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Week 3 NFL Picks

Once again, let's run through my picks for this week. I make no guarantees on how good they are, as I'm generally terrible at picking games. If it's any consolation, picking outright is a lot easier than picking against the spread.

San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals: Two pretty bad teams playing here. The Niners have looked good against two teams in bad situations. The Seahawks were just bad and victimized by poor special teams tackling and coverage. The Cowboys were beat up and coming off a disheartening loss on Sunday night previously, only winning after Tony Romo came back from broken ribs to win in overtime. Cincy should be tougher at home, but this is a stink-fest. Pick: Cincinnati 24-21

Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans: Another two semi-mediocre teams who are hard to read. It's difficult to call the Titans mediocre after what they did to the Ravens, but they still have Matt Hasselbeck at QB and Chris Johnson not running at full strength. Denver has been banged up and is still struggling to find an identity under new coach John Fox. Pick: Tennessee 21-14

Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns: The Browns beat a bad Colts team but still hasn't shown flashes of being good, especially since the wide receiving corps is so unimpressive. Miami lost to two good teams in Houston and New England, but they're on the road. I still think Miami is the best 0-2 team in the league. Pick: Miami 30-17

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles: Boy, what have injuries done to this game? The Giants have no more receivers left while the Eagles may be without starting quarterback Mike Vick due to a concussion. Without him, this game gets less interesting overall but more important for the NFC East. Pick: Eagles 27-17

Jacksonville Jaguars at Carolina Panthers: One of these teams is not like the other. One of these teams does not belong. I can't believe I'm saying that about a team with Cam Newton at QB...Pick: Carolina 20-13

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings: If the Detroit Lions roll through this game like they have their first two, it will be hard to stop the hype. The Lions are playing like one of the best teams in the NFC and will only gain confidence. However, it's very difficult to win in Minnesota even if they're not as good as past years. Pick: Detroit 34-28

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills: One of these teams will be undefeated after this one. If you have to bet, pick the Bills, as they're 1-19 in their last 20 against New England. The Patriots defense has given up yards in bunches, but been able to keep them off the scoreboard enough to get the victories. The success of Buffalo in this one may hinge on how healthy Stevie Johnson is. Pick: New England 38-35

Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints: There are reasons I can see the Texans winning this one, but I'm just a jaded Houston fan, I can't pick them. I just can't. Pick: New Orleans 42-35

Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers: KC was terrible before Jamaal Charles' unfortunate injury. Now, that offense may be as bad as the 2002 Houston Texans. Pick: San Diego 31-0

New York Jets at Oakland Raiders: This will be a harder game for the Jets than it may appear. Oakland has been sneaky good through two games and has been able to move the ball with McFadden and Co. Rex Ryan has been talking up the healthy Mark Sanchez, who might light up a vulnerable Raiders secondary with Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress. Pick: New York 28-27

Baltimore Ravens at St. Louis Rams: I'm losing faith in the Rams more and more. The Ravens are more impressive than they looked against Tennessee but may not be as good as the team that destroyed the Steelers in Week 1. Injuries may be affecting that defense more than we thought, but the St. Louis offense may not be good enough to take advantage. Pick: Baltimore 21-20

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks: Ick. Ick. Ick. Pick: Arizona 28-24

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This may be the second-most interesting matchup of Sunday as both teams are coming off very emotional victories. Tampa Bay has proven resilient in crunch time as Josh Freeman continues to prove he can be a clutch signal caller. Atlanta's offense has never really clicked this year as Roddy White has struggled to get going. Pick: Tampa Bay 35-31

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: If I had any confidence in the Bears offensive line, I'd think this were a closer matchup. However, Jay Cutler may not make it out of this one alive after Clay Matthews gets done with him. Seriously, did you see what the Saints did to him last week? Multiply that by three. Pick: Green Bay 34-10

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts: After losing their only real early test to Baltimore, the Steelers get two layups to get well. Poor Indy. I'd feel bad for them if I didn't dislike that team so much. Pick: Pittsburgh 28-7

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys: With DeAngelo Hall's comments about going after Tony Romo's ribs, this game could be very chippy. Washington is a surprising 2-0 and could turn the East into quite a race if it wins this one. For Dallas, they need to come out and show in the home opener that they can be a playoff team. The talent is there but injuries may keep things from gelling for a few more weeks (have you seen the Cowboys receiving corps? I think they just called Alvin Harper out of retirement). Pick: Dallas 27-24

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