NFL 2023 Week 3 Picks

Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again! The 3rd week of the regular season brings us with some signs of teams making that run for the playoffs while those who won't make it there. We won't likely see until Week 11 until we actually get a feel for who are more of the pretenders and those who are contenders. For games to watch, I'll keep an eye on the Giants-49ers, Bills-Commanders, Chargers-Vikings, and Saints-Packers. In this post I will do a Rant of the Week, a Week 3 preview and my picks for the games. Let's get to work!

NFL Rant of the Week

It has been coming to light that artificial turf surfaces has been causing injuries far more than fields that use natural grass. If the NFL wants to be all for player safety, making sure that the surface that they play on is top notch. C'mon, do better NFL. 

Week 3 Preview

The 3rd week of the National Football League's regular season will start in Santa Clara, California and finishes up in Cincinnati, Ohio. The week features a 16-game slate where all 32 teams are playing. No teams are on a bye this week. There will be a Thursday night game, nine early games, three late games, a Sunday night game and two Monday night games. CBS will have the single, regional game and FOX will have the doubleheader this week. Let's get to the picks!

Week 3 Picks

Note: TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate. All gametimes are in US Eastern.

NY Giants (1-1) @ San Francisco (2-0) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers

The Giants beat the Cardinals and the 49ers beat the Rams last week. New York finally scored a point last week but they still have a large point differential to surpass if they really want to be the team that they want to be. San Francisco got off to a slow start against the Rams but their run game and defense put the hurt on the Rams. I think it'll be an interesting game but I'll take the 49ers in a close game. 

Atlanta (2-0) @ Detroit (1-1) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Lions; CV: Lions
The Falcons beat the Packers and the Lions lost to the Seahawks. Atlanta has gotten off to a good start this year. They've done it with their running game and rookie player Bijan Robinson has fired off on all cylinders. Detroit despite having miscues, turnovers and the like, they nearly did beat the Seahawks in overtime. If they can cut down on the mistakes they should have a good shot to take this one. Can't argue with the Lions offense. 

Buffalo (1-1) @ Washington (2-0) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Commanders
The Bills beat the Raiders and the Commanders beat the Broncos last week. Buffalo finally got back to playing solid football against Las Vegas. Washington has gotten off to a great start with the new regime. They have won some close games against some meh opponents. We will learn quite a bit about them in this game I feel. Against a tough Bills team, I'm not sure if I can solidly stick to Washington in this one. I'll take the Bills. 

Denver (0-2) @ Miami (2-0) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The Broncos lost to the Commanders and the Dolphins beat the Patriots last week. Denver's defense kind of let themselves go against Washington. Then again, so did their offense when they had a 21-3 and 28-7 leads in that game. So to say that they can compete against the Dolphins is a possibility but I do think that the Dolphins defense is superb. Miami's offense had a great start in week 1 but had a slow down in week 2. Granted that was against a Bill Belichick defense. That has to mean something that Miami was held to 24 points. As long as the Dolphins can put up 30 points, they should be able to take care of business against the Broncos. 

Houston (0-2) @ Jacksonville (1-1) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Jaguars; CV: Jaguars

The Texans lost to the Colts and the Jaguars lost to the Chiefs last week. Houston has shown some grit thus far in 2023. It hasn't represented in the win column but they have some good pieces around them but they have a long way to go. Jacksonville kind of had a letdown game against Kansas City. They had the opportunity to really take it to them in the redzone but miscues took them off that. Let alone their offense producing some big plays but not showing it in the scoreboard. Its a long shot for the Texans to win but I'll take the Jaguars. 

Indianapolis (1-1) @ Baltimore (2-0) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
The Colts beat the Texans and the Ravens beat the Bengals last week. Indy lost their rookie quarterback to concussion symptoms so it will be Gardner Minshew's turn to ride the ship. They will need to put up points against Baltimore. It seems like a tough time for them. The Ravens got a measure of revenge against the Bengals. Cincy was the class of the division last year and this year might be a bit different in the AFC North. I personally like the multi-headed monster in the Ravens offense over the Colts defense. 

