2017 NFL Picks: Week 3

Week 3 is always a fun week as it really tells us a lot about this season and is pretty much the last week where 2016 play is taken into consideration. I was a little better last week with 7 wins, but that’s still pretty poor. Lets see if things can improve or not.

Ravens (-4.5) over JAGUARS– You probably couldn’t ask for a better opening schedule than the one the Ravens got. I still have questions about how good their defense really is, but don’t expect any of those to be answered this week. Ravens 23 Jaguars 10

LIONS (+3.5) over Falcons– We’ll get a better feel for Detroit, who has opened against what looks like two really bad teams, this week. Atlanta is coming off such a high that I think the game will be close.  Im not in love with them outright but I’m going to go there anyway. Lions 27 Falcons 24

COLTS (+1.5) over Browns– Indy is absolutely terrible, but this is asking a lot of a Browns team that has won 1 road game in the last two years. This game will probably tell us if the Colts are getting the number 1 pick or not, but at home they can backdoor their way into a win. Colts 14 Browns 13

EAGLES (-4.5) over Giants– Eagles pass rush is going to destroy the Giants offensive line. Giants never do good in Philly and this line should be bigger except the Giants are still getting too much respect from last season. That will change after this week. Eagles 29 Giants 17

VIKINGS (-2.5) over Buccaneers– This is one of those games where the Vikings defense and special teams is going to have to win for them. I do think that this is a good team to have this week and the Bucs could very well take the Vikes easy. Later in the season I’d probably pick this differently. Vikings 19 Buccaneers 14

BEARS (+7.5) over Steelers– I think the Bears will be game for this one and Pittsburgh tends to play road games much closer.  Of course Glennon can turn this into a blowout in a blink of an eye which will bring the boo birds out, but Ill assume he wont be that bad. Steelers 21 Bears 17

JETS (+6.5) over Dolphins– The Jets stink and they were throttled by Miami last year late in the season, but I do think the Jets will give it some effort this week at home and keep it close enough to where we can complain about some coaching decisions.  Dolphins 24 Jets 19

Saints (+5.5) over PANTHERS– Carolina has also had a very favorable opening to the season and this is a great test for them. Can the Panthers offense explode against the worst defense in the NFL?  If they can’t it could be a long day for them. Saints can win outright. Saints 23 Panthers 20

Broncos (-2.5) over BILLS– The line is screaming to take the Broncos which is generally a bad sign, but I cant see how Buffalo will score on them. The Bills offense is so one dimensional and the Broncos defense should be more than enough to stop that one dimension. Broncos 23 Bills 13

Texans (+13.5) over PATRIOTS– The Patriots were red hot last week against a non-existent defense but Houston should provide a much bigger test. Can the Texans score enough to keep it within 14?  That’s a tough one, but Ill take a shot on some garbage points to pull within the margin. Patriots 27 Texans 15

TITANS (-2.5) over Seahawks– This would be a really big win for the Titans if they can pull this off. Seattle’s offense looks terrible early, but I think that’s pretty common for them and they will begin to rebound soon enough. Titans 20 Seahawks 16

PACKERS (-9.5) over Bengals– Sure the Bengals have had a long time to prepare for this, but they should be catching a Packers team out to show something after last week. Packers 34 Bengals 13

Chiefs (-3.5) over CHARGERS– Chiefs usually play well against the Chargers and the Chiefs are really humming offensively right now. Chargers have continued to find ways to lose but this week they probably wont have the chance to blow it. Chiefs 27 Chargers 13

Raiders (-3.5) over REDSKINS– Raiders are just a class above Washington and have too much firepower, though this won’t be a laugher like the Jets game was. Washington’s offense should continue to improve, but it’s a tall order to match up against this Oakland team. Raiders 30 Redskins 24

CARDINALS (+3.5) over Cowboys– This game should tell us a lot about both teams. Week 1 may have been more about the Giants than Dallas while Arizona had a bad draw with the two early road games. Im going with the idea that Arizona will be a team that fires at home and is terrible on the road, kind of like a lesser version of the Saints of a few years ago. Cardinals 29 Cowboys 20