Sep 19, 2013
Photo Credit: Ron Antonelli-Getty Images
Giants Players Blame the Fans and My Week 3 NFL Picks
Throughout the week, Victor Cruz came out and said that the fans during their loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday could have been louder on third downs. This comes after former Giants center, Shaun O’Hara said that the Giants fans were louder in the old stadium and need to pick it up.
I’ve got news for you guys. It is not the job of the fans to be loud at the games. The fans do not get paid to be at the games. They pay hundreds, some thousands, of dollars to be there. It is not their fault that the Giants have 10 turnovers in their first two games. It is not their fault that Eli Manning has thrown 7 Interceptions in the first two games. The fans are there to enjoy the game and get their money’s worth. With the way the Giants have played in their first two games, the fans have not been getting their money’s worth.
Don’t blame the fans for your lack of effort and preparation for a big home game against the Broncos after a terrible loss to the Cowboys to start 0-2. Where is the sense of urgency? Where is the fire that Giants fans have grown accustomed to during the Eli Manning-Tom Coughlin era? If they don’t show it this week against a Carolina Panthers team that is vastly inferior to this Giants team, than they will be toast.
Now for my Week 3 Picks.
Chiefs +3 over the Eagles
Andy Reid is returning to Philadelphia for the first time since leaving there as head coach. This will be a very emotional game for Reid and a very emotional win for Kansas City.
Packers -3 over the Bengals
The Green Bay Packers have scored a lot of points over their first two games, 66 points to be exact. They are clicking offensively on all cylinders while the Cincinnati Bengals have not been clicking offensively. The Bengals will be a very good team this year but I don’t think that they can score with the Packers just yet.
Cowboys -4 over the Rams
The Dallas Cowboys are home and are coming off a 1 point loss to the Chiefs while the Rams are coming off a 7 point loss to the Falcons. This will be a close game but for some reason, I see the Cowboys pulling away late in this one and winning by 6.
Chargers +3 over the Titans
Both of these teams have been very pleasant surprises over the first two games of the season. The Chargers began the season with an overtime loss to the Texans and then a 33-30 win over the Eagles in Philadelphia. The Titans were able to win a tight defensive battle against the Steelers in Pittsburgh and lost an overtime game in week 2 against the Texans. The reason why I am picking the Chargers is because they are scoring and scoring a lot. I just don’t believe that the Titans defense can stop a red hot Chargers offense as many times as they will need to and their offense isn’t good enough to keep up.
Vikings -8 over the Browns
The Browns were expected to be one of the more improved teams coming into this season. Then, they lost their first two games and traded arguably their best player, Trent Richardson, to the Colts for a first round draft pick. So, this week against the Vikings they will not have Richardson and probably will be without their Quarterback, Brandon Weeden due to injury. Most weeks, you would never see me pick the Vikings to win a game by 8 points or more but I just don’t know how the Browns are going to score any points this week, let alone 8.
Buccaneers +9 over the Patriots
The Patriots are favored by 9 points against a Buccaneers team that has only given up 34 points this year. Yes they are 0-2 but they have only lost those two games by a total of 3 points so they can easily be 2-0 right now. On the other hand, the Patriots have won their 2 games by a total of 5 points so they could easily be 0-2 right now. The Patriots will probably win this game but by less than 9 points.
Cardinals +9 over the Saints
In my opinion, the spread is way too high for this game as well. Neither team has played well enough to be given a spread this high. The Saints have been expected to be an offensive juggernaut this year with the return of Sean Payton and they haven’t been. In fact the Cardinals have scored 24 points and 25 points respectively while the Saints have scored 23 points and 16 points respectively. That is why I am picking the Saints to win this game but they will not win this game by 9 points. This game may even be closer than people think and come down to a last minute field goal.
Lions +1 over the Redskins
The Redskins haven’t done anything to show me that they are for real. Offensively, they can’t do anything with the ball unless they are down by 20 points and defensively, they give up a ton of points to give their offense a 20 point hole. The Lions have looked much better on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball than they did last season and Calvin Johnson has finally found where the end zone is again. If the Redskins don’t get off to a fast start offensively, this game could get ugly for them fast.
Giants +1 over the Panthers
There is no way that the Giants could start the season 0-3 right? Not with Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning. Whenever this team has their backs against the wall and nobody believes in them, they come back and show everybody why they have won two Super bowls in the last five years and what makes them the New York Football Giants. Expect a blowout.
Texans -3 over the Ravens
After two overtime wins in the first two weeks, the Texans look to go 3-0 with a win against the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens. Obviously, the Ravens aren’t the same team this year with the losses of Anquan Boldin, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Dennis Pitta and Ray Rice doesn’t look like the same dominant force that he has been. This game may be close at first but look for the Texans to pull away late.
Falcons +1 over the Dolphins.
The Falcons are a bit hobbled right now with injuries to Stephen Jackson, Roddy White, and Julio Jones. Expect Jones to play in this game but White and Jackson will probably sit out but they still have Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez, two guys who can still get this job done. Since this game is basically a pick game with a 1 point spread, I am going to take the Falcons in a close one by a field goal.
Jets -1 over the Bills
The Jets and Bills have both played much better than expected so far this season and both teams are 1-1. They also both came very close to beating the Patriots and won close games against the Panthers for the Bills and Buccaneers for the Jets. Since this game will be played in New York, I am going to take the Jets in a nailbiter.
49ers -11 over the Colts
The 49ers are coming off an embarrassing 29-3 loss in Seattle last week to the Seahawks and are looking to bounce back against a 1-1 Colts team. The Colts are also coming off a 4 -point loss to the Dolphins last week at home. Both teams have high expectations for themselves this year and don’t want to start the season 1-2. Opposed to the Colts, the 49ers were in the Super Bowl last season and they are a much better football team than the Colts right now coming off a terrible loss. They will be home this week looking to let out their frustrations and I believe they will in a blowout.
Seahawks -19 over the Jaguars
The Seahawks are coming off a huge 29-3 victory over the defending NFC Champion 49ers at home last Sunday night and are looking to build on that against a dreadful Jacksonville Jaguars team. 19 points is a very high spread to give a team but the Jaguars offense is so bad that they can barely score against a mediocre defense. Seattle’s defense is far from mediocre and should win by more than 19 points.
Bears -3 over the Steelers
It is so odd to see a Steelers team as an underdog at home in the third week of the season but this season, this Steelers team is given 3 points to a Bears team that is playing very well. The Bears are 2-0 and facing a desperate Steelers team trying not to start their season 0-3 but these Steelers don’t look like the Steelers that we are accustomed to seeing. They look old, they cant protect the quarterback and they can’t run the football. On the other hand, the defense has looked pretty good. For the Bears, they have been clicking on all cylinders especially their new addition, Martellus Bennett. Look for the Bears to win by 7.
Raiders + 17 over the Broncos
The 1-1 Raiders will be heading to Denver this weekend to face the 2-0 Broncos who are red hot and coming off a 41-23 win in New York over the Giants. This will be a very tough game for the Raiders but in a divisional matchup, look for the Raiders to keep it close for the most part. The Raiders have played very well so far this season with a close loss to the Colts in week 1 and a 10 point win over the Jaguars in week 2. Look for the Broncos to pull away late and win by 10.
Those are my picks for the week. Check back next week for my picks for Week 4.
