2023 Picks, Week 3

Through two weeks, the NFC is 6-0 against the AFC this season.  So, if you want to know why there are still seven undefeated teams in the NFC and only two in the AFC, look no further than that stat.  With Buffalo playing Washington and Kansas City playing Chicago this week, though, I think that may change and the AFC will pick up its first interconference win (or wins) of the season.

Thursday Night: San Francisco (Win)

Titans (1-1) at Browns (1-1): Tennessee-That was painful to watch last week.  Nick Chubb's injury was pretty gruesome, and the Browns will definitely need to figure out something moving forward.  Not surprisingly, they brought Kareem Hunt back to be their RB2.  How much does that offense change without Chubb as the feature back, though?  The offense's first test is against a Titans team that enters 1-1, but could easily be 2-0 or 0-2.  The combined score in their first two games is 42-40.  It's been that close.  I expect them to win another close one in Cleveland.

Falcons (2-0) at Lions (1-1): Detroit-After they went into Kansas City and won, pretty much everyone expected the Lions to win their home opener last week.  So, of course, they went and lost in overtime.  The Falcons, meanwhile, held on to beat the Packers and go to 2-0.  Honestly, I'm not too worried about Detroit.  Atlanta will give them a challenge, but they should win a close one.

Saints (2-0) at Packers (1-1): New Orleans-Are the Saints lucky, good, or a little bit of both?  Honestly, I'm not quite sure.  The bottom line is, though, they're 2-0 and they didn't give up a touchdown until their seventh quarter of the season.  And I think that defense is definitely legit.  They'll prove it when they go into Lambeau and spoil the Packers' home opener by completely shutting down Jordan Love and Co.

Broncos (0-2) at Dolphins (2-0): Miami-Miami isn't just 2-0.  The Dolphins are 2-0 after winning two road games.  Maybe last year wasn't a fluke.  We really need to pay attention to this team.  And Sean Payton seems to be realizing that things won't be that easy in Denver.  The Broncos still have many of the same problems as they had last year.  Just gonna throw this out there...maybe Russell Wilson isn't that good a quarterback anymore?

Chargers (0-2) at Vikings (0-2): Minnesota-Two playoff teams from last season.  Both off to an 0-2 start.  So, they could both use a win.  Look for the Vikings to be the team that gets it.  They played the Thursday night game last week, so they've had plenty of time off since a close loss to a very good Eagles team.  The Chargers lost in overtime last week, but they're traveling for the second straight week, which is part of the reason why I'm going with Minnesota.

Patriots (0-2) at Jets (1-1): Jets-Call me crazy, but I actually like the Jets in this one.  The Patriots played two home games and lost them both.  Yes, they were playing the Eagles and Dolphins, but was there anything inspiring about either of those efforts (other than the amazing throwback uniforms with Pat the Patriot)?  Actually, can we just make it a rule that every Patriots-Jets game is the Pat the Patriot throwbacks vs. the New York Sack Exchange throwbacks?

Bills (1-1) at Commanders (2-0): Buffalo-For the Bills, Week 2 was much more like it.  That's what they're used to.  Not what they did in the second half against the Jets.  Washington, meanwhile, is 2-0 for the first time in 20 years.  Although, it took a crazy finish in Denver for that to happen.  They've played the Cardinals and Broncos, though, and only won those games by a combined six points.  They face a massive step-up in competition against the Bills.

Texans (0-2) at Jaguars (1-1): Jacksonville-The Jaguars will be setting up shop in London for the next two weeks after this one.  They should head across the pond with a 2-1 record.  Because the Texans are not good.  Jacksonville is.  Even though they lost last week and didn't score a touchdown, that was still a solid performance.  They held Kansas City to just 17 points and showed they can hang with them.  It also showed that their defense is very good.

Colts (1-1) at Ravens (2-0): Baltimore-While it would be a stretch to call Baltimore the best team in the AFC, you can't argue with the Ravens' performance in their first two games.  They're one of only two AFC teams to start the season 2-0, and there's no reason to think they won't make it three straight wins.  The Colts are better than the Texans and did what the better team should do.  Just like how the Ravens are the better team than Indianapolis.

Panthers (0-2) at Seahawks (1-1): Seattle-Add another team to the list of those Andy Dalton has started for!  Although, Frank Reich has made it clear it'll only be for the one game and Bryce Young will be the starter again once he's healthy.  What happens if the Panthers get their first win this week, though?  They've only played two games and are already two games out in the division, so they kind of need it.  That, unfortunately, seems unlikely, however.

Bears (0-2) at Chiefs (1-1): Kansas City-Can someone please explain to me why the NFL keeps insisting on forcing the Chicago Bears on the nation?  It's Week 3, it's their second national doubleheader game, and most of the country got them in the early window last week.  Why?  They aren't good or worth watching!  I don't understand it!  At least this week, you can say the reason is because they're playing the Chiefs.  Here's to more Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift puns!

Cowboys (2-0) at Cardinals (0-2): Dallas-Is there a better offense in the NFL than Dallas right now?  The Cowboys outscored the New York teams 70-10 in their first two games.  Now they go to Arizona to face a Cardinals team that took a massive first-half lead against the Giants only to give it all away.  Against Dallas, they won't get a big lead to blow.

Steelers (1-1) at Raiders (1-1): Pittsburgh-"Pretty" is not a word I would use to describe the Steelers' win over the Browns on Monday night, but it was a win nonetheless.  Now they travel to Las Vegas for a Sunday night matchup with the Raiders.  I'm not enamored with this Sunday Night Football selection, but the Steelers and Raiders both have big fanbases, so I kind of get it.  It's actually Pittsburgh's first road game of the season after opening with two at home.

Eagles (2-0) at Buccaneers (2-0): Philadelphia-Game one of the Monday night "doubleheader" will see one of the NFC's unbeaten teams go down for the first time this year.  It's only been two games, but the Eagles sure seem to have picked up where they left off last season.  And I give the Bucs credit.  No one knew how life post-Brady would go, but they started it with two wins.  They won't make it three.

Rams (1-1) at Bengals (0-2): Cincinnati-It's only Week 3 and Cincinnati is already in danger of seeing the season slipping away.  Especially if Joe Burrow is out for any extended period of time.  I locked my picks in before the Thursday night game, when I thought there was still a possibility he'd play.  So, even though I'm more inclined to say the Rams will win, I had already taken the Bengals in this one, so I'll stick with it.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 13-3
Overall: 23-10