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Still no byes — those don’t start until Week 5 — so we’ve got a full slate of games to pick for Week 3. And the big question I have right off the bat is whether or not there will be as many locks this week as there were last week.
Last week, we had six games where all human members of our panel correctly picked the winner (only three with all eight and the computer). A lot of that had to do with the matchups. Everyone in our little group just knew the Raiders would beat the Jets, ditto the Patriots over the Saints, Ravens over the Browns, and Panthers over the Bills.
The Chiefs–Eagles game was a little less obvious, but we all got that one right, too. The Seahawks beating the 49ers felt like a sure thing, but Seattle’s offensive line almost made fools out of us all, including the Seahawks.
We would have had eight games where everyone picked the winner, except Joel somehow thought the Bears might have a chance in Tampa Bay with Mike Glennon. He also picked the Packers to beat the Falcons, but that was easier to understand.
Long story short, I am confident that you could do a lot worse than going off our picks. This is where I remind you about liability and not taking everything you read on the internet at face value.
OK — on to this week’s picks.
We’ve got a consensus for the Steelers, Dolphins, Eagles, Packers, Chiefs, and Cowboys. The Eagles should beat the Giants, who are absolutely atrocious thanks to Ben McAdoo, but the NFC East can be surprisingly competitive sometimes. And maybe they’ll figure out that it’s wise to put a tight end out there to help Ereck Flowers.
The Chiefs should win too, but never discount the Chargers winning a tough game just so it’ll be even more soul-crushing when they lose the next three by a field goal.
Among the more divided picks, I’m honestly surprised to see a few for Washington over Oakland. The Raiders are showing no signs of giving their opponents any quarter this season, especially with an offensive line that overwhelms whatever’s in front of it.
Here are the rules for our little pick gang. The panel is allowed to change up to two of their picks on Friday to account for injuries or other late-breaking developments heading into the weekend. So be sure to check back.
We bring on a guest picker each week too. This week, we’re welcoming Jeremy Reisman, the managing editor at Pride of Detroit, our network’s home for all things Lions. He’s got some big shoes to fill. Last week’s guest, Dave Choate of The Falcoholic, tied for the best record of the week with an impressive 13-3 mark.