Seattle Seahawks (3-0) at Houston Texans (2-1)
The Seahawks absolutely crushed the Jaguars last weekend in a 45-17 blowout, so much so that they took Russell Wilson out and let backup Tarvaris Jackson take over. Meanwhile, Houston had a more difficult time than expected in Baltimore last weekend getting blown out by 21. The Texans, prior to this week, looked relatively strong as they put up 31 points in week two and 30 points in week one. This past week, they struggled offensively going 3-12 on third down conversions.
Before the Seahawks put up 45 points this week, I had concerns about how they would match up against teams with an offensive powerhouse; needless to say, I've been proven wrong. Seattle is favored by three points and justifiably so after their performances in the past two weeks. However, despite the point spread, Seattle never seems to play as well on the road as they do at home. In fact, they only beat Carolina by a mere five points in their week one road game. Because of this inability, the Texans are looking like the clear pick in this one. Seahawks 17 Texans 24
Chicago Bears (3-0) at Detroit Lions (2-1)
Both the Bears and the Lions are coming off of week two wins. The Bears took care of a weak Pittsburgh team in Pittsburgh, winning by a wide 17 points. Despite allowing 459 yards, a very unusual statistic for the strong Bears' defense, they were able to limit the Steelers' offense to only 23 points by causing 5 turnovers. In addition, Jay Cutler is doing a surprisingly good job of not turning the ball over, something he has struggled to do until this season. Without Reggie Bush, the Lions were still able to take care of business in Washington, improving their record to 2-1 with a dominant passing game led by Matthew Stafford. This week, they'll be without Nate Burleson, who totaled six catches for 116 yards on Sunday after an unusual car accident that resulted in a broken arm and most likely the end of his season.
The Bears are hot this season. Everything is working: their passing game, running game, running defense and passing defense (despite last week's fluke). Bears 31 Lions 21
New England Patriots (3-0) at Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
Despite many injuries, the Patriots have started off the season 3-0. They haven't done anything incredible stat-wise, which is very non-Patriot-like. Tom Brady is playing like Tom Brady despite having a brand new receiving core. He hasn't done anything crazy but has still managed to put the Patriots in a great position thus far. The Falcons are 1-2 but their record doesn't do justice to the way they've played. They've lost their two games by a combined 10 points. This past weekend, they played well but lost on a Miami touchdown with less than a minute left in the game. It's always tough to beat the Falcons at home and I think the Patriots will learn that the hard way this week and pick up their first loss of the season. The Falcons are favored by two points and I believe that the game will be as close as the point spread says it will be. Patriots 20 Falcons 23
Dallas Cowboys (2-1) at San Diego Chargers (1-2)
Despite the Chargers 1-2 record, they've lost both games by a combined six points. They've looked pretty good this season, though their defense has been the cause of both of their losses allowing 452 yards last week against the Titans and 449 yards against the Texans in week one. Their offense is playing well but not well enough to make up for their weak defense.
The Cowboys demolished the Rams in a 31-7 beat-down in AT&T Stadium, formerly known as "the house that Jerry Jones built." Despite my initial reluctance to pick the Cowboys at the beginning of the season, Dallas has been playing great football. Their new, yet old (73 years old), defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has seemed to fix all the problems that Dallas had last year. Even though the game is in San Diego, expect Dallas to prove to the league just how good they are. Cowboys 30 Chargers 24
New York Giants (0-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)
The only thing worse than being a Jets fan in New York this season is being a Giants fan. The Giants were blown out 38-0 in Carolina last weekend in an embarrassing performance. The G-Men let up more than two and a half times the amount of yards that they put up