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Week 3 NFL Picks

Ja’Marr Chase is angry, the Rams are in trouble, and the last two coaches to take the Eagles to the Super Bowl could be fired before Halloween.

Last Week:  8 – 8 – 0
Season:       16 – 15 – 1

Thursday (8:15PM ET)

Patriots 3 at Jets 24
Can we get Aaron Rodgers a jersey/shoulder pad combo that fits? Obviously, he prefers what he has but man does it look goofy. Yes, that is all I have to say about the horrific Thursday night contest. Just gross.

Early Games (1:00PM ET)

Giants at Browns
Denzel Ward’s health and availability will be a huge factor in whether the Giants lose or get blown out. Malik Nabers is the Giants only offensive weapon. Nabers has 22 more receiving yards than the rest of the Giants offense… combined. If Ward is healthy and can neutralize the talented rookie, Daniel Jones and the offense will be in a world of hurt. GIANTS +6

Packers at Titans
Will Levis isn’t losing any sleep over his coach cussing him out in front of millions of viewers. 1. He isn’t the type to let some criticism change who he is or how he feels about himself. The guy eats whole bananas and does weird things with mayonnaise. You think a coach yelling at him when he screws up is going to hurt his feelings? 2. Mason Rudolph is Tennessee’s backup. It’s Levis or bust this season in Nashville. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but if Jordan Love is out, I’m taking the Titans. There’s now tape on what the Packers would “like” to do with Malik Willis under center. Green Bay ran the football 53 times last week against the Colts. You do the math. TITANS -3

Bears at Colts
What we have here are two supremely talented quarterbacks that aren’t very good at throwing the football. While that sounds horrific, it’s certainly not time to panic. Anthony Richardson will only be making his 7th start. It will be the 3rd start of Caleb Williams’ young career. On the other hand… yikes, especially in regards to Richardson. It’s difficult in today’s offensive driven NFL to have a completion percentage under 60%. Richardson’s is under 50%. The Colts needed Richardson to be backup quality last week to defeat the one dimensional Packers and he was practice squad-dreadful. I’m excited to watch which receivers lose their mind first in this matchup. DJ Moore was close to violence last week in Houston. The Colts may devote security personnel solely to Michael Pittman Jr. just to ensure he doesn’t attack his quarterback. COLTS -1

Texans at Vikings
Gotta be honest, I didn’t love the 2nd year quarterback giving advice to the rookie quarterback like he was a ten year vet or something. I also don’t believe there was anything but love in what CJ Stroud offered. It just seemed weird. It’s time to put Nico Collins among the top receivers in the game. That guy is always open and even when a corner is draped all over him he still makes the catch and makes it look easy, too. VIKINGS +2

Eagles at Saints
I’m warning you right now, there is a very good chance the Eagles go into their Week 5 bye 1-3 and with an interim head coach. There is zero percent chance Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie allows another extended collapse after what Nick Sirianni’s squad did in 2023. This is an offense with Super Bowl talent. They should be good enough to overcome a poor defense. The ice under Sirianni is paper thing right now. Two more losses after Monday’s debacle will surely melt it. Here’s an idea; run the football. Do it early. Do it in the middle. Do it late. Do it always. SAINTS -3

Chargers at Steelers
I love both these teams; Old school, defense first grind-it-out style of football. I think the biggest difference between the two is Jim Harbaugh has a quarterback he can trust when the time comes and Mike Tomlin has a quarterback he’s begging not to make mistakes that undercut the team. CHARGERS +1

Broncos at Buccaneers
I think the NFL as a whole needs to adjust their philosophy/strategy when it comes to quarterbacks. I don’t think quarterback needs to be the physical position the league makes it out to be. I’m going to follow up more on this next week but Baker Mayfield is a prime example of how quarterbacks need to be handled more like wine and less like popcorn. BUCCANEERS -6.5

Afternoon Games (4:05PM ET)

Panthers at Raiders
I think I may have been right about the Raiders and I was too chicken to follow through last week. Maybe it was just another Ravens collapse and I’m wrong, but the Raiders have a good team vibe going. They believe in their coach, they believe in their quarterback and they grind for all 60 minutes. Yet, I’m terrified of the winless team that just inserted its backup and better quarterback vibe. Bryce Young was so lost the first two weeks that we still have no idea what kind of coach Dave Canales is or will be. Sure, one week won’t change much but I thought he was a good hire for an organization that was lost at sea and the first two weeks did not reflect that AT ALL. Was it because he too is lost or was the quarterback just that bad? I think the latter. One more thing… did the start time for this game impact Carolina’s decision? No, but one game always gets lost in the early afternoon slot. There are just too many games. In the 4pm window, the Panthers are for sure going to be on televisions. That franchise had to be embarrassed with their product through two weeks and cringed at the thought of being exposed to more eyeballs. RAIDERS -6