LA Chargers (0-2) @ Minnesota (0-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Vikings; CV: Chargers
Both teams lost last week as the Chargers lost to the Titans and the Vikings lost to the Eagles. The Chargers seem to never find the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of wins. At one point their offense gave them a considerable lead against Tennessee. Like most losses in the past 12 months, it has been the defense that has let them down. For the Vikings, they are similar to the Chargers, they have a stellar offense. What they are different is that they have somewhat of a competent defense that has more of a bend but don't break them to it. They're 0-2 in close games this year compared to the solid record in one-score games last year. I think the loud atmosphere will be a factor as well as the aforementioned reasons. I'll take the Vikes. 

New England (0-2) @ NY Jets (1-1) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots

Both teams lost last week as the Patriots lost to the Dolphins and the Jets lost to the Cowboys. New England is now at 0-2 for the first time since 2001. What they get to face is their old rival in the New York Jets. They have lately dominated their rival in the last few times. The Patriots key to winning this game will have to be them scoring more than just the 2nd half. If they can put up 24 to 30 points in this game they have a great shot to win it. For the Jets, they had an expecting showing in a rough loss to the Cowboys. As such they were expected to lose. Aaron Rodgers won't play in this game but Zach Wilson will go in his stead. He has yet to get a win against Bill Belichick. Until proven otherwise, I don't see the Patriots faltering in this one but they need to get going eventually. 

New Orleans (2-0) @ Green Bay (1-1) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Packers; CV: Saints

The Saints beat the Panthers and the Packers lost to the Falcons last week. New Orleans has shown that they can do some damage with their offense and their defense can handle some of the better teams in the NFL. I do question how well they can play against a surprising Packers offense and a defense that is not too bad themselves. Jordan Love had played well in the first two weeks as his first year as a full-time starter. He has had some lacking production from the running game but hopefully Aaron Jones will return in this game. Jordan Love has thrown six touchdowns with no interceptions in the season so far. It could be a challenge for the Pack but I think they'll pull it out by a field goal.  

Tennessee (1-1) @ Cleveland (1-1) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Titans; CV: Titans

The Titans beat the Chargers and the Browns lost to the Steelers last week. Tennessee got off to a slow start but their offense would get going. Ryan Tannehill did not even throw an interception in that win either. A miracle if you say so. Cleveland played meager football last week against Pittsburgh. They made a lot of mistakes, including the first play of the game turning into a pick-six. The loss also meant a season-ending injury to Nick Chubb who has been the driving force for the Browns running game in the last few seasons. Jerome Ford will have to take the reins and take charge if the Browns want to win this game. I'll take the Titans and Derrick Henry. 

Carolina (0-2) @ Seattle (1-1) (CBS; 4:05 pm): TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks
The Panthers lost to the Saints and the Seahawks beat the Lions last week. Carolina has gotten off to the not greatest of starts in 2023. Their offense has put up some numbers but last week's loss to New Orleans they had a slow start where they didn't score a touchdown until the last few minutes in the game. They'll need to come out firing in this game. Seattle has had a interesting start to the season, a loss to the Rams (which granted they might've not won) and a win against Detroit. They can certainly play among the best teams but how well can they play against one of the weaker teams in the NFC. I feel leaning towards the Seahawks would be best but don't sleep on the Panthers. 

Chicago (0-2) @ Kansas City (1-1) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
The Bears lost to the Buccaneers and the Chiefs beat the Jaguars last week. Chicago has gotten off to a tough start in 2023. Which is somewhat of a expectation as the team wasn't expected to make noise. They seemed to have the game against Tampa in hand but the Fields interception that lead to the Bucs pick-six was the nail in the coffin. Kansas City has looked a bit off in the title defense. They did not great against Detroit and they managed to do enough to win against Jacksonville. Chicago is not a pushover but they aren't the 1985 Bears either. They'll need to start limiting the penalties and turnovers to win. I'll take the defending champs but honestly the Bears could make this a challenge. 

