Welcome back for another round of picks! Week 3 of Thursday Night Football is upon us, with the New York Giants hosting Washington in an NFC East showdown. Washington is coming off a surprisingly easy win over the St. Louis Rams. The Rams had beaten Seattle the week before, and could really get nothing going against Washington. The Giants managed to become the first time (I think ever) to blow double digit fourth quarter leads in consecutive weeks.
Washington sits at 1-1, while the Giants are 0-2. Although the Dallas Cowboys lead the division at 2-0, it is officially wide open now that Tony Romo and Dez Bryant are both going to miss extensive time. The Giants and Eagles are both 0-2 eight now, but even at two games back with divisional losses, they are very much in the mix in what could be a wild division this season.
I'll be posting my picks against the spread on Saturday, but for today, I have posted my straight up picks down below, as well as my ATS pick for TNF. You can view the NN pick 'em contest results over here. I put together a 7-9 week, which dropped me to 14th in our 100-person group.
The 49ers face the Cardinals in Week 3, and naturally I am picking the 49ers to win. This is a tough one, facing a Cardinals team coming off two solid wins. They faced a pair of winless teams in the Saints and Bears, but I think this Cardinals team is solid. If Carson Palmer can stay healthy, I think they stand an excellent chance at winning the division. And considering the Seahawks are off to an 0-2 start, the Cardinals are in a great position. The 49ers are a 6.5-point underdog, but are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 at Arizona.
For Thursday Night Football, I have the Giants winning and covering the 3.5-point spread. This is a tough one to call given the divisional nature, but I think the Giants offense is able to do enough. Eli Manning will be without his left tackle, but I don't think that will be enough of a difference-maker this week. I don't think this will be a blowout, but I think New York can cover.
Here are my Week 3 picks for our pick 'em contest.
Washington @ Giants: Giants
Falcons @ Cowboys: Falcons
Colts @ Titans: Colts
Raiders @ Browns: Browns
Bengals @ Ravens: Bengals
Jaguars @ Patriots: Patriots
Saints @ Panthers: Panthers
Eagles @ Jets: Jets
Bucs @ Texans: Texans
Chargers @ Vikings: Vikings
Steelers @ Rams: : Steelers
49ers @ Cardinals: : 49ers
Bills @ Dolphins: Dolphins
Bears @ Seahawks: Seahawks
Broncos @ Lions: Lions
Chiefs @ Packers: Packers