OK, so Week 1 I went 6-9-1, which isn\u2019t great but isn\u2019t too bad (I still think the Saints should have won by more) but Week 2 was a disaster, 3-12-1. Total disaster, missed multiple games where I got the winner right but missed the spread by like a point (Chiefs, Raiders), but that\u2019s no excuse, I was awful. Ugh. So… Al was 7-8-1 in Week 1, not much different, but he didn\u2019t completely punt Week 2, and went a respectable 8-7-1. Ugh. So I\u2019m already behind 9-21-2 to 15-15-2. Seriously? Already? Ugh.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the Texans are 2-0 and looking like a real team, and Michigan is 3-0 and looking at least not awful, so I can\u2019t complain too much. <\/p>\n
I\u2019ll just have to do better this week and start the recovery process…<\/p>\n
Sunday 1:00<\/strong> Bengals @ Carolina(+3.5)<\/em> Browns @ Baltimore(-10.5)<\/em> Lions @ Minnesota(-11.5)<\/em> Titans @ New Jersey Giants(-3)<\/em> Steelers @ Tampa Bay(+2.5)<\/em> Falcons @ New Orleans(-3.5)<\/em> Bills @ New England(-14.5)<\/em> Cowboys @ Houston(-3)<\/em> Sunday ~4:10<\/strong> Eagles @ Jacksonville(+3)<\/em> Chargers @ Seattle(+5)<\/em> Colts @ Denver(+5.5)<\/em> Raiders @ Arizona(-4.5)<\/em> SNF<\/strong> MNF<\/strong> OK, so Week 1 I went 6-9-1, which isn\u2019t great but isn\u2019t too bad (I still think the Saints should have won by more) but Week 2 was a disaster, 3-12-1. Total disaster, missed multiple games where I got the winner right but missed the spread by like a point (Chiefs, Raiders), but that\u2019s no … Continue reading NFL Week 3 Picks<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nNiners @ Kansas City(+3)<\/em>
\nThe Chefs are probably the worst 2-0 team in the league, if not in the history of the NFL. The Niners, however, seem to be imploding and are already heavily into finger-pointing mode, which is never a good thing. I\u2019m not comfortable taking a road \u2018dog with a record that\u2019s two games worse. Even if the Niners win, I\u2019m happy to be getting points.<\/p>\n
\nI cannot for the life of me figure out why people still think Notre Dame quarterbacks are any good in the NFL. Yes, Joe Montana was an all-time great. Thiesmann was OK, but might be the most annoying human being on the planet. Since then, though, we\u2019ve had Rick Mirer, a real winner, and how\u2019s Brady Quinn, the last ND \u201cchosen one\u201d workin\u2019 out? No way Clausen is ready, and he was probably the most overrated college QB in the last 10 years. What was his record as a starter vs. ranked teams? 0 for what, 12? He is not ready, the Panthers have no quarterback, give the points. Give ten.<\/p>\n
\nThe Ravens defense might win this game by 10 even if the offense never takes the field, which might actually be the Baltimore game plan given last week. How do you throw four picks against the Bengals? (Well, OK, the Panthers might, but that doesn\u2019t count.) Whatever, the Brows stink on ice and might not get the ball past midfield. <\/p>\n
\nBoth teams are 0-2. Both teams have played two close games. What\u2019s the reason to expect a blowout this week? Will the Vikings suddenly develop a cadre of decent wideouts? From where? Way too many points for my blood. <\/p>\n
\nInteresting matchup: two teams that looked great in week 1 blowouts of bad teams, and then got embarrassed the following week against good teams. So now what? The Giants can\u2019t protect the QB, the Titans clearly have no confidence in theirs. I don\u2019t like it, and the bookies clearly don\u2019t like it, either. OK, so I\u2019m going to go with the \u201cPittsburgh is the only defense that can really contain CJ\u201d theory and I will take the points. No clue, and given my early record, going the other way might be the safe bet…<\/p>\n
\nHey, both teams are 2-0! However, Pittsburgh is 2-0 against teams that are actually pretty good, and if the Browns and Panthers win a total of eight games combined, that\u2019ll be amazing. I really want to pick Pittsburgh here, but they\u2019re starting Charlie Batch. Charlie freaking Batch. It was amazing that he was drawing an NFL paycheck a few years ago; it\u2019s a miracle now. Wait, the spread is less than a field goal. Could be a 9-6 game. OK, Steelers.<\/p>\n
\nSo, the Saints are 2-0, but they haven\u2019t really looked all that great, and haven\u2019t won by what you\u2019d call compelling margins. In a tough divisional matchup, I need to see more from the Saints before I\u2019m willing to give more than a field goal, even at home. I don\u2019t think the Falcons will be able to run wild like they did last week, but I think this game will be close enough that I can\u2019t give that many, even though it isn\u2019t a lot.<\/p>\n
\nIs it me, or are the really bad teams even worse than usual the last couple years? Ryan Fitzpatrick? The Pats need a bounce back game, and who better serves that purpose than the Bills. Think the Pats might run up the score against a horrible team? Uhh, just a little. Give the points.<\/p>\n
