NFL Week 3 Picks: Giants Win, Jets Lose

If Week 2 of the NFL regular season was "Overreaction Sunday" then Week 3 is going to be "Redemption Sunday", as many teams -- Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and Denver Broncos -- are looking to bounce-back from terrible performances last week. And many other teams, if they didn't get its act together late, could have been in the same -- think New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.

Meanwhile, there are teams like the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs that need to do something, and quick, if they don't want to fall too far behind in the standings early.

With all of this going on, it could be hard from me to create my own rally in Week 3 and rebound from a dreadful 4-10-2 performance in Week 2. I am now 12-18-2 overall and need a very strong week just to get back to .500.

Without further delay, here's my NFL Week 3 picks and predictions:

(All opening line point spreads provided by Oddshark.com.)

New York Giants (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (1-1), Thurs. on NFL Network

Point spread: Giants 2 1/2-point favorite.
Pick: Giants 30, Panthers 27.
Prediction: Though, New York is dealing with a bunch of injuries on the offensive side of the ball. I still think they can score enough points to beat the Panthers and cover the small spread.

St. Louis Rams (1-1) at Chicago Bears (1-1) - 1 p.m. on FOX

Point spread: Bears 10-point favorite.
Pick: Bears 27, Rams 24
Prediction: For the last two weeks, I've stated to not underestimate the Rams defense, and I am sticking with this thought. The Rams may not win this one, but a 10-point spread is way too much for this game.

Buffalo Bills (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (0-2) - 1 p.m. on CBS

Point spread: Bills 3-point favorite.
Pick: Bills 24, Browns 20
Prediction: Last week, Buffalo whooped up on a flat Chiefs team. If they can bring that same intensity against the Browns then this should another solid victory, but playing in Cleveland is always tough.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1) - 1 p.m. on FOX

Point spread: Cowboys 9-point favorite.
Pick: Cowboys 28, Buccaneers 27.
Prediction: My thought of the Cowboys having a Week 2 letdown actually came true -- too bad nothing else did either. However, I feel like Romo helps his team respond with a close victory but not big enough to cover the spread.

Detroit Lions (1-1) at Tennessee Titans (0-2) - 1 p.m. on FOX

Point spread: Even money.
Pick: Lions 35, Titans 10.
Prediction: The Lions didn't play off last Sunday night against the 49ers, who defense is just amazing, especially at home. Detroit stays on the road and easily defeats the Titans.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) at Indianapolis Colts (1-1) - 1 p.m. on CBS

Point spread: Colts 1 1/2-point favorite.
Pick: Colts 24, Jaguars 20.
Prediction: Andrew Luck earns his second victory of his career and everybody starts thinking -- for some reason -- that they could be a Super Bowl team.

New York Jets (1-1) at Miami Dolphins (1-1) - 1 p.m. on CBS

Point spread: Jets 3-point favorite.
Pick: Dolphins 17, Jets 14.
Prediction: I love chaos, and parts of New Jersey will burn after this terrible loss.

San Francisco 49ers (2-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-1) - 1 p.m. on FOX

Point spread: 49ers 6-point favorite.
Pick: 49ers 28, Vikings 17.
Prediction: Did you see how good that 49ers defense was last week against the Lions? And Christian Ponder is going to help the Vikings to a victory? No way.

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at New Orleans Saints (0-2) - 1 p.m. on CBS

Point spread: Saints 9 1/2-point favorite.
Pick: Saints 30, Chiefs 24.
Prediction: Both teams are too talented to fall to 0-3, but by the end of the day that will happen. In the end, New Orleans get the W, however, Kansas City covers the spread.

Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) at Washington Redskins (1-1) - 1 p.m. on CBS

Point spread: Redskins 2-point favorite.
Pick: Redskins 21, Bengals 20.
Prediction: I see another close game here with Robert Griffin III out dueling Andy Dalton. But, if I am laying down money I'd take Cincinnati with the points.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) at Arizona Cardinals (2-0) - 4:05 p.m. on FOX

Point spread: Eagles 5-point favorites.
Pick: Eagles 21, Cardinals 13.
Prediction: Last week, I figured the Eagles were physical enough to down the Ravens. Well, Philadelphia showed a lot last week in its come-from-behind win. If Michael Vick can limit the turnovers, the Eagle should roll as the Cardinals will not sneak up on them this week.

Atlanta Falcons (2-0) at San Diego Chargers (2-0) - 4:05 p.m. on FOX

Point spread: Chargers 1 1/2-point favorite.
Pick: Falcons 27, Chargers 24.
Prediction: Matt Ryan is slowly developing into a stud -- and not just one that everybody thought Phillip Rivers was going to be. In the battle of the young guns, Ryan leads his team to victory.

Houston Texans (2-0) at Denver Broncos (1-1) - 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Point spread: Broncos 1-point favorite.
Pick: Broncos 27, Texans 24.
Prediction: Peyton Manning didn't look great last week, but I am never going to bet against him when he's got a good defense that can play with the physical nature of Houston.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-2) - 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Point spread: Steelers 3-point favorite.
Pick: Steelers 30, Raiders 20.
Prediction: I know Oakland fans say this a lot, but the Raiders really disappointed me last week. So, with that I am expecting them to win after I pick against them.

New England Patriots (1-1) at Baltimore Ravens (1-1) - 8:20 p.m. on NBC

Point spread: Even money.
Pick: Ravens 27, Patriots 24.
Prediction: Both teams will be looking for bounce-back wins. The difference in this game, at least for me, is home-field advantage. It will be nice to see these two battle it out in the playoffs in a few months.

Green Bay Packers (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1) - Monday, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN

Point spread: Packers 6-point favorite.
Pick: Packers 34, Seahawks 20.
Prediction: Aaron Rodgers and the Pack will look to keep things rolling and get NFL experts back on their side after a big victory against Seattle.

Last week's record: 4-10-2. Season record: 12-18-2.