Week 3 Picks

Will Ryan Kerrigan be able 

to pressure Eli Manning?

Washington (+3.5) @ New York Giants -  While the Giants have begun the season 0-2 off of consecutive 4th quarter collapses,  Matt Ryan and Tony Romo are pretty good quarterbacks who can make defenses look silly in crunch time.  Still, Washington's defense is playing at a high level, who currently boast the NFL's best defense in terms of yards allowed.  They will have their hands full trying to contain Beckham, who had 1 touchdown and 143 yards receiving in his last matchup against Washington.  Washington will attempt to rev up their running game with Alfred Morris and Matt Jones, which is currently the best in total yardage and in the top 5 in yards per attempt.  A big key for the Thursday night matchup will be if Cousins can continue to limit his turnovers as he did in Washington's last win against the St. Louis Rams.

Pittsburgh (-1) @ St. Louis - The Steelers' offense got it going against the 49ersas they put 43 points, 28 points coming in the 1st half and could be even more explosive as they add Leveon Bell to the mix.  In the meantime, St. Louis's offense struggled greatly against Washington's defense; look for Pittsburgh to try to replicate it since they also run a 3-4 scheme.   Nick Foles was inconsistent last week, it will be interesting to see if he can bounce back at home.

San Diego @ Minnesota (-2.5) -  Minnesota seems to be a better team at home.  Adrian Peterson was much better last week as well as the Viking's defense who may have gotten a boost from the crowd noise.  The Chargers could pose problems if Phillip Rivers can get going, although he did struggle against the Bengals.

Tampa Bay @ Houston (-6.5) - Jameis Winston was impressive against the New Orleans Saints, but that may say more about the Saints' current affairs than Winston's progress.  Look for Houston and JJ Watt to slow down Winston as they try to avoid an 0-3 start.  

Philadelphia @ NY Jets (-2.5) - The Jets defense did a great job against the Colts.  Last season, the Jets forced a total of 13 turnovers, and this season, through 2 games, they have already forced 10.  The Eagles have had trouble getting their offense going so far this season, and may be without DeMarco Murray who is dealing with a hamstring injury. I expect the Eagles offense to get it going eventually this season but as of right now Sam Bradford has been too inconsistent.  The Eagles secondary has also been sub-par and they will have a tough time covering Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.    

New Orleans (+6.5) @ Carolina  - The Panthers are clearly the better team but I like the Saints to at least put together a game which could be close.  The Saints and Panthers did split their last season's as each team won on the opposing team's field.  Of course, I would be nervous if I am New Orleans given that the Panthers' defense is playing at a high level.

Jacksonville @ New England (-13.5) -  Even coming off a win against, Jacksonville comes in as a huge underdog.  The Jaguars did a great job shutting out the Dolphins' offense in the 2nd half but Tom Brady passing attack of Gronkowki and Edelman may be too much of a challenge.  

Cincinnati (+2.5) @ Baltimore - This is a must win game for Baltimore.  Still, one has to have questions about the Ravens defense who could not contain the Raiders passing game.  

Oakland (+3.5) @ Cleveland - I would consider this game a tossup game.  Derek Carr seems to be the better of the two starting quarterback and Amari Cooper showed that he has elite speed.  The Browns go back to Josh McNown at quarterback, who is coming off a concussion.  The Browns defense did look much better in containing Marcus Mariotta.  

Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis (+3.5) - Look for Andrew Luck to have a bounce back game and Indianapolis should also get a boost from Vontae Davis returning back to their secondary after suffering a concussion.  

Atlanta (-2) @ Dallas Cowboys - Look for the Falcons defense to take advantage of Brandon Weeden, who has a history of being a turnover machine.   While Weeden completed all of his throws against the Eagles, the Cowboys are already hedging their bets by acquiring Matt Cassel.  

San Francisco @ Arizona (-6.5) - The Cardinals are quietly becoming one of the better teams in the NFL.  The key for them long term will be if preserving Carson Palmer's health.  The 49ers' offense had a bit of down week.  While this is a division game, Arizona's defense should be able to contain Colin Kaepernick.

Chicago @ Seattle (-15) - Seattle gets back Kam Chancellor and are looking for their first win after losing to the Green Bay Packers.  Jimmy Clausen comes into replace Jay Cutler at quarterback and this game could get ugly for the Bears rather quickly.

Buffalo @ Miami (-3) -  Look for Miami to bounce back from a loss to Jacksonville.  Miami historically has been a much better team at home.  Buffalo did play well in the 2nd half against New England but look for Miami's defense could present problems to the inexperienced Tyrod Taylor.  

Denver (-3.5) @ Detroit - After winning in unusual circumstances against the Kansas City Chiefs off of 4th quarter fumble to Jamal Charles, the Broncos appear to just find ways to win.  The Lions have gotten off to a pretty bad start although they could get a boost by finally getting to play at home.  Still, I like what I have seen from the Broncos defense, and Peyton Manning did seem to find his rhythm in the 2nd half against Kansas City.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Green Bay Packers (-6.5) - Aaron Rodgers may look to get revenge against Alex Smith, who was taken #1.  I bet San Francisco is regretting that pick especially the way Colin Kaepernick is playing.  

Last week: 8-8

Season: 17-14-1