NFL Week 3 Picks

Football fans rejoiced last weekend after being treated to an abundance of great games. The weekend was capped off on Monday with an uber-entertaining match-up between the Eagles and the Cowboys.

The Eagles looked as good as they could have against one of the top three teams in the NFL and I thought they might even pull off the win until I sat down at halftime and looked at the point spread for the second half.

Cowboys -7.

All Dallas had to do was win the game. Surely McNabb would pull his usual choke in the second half and Romo would rise to the occasion like he always does after making a mistake or two.

Some things never change. McNabb choked and the Cowboys won. T.O. may be a cocky asshole, but he's right about one thing isn't he? McNabb's a loser and will always cost his team in a close game against a tough team.

That brings us to this week...Pittsburgh at Philadelphia. The top team in the AFC is a three point underdog against the Eagles on the road.

Buyer beware: Roethlisberger has a sprained shoulder, but I'm taking the Steelers assuming it won't be much of a factor.

Just like the rest of the world, the Steelers saw the Monday night game and should be able to do a better job containing the Eagles offence than Dallas did in the first half. The Steelers have weapons all over the field and similar to the Cowboys, have a very strong and balance offensive attack.

McNabb will blow it again if it's close. The Steelers will win the game.

Take Pittsburgh +3.

ARIZONA at WASHINGTON -3

Not much of a surprise that the Saints defence allowed the Redskins offence to get back on track last weekend. The Cardinals have won two in a row, but haven't beaten anyone to write home about. The Redskins are a solid team and the Cardinals will disappoint as usual here.
Take Washington -3

CAROLINA at MINNESOTA -3

The Vikings are in trouble. They're 0-2 and have just announced that they have solved their problems at quarterback by inserting 37-year-old Gus Frerotte into a starting role. Last time I checked, Frerotte was a very average backup at best and that was when he was in his prime. The Panthers have looked good so far this season and now that Steve Smith is returning will be very hard to beat.
Take Carolina +3

CINCINNATI at NEW YORK GIANTS -13.5

When will the Bengals fire Marvin Lewis? It should have been years ago! Can the Giants stay motivated against another terrible team and win by more than two touchdowns? I hate this game either way, but I'm going to say yes because they're at home.
Take the Giants -13.5

HOUSTON at TENNESSEE -5

Are the Texans really as bad as they looked in Week 1 against the Steelers? Probably not. Can you trust the Titans spotting five points? Probably not. If I had to choose, I'd say Tennessee pulls this one out by a field goal.
Take Houston +5

KANSAS CITY at ATLANTA -5.5

The Falcons are going to be much improved this season with Matt Ryan at the helm. Atlanta played a terrible first half against Tampa Bay last week and dug themselves into a hole they couldn't get out of. The Falcons have a good running game and K.c. won't be able to do anything with Tyler Thigpen starting for them at quarterback. The Chiefs are one of the worst three teams in the league and the Falcons should win this game easily at home.
Take Atlanta -5.5

MIAMI at NEW ENGLAND -12.5

I don't know about you, but I'm not crowning Matt Cassel yet. I still say the Dolphins will win more games than last year with Chad Pennington. The Dolphins always give the Patriots a fight.
Take Miami +12.5

OAKLAND at BUFFALO -9.5

Buffalo defends their home turf as well as anyone in the league. Don't expect this year's future AFC East division champ to let up against the stinky Raiders.
Take Buffalo -9.5

TAMPA BAY at CHICAGO -3

The Bears defence won't allow Griese to do much here. The Bucs offence may be worse than Chicago's.
Take Chicago -3

DETROIT at SAN FRANCISCO -4

Mike Martz will really want to make his old team look bad and vice versa, but does anyone really care. I'm not spotting points with either of these teams or watching one second of this game.
Take Detroit +4

NEW ORLEANS at DENVER -5.5

Jay Cutler looks like a future hall of famer and like I said last week, I firmly believe that Cutler and Aaron Rodgers are going to be mentioned in the same breath as Brady, Manning, Romo and Roethlisberger by season's end. I would feel so much more confident in this pick if the Broncos defence wasn't terrible, but Denver is good at home and the Saints are missing a key weapon in Colston.
Take Denver -5.5

ST. LOUIS at SEATTLE -9.5

The Seahawks are so ravaged by injuries that they lost to the 49ers at home last Sunday. In their current state they may actually be worse than the Rams. Can Bulger and company win a game? This might be their chance.
Take St. Louis +9.5 and throw a little on the moneyline if you dare.

CLEVELAND at BALTIMORE -2.5

The Browns are 0-2, but they've lost against two of the NFL's best. Don't jump off the bandwagon yet folks! I'm not sold on Joe Flacco or the Ravens. Baltimore is not very good and the Browns offence should do some damage here.
Take Cleveland +2.5

JACKSONVILLE at INDIANAPOLIS -5

The Jags are too good of a team to go 0-3. After Peyton Manning, Bob Sanders is the most valuable player on the Colts and missing him is going to kill Indy's defence. Jacksonville should be able to make this one close and could put up 300 rushing yards with Sanders on the shelf.
Take Jacksonville +5

DALLAS -3 at GREEN BAY

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers defence will show here that they are the class of the NFC. I'm making it official: Green Bay is my Super Bowl prediction.
Take Green Bay +3

NEW YORK JETS at SAN DIEGO -9

Brett Favre will not play well against a San Diego team with revenge on their minds. The Chargers are going to take out their frustrations against Favre and a lousy Jets team on Monday night.
Take San Diego -9

BEST BETS: San Diego -9, Green Bay +3, Pittsburgh +3, Buffalo -9.5, Jax +5, Cleveland +2.5
Season Record ATS: 17-13-2
Best Bets Record ATS: 9-4-1