995 season, Shanahan has given the Raiders a little payback for the short leash they showed him as head coach, going 9-1 in his 10 career meetings with Oakland.
The Broncos and Raiders appear likely battle it out for the AFC West title this season, as the Chiefs, Seahawks and Chargers are all off to 0-2 starts.
Oakland has turned around a disturbing trend in the early part of the 2000 season, though, getting off to a 2-0 start in games decided by a touchdown or less after going 5-8 in such games last season.
Other Week 3 highlights include two battles of 2-0 teams, as the Bills head to the Meadowlands to face the Jets, and the Buccaneers travel to the Silverdome to play the offensive-touchdownless Lions. The Ravens visit Miami on Sunday night, and the Dolphins will have emotion on their side, with the number retirement ceremony of Dan Marino scheduled for halftime. On Monday night Deion Sanders faces his former team, as the Cowboys and Redskins match up on Monday Night Football for a record 11th time.
| Week 3 NFL Preview |
| Eagles (1-1) at Packers (0-2), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| .841: Career home winning percentage for Brett Favre (53-10). Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Packers running game (potentially with Dorsey Levens returning from a knee injury) against tackle-machine Jeremiah Trotter in the middle of the Eagles' linebacking corps. |
| Player to Watch |
| Duce Staley: Awesome in Week 1 and ordinary in Week 2, Staley needs to revert back to his opening-game form to give the Eagles' offense a needed boost in Green Bay. |
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49ers (0-2) at Rams (2-0), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 10/10/99: Date the Rams snapped their 17-game losing streak to the 49ers with a 42-20 blowout win at the TWA Dome.
Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| The mismatch of the week is the Rams' unstoppable passing attack (406 passing yards per game) against the porous secondary of the 49ers (last in the league with 308 passing yards per game against). |
| Player to Watch |
| Isaac Bruce: Dominated San Francisco last season, catching 16 passes for 227 yards & five touchdowns in the two meetings. |
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Falcons (1-1) at Panthers (1-1), 1 p.m. |
Key Stat |
| 183: Points the teams have combined for in their last three meetings, an impressive average of 61 points per game. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Jamal Anderson and the Falcons' running game (27th in the league with 71 yards per game) against Panthers defense that is ranked No. 26 with 128.5 rushing yards allowed per contest. |
| Player to Watch |
| Chris Chandler: One of the best quarterbacks in the league when healthy, Chandler has thrown for 928 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in past four games. |
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| Bills (2-0) at Jets (2-0), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 1966: Last time the Jets opened a season 3-0. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Bills big-play receiving duo of Eric Moulds and Peerless Price against Jets secondary that is allowing only 171 passing yards per game (sixth in NFL), and only 9.8 yards per catch (fourth in NFL). |
| Player to Watch |
| Rob Johnson: Third-rated passer in the league with a 108.7 rating, and has gone 6-0 with 10 touchdowns and only one interception in his past six starts. |
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| Buccaneers (2-0) at Lions (2-0), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 20-4: Lions' home record against NFC Central opponents over the last six seasons, including a perfect 4-0 home mark in the division last year. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Lions' league-worse offense (215.5 yards and 14.5 points per game) against Buccaneers' second-ranked defense (221.5 yards and 8 points per game allowed). |
| Player to Watch |
| Keyshawn Johnson: Top offseason acquisition has only six catches for 96 yards and one touchdown, putting him on pace for 48 catches and 768 yards, well off his average season of 79 catches and 1,060 yards. |
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| Steelers (0-1) at Browns (1-1), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 0-9: Browns' record in new Cleveland Browns Stadium, but the Browns are 33-14 lifetime at home against the Steelers. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Struggling Steelers offense against a Browns defense that is allowing nearly 30 fewer yards per game in 2000 (358.0) than in 1999 (387.1). |
| Player to Watch |
| Orpheus Roye: Signed away from the Steelers as a free agent, Roye has made only six tackles and one sack, compared to nine tackles and four sacks from bargain-priced former Packers defensive end Keith McKenzie. |
