By Jack Yang and Omid Naisani
Omid (in yellow) and I (in white) are back for our week 3 picks. I finished a respectable 9-7 last week while Omid struggled to a 7-9 finish. Omid also lost the game of the week so I’m currently winning the friendly wager (with a yet to be determined prize). As a reference, 12 ESPN analysts finished with an average record of 9.25-6.75, so we are not far off. Let’s see if we cannot do better this week. (Btw we both picked the Browns to win, so maybe not)
(Fun fact, when Michael Turner was arrested late Monday for DUI, that broke a NFL record of 38 days without an arrest of a player. Disclaimer: Records only have been kept for 5 years, plus with the 1700 players in the league, the arrest rate is similar to average citizens, however these are role models and DUI's are just stupid)
1) Giants +1 at Panthers
ELI MANNING. I don't know what to say about this guy. I don't know anyone who has had as many ridiculous comebacks as him in the last 2 seasons. They will be missing Nicks this week so that will take away from their passing offense a bit. Defensively they have struggled so far and I don't see this game being any easier for them. Carolina had an impressive showing last week against the Saints. They scored a lot of points and looked in control throughout the game. Their defense is getting better as the season goes on but they need to get pressure on Eli or he will shred their defense. Carolina 27-24.
The Saints clearly aren't who we thought they are, so it is hard to put too much faith in Carolina for their win last week. However this game is in Carolina and the Giants will be without Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants secondary is still without 4 starters, this is a very tough game to call, but I think Cam Newton will have a great game and Carolina wins it at home, 34-32.
2) St Louis Rams +9 at Chicago Bears
I don't know how Chicago is so favoured in this game. This Rams defense is legit. They are chippy and dirty, and they play hard to every whistle. Coming off an emotional win against my Redskins (sigh), they are looking for the upset in Chicago. The Bears got crushed in Green Bay last week, but they have had 10 days to prepare for this game. I see them harassing Sam Bradford all night. Defensive battle, close game, Chi 17-12.
The Rams showed that week one was no fluke vs the Detroit Lions. Jeff Fisher has got that defense playing hard and they are making it difficult and painful for anyone to score. Sam Bradford is back to performing how I believed he would once he got some decent talent on his team and didn't have to worry about a new offensive scheme every season. People forget how good he was in his rookie season. The Bears on the other hand had a tough loss vs Green Bay but more embarrassing was the way Jay “Baby” Cutler acted. If he wants to win maybe he should take some responsibility for what happens on the field as he is the QB. Green Bay got to Cutler too easily and if the o-line continues to perform poorly it will be a long season for Cutler and the Bears. Bears come out hungry and win this game but it will be close. Look for Bradford to outperform Cutler. Chicago 20-17.
3) Buffalo - 1.5 at Cleveland
The Bills destroyed the Chiefs last week thanks to a dominant C.J. Spiller. Fred Jackson who??????? Ok maybe thats too far but Spiller looked awesome last week. Besides that what I learned was how bad the Chiefs are. The Browns looked much better in week two as well., specially rookie QB Weeden. They scored a lot of points against what I consider to be a decent defense in Cincinnati. If they can perform with the same level of intensity and execution against the Bills they will win this game. a big IF. Browns 21-20.
LOL is Fred Jackson a product of the system? Sure looks like it so far. Maybe CJ Spiller finally realized football is a contact sport. Buffalo has looked great at times and awful at other times, I really can’t put my finger on this team. I like Cleveland too, Trent Richardson is a stud and if Weeden can avoid being awful, that D will give them a chance to win. Add in the atmosphere at the Dog Pound and I think Cleveland beats the spread, 24-18.
