Off The Cover - Week 3 Picks

Well, that didn't take long. I managed to start Week 3 by putting out an earlier pick on Green Bay -6½ against Atlanta, and then promptly watched the Falcons cover, and then some!. That's an 0-1 for me this week. Not exactly the redemption tour I was hoping for, but that's the nature of this business. So, we're putting that one in the rearview mirror and heading into Sunday with 14 more opportunities to get it right.

Here are the sides I'm taking against the number:

NFL SPREADS – WEEK 03

• Buffalo Bills -7: Buffalo has looked like the more complete team early, and I'm willing to lay the touchdown at home against the Chargers.
• Carolina Panthers -2½: Carolina has already shown it can put points on the board, and I'm taking the Panthers to handle business against Cleveland.
• New York Jets +6½: Six-and-a-half points feels like a little too much in this one, so I'm grabbing the Jets and expecting them to hang around.
• Houston Texans -2½: Houston gets the nod at home, and I'm trusting the Texans to make enough plays on both sides of the ball to get past Indianapolis.
• New England Patriots +3: Give me the points with New England in what I expect to be a tight game against Jacksonville.
• Kansas City Chiefs -11½: That's a big number, but Kansas City has the firepower to create separation, and I'm betting the Chiefs eventually pull away from Miami.
• Tennessee Titans +2½: I'll take the points with Tennessee and bet on the Titans to keep this one close against the Giants.
• Cincinnati Bengals -3½: Joe Burrow and the Bengals are 2-0, and Burrow's message this week has been simple — “be 1-0 this week”; I'm trusting Cincinnati to carry that approach into Pittsburgh and cover the number.
• Washington Commanders +7: A full touchdown is too much for me to give Washington, and I'm expecting the Commanders to make Seattle work for this one.
• San Francisco 49ers -8½: San Francisco has looked like one of the more complete teams in the NFC, and I'm laying the points against Arizona.
• Minnesota Vikings -1½: I'll take Minnesota to win this one outright, with the Vikings getting just enough from both sides of the football to cover the short number.
• New Orleans Saints -3: I'm siding with New Orleans here, and Matt Schaub's read on the Saints gives me another reason to believe they can take care of business against Las Vegas.
• Los Angeles Rams -2½: The Rams get the slight edge at home, and I'm expecting them to do enough against Denver to win by a field goal or more.
• Philadelphia Eagles -4½: Philadelphia has too much firepower for me to ignore here, and I'm laying the points with the Eagles against Chicago.

That's the Week 3 card — 15 picks, one bad start, and plenty of time to redeem myself!!