NFL Week 3 Picks – BLD Goes Guru

Here we are, Week 3 in the NFL. The good news? The Lions are still in the playoff hunt – mathematically. The bad news? Not for long.

Marquee Match-ups:

Atlanta v. New England – The possible future QB of the NFL against, arguably, its best of this decade. Ryan and the Falcons will be able to move the ball with Gonzalez and Turner, but they face a Pats team coming off a loss. Something they’re not altogether used to. Look for Brady to have a big week bouncing back from an ugly Week 2. Patriots 31 – Falcons 24.

New Orleans v. Buffalo – No bias here. The Bills primed the offensive pump in Week 2 and will have to taken on an offensive waterfall in the Saints. Big defensive stops and turnovers will decide the game here. Since the Bills had that in Week 2, they get the nod. Bills 35 – Saints 34

Indianapolis v. Arizona – The 1-1 Cardinals host the 2-0 Colts in a game of Super Bowl ring-bling. The Cards look to vindicate their Week 1 loss to the niners, who are looking more legit by the day. The Colts, meanwhile, are on a short week and again find themselves in a warm environment. This game should be a lot of fun to watch with huge plays by huge play-makers. Cardinals 27 – Colts 24

Pittsburgh v. Cincinnati – If the Bengals hadn’t blown in in the final minute of Week 1, they too would be undefeated. Palmer had a good week against the Packers, and looks to be coming on strong. Big Ben will have the game on his shoulders with a defense that is still missing Polamalu. The Bengals should give the Steelers a good game, but there is a reason they are the Champs. Steelers 20 – Bengals 14

Spoiler Alert:

San Francisco v. Minnesota – The rushing beast of Week 1 against the monster of Week 2. I’m excited about the potential ground clash of Gore and Peterson. The 49ers look to this week to prove that they are no fluke. Don’t overlook QB Shaun Hill either, he is 9-3 as a starter for San Francisco.  49ers 24 – Vikings 21

Tennessee v. New York Jets – The Jets are coming off a great win at home over the Patriots, but that win took a gutsy performance and a lot of energy. Frankly, I don’t think they can sustain it this week against a Titans squad that has been riddled with mistakes and underwhelming performances. Week 3, to me, is the show-me week. Titans, whatta you got? Titans 23 – Jets 17

The Blow-Outs:

Baltimore v. Cleveland – They can run, they can throw, and damn their defense is scary. Sorry Cleveland this grudge match could get ugly. Still loathing Art isn’t going to help in this one. Ravens 35 – Browns 1o

Green Bay v. St. Louis – The Packers looked, well, not so good against the Bengals last week. The Rams, on the other hand, look bad all the time. Expect Rodgers and Green Bay to pull it together this week on the road and play more like the Super Bowl contender they are aiming to be. Packers 38 – Rams 13

The Rest:

Washington v. Detroit – I won’t be watching this game. The Redskins look pathetic on offense, and Detroit hasn’t won a game since December of 2007.  Who knows, maybe someone from Washington will offend someone. Redskins 14 – Lions 10

Jacksonville v. Houston – The vultures already picked the Jags apart through the air in weeks one and two. If the Jaguars can’t show a little more roar and less purr on defense, expect the Schaub – Johnson connection to do the same. Texans 27 – Jaguars 17

Kansas City v. Philadelphia – Don’t worry to much Philly fans about not having McNabb this week. The Eagles offense is simply too complex and the defense too strong to worry about too much trouble from the Chiefs. The best is yet to come from Cassel and the young KC squd – but this is not their week. Eagles 27 – Chiefs 13

New York Giants v. Tampa Bay – The Bucs offense has played admirably the past two weeks, and Leftwich has shown he can hurt you if you don’t bring the rush. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, that’s just what the Giants do. Also the Tampa 2 defense has not shown an ability to stop the big plays (they can thank T.O. for one). Giants 31 – Buccaneers 17

Chicago v. Seattle – Cutler is coming off a strong showing and a stunning win over the World Champions. Seattle meanwhile, per usual, is riddled with injuries. Hasselbeck is out after a crushing blow to the ribs and for the Seahawks, that’s not good. Da Bears 20 – Da Bulls ‘Hawks 16

Denver v. Oakland – Oakland showed some heart and the ability to come back from being down, even if it was against the Chiefs. McFadden looks ready to rumble and I still don’t have a lot of faith in Kyle Orton. Just win, baby. Raiders 17 – Broncos 14

Miami v. San Diego – The bottom line here is that there is just too much firepower from the Chargers for the Fish to handle. Do I hate Miami? Yes. Does that factor into this prediction? Probably (read: absolutely). The Dolphins Wildcat is beginning to fizzle and it doesn’t help that Miami has an impossibly tough schedule. Tear. San Diego 100 – Dolphins 0. (27 – 14 might be closer to the truth)

Carolina v. Dallas – I’m not gonna lie. I wish I was at the game last week to watch the Cowboys lose on the BIG screen. Romo continues to be unable to keep the ball in the hands of his team, and the defense seems to think that passes beyond 15 yards will hit the scoreboard thus meaning they don’t need to guard against them. Bold strategy. It’s not working out for them, but it should still be good enough to beat the sad-looking Panthers. Things could be more interesting for your pool if instead of betting on this game you bet on the over/under for interceptions. My guess is it could be as high as four. Cowboys 31 – Panthers 19