While the National Football League continues to be featured in headlines for non-football related issues, on-the-field action will grab attention on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. A rematch involving the two best teams from the 2013-14 season will take place on Sunday afternoon. Two AFC North teams out of Ohio will be looking to show that they are for real, while a New York club that isn’t the Jets will be trying to save its season.
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
So much for the Buccaneers being improved under Lovie Smith. What was supposed to be a menacing defense of the Bucs has looked rather ordinary, and Tampa Bay enters Thursday Night Football looking for the team’s first win of the season.
Don’t count on it.
The Falcons would be on upset alert if this game was taking place in Florida. Tampa Bay instead has to go north to face off with Atlanta inside of the Georgia Dome. Quarterback Matt Ryan, an early NFL Most Valuable Player candidate in the eyes of some, could be in for a big evening during the first league game of Week 3.
Winner: Falcons
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills
Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills! Yes, these Bills are for real, and there are several reasons to believe they can pull off yet another surprise win. The Super Chargers have to fly all the way east to play Buffalo at 1:00 pm ET. Buffalo quarterback E.J. Manuel, the weakest part of his team’s offense, is limiting his mistakes. The defense of the Bills is playing as advertised.
Watch out.
Philip Rivers looked like the best quarterback in the NFL as he dismantled the vaunted defense of the Seattle Seahawks. That was on home soil. Buffalo is rocking due to the news that the Bills will be staying put for the time being, and that has given the franchise a bolstered home-field advantage.
Winner: Bills
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Dallas Cowboys at St. Louis Rams
The Austin Davis story is a nice one, but everybody praising the 25-year old reserve St. Louis quarterback needs to take several steps back. Davis has zero touchdowns and an interception in two appearances. He is averaging 213.5 passing yards per game. To his credit, Davis is completing 73.1 percent of his passes.
How long he will be able to manage games has yet to be determined.
The Dallas side from Week 2 is truer to what the 2014 Cowboys will be than what we saw from the team in the season opener. Don’t sleep on the ‘Boys, everybody.
Winner: Cowboys
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles
I understand Washington fans being excited about Kirk Cousins getting his chance to lead the offense of the Redskins. Cousins has never had back-to-break great games while in the NFL, and he could be without a top target. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson will want to get revenge on the team that cut him this past offseason, but he is dealing with a shoulder injury that he suffered this past Sunday. Jackson likely won’t be at 100 percent this weekend.
The Eagles are the best team in the NFC East. They have done well to twice rally from behind this season. Philadelphia will be playing in front of a raucous home crowd. Take the hosts.
Winner: Eagles
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Houston Texans at New York Giants
The Giants are a mess on both sides of the football. They can’t make tackles on punt returns. Fans and analysts are questioning the game plans of the New York coaching staff.
Ugh.
Houston has a great defense, a defense that could obliterate quarterback Eli Manning at MetLife Stadium. Manning is averaging two interceptions per game. The Texans may not have to put many points on the scoreboard to get the job done on Sunday.
Winner: Texans
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints
The Vikes will be without Adrian Peterson for the foreseeable future. Drew Brees and his offense will be playing at home. Don’t be shocked if the Saints cover the -10.5 spread.
Winner: Saints
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals
“Remember when the Titans beat up on KC in Week 1 and people thought they were playoff contenders?” - conversations from this coming holiday season.
All kidding/attempts at kidding aside, the Titans were exposed in a 26-10 home loss to Dallas last week. Cincinnati, meanwhile, may be the best team in the conference let alone in the AFC North. Andy Dalton shouldn’t need A.J. Green (toe injury) to take care of business this time around.
The Bengals go to 3-0.
Winner: Bengals
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
Johnny who? Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer has been both shaky and inconsistent over the past eight quarters, but not even the biggest of Johnny Manziel fans can deny what Hoyer achieved on the final drive of last Sunday’s game against the Saints. Hoyer converted on a fourth-down, he put the Browns in field goal range with pinpoint passes, and he has left no questions about who is the team’s starting quarterback for the now.
The Ravens did well to get up for a rivalry showdown versus the Pittsburgh Steelers a Thursday ago. That was in front of a home crowd, though. Baltimore experiencing a letdown seems logical.