Dallas (2-0) @ Arizona (0-2) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Cowboys; CV: Cowboys
The Cowboys beat the Jets and the Cardinals lost to the Giants last week. Dallas has come out firing so far in 2023. They have put up 70 points in two games. The emergence of Tony Pollard as the #1 starter at running back has been fun to see. Dak Prescott has yet to throw an interception. No mistakes have been made at all for the Cowboys in general. Arizona did put up 28 points on the Giants last week. The points would not be enough as the Giants put up 31 and won the game. If they want to keep putting up points in the game they need to score on all four quarters in the game. James Conner has been a nice back to have in the Cardinals schemes. Joshua Dobbs will need to play his best game of the season to have a shot to win this one. The Cardinals defense is not bad so they could have a chance. I don't like it but I'll take the Cowboys. 

Pittsburgh (1-1) @ Las Vegas (1-1) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Steelers; CV: Raiders
The Steelers beat the Browns and the Raiders lost to the Bills last week. Pittsburgh got a huge boost to their season by playing some solid football on both sides of the ball. Their offense was still shaky at times but they have seemed to gel when it matters most. If their offense can get to 20 points it feels like its game over for the opposition. The Raiders offense has gotten off to a shaky start as well with similar numbers to the Steelers in terms of passing and running game. Last week proved that Jimmy Garoppolo isn't quite confident in facing against good defenses. I think the Raiders will struggle in this game so I'll take the Steelers. 

Philadelphia (2-0) @ Tampa Bay (2-0) (ABC; 7:15 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
The Eagles beat the Vikings and the Buccaneers beat the Bears last week. The first of two Monday night games this week. Both teams posses two good passing games and receivers. Philly possesses a solid offensive line and running game which Tampa does not at times. The book on Baker Mayfield is kind of shaky since his days in Cleveland. I think we will learn quite a bit about the Buccaneers and how well they can play against the defending NFC champs. I'll take the Eagles. 

LA Rams (1-1) @ Cincinnati (0-2) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Rams

The Rams lost to the 49ers and the Bengals lost to the Ravens last week. The 2nd game of the Monday night doubleheader as well as a Super Bowl reunion. The Rams have looked improved so far in 2023. The Bengals not so much. Los Angeles stomped on the Seahawks and only lost a close game against the rival 49ers. Cincy did bad against two division rivals in the Browns and Ravens. Their investment in the offensive line hasn't proven to be as satisfactory as it seems. The defense has also let them down a bit. The Joe Burrow to Ja'Marr Chase combo has only yielded to 10 catches for 70 receiving yards. I think if they can limit the passing game of the Rams and throw quick passes the Bengals got a decent shot to win. It's risky but I'll take the Bengals.

Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings

FOX Early

Atlanta @ Detroit
Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth

New Orleans @ Green Bay
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

LA Chargers @ Minnesota
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

Houston @ Jacksonville
Chris Myers, Robert Smith

FOX Late

Chicago @ Kansas City
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

Dallas @ Arizona
Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston

CBS Single

New England @ NY Jets
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Denver @ Miami
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

Buffalo @ Washington
Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan

Tennessee @ Cleveland
Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

Indianapolis @ Baltimore
Beth Mowins, James Lofton, Jay Feely

Carolina @ Seattle (LATE)

Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Total: 20-12

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5

Total: 20-12

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you either after the Monday night game or on Tuesday for the Week 3 Recap post! Enjoy the games!

-Tom

NFL 2020 Week 3 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is soon upon us! Last week in picks was one of my best in quite a while. With a 15-1 record last week in picks, I would hope that my good luck continues into this week. In this post I'll talk about my picks for the Week 3 games. Let's get to work!

