EA Sports
John Lennon once sang that instant karma was going to get you and knock you right on the head. Whether or not you are a superstitious football fan, it is interesting that the two teams who implicated the New England Patriots in Deflategate, the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, both sit at 0-2 while the Patriots are 2-0. I'm not saying there's any correlation, just making an observation.
After all, you'd have thought the Philadelphia Eagles had ratted out the Patriots, too. Actually, you'd have thought they were also responsible for Ben Affleck's "Daredevil" and Ryan Reynolds's "Green Lantern" based on how bad they've looked. Yikes.
But calm down, everyone. It's only been two weeks. Let's wait until at least Week 4 before hitting the panic button. Some teams, like the Ravens and Seattle Seahawks, will be playing their first home games this Sunday, and we all know there's no place like home.
So sit back, relax and enjoy some new Madden ratings.
Moving On Up
How about a big round of applause for Darrius Heyward-Bey! Wait, where are you guys going? Come back! Okay, so Heyward-Bey may not be a Pro Bowl wide receiver in the making, but it's good to see him playing a role in the Pittsburgh Steelers' high-octane offense. His performance last week (77 yards and a touchdown) earned him a two-point bump up to 72 OVR. Let him enjoy the moment, people.
Let's give a little love to the kickers. Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus is up three points to a 78 OVR after hitting a 54-yard field goal and four extra points against the Kansas City Chiefs. Not too shabby for the 24-year-old from Temple.
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr got a two-point bump up to 81 OVR after his monster performance against the Ravens last Sunday. Maybe dropping the long sleeve undershirts helped? Regardless, Carr definitely has the Raiders fan base excited, and with new toys Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree to throw to, he should continue to climb up the ratings.
Moving On Down
Andrew Luck is down two points to 90 OVR. Another bad outing Sunday could see him drop below 90. I think Luck's got a fever, and the only prescription is more neck beard.
So while Andrew Luck dropped two points, Sam Bradford only dropped one point to move down to 79 OVR. Your thoughts, Vince Lombardi? I guess the good folks at Madden have much lower standards for Bradford than they do for Luck, which makes sense.
Richard Sherman saw a drop in his rating, down a point to 96 OVR. But with Kam Chancellor coming back to breathe new life into the Legion of Boom, I expect Sherman to have a field day Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Great Caesar's Ghost
DeMarco Murray is down only one point this week to 91 OVR. One point?! I'm not trying to pile on the Eagles here, but did you see Murray last week against the Dallas Cowboys? I don't know if he offended his offensive line before the game, but he should be thankful he's still rated above a 90 in the game.
Six bold predictions for Sunday
EA Sports
6.Kam Chancellor's return to the Seattle Seahawks is great for their defense, but it doesn't fix their issues on offense. Seattle is averaging just 4.9 yards per play on offense, fourth worst in the NFL. They also have to find a way to work Jimmy Graham into their offense. Graham has just seven receptions for 62 yards this season, his fewest through Weeks 1 and 2 since his rookie year in 2010. The tight end is clearly frustrated by his role, something even coach Pete Carroll admitted. But with the return of Chancellor and the Seahawks making their season debut in front of the 12, I expect Graham and Russell Wilson to finally click against the Bears and connect on a couple of touchdown passes. It'll be a joyous day for Seahawks fans and fantasy football owners alike.
5.Josh McCown will start Sunday for the Cleveland Browns, but Johnny Manziel will finish the game for the Browns. Seriously, what is Mike Pettine thinking? Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans finally gave Browns fans a glimpse of the old Johnny Football we remember so fondly from Texas A&M. He and Travis Benjamin have clearly developed a strong rapport, connecting on three touchdown passes of 50-plus yards in the first two weeks. The rest of the NFL has thrown just six touchdowns of 50-plus yards. What more does Pettine want? Love him or hate him, Manziel was a first-round draft pick by the Browns in 2014, and they need to know whether he's their long-term solution at quarterback. McCown is never going to win a Super Bowl as a starter. The guy is like the Rob Schneider of the NFL: no matter how bad he is, he keeps finding work. Manziel might not be a polished quarterback just yet, but he's got more of a future in Cleveland than McCown.
4. The Jacksonville Jaguars will not lose Sunday to the Patriots ... by more than 20 points. I'm not trying to upset the fan base down in Duval County, Fla., here. I think the Jaguars are a good young team with some nice pieces in place. They just need a coach who knows what to do with them (sorry, Gus Bradley, you're not that guy). Plus, when you go up against Tom Brady and the offensive juggernaut that is the New England Patriots (in Foxborough, nonetheless) your chances of winning are slim to none. But again, that doesn't mean I think it will be a complete blowout. Jacksonville has a top 10 defense while New England's is fourth worst in the league. The Patriots' defense looks promising up front, but their secondary can be a liability. New England will win, but not in conventional blowout fashion. So, you've got that going for you, Jacksonville.
3.Aaron Rodgers will throw his first interception at Lambeau Field after going 545 attempts without a pick at home. I know, it's almost blasphemous to say considering the reigning league MVP hasn't been picked off at home since Week 13 of the 2012 season against the Minnesota Vikings (Millennial Fun Fact: The top movie in America that weekend was "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2"). Seeing Rodgers throw a pick is about as rare as seeing Jay Cutlernot throw a pick, but, alas, it does happen. The Packers will pull out the win against the Kansas City Chiefs, but Rodgers will have one minor blip on his stat line.
2. The Philadelphia Eagles look bad. Like Jonah Hill "Superbad". Seriously, they look like the before version of every lackluster team in a Walt Disney feel-good sports movie. I'm not sure if these birds have any Gordon Bombay magic in them, especially after what we saw last week against the Cowboys. Chip Kelly needs to prove he's the mastermind people thought he was when he was handed the keys to the car at the beginning of the year. I think the Eagles are bad, but with the NFC East wide open right now, I think Kelly and the Eagles somehow find a way to pull out a must-win victory Sunday against a red-hot Jets defense. Bold may be an understatement for this prediction.
1. The situation in Indy is reaching a breaking point between coach and general manager, but come Sunday in Tennessee it'll be sunshine, lollipops and rainbows (everything that's wonderful). Sure, the Colts have done their best to rekindle memories of the 2011 squad that helped bringAndrew Luck to Indianapolis, but Luck is 6-0 in his career against the Titans and 16-2 overall against the AFC South. It may be Marcus Mariota's home debut, but Luck and the Colts will reassert themselves as the team to beat in the division. Maybe then Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson will get matching BFF tattoos! Okay, maybe not.
Colin J. Liotta is a Digital Features Editor and Writer for NFL.com. You can follow him on Twitter @TheSportsHero.