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| Bengals (0-1) at Jaguars (1-1), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 29-4: Jaguars' record (.879 winning percentage) in their last 33 home games, including the playoffs. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Jaguars' running game (with star back Fred Taylor likely making his season debut) against speedy Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes. |
| Player to Watch |
| Jimmy Smith: Has 733 yards receiving in his past seven games against the Bengals, and has caught 47 passes for 746 yards in his past five games. |
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| Broncos (1-1) at Raiders (2-0), 4:05 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 8-12: Mike Shanahan's record in 20 games as head coach of the Raiders during 1988 and first four games of the 1989 season. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Raiders passing attack against veteran Broncos cornerbacks Terrell Buckley and Ray Crockett. |
| Player to Watch |
| Terrell Davis: Returning from a sprained left ankle, Davis faces a team he has tormented in the past, with three straight 100-yard games against the Raiders, and seven touchdowns in his past five games against Oakland. |
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| Chargers (1-1) at Chiefs (0-2), 4:05 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
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44.7: Darren Bennett's career punting average, the third-best in league history. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Chargers' stingy run defense (65 yards per game) against bruising Chiefs running backs Tony Richardson and Kimble Anders. |
| Player to Watch |
| Elvis Grbac: Has only thrown for 356 yards in two games this season, but has two touchdown passes in each of his last three games against the Chargers. |
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| Saints (1-1) at Seahawks (0-2), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 28: First downs by the Saints in their 28-27 win over the Chargers on Sunday, their most since recording 28 against the Broncos on Nov. 20, 1988. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Struggling Seahawks quarterback Jon Kitna (one touchdown and six interceptions) against Saints defensive backs Fred Weary, Kevin Mathis, Darren Perry and Sammy Knight. |
| Player to Watch |
| Ricky Watters: Holding off rookie Shaun Alexander with solid play so far, including a 4.4 yards per carry average and two rushing touchdowns. |
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| Giants (1-1) at Bears (0-2), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 13-3: Bears' record in last six home openers. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Scrambling Bears quarterback Cade McNown (team's leading rusher with 15 carries for 136 yards) against Giants linebackers Jessie Armstead, Michael Barrow and Ryan Phillips. |
| Player to Watch |
| Tiki Barber: Has carried 24 times for 240 yards and three rushing touchdowns, matching his prior career total over three years. |
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| Vikings (2-0) at Patriots (0-2), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 7: Catches needed by Cris Carter (935) to pass Art Monk (940) and Andre Reed (941) for second place on all-time receptions list. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Patriots' Pro Bowl defensive backs Ty Law (20 career interceptions) and Lawyer Milloy (15 picks in five-year career) against Vikings' Pro Bowl receiving duo of Randy Moss and Cris Carter (combined 21 catches for 370 yards and one touchdown in 2000 season). |
| Player to Watch |
| Henry Thomas: Recorded 56 sacks in eight seasons with the Vikings, and has 18 1/2 in his 50 games with the Patriots. |
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| Ravens (2-0) at Dolphins (1-1), 8:35 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 11: Consecutive home wins for the Dolphins in the month of September, dating back to a 24-14 loss to the Jets on Sept. 12, 1993. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Dolphins' inconsistent running game (181 yards in Week 1, 49 yards in Week 2) against massive Ravens defensive tackles Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams. |
| Player to Watch |
| Jay Fiedler: Efficient in a Week 1 win, miserable in a Week 2 loss, Fiedler is learning that replacing a legend is no easy task, and he will have old No. 13 watching over him in person Sunday night on Dan Marino Night in Miami. |
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| Cowboys (0-2) at Redskins (1-1), 9:00 p.m. Monday |
| Key Stat |
| 1,669: Yards of total offense the Cowboys and Redskins combined for in their two meetings last season, an average of 417.3 yards per game by each team. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Former Cowboy Deion Sanders against Cowboys wide receivers Raghib Ismail and James McKnight. |
| Player to Watch |
| Emmitt Smith: Passed 14,000 career yards in Sunday night's loss to the Cardinals, but is averaging only 3.8 yards per carry so far this season. Smith has 20 touchdowns and has averaged 102.3 yards in 18 career games against Washington. |