Week 3 Picks

Week 3 in the NFL's regular season starts in Jacksonville, Florida and ends in Baltimore, Maryland. The week features a full 16-game slate. There will be a Thursday night game, eight early games, five late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. FOX will carry the double-header and CBS will have a single, regional game. No teams are on a bye this week. Let's get to the picks!

Miami (0-2) @ Jacksonville (1-1) (NFL Network): TW: Jaguars; CV: Jaguars
Both teams lost last week as the Dolphins lost to the Bills and the Jaguars lost to the Titans. The week starts off with a probable toilet bowl game. If the game is anything like last week then I could be proven wrong again. I've been going against Gardner Minshew so far this season and I feel the time is right to give him another shot. Miami could possibly pull it off but can't go wrong with "The Moustache." 

LA Rams (2-0) @ Buffalo (2-0) (FOX): TW: Rams; CV: Rams
Both teams won last week as the Rams beat the Eagles and the Bills beat the Dolphins. It's Goff vs Allen in this one. Aaron Donald has been tearing up offensive lines this season and it'll be the big thing to watch in this one. Personally, I like the Rams in this one because of that and a re-envigored Rams offense. 

Houston (0-2) @ Pittsburgh (2-0) (CBS): TW: Steelers; CV: Steelers
The Texans lost to the Ravens and the Steelers beat the Broncos last week. It's the Watt Bowl as TJ and Derek Watt take on their older brother JJ Watt in this game. If Houston's defense continues to give up a lot of yards and points, this game will be over before it even began. Pittsburgh just looks too good on paper on both sides of the ball to let this one slip by them. 

Las Vegas (2-0) @ New England (1-1) (CBS): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
The Raiders beat the Saints and the Patriots lost to the Seahawks last week. The game looks good on paper. Two good quarterbacks in Cam Newton and Derek Carr looking to make some noise come January. It certainly feels like a tight match-up. On a short week, I don't know how the Raiders can handle going cross-country to New England. I'll take the Pats and their offense controlling the time of possession. 

Tennessee (2-0) @ Minnesota (0-2) (CBS): TW: Vikings; CV: Titans
The Titans beat the Jaguars and the Vikings lost to the Colts last week. Seriously Vikings, you shouldn't be this terrible to start the year. Sure your defense hasn't been the best thing since sliced bread but Kirk Cousins stinks right now. Dalvin Cook needs to get going as well. I think the Titans fall off the earth a bit and lose in a hostile environment in Minnesota. Get it done.

Washington (1-1) @ Cleveland (1-1) (FOX): TW: Browns; CV: Browns
The Football team lost to the Cardinals and the Browns beat the Bengals last week. The only real way the Football team can beat Cleveland in this one is make Baker Mayfield make mistakes. With a stacked offense and a defense to match, I don't know how Cleveland can keep up with them. 

Cincinnati (0-2) @ Philadelphia (0-2) (CBS): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
Both teams lost last week as the Bengals lost to the Browns and the Eagles lost to the Rams. Oddly enough this game features two top-10 pass defenses so far this season. Carson Wentz has been trigger happy with his throwing of the football, some of them go to the wrong guy. Both teams aren't likely to make it to January. Joe Burrow has been impressive so far this season and can get better if the Bungles give him some help on the offensive line and wide outs. My gut feeling is the Eagles find a way to eke out a win. 

San Francisco (1-1) @ NY Giants (0-2) (FOX): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The 49ers beat the Jets and the Giants lost to the Bears last week. It's unlikely that Jimmy Garoppolo will make the start in this game so it'll be Nick Mullens time for now. San Fran will be without Nick Bosa, Raheem Mostert and George Kittle in this one. New York is hurting with injury as well as Saquon Barkley will likely miss some time as well. The game will be close but I think the 49ers will win with an otherwise balanced offense. Can't trust Daniel Jones with a limited slate of weapons to use. 

Chicago (2-0) @ Atlanta (0-2) (FOX): TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons
The Bears beat the Giants and the Falcons lost to the Cowboys last week. After blowing yet another lead, I have decided to pick the lowly Falcons in this game. Sure the Bears have given me some success in picks but I feel Atlanta is due for a win after a shit performance last week. If Atlanta's offense can get going and not let off the gas, they should get a win. 