\nThe Texans basically never beat Indy. The Texans had never won a game in overtime, and the Texans have always managed to miss clutch field goals. Incidentally, the Texans have never started 3-0. I think this is it, I think they\u2019re for real… finally. And even if they aren\u2019t, the Cowboys might be the worst-coached team in the NFL right now. Normally I\u2019d pick against the Texans here because this is exactly the kind of game they have always blown, but I think maybe this time they\u2019ll manage. Plus, while they may not have much of a secondary, the Texans have a legit pass rush, and we know what the Cowboys\u2019 O-line is like. It\u2019s going to be loud<\/strong> in there on Sunday, too, and Dallas has shown me nothing that suggests they have any ability to overcome adversity. If the Texans get an early lead and the Cowboys have<\/em> to pass, this game is over. Holy crap how awesome would it be to see Super Mario just tattoo Romo a couple times late in the game? OK, I have no ability to be objective here, just ignore me…<\/p>\n
\nRedskins @ St. Louis(+3.5)<\/em>
\nWashington is pretty good and can definitely get after the quarterback, though I\u2019m not sure about their secondary. Then again, Schaub\/Johnson do tend to make secondaries look bad. Bradford isn\u2019t that caliber, though, and I don\u2019t see the Rams hanging with a real team, even if they kept it close vs. the Raiders and the Cardinals. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cKevin Kolb is my quarterback.\u201d What do you think life is like in the Reid household? \u201cI will take out the garbage tonight.\u201d \u201cYeah, sure, dear, whatever you say.\u201d Everyone is gushing about Vick, but he played two garbage-time quarters against the Packers at home, and four quarters against the freakin\u2019 Lions, who started a backup, and they barely won that game. If there\u2019s anything worse than an Andy Reid decision on 4th and 1, it\u2019s a mid-week flip-flop at QB. I don\u2019t like it. I\u2019ll take Jax and the points. It does raise a question, though: if an Eagle falls in a stadium and there is nobody there to watch it…<\/p>\n
\nLook, the whole Vincent Jackson thing is stupid, but mad props (yes, yes, the 1990s wants its catchphrase back) to Jackson\u2019s agent for calling their GM \u201cthe Lord of No Rings.\u201d That is too freaking funny. Now, no matter what happened in week 1, I still think the Seabags suck, so I\u2019ll give the points.<\/p>\n
\nThe Broncos\u2019 corners are both nicked up. No way do they hang with the Colts.<\/p>\n
\nTwo really, really bad teams. Derek Anderson looks even worse this year than he did when he was last seen on the field in Cleveland, if that\u2019s possible. How much do you think Larry Fitzgerald is hating life right now? \u201cHey, Derek, I\u2019m open on almost every play.\u201d \u201cReally? I had no idea.\u201d <facepalm> Seriously, if the Cardinals aren\u2019t 4.5 points better than the Rams, it\u2019s hard to figure out how they\u2019re supposed be 4.5 points better than anyone else… well, maybe the Panthers or the Bills. I think the Raiders are actually better than the Panthers and Bills, though, so I\u2019m taking the points. Hmm, something is very, very wrong with the universe, as this is the third week in a row I\u2019ve picked the Raiders… and I\u2019m doing it even knowing they\u2019re 0-2 against the spread. Yikes! <\/p>\n
\nJets @ Miami(-2.5)<\/em>
\nI really, really hope Braylon Edwards didn\u2019t actually finish college, because if so, my degrees from Michigan have been degraded. How much of a moron do you have to be to get a DWI in New York City? Not only are there a million cabs, the team even has a service for exactly this purpose. WTF? So, will he play? Will it matter? I still don\u2019t believe in the Jets\u2019 offense, and I think the Miami defense is for real\u2014how studly was standing up AP four times to preserve the win? Now, I think Sanchez will take better care of the ball than Favre did, but this is in Miami, and I like the Dolphins to cover this.<\/p>\n
\nPackers @ Chicago(+3)<\/em>
\nSometimes, 2-0 just means you\u2019ve played bad teams; the Lions are still the Lions and I\u2019m not sure what exactly the Cowboys are doing, though clearly neither are they. I\u2019m not really sure that the Bears have really been tested; however, last year Cutler couldn\u2019t throw a temper tantrum without it being picked off, so something there is working better. Now, on the other hand, I\u2019m not so sure that the Packers quite have it together, either, as Rodgers has looked pretty average and the Pack now don\u2019t have a real RB, and of course beating up on the Bills says very little. My heart says Green Bay so I\u2019m picking the Bears because my explicit reversal on what I thought was one of the few picks I got right last week. How\u2019s that for screwed-up logic?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"