Dolphins at Seahawks
Time for Mike McDaniel to prove he’s the offensive wiz everyone crowned him to be. You know who still wins with backup quarterbacks? Great coaches. Bill Belichick with Matt Cassel. Andy Reid with AJ Feeley and Jeff Garcia. To a lesser extent; Kyle Shanahan with a parade of characters. And none of those coaches had the offensive firepower McDaniel has in Miami. I think the wheels are going to fall off in South Beach. SEAHAWKS -4.5

Ravens at Cowboys
It’s not quite do-or-die for Baltimore but it’s pretty close. It would take a herculean effort to finish the season 11-3 or even 10-4 after an 0-3 start given their schedule, and I don’t see a 9-8 team reaching the postseason in the AFC. I never quite understand the Ravens offense. Whenever Lamar Jackson plays loose like he did in the opener in Kansas City the offense seems unstoppable. Then he reins it in against the Raiders and the offense crumbles in the clutch. I get the health factor in the equation, and that is certainly monumental, but there’s got to be a happier median than 16 rushes for 122 yards in KC vs 4 for 20 against Las Vegas. (He technically had 5 for 45 but 25 of that came on a scramble on the final play of the game as the Raiders defense was all 30 yards downfield). RAVENS -1

49ers at Rams
Whoa boy the Rams and Sean McVay are in some big, big trouble. Even before Cooper Kupp’s injury last week, it was clear the opposing defense did not respect the Rams rushing attack. The Cardinals were doubling and even triple-teaming Kupp. Without Puka Nacua there were no other options for Matthew Stafford. Now Stafford will be without Kupp and Nacua for at least this week and maybe until after their Week 6 bye. 1-4 looks likely considering their defense is weak and they own the NFL’s 31st ranked rushing offense. The NFC overall is lacking elite teams, but I’m not sure this roster is good enough to overcome a 1-4 start. McVay is probably the only NFC coach outside of Kyle Shanahan I’d not write off for the season but the margin of error is razor thing now. 49ERS -6.5

Lions at Cardinals
The Cardinals were getting a ton of love this week and deservedly so after dismantling the Rams. However, too much of the praise included “they nearly beat Buffalo” or “they hung with Buffalo” or something along those lines. I watched that entire game and never in the 2nd half was I impressed with Arizona’s offense. If not for a kickoff return for a touchdown, Buffalo wins that game by two touchdowns and the Cardinal offense doesn’t get excused for a dreadful 2nd half (5 drives, 90 yards, a field goal, one turnover). Sure, special teams is part of the game, but at this point in the NFL, kickoff returns for points are more fluke than talent. What I’m trying to say is, I have no idea if this Cardinals team is for real or not. They’ve played two good halves in two weeks. LIONS -2.5

Sunday Night (8:20PM ET)

Chiefs at Falcons
I thought the Chiefs needed to give the football more to Isiah Pacheco last week. He was gutting that defense and finished with only 19 carries. I say that because he’s now gone for two months and the Chiefs offense hasn’t been able to establish much of an identity over the last year or so outside of “hopefully we’re close and Patrick Mahomes cans save us.” Which, obviously is a great strategy and has worked wonders. But still, Pacheco was their cowbell, their most consistent weapon the last season or so. I have no doubt Andy Reid will figure something out, but at some point the Chiefs have to get Xavier Worthy or someone else downfield to soften up the middle of opposing defenses. Travis Kelce has nowhere to operate currently. I think age is partly involved, too, but it’s been the same offensive issues for the Chiefs since Tyreek Hill’s departure. Now without a running game it’ll be even hard to drag those safeties closer to the line of scrimmage. CHIEFS -3

Monday Night (7:30 & 8:15PM ET)

Jaguars at Bills
Doug Pederson is 1-7 since the Jaguars were the frontrunners for the AFC’s top seed a year ago. They ultimately missed the playoffs, choked away a win in Week 1 against Miami and could not beat a dreadful Cleveland offense at home in Week 2. The schedule does not get any easier this week in Buffalo and then in Houston next Sunday. I don’t know if this has ever been said about an NFL franchise, but London cannot come soon enough for this Jaguars squad. Jacksonville will be there in Weeks 6 and 7 and the Bears and Patriots will be a welcomed sight for a team desperate for wins. I just don’t know if Pederson will survive ‘til then. JAGUARS +5

Commanders at Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase’s outburst last week was 99% his contract situation and not getting the targets he’s accustomed to and 1% thinking he was tackled illegally. This is where real life and football mix in ugly ways. Chase’s numbers are all down. He’s probably wondering if the franchise is scuttling his numbers to weaken his negotiating power. Obviously they’re not, but he’s clearly angry and rational thought and emotion don’t mix. The stats also don’t lie. Chase’s targets through two weeks are lower than any two week stretch with Joe Burrow since his rookie season. Things are a bit of a mess in Cincinnati right now. The offense is struggling. They need Tee Higgins back. They need a win. The Commanders defense should be the perfect remedy. BENGALS -7

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