Carolina (0-2) @ LA Chargers (1-1) (CBS): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
Both teams lost last week as the Panthers lost to the Buccaneers and the Chargers lost to the Chiefs. The debut of Justin Herbert was promising and with a Carolina team without Christian McCaffrey, it likely spells doom for Carolina and good news for the Chargers. With balance on the run and pass, I do like the Chargers in this game as they do have a defense that is better than Carolina's. 

NY Jets (0-2) @ Indianapolis (1-1) (CBS): TW: Colts; CV: Jets
The Jets lost to the 49ers and Colts beat the Vikings last week. New York is pretty much the reason why I should face wall myself every week. I predicted before the season that the Jets would finish 2nd in the AFC East. Obviously it hasn't looked like that in recent weeks. I'll take the Colts but the game will be close as as the new Philip Rivers is still the same as the old one. 

Dallas (1-1) @ Seattle (2-0) (FOX): TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks
Both teams got wins as the Cowboys beat the Falcons and the Seahawks beat the Patriots last week. Mike McCarthy got his first win in Big D in the biggest way imaginable. With some renewed vigor, perhaps this will be the week they actually start playing like the team they want themselves to be. Or the Seahawks will make a mockery of them and beat the crap out of them with Russell Wilson throwing for 400 yards. I'll take the latter. 

Detroit (0-2) @ Arizona (2-0) (FOX): TW: Cardinals; CV: Cardinals
The Lions lost to the Packers and the Cardinals beat the Football Team last week. DeAndre Hopkins was a steal so far for the Cards this season. With the Detroit Faux Patriots in town, I look to see if Kyler Murray can make a mockery of Matt Patricia's excuse of a defense. It's not like they also have the 32nd ranked rush defense right now. 

Tampa Bay (1-1) @ Denver (0-2) (FOX): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
The Buccaneers beat the Panthers and the Broncos lost to the Steelers last week. High altitude hasn't been Tom Brady's strong suit and quite often the Broncos have gotten the best of him in his career. With Jake Driskel getting the start for Denver, I would expect them to go more of an air attack and try to beat them with his arm. It seems like a close game and if Tom Brady can play smart football, I like the Bucs chances in this game. 

Green Bay (2-0) @ New Orleans (1-1) (NBC): TW: Packers; CV: Saints
The Packers beat the Lions and the Saints lost to the Raiders last week. The game feels like a shootout in the making. The Raiders exposed Drew Brees badly and his 5-yard throws won't likely get it done in this game. The question remains if the Saints defense can slow down Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones. So far no one has figured that question yet. I can't expect New Orleans to figure it out either. 

Kansas City (2-0) @ Baltimore (2-0) (ESPN): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
Both teams won last week as the Chiefs beat the Chargers and the Ravens beat the Texans. The week wraps up with two former MVP's against one another in Mahomes vs Jackson. Their previous games have been really good and honestly, I don't see this one being a disappointment either. Pass protection was a bit sloppy against the Chargers last week so I feel the Ravens will try to pressure Mahomes early and often. I think it will come down to whoever has the least mistakes and sustains drives. Can't make any mistakes with these two quarterbacks.

Local TV Schedule (courtesy of 506sports.com):

CBS Single:
Tennessee @ Minnesota
Andrew Catalon, James Lofton

FOX Early:
Chicago @ Atlanta
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

FOX Late:
Dallas @ Seattle
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Games are subject to change, for more information on which game is being shown in your area, check out: NFL 2020: Week 3 maps

2020 Week by Week Record: 

TW's record:

Week 1: 8-8
Week 2: 15-1
Total: 23-9

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 10-6
Week 2: 11-5
Total: 21-11

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

2019: 161-94-1

I'll see you guys on Monday for the Week 3 Recap post! See you then!

-Tom