We are officially 1/8th of the way through the 2018 NFL season. Week 3 is upon us, and it kicks off with the Cleveland Browns hosting the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. Neither team is going to make the playoffs this year, but they have shown some signs of life through the first two weeks. Maybe TNF won’t be a bore!
It’s time once again for our pick ‘em and Survivor pool contest options. We have the weekly prediction contest this season, and you can make those picks here. We also have a traditional “Pick ‘Em” contest. If you still want to join, the group name is Niners Nation, the group ID is 45734, and the password is go49ers. You’re pretty far behind, but feel free to join.
Survivor pools continue. I took the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, and went with the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. The Cleveland Browns gave them a scare, but the Browns did Browns things, and the Saints managed the win. This week, the Minnesota Vikings are going to be incredibly popular as a 17 point favorite at home against Buffalo. The pick is a safe one, but I’m leaning toward Chicago over Oakland Arizona. It’s a road game, which is concerning, but that Bears defense looks really good. Another option would be Miami over Oakland, but the Dolphins are not the most inspiring of teams.
Tonight, Week 3 opens with the Jets and Browns squaring off. The Jets thumped the Lions on the road in their opener and then lost an ugly one at home to Miami. Cleveland tied Pittsburgh in Week 1, and then lost a heartbreaker in Week 2 — and both games would have swung the other way with an adequate kicker. The Browns are a three point favorite, marking the first time they’ve been home favorites since 2015. I don’t have a great feel for this one, but given how the Browns have played thus far against the Steelers and Saints, I’m going to lay the points
Here are the rest of my straight-up picks. I was 10-5-1 last week, bringing my season record to 20-10-2. I’ll have my picks against the spread later this weekend.
Jets @ Browns: Browns
Saints @ Falcons: Falcons
49ers @ Chiefs: Chiefs
Raiders @ Dolphins: Dolphins
Bills @ Vikings: Vikings
Colts @ Eagles: Eagles
Packers @ Washington: Washington
Bengals @ Panthers: Bengals
Titans @ Jaguars: Jaguars
Broncos @ Ravens: Ravens
Giants @ Texans: Texans
Chargers @ Rams: Rams
Bears @ Cardinals: Bears
Cowboys @ Seahawks: Seahawks
Patriots @ Lions: Patriots
Steelers @ Buccaneers: Bucs