Week 3 NFL Picks

The funny thing about the NFL is that right when you think you have a team figured out, they prove you wrong by playing their best or worst game that week. It happens every week but Week 3 is just around the time where it really starts coming into play. The teams that are 2-0, are they really that good or is that a product of an easy schedule? Or how about that 0-2 team, will they finally get out of the funk and play to their full potential? Or what about the 1-1 squads, how will they play in their third game of the season? Oh, the possibilities...

So far, it's been no walk in the park picking games straight up. Despite a great 13-3 record in Week 1, I didn't fare well in Week 2, finishing at 8-8. That moves the season record to 21-11. Here's hoping this week is a bounce back week for me.

Sunday, September 27th
Washington (1-1) @ Detroit (0-2): DETROIT The Lions have shown signs of being a winning team. And by winning, I mean one game. If they want to stop their long losing streak, this is their chance. The Redskins have been awful on offense and their defense, which isn't bad, can't carry the load every game.
Green Bay (1-1) @ St. Louis (0-2): GREEN BAY The Packers are looking to rebound after a bad loss at home to the Bengals. Meanwhile, the Rams are still too young and banged up to compete with a team of this caliber.
San Francisco (2-0) @ Minnesota (2-0): MINNESOTA - In a battle of unbeatens, it makes sense to go with the Vikings. They boast the better run attack, better defense, and are playing at home. Should be a fun one to watch though.
Atlanta (2-0) @ New England (1-1): NEW ENGLAND - Down the road, these are the kinds of games the Falcons will win. But in Week 3 against a Tom Brady-led team in Foxborough coming off a bad performance, forget about it.
Tennessee (0-2) @ NY Jets (2-0): TENNESSEE - The Titans are in "save their season" mode. Not to mention their defense is out to prove they are better than that horrible performance against Houston. That's not good news for Mark Sanchez, who has been solid but not spectacular so far.
Kansas City (0-2) @ Philadelphia (1-1): PHILADELPHIA - While many eyes will be on Michael Vick, all eyes should be on Kevin Kolb. If he plays turnover-free football, this game will be a breeze. But if gives the ball away multiple times, look for Matt Cassel and the Chiefs to gain confidence and keep it tight.
NY Giants (2-0) @ Tampa Bay (0-2): NY GIANTS - The Bucs haven't been able to stop anyone on offense. The Giants have been able to score on just about anyone. Eli Manning looks a lot better than last year already, despite a young WR corps.
Cleveland (0-2) @ Baltimore (2-0): BALTIMORE - These teams don't like each other and love to beat each other to a pulp. The Browns haven't been competitive yet while the Ravens offense has looked better than the defense so far. And we know the defense is better.
Jacksonville (0-2) @ Houston (1-1): HOUSTON - The Jaguars also know this is their chance to save their season. But even their offense can't score enough against the Texans D to match what the Schaub-Johnson connection will produce.
Chicago (1-1) @ Seattle (1-1): CHICAGO - If Jay Cutler stays away from the turnovers, the Bears can control just about any game. Meanwhile, Seattle should be without Matt Hasselbeck, which puts more pressure on their weak running game and defense in the long run.
New Orleans (2-0) @ Buffalo (1-1) - Buffalo has played great in both games and will probably play well in this game. But the Saints are on a roll right now and the Bills defense isn't quite good enough to slow them down.
Pittsburgh (1-1) @ Cincinnati (1-1): PITTSBURGH - The Bengals are much-improved and playing with tons of confidence. But the Steelers just won't fall to 1-2. They're a bit beat up right now but losing to the Bengals will not be an option.
Denver (2-0) @ Oakland (1-1): OAKLAND - If the Raiders play like they did in Week 1 at home against SD, they'll win easily.The Raiders run game will keep the pressure off JaMarcus Russell while the Broncos finally face a team with a respectable defense.
Miami (0-2) @ San Diego (1-1): SAN DIEGO - The Dolphins are desperate for a win and are a good team. But the schedule has been brutal. The Chargers are without LT again but Sproles filled in fine last week.
Indianapolis (2-0) @ Arizona (1-1): INDIANAPOLIS - Tough game to pick here. It's always hard to bet against Peyton Manning in a close game, which is what I see this game being. The Cardinals defense hasn't been great, which I think will be the difference come the final horn

Monday, September 28th
Carolina (0-2) @ Dallas (1-1): DALLAS - Carolina played much better last week but still looked like a team that is struggling on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, expect Tony Romo to stay away from the turnovers and lead his Cowboys to their first win in their new palace.

WHERE'S GUS JOHNSON? - The one and only Gus Johnson will be watching the bloodbath that will be Baltimore vs. Cleveland. While the great GuJo won't have any great game-ending calls this week, expect him to just bottle all his excitement for the Browns first touchdown, if that even comes.


Enjoy the games everyone!