Week 3 Games

Some real crazy games last week. The Super Bowl champs looked vulnerable, some forgotten teams had big wins (Browns & Bills, in particular), some star players may not be heard from again this year (RGIII, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy) and we have almost entire season left to play.

WEEK 2 RESULTS

Spread: 3-13

Straight Up: 4-12

Let’s get right to the games:

TB @ ATL (-6.5)

Coming back home after a poor showing against the Bengals, I expect the Falcons to put on an offensive show. Too bad for the Bucs who probably will lose in anything resembling a shootout. I think Matt Ryan puts up Madden like numbers again and the Falcons take an easy victory.

Spread: ATL

Straight Up: ATL

Score: 30-17

OAK @ NE (-14.5)

Patriots finally get to play a game at home and Oakland has to fly East again only to lose. For the Pats, my only concern is that their defense has been a lot stronger than their offense. I think the Raiders can pester enough to stick around to see a couple of those Brady pouts of frustration. Pats with the win, but I’ll take the points.

Spread: OAK

Straight Up: NE

Score: 24-14

SD @ BUF (-2.5)

Could the Bills be getting less love? They start the season 2-0 only to have the Chargers fly cross-country to be favored (if you believe that home teams automatically get +3 points). True, Philips Rivers lead them to a nice victory against the defending champs, but a 1 PM kickoff means the Chargers will still be sleeping for at least the first half. I like the Bills to do enough, to win, even if it means conceding a TD or three to Antonio Gates. Taking the Bills and the points.

Spread: BUF

Straight Up: BUF

Score: 28-26

BAL @ CLE (+1)

Can Cleveland finally put together a winning streak? Can Mike Pettine channel the great Lou Brown? I am all for bad teams having a rebirth and Cleveland winning gives me hope for the future of the Giants and also keeps Johnny Football off the field. I hope Hoyer throws for 400+ yards and 4 TD’s. The Ravens looked good this past week, but need to remain consistent, particularly within their division. I like the Browns in this one. 

Spread: CLE

Straight Up: CLE

Score: 28-23

TEN @ CIN (-6.5)

Did you know that the Titans won the first week and lost the second by the same exact score (26-10)? Logic might dictate then that they should beat the Bengals then by that same score. However, the NFL (letting the criminal offenders continue to play) is anything but logical. If they can’t get their running game going, I can’t see the Titans mustering much of a fight. I like the Bengals for the win and to cover.

Spread: CIN

Straight Up: CIN

Score: 27-13

IND @ JAC (+6.5)

This one involves simple math; the Jags always seem to lose by double digits. They finally get to play a home game, only to have to face Luck and the Colts, a team that put up 24 against the Super Bowl runner ups on the road. They also put up 10 more points than the Jags did against the Eagles. The Colts are also 0-2 meaning they desperately need a win. My intuition says that IND should win by 10, but for some reason I think Henne rallies the Jags to make it closer. I’ll take the points, but the Colts for the win.

Spread: JAC

Straight Up: IND

Score: 21-17

HOU @ NYG (+2.5)

At this point, I like anyone to beat the Giants. With a spread less than 7, I like them to cover as well. Houston hasn’t done a single thing yet to prove they should be exempt from this belief. For the Giants, I wonder how much long Larry Donnell (137 yards, 1 TD on the season) continues to lead the team in receiving. Victor, your thoughts? I like the Texans to cover.

Spread: HOU
Straight Up: HOU
Score: 21-10

DAL @ STL (+1.5)

Despite Austin Davis looking pretty good for them, the Ram can’t score. For the Cowboys, scoring is pretty much the only thing they can do. I don’t think highly at all of the Cowboys defense, but so far for the Rams, all they do is kick FG’s. Between Murray and Bryant, I expect the Cowboys to get in the end zone a few times to offset any Zuerlein kicks. Cowboys to cover.

Spread: DAL

Straight Up: DAL

Score: 30-20

WAS @ PHI (-7)

You know I still got it

I think this game will 60+ points scored between the two teams. As I have said since the beginning, I think Kirk Cousins is a better fit for Washington at QB. He certainly hit a rhythm last week. Sproles, McCoy, bring back Brian Mitchell; who cares? It seems any RB can thrive on this Eagles offense. I like the Eagles at home to do enough to win, but in a division game, I’ll take the points, with Washington keeping it close the whole way. 

Spread: WAS

Straight Up: PHI

Score: 35-31

GB @ DET (-1.5)

Unlike the game above (featuring a balance of passing and rushing attack), I expect 95% passing in this one.  Stafford has the best option in Johnson, but Rodgers has a few good ones as well. I particularly like Davante Adams to get more into the mix of things when Nelson and Cobb find themselves in tougher coverage. The Lions didn't do much last week offensively and the Packers did enough to close.  I expect much of the same here. I’ll take the points and the Pack.  

Spread: GB

Straight Up: GB

Score: 27-21

MIN @ NO (-9.5)

Who starts a season 0-2 and is rewarded as nearly 10 point favorite? The Saints. I get it, Minnesota had like 1,000 turnovers last week and will be without Adrian Peterson (forever perhaps if the NFL & Vikings do the right thing), but the Saints have not yet proved they can win a game, let alone by 9+ points. MIN couldn't score last week (how long before we see Teddy Bridgewater?), but the Saints gave up a lot of points to a Browns team that is not all that talented offensively. I think NO gets their first win, but I’ll take the points in this one.

Spread: MIN

Straight Up: NO

Score: 24-17

Better get ready Teddy