Cover photo taken from Sporting News.
Another week is upon us as the young season continues to grow, and this might just be the best one yet. We have some exciting games on tap this weekend, and I can’t wait to get into it. Last week was another fun one to watch, but it was a brutal one for the Picks. Outside of getting my second ever perfect prediction, things were pretty rough. I had another awful performance in Week 2, going a mediocre 8-8 to bring my season total to 17-14-1. Surely we can only go up from here… right?
Browns 20-17 Steelers 
Thursday, 8:15 PM EST, Prime Video
Week 3 opens on one of the most mid primetime matchups you could possibly imagine. Not all of us would be spending our Thursday night with Jacoby Brissett and Mitch Trubisky if we had anything else to do. Moreover, both of these teams are beat up and coming off tough losses. It should be close and could be fun, but in no situation do I see Pittsburgh coming out of here with a win. Cleveland has the far better roster from top to bottom, and with the Steelers run defense being as poor as it has been through two weeks, I think the Browns will just ride Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to victory.
Bears 19-13 Texans 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
As if you thought it couldn’t get any worse, we have this game on the schedule. Both of these teams are awful, we know that. But we also all know the Bears are slightly less awful. While the Texans have been more competitive in each game, they’ve played two awful teams. At least we’ve seen Chicago do thinks against competent opponents. This team could use a pick-me-up win. It’s going to be ugly, but the Bears should back above .500.
Raiders 26-23 Titans 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
This is probably the only game this week in which both teams are virtually cooked with a loss. These two 2021 playoff teams are sitting at 0-2 after two brutal losses, and history isn’t kind to teams that start their seasons with three losses in a row. I really want to pick the Titans here, seeing as though they are at home and Vegas has to come out east for a 1pm kick. But they have shown me absolutely nothing to like this season. At least the Raiders were competitive against the Chargers and should have beaten the Cardinals. They’ve shown me more, and for that, I have to trust them to get the job done.
Chiefs 28-24 Colts 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
Does this game feel… off for anyone else? Or is it just me? Yes, the Colts just got embarrassed in Jacksonville and couldn’t even beat the Texans. But this is a good home team that knows it needs to show up in a huge game like this. It won’t be enough to win, but I really think that Indy is going to give Kansas City all they can handle in this one. I definitely like them to cover the spread. Still, it’s virtually impossible to beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in September, and their superior roster will prove to be the difference. Just don’t be shocked if it’s in question for a while.
Bills 29-21 Dolphins 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
I really wanted to pick the Dolphins here. Everything is pointing towards them pulling off this upset. They had the game of their lives last week and now come back home to host the best team in football in an environment that isn’t easy for any road team to win in. I don’t think any extraneous factors will be in play though. I just think these are two great teams that are going to play a great game, and the better one will find a way to win. It’s that simple. I trust Josh Allen way more than I trust Tua Tagovailoa, and I trust the rest of the Bills roster infinitely more than the Dolphins’, especially defensively. Considering what Lamar Jackson did to Miami last week, this is likely going to be another huge day for Buffalo’s offense.
Vikings 30-27 Lions 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
This is going to be fun. The Lions have been a very exciting team through two weeks, using their star-studded offense to light up the scoreboard. This is the highest scoring team in football, averaging 34.5 points per game, and their defense has been surprisingly good as well. Meanwhile, the Vikings are coming off an embarrassing loss on MNF. I think that teams who suffer tough losses usually bounce back the following week, especially if they’re as good as Minnesota is, and I trust this team to win a close divisional game. They know they’re not as bad as they looked on Monday, and they’ll be out to prove it. This could very well be the game of the week, and I’m very excited to watch it.
Ravens 20-17 Patriots 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
While I think the Ravens are a far better team than the Patriots are, everything about this screams close game and a potential upset. New England just isn’t a team that’s going to continue to look as bad as they have in the first two games of the season. Lamar Jackson is also nursing an elbow injury that could limit Baltimore’s now-explosive pass attack. They could be getting JK Dobbins back in this game, which would be huge. Regardless, they should be able to ride their run game to victory. It’s going to be a hard-fought battle, and the better team is going to win it.
Bengals 27-20 Jets 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
The Jets pulled off a miracle last week, but it’s time to return to Earth. This is a very bad team that was down 13 with 90 seconds left last week thanks to a porous defense. The offense has actually been solid with Joe Flacco at the helm thanks to the emergence of rookie WR Garrett Wilson, but now they face a stout Bengals defense. Cincinnati is desperate to get their first win, and this is the perfect opportunity for them to do so. The offense should be able to feast on a horrible Jets secondary en route to a victory. New York could stick around for a bit, but I just don’t think they have it in them to win this one.
