Week 3 Picks

[Last week, Mike and Joe tied with 13 correct picks out of 16 games.]

Just wanted to make note that the Browns players already have submitted 5 claims against Eric Mangini. Not good. Its been 2 weeks, 5 claims. We won't get 5 wins. It took til halftime of game 1 for the disgruntledness to set in. I can't see this season getting much better any time soon. Will Mangini make it to Year 2?? Will there be any players left by Week 12?? Will we ever score a meaningful TD?? Will Jamal Lewis have a 20+ yard run this season?? Will he die afterward if he does?? These are all questions I can't wait to find out. So let's tune in to Week 3 of the NFL and watch Baltimore leave BQ in tears by the 2nd half of today's game.

WAS (-6.5) @ DET
(JOE:) DET. Could this be the week it finally happens?? Washington can't score so that could cause problems.
(Mike:) WAS. This Redskins are not nearly as good as the locals want them to be but they'll be good enough to beat the hapless Lions. Everybody is saying, This is the Week! for the Lions but no, it is not. Lions probably won't win until they face the Browns.

GB (-6.5) @ STL
GB. Long day for the Rams. Green Bay makes up for last week.
STL. If this was in Green Bay, the Rams wouldn't have a chance. But in their dome, never count them out. As bad as they might be, they still have Steven Jackson (at least I think they do). Packers are overrated and won't cover this spread.

SF (+7.5) @ MIN
49ers. Could be a great game. Favre finally is tested and leads key late drives. But I'll take 7 pts for SF with that great D.
SF. The 49ers are on the rise and will keep it a close ballgame. Brett Favre will lead the Vikings to their first 3-0 start since 1937. It's amazing to me how Favre gets blasted for his comeback more than Mike Vick has been blasted for his. Bassackwards.

ATL (+4.5) @ NE
NE. Could have easily picked ATL for this one and probably should have but I believe in Mr Bunchen to get hot one of these weeks and this may be it.
NE. The Patriots were embarrassed last week and will get revenge against the visiting Falcons.

TEN (+2.5) @ NYJ
NYJ. Still like the Jets D and playing in the rain will help.
TEN. Yeah, Sanchez has exceeded expectations through the first two games but today he faces a pretty tough defense. Even though they have opposite records, the Titans shouldn't be the underdog. Time for the Jets to get smacked with reality.

KC (+9.5) @ PHI
KC. Somehow someway KC keeps it within a TD. Vick makes a difference in his debut but Kolb is terrible.
KC. I might regret this choice but with McNabb on the bench, the Chiefs might have a chance to keep it close. I'd be hard pressed to name three players for KC but surely they can keep it close, right?

NYG (-7.5) @ TB
NYG. The Bucs are pretty bad and so far Eli has been worth most of his extension he received in the offseason.
NYG. The Buccaneers are horrible. I mean, they're really bad. If there's a team that might be worse than Cleveland, it would be this team. Giants win big, really big.

CLE (+13.5) @ BAL
BAL. Maybe if the Browns had scored a TD that mattered in their first 2 games then maybe I'd pick them to at least cover 2 TDs but unfortunately they haven't even thrown a pass that has crossed the goalline in those 2 games. That leads me to believe they will lose by 25+ points today. We may have our first DA sighting today not because of a bad BQ performance but because he may in a coma after some huge hits he will take today.
CLE. Third game of the season and the Browns are already a two touchdown underdog. Usually you don't see that until later in the season when the good and bad teams have been established. But reality has hit early for us Browns fans. It will take a miracle for the Browns to win this game. Will they score an offensive touchdown? Maybe so, since studderstep Jamal is out. Will the defense hold the Ravens to under 30? Let's hope.

JAX (+3.5) @ HOU
HOU. The Jags are really that bad and the Texans will roll 30+ points today.
HOU. This is not a vote of confidence for the Texans as much as it's a vote of apathy against the Jaguars.

CHI (-2.5) @ SEA
CHI. With Hasselbeck hurting Chicago will take care of business in Seattle. Cutler has his 2nd quality start in a row.
CHI. Matt Hasselbeck, Joe's hero, is out for this game which gives the ball to Charlie Frye. Ha, okay, it'll actually be Seneca Wallace who might be just as bad. And facing a Chicago defense, it won't be pretty. Seahawks are gonna get drilled.

NO (-4.5) @ BUF
BUF. High scoring game, the Bills will keep pace but Brees pulls out a close one in the end.
NO. The Saints will continue their march in a dominant showing against the improving Bills. Drew Brees will need to prove that he can play in any weather. He was successful in San Diego, successful in the Superdome, but will he be successful when the weather isn't perfect. Yeah, probably.

PIT (-4.5) @ CIN
CIN. As we all know I picked the Bengals to shock the world and make the playoffs. This is where that run begins. WHO DEY
PIT. Coming off a loss, much like the Patriots, the Stillers will be looking for a big of revenge to boost their confidence. I would absolutely LOVE a Bengal win but I don't think they'll be close.

DEN (+1.5) @ OAK
DEN. Jamarcus Russell is terrible. Maybe the worst in the league. Denver does just enough to pull it out in Oaktown.
DEN. As much as I hate the Broncos, I love how they jettisoned the big baby whatshisface Cutler. As I've gotten older, I've found that I hate teams like the Broncos and Ravens less than I used to hate them. I don't necessarily even hate the Steelers as much as I despise their actual fans. I think it's all because the Browns have been so bad for the last 15 years. I need the Browns to improve so I can get that hateful feeling back... instead of all this apathy. I think I have the football version of Stockholm Syndrome.

MIA (+5.5) @ SD
SD. Traveling across the country on a short week will hurt the Dolphins. SD runs away with this one in the end.
MIA. The Dolphins continue to win via gimmickry but that's better than losing by the book. Whatever Bill Parcells does is magic and now he's doing it again in South Florida. Meanwhile, the Chargers have been an average team in a below average division for the last five years. I'm taking the Dolphins with the points.

IND (+1.5) @ ARI
ARI. Even though Peyton takes care of business on prime time, this night will belong to Kurt Warner and madden cover boy Fitzgerald.
IND. I cannot believe the Colts are underdogs. I cannot believe the Cardinals are favored over the Colts. I cannot believe that this isn't butter.

CAR (+9.5) @ DAL
DAL. I like Dallas to give Jerry Jones a Happy Ending in this one. Quite a visual, I know. Delhomme goes back to turnover-ville and the Dallas D plays as big as the jumbotron.
DAL. Remember how I was saying how bad the Chiefs are and that I couldn't name three players on their team? Ditto that for the Panthers. Poor Jake Delhomme has about two more starts remaining in his glorified NFL career. Back to the bayou, Jake.