Cold Hard Locks

And so after 2 weeks both myself and G-Man are in the 89th percentile of pick’ems according to ESPN, the World Wide freaking Leader in Sports. I went 8-8 last week which seems bad but George went ahead and had a losing record of 7-9 so I claim a Week 2 victory. That leaves us even in the weekly series with a pivotal matchup in a big Week 3.

Week 3 Cold Hard Locks

(Underlined denotes home team. G-Man and Matty D have same picks unless otherwise noted)

Thursday Night Football

I took the Giants while G-Man went with the Redskins. I really didn’t want either team to win but I’ll take the early victory here as Beckham and crew whopped on the poor Skins.

Sunday

1 PM Slate

Falcons at Cowboys

Atlanta has shown a lot of toughness that we didn’t see last year, especially on the defensive side of the football. Attribute that to new head coach Dan Quinn. To be fair, the Falcons have played 2 NFC East foes, the Eagles and Giants, and face a 3^rd this week in the Cowboys. While I am nervous about Julio Jones’ health, Brandon Weeden, Terrance Williams, and Joseph Randle do not scare me. I am going Falcons here who race out to a quick 3-0 start, albeit somewhat of a mirage.

24 to 13 Atlanta

Bengals at Ravens

Are you as shocked as I am about the Ravens being 0-2? The Bengals really are a talented team and should snag a wildcard spot, but the Ravens take this one to gain some respect back in front of their home crowd.

20 to 17 Baltimore

G-Man is going Bengals here, he’s probably right.

Raiders at Browns

Not starting Johnny? Not a good idea Cleveland. I know the Raiders are on the road but I watched Amari Cooper and company have success against the Ravens, enough to see them pulling the road win out. Unless Manziel plays that is…

13 to 10 Oakland

G-Man is taking the Browns in this one which confirms that he is an eternal optimist.

Colts at Titans

Some are starting to question Andrew Luck, even his head coach; seems a little disrespectful. The Titans secondary got disrespect but the Browns last week. Put those together and look for Luck to have a big, big day.

35 to 24 Indianapolis

Steelers at Rams

I was surprised by the Rams lack of a performance last week. Letting the Redskins beat you shows just how much Seattle took out of them Week 1. Enter a Steelers team getting Le’Veon Bell back. This should be a great showdown but I watched Big Ben and Antonio Brown do what they want the last 2 weeks and I don’t see that changing, even against a defense as good as the Rams.

31 to 20 Pittsburgh

G-Man is going Rams here due to Nick Foles. That’s a direct quote.

Chargers at Vikings

Not impressed with Teddy Bridgewater yet. Really thought he’d take the next step this year. Obviously it’s still early but I really like this Chargers team and see Melvin Gordon have a break out game here.

24 to 17 San Diego

Jaguars at Patriots

You’d be dumb to pick against Brady.

31 to 17 New England

This is Matty D’s Guarantee of the Week cause of his mancrush Brady.

Saints at Panthers

No Brees, no good for New Orleans who look like they really don’t care out there. The Panthers may win this division simply by being less bad than the rest.

17 to 13 Carolina

Eagles at Jets

Can’t see the Eagles not scoring again, regardless of the defense. The Jets are 2-0 and look ripe for a letdown while the Birds look ready for a rebound. Tough game but Murray forces himself to be the difference.

20 to 17 Philadelphia

Buccaneers at Texans

I did like what I saw from Winston last week. Made some pro-level throws and showed he can bounce back well.  But the Texans are at home and desperate for a win. This defense still needs to show up and I see them doing that against a rookie quarterback.

17 to 9 Houston

4 PM Slate

49ers at Cardinals

Boy do these Cardinals look like a different team with Carson Palmer at the helm. Look for them to play well and stay unbeaten. Larry Fitzgerald is having a renaissance of sorts which is good to see.

34 to 17 Arizona

Bills at Dolphins

This is quietly one of the best games of the weekend, which is weird because the Bills and Dolphins are playing. Two divisional foes who really need the win to stay around in a highly competitive AFC East. I really liked Miami at the start of the season but they are missing something. The Suh stories are also disturbing and show a lack of coaching leadership and control. The Bills will play harder and will win.

27 to 20 Buffalo

Bears at Seahawks

Home Opener, check. Chancellor returns, check. 0-2 and pissed, check. Playing against Jimmy Clausen, check. Seahawks victory, check.

42 to 6 Seattle

This is G-Man’s Guarantee of the Week and for good reason.

 

8 PM Sunday Night Football

Broncos at Lions

Lucky game by the Broncos last Thursday. Detroit is O-2 and needs the win. While the Broncos defense is very good, Megatron will get free for 2 TDs and the Detroit pass rush will get to Manning enough to squeak out the home win on Sunday night.

20 to 17 Detroit

G-Man is going Broncos here.

Monday Night Football

Chiefs at Packers

The Chiefs can’t seem to catch a break as they start out the season playing a slew of good football teams. Enter the NFC favorite Packers at Lambeau on Monday Night with Aaron Rodgers and you’re in for some trouble.

24 to 20 Green Bay