Eagles 31-19 Commanders 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
We all saw the Eagles on Monday night. We all saw the Commanders on Sunday. Does anything else really need to be said? Philadelphia is dominant on both sides of the ball with their dynamic offense and lockdown defense. Washington has an offense that picks and chooses when they want to function properly and one of the worst defenses in football with the worst DC in the league. This one really shouldn’t be close. I know divisional games are usually scrappy fights, but not when one team is as overmatched as the Commanders are here. This will be over by halftime, but the offense will do that thing where they put up some numbers in the second half to make it look respectable. Typical.
Saints 24-10 Panthers 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
Even in a loss, the Saints showed us what they’re made of last week. This is a very solid team with a fantastic defense and an offense full of playmakers. The Panthers, meanwhile, are an absolute joke on both sides of the ball that simply doesn’t know how to win games. Like the divisional game above, this one should not be close at all. New Orleans is the far better team across the board and shouldn’t break a sweat in pulling off this victory.
Chargers 24-20 Jaguars 
Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, CBS
This one should be fun. The Chargers have proven themselves as one of the NFL’s elite contenders, and the Jaguars are finally looking like the team they want to be thanks to the impacts of their new signings and draftees and the development of Trevor Lawrence. Los Angeles is definitely the better team, but I have concerns about Justin Herbert’s health after getting beat up last week. I think it could affect how dangerous the Chargers offense can be, and it’ll be enough to let Jacksonville hang around for a while. It’ll be back and forth, but the better team will come out on top. Look for LA’s defense to make some of the game-changing plays.
Cardinals 31-27 Rams 
Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX
This is as big as it gets for a division matchup this early in the season. Both of these teams have been roller coasters through two weeks, and the winner of this game will be feeling much better about themselves than the loser. In an NFC West with a ton of questions, a win is imperative to separate yourself early in the season. Quite frankly, I don’t trust either of these teams to do so. Not only are they playing very questionable football, but I just don’t really think much of either squad. They’re on essentially the same level in my mind. So, I’ll rock with the home team, which has honestly shown me more to like. The Cardinals’ comeback win was more inspiring than anything the Rams have done this season. I think they can carry that momentum into this matchup in a huge way and come away with a much-needed win.
Seahawks 21-20 Falcons 
Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX
Once again, these two teams are exactly the same in my head. I actually think the Falcons are slightly better, but it is very hard to win in Seattle, and I think that’ll make the difference here. While Atlanta has been much more competitive this season, the Seahawks are simply different when they play at home. Even though the team is awful, their home field advantage is real. It will be the only thing separating these two teams on Sunday.
Buccaneers 23-16 Packers 
Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX
Simply put, the Buccaneers have the Packers’ number, and it’s largely thanks to their incredible defense. That defense is what’s carrying the team at this point, and it will need to continue to do so this week with WR Mike Evans serving a one-game suspension. Considering how Green Bay’s offense has looked through two weeks, I think they will be able to keep things under wraps and let Tom Brady and the offense win the game. To me, the key piece in this one is Leonard Fournette. We all saw the Packers get gashed on the ground by the Bears last week, and Fournette has been racking up yards like crazy in his first two games. I think Tampa can score enough by relying on their run game, and their defense will do the rest against a Green Bay offense still struggling to find its identity.
49ers 22-17 Broncos 
Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC
This game was a lot more appealing three weeks ago. Now it just feels like a big pile of nothing. The Broncos have been one of football’s most unwatchable teams this year, and the 49ers have Jimmy Garoppolo back at the helm. I think it’s safe to say this won’t be the most entertaining primetime game in the world. I actually feel like the Broncos have the edge in this game with being at home, but that didn’t do much for them last week against the worst team in football. So, I’ll roll with the much better team and roster in the Niners, despite the fact that they’re dealing with a plethora of offensive injuries. San Francisco’s defense could prove to be the difference, which wouldn’t shock me considering the incompetent offense they’re going up against.
Cowboys 20-13 Giants 
Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN
It took three weeks, but we have our first NFC East primetime game of the year! Football fans everywhere rejoice! Cooper Rush vs. Daniel Jones is probably going to be as brutal as it sounds, but this could still be fun. At the very least, it’ll be close, as so many of these games tend to be. The only exceptional unit in this game is the Cowboys defense, which has been more impressive than I could have imagined against two very good offenses. The Giants have scraped by with two close wins that don’t move me, and against an actually good team, they won’t have much going for them. It’ll be scrappy, but Dallas should win this game with relative ease.
All stats taken from ESPN.
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