NFL picks: Week Three

Elvert Barnes

On the bright side, I did better in week two. Unfortunately, 9-7 isn't exactly the record I was hoping for. After missing out on nearly all of the tougher picks last week, I need to snap out of this cold streak. Can week three be the charm that gets me rolling?

Well, with the Giants taking down the Panthers Thursday night, I'm off to a good start. Here's the rest of week three's matchups.

St. Louis at Chicago

Jay Cutler didn't have the greatest of days against the Packers, with the Chicago media breathing down his neck about his horrible performance and the moody encounters with his teammates. Still, Cutler and the Bears should be able to handle St. Louis at home, although I think the Rams should put up a good fight.

Buffalo at Cleveland

While I would love to pick the Browns here, the smart bet is to go with Buffalo in this one. C.J. Spiller has been dominating this season, and while the Browns offense looked good last week, I won't trust Brandon Weeden until he has a few more solid games in a row.

Tampa Bay at Dallas

Tampa Bay has played tough so far, taking down Carolina and nearly taking the game against the Giants. I'm tempted to pick the Bucs, but with how badly their secondary got burned last week, Tony Romo should have a field day at home.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis

I realize that Houston's defense is much better than Indianapolis's, but Jacksonville looked dreadful against the Texans last week. In a battle of bad teams, the Colts come out on top behind a strong showing by RB Donald Brown.

New York (Jets) at Miami

After exploding on offense in week one, the Jets couldn't get anything going against Pittsburgh last week. Now, they have to head to Miami to face a Dolphins squad that's got some momentum going into a divisional game. I smell upset here.

San Francisco at Minnesota

After taking down a pair of potential playoff teams, this could be a perfect place for a 49ers letdown game against Minnesota. While I would love to see a postgame Jim Harbaugh meltdown, San Francisco's defense is too good to lose here.

Kansas City at New Orleans

In this battle of 0-2 teams, I see the Saints picking up their first win. New Orleans has not looked good at all, but Kansas City has been equally as bad. This is as good of a place as any for Drew Brees and company to turn it around.

Detroit at Tennessee

Tennessee has been outscored by a combined 49 points so far this season. That's just two games in.  Detroit may have some serious issues in the secondary, but the Titans will have to hold the Lions offense if they want a shot at this game. I don't see that happening.

Cincinnati at Washington

Cincinnati has underwhelmed at bit so far this season, with a bad blowout loss to Baltimore and allowing an anemic Cleveland offense to drop 27 points on them. However, they still have the skill players to strike, and with huge season-ending injuries to Redskins Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker, the Bengals should outscore Robert Griffin III's squad.

Philadelphia at Arizona

These birds come into this game with nary a loss between them. Arizona's defense led them to the upset that rocked the survival football world despite Larry Fitzgerald registering just one catch. However, even with Michael Vick's turnover-happy ways, the Eagles have the superior team overall. The Cardinals come back to earth in week three.

Atlanta at San Diego

In a game that could be a shootout, San Diego's defense should be the difference against an Atlanta team already facing the challenge of a short week. Add in the possible return of the Chargers' Ryan Mathews and woes of the Falcons RB Michael Turner, both on the road and off, and San Diego should be charged up in this one.

Houston at Denver

Peyton Manning wasn't quite the man last week against Atlanta. Now, the Broncos have to face a tough Texans team on a short week. Even if Denver can limit the two-heading rushing monster in Arian foster and Ben Tate, Houston has plenty of ways to win this game.

Pittsburgh at Oakland

Oakland has arguably looked like the worst team in the NFL so far. Pittsburgh has a long way to go for this west-coast matchup, but they should take this game without too much trouble.

New England at Baltimore

It's hard to believe that one of these teams is going to be 1-2 after this game, but that's the NFL for you. Ultimately, I can't pick against an angry Tom Brady in the spotlight.

Green Bay at Seattle

I must admit, I'm a fan of Seattle's secondary. However, the squad is still facing Aaron Rodgers this week. Green Bay comes out as the top cheese in this one.

Week Two Record: 9-7

Overall: 17-15

Survival

I didn't need a last-minute touchdown to move on in survival last week, although Cincinnati didn't win by as big of a margin as I expected. This week, however, I'm taking a calculated risk in picking New Orleans over Kansas City.

While the safe pick is likely San Francisco over Minnesota, I'd rather save them for a future date, and I'm going for a full-season run. New Orleans has been the most disappointing team so far this season, but they still have all the tools to score big. Against a Chiefs squad with their own struggles, I'm banking on a big-time Brees game at home.

Teams used so far: Detroit, Cincinnati