Alex Frank | Sports Director Zach Fries | Staff Reporter Joe Petrosino | Staff Reporter
Ethan Bastian | Staff Reporter Sean McMahon | Staff Reporter
There is no sure thing in the NFL right now.
Some teams like the Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers are living up to their respective expectations.
Other teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins both are surprises at 2-0.
Then there are teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, who have been disappointments so far with both still winless.
For the record, the Sunshine State is currently the best NFL state with three teams at 2-0; the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Of course, I would not post our weekly picks article without mentioning that the hometown Cincinnati Bengals sitting alone atop the AFC North at 2-0.
Here is an update in the #BattlefortheBoathouse and our week three picks.
Alex: 6-5 Zach: 6-5 Joe: 6-5 Ethan: 4-7 Sean: 7-4
Thursday
New York Jets @ Cleveland Browns – 8:20 E.T. on NFL Network (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, Kristina Pink)
Alex: Browns 21 Jets 14 Zach: Browns 24 Jets 21 Joe: Browns 30 Jets 21
Ethan: Browns 20 Jets 17 Sean: Browns 21 Jets 17
Joe: I like the Browns to finally break through tonight. With a defense forcing turnovers left and right and the offense taking care of the ball, I like the experience of quarterback Tyrod Taylor against the rookie, Sam Darnold, who is in his first short week of preparation.
Sunday
Buffalo Bills @ Minnesota Vikings – 1 E.T. on CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
Alex: Vikings 37 Bills 17 Zach: Vikings 31 Bills 13 Joe: Vikings 27 Bills 6
Ethan: Vikings 31 Bills 14 Sean: Vikings 34 Bills 12
Ethan: The Bills vs Vikings, to me, is the easiest game to pick this weekend. The Bills not only look like the worst team in football over the first two weeks, but also have no offensive line to block this pass rush the Vikings have. Add bad quarterback play against arguably one of the best teams in the NFC makes it easy to go with the Vikings.
Green Bay Packers @ Washington Redskins – 1 E.T. on FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis, Pam Oliver)
Alex: Packers 30 Redskins 21 Zach: Packers 23 Redskins 20 Joe: Packers 31 Redskins 20
Ethan: Packers 27 Redskins 24 Sean: Packers 25 Redskins 13
Zach: After a tie versus Minnesota, Green Bay will play away from Lambeau Field for the first time this season. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t practiced this week, but is expected to play. Washington is coming off a 21-9 loss at home versus Indianapolis. It will come down to the wire, but Green Bay will win on a late field goal.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Los Angeles Rams – 4:05 E.T. on CBS (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn)
Alex: Rams 27 Chargers 24 Zach: Rams 28 Chargers 23 Joe: Rams 24 Chargers 17
Ethan: Rams 35 Chargers 28 Sean: Rams 28 Chargers 13
Ethan: Chargers vs Rams, or other words the battle of L.A.. I think both teams will be very successful this season, but the Rams are my pick to come out of the NFC and I’m sticking to it. With all the talent they have on both sides of the ball, and the fact that the Chargers still haven’t learned how to close games in the 4th quarter I have to roll with the Rams.
Dallas Cowboys @ Seattle Seahawks – 4:25 E.T. on FOX (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews)
Alex: Seahawks 24 Cowboys 21 Zach: Seahawks 21 Cowboys 17 Joe: Seahawks 24 Cowboys 20
Ethan: Cowboys 21 Seahawks 17 Sean: Cowboys 16 Seahawks 9
Zach: Dallas picked up a much-needed win last Sunday night versus the Giants. On the other hand, Seattle lost at Chicago on Monday night to fall to 0-2. Seattle is desperate, and CenturyLink Field will be rocking for the home opener. Therefore, I expect Russell Wilson to will Seattle to their first win.
New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions – 8:20 E.T. on NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya)
Alex: Patriots 35 Lions 14 Zach: Patriots 31 Lions 20 Joe: Patriots 38 Lions 24
Ethan: Patriots 38 Lions 31 Sean: Patriots 38 Lions 10
Alex: America’s Game of the Week for week three features two teams badly in need of a win. Unfortunately, when one of those teams is New England, it’s extremely hard to pick against them. The Lions did look better last week at San Francisco than they did in their embarrassing season-opening loss to the Jets, but they are now in a must-win game if they want any shot at contending for a playoff spot. This will be the first time Detroit head coach Matt Patricia faces his former boss in Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and it’s not going to go well. Tom Brady will go out there and do what he does and New England will take care of it’s business as usual.
Monday
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 8:15 E.T. on ESPN (Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland, Lisa Salters)
Alex: Steelers 27 Buccaneers 24 Zach: Steelers 35 Buccaneers 28 Joe: Steelers 33 Buccaneers 31
Ethan: Buccaneers 31 Steelers 30 Sean: Buccaneers 30 Steelers 23
Sean: The Steelers are having a rough start to their season. Running back Le’Veon Bell is just nowhere to be found, which has profoundly hurt the Steelers offense. Their defense isn’t very good either. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, have been playing pretty good football. Starting quarterback Jameis Winston is now on the bench, due to a suspension, and Connor McGregor has taken his place. Sorry, I meant Harvard man Ryan Fitzpatrick. He’s put up impressive numbers. He led them to a solid victory over the Eagles, too.