Winner: Browns
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Who knows what to think of these two teams? The Packers were dominated at Seattle on opening night of the 2014 NFL regular season, and they were outplayed at home by an average New York Jets side for one half last Sunday. After dismantling the Giants at home in Week 1, the Lions came out flat before losing by 17 points to Carolina.
My gut usually tells me to go with the better quarterback in these situations. That notion offers little help this time around. Aaron Rodgers has played just two good quarters of football this season. Big whoop. I like Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson at home.
Winner: Lions
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
Two 0-2 NFL teams that couldn’t be more different. Indianapolis has a franchise quarterback in Andrew Luck. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw appears to have experienced a rebirth. The Colts have a solid but not great defense.
Jacksonville is lousy. It’s time to fire up “#StartBlakeBortles” on Twitter, Jags fans.
Winner: Colts
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots
Oakland rookie Derek Carr has showed promise in his first two games as a pro quarterback. Carr appears to have the “it” that fans often hear about during NFL Combines. His numbers aren’t terrible, and it’s reasonable to expect that Carr will improve as the season goes on.
This isn’t going to be his day, though. Bill Belichick scheming against a rookie quarterback is reason enough to pick the Patriots. That Tom Brady will be taking on an Oakland defense that has played terribly only makes the Pats bigger favorites.
Winner: Patriots
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals
I would be keen on the 2-0 Cardinals on another day. Arizona’s defense is playing better than expected considering the players that unit lost over the past nine months. Carson Palmer is an early MVP candidate.
That said, I think Arizona’s run ends here.
San Francisco is entering Arizona angry after choking away a win to the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. The run defense of the 49ers shut Matt Forte down in that contest, and Arizona running back Andre Ellington is dealing with a nagging foot problem. So long as Colin Kaepernick isn’t his worst enemy, the Niners should do enough to earn the win.
Winner: 49ers
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks
The Super Bowl rematch is the game to watch in Week 3. As mentioned earlier, Philip Rivers provided a blueprint for taking it to the Seattle defense when the Chargers defeated the Seahawks. It is a safe bet that Peyton Manning has carefully reviewed the film from that game, and he has the goods to replicate what Rivers achieved in Week 2.
I just can’t pull the trigger on the upset pick.
Seattle will be unbeatable at home until it is proven otherwise. The 12th Man means that much for the ‘Hawks. Here’s hoping it’s a better game this time around.
Winner: Seahawks
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins
Don’t be nervous about the Dolphins after their loss to the Bills. It was Jim Kelly Day in Buffalo last Sunday, and the home crowd was partying following the announcement that the franchise was remaining in Western New York. Destiny was on the side of the Bills.
Kansas City is a lousy football team. Running back Knile Davis is the fantasy football darling of the week, but the Chiefs will be missing Jamaal Charles (high ankle sprain). Miami bounces back with a home win.
Winner: Dolphins
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers
This is a bad match-up for the Steelers despite the fact that Pittsburgh had some extra time to rest and prepare due to playing on Thursday in Week 2. Ben Roethlisberger was, for the most part, shut down by the Ravens in that loss, and his playing life isn’t about to get any easier. The defense of the Panthers has seven sacks and three interceptions in two wins.
That Cam Newton is not a Brady or a Manning does not keep him from being one of the more underrated players in the NFL. Newton thus far has only a single touchdown to his name, but he also has a rating of 100.2. He is completing nearly 65 percent of his passes.
Look for Newton to put on a show in prime time.
Winner: Panthers
2014 Week 3 NFL picks: Chicago Bears at New York Jets
I'll admit it. I underrated the Jets.
Second-year pro Geno Smith may be the most-improved quarterback in the NFL. His pocket presence has him playing like a different QB than the rookie who was taking the field last December. Smith is connecting on 65 percent of his passes.
But wait. There’s more. The Jets have the top run defense in the NFL, holding opponents to an average of 52.5 rushing yards per game. A suspect New York secondary has also played better than expected.
I’m a believer.
The passing attack of the Bears is, on paper, a concern as it pertains to this match-up. So long as the Jets from the first half and not the second half of last week’s game at Green Bay show up, the Gang Green defense should be able to do enough to keep New York in the game.
Winner: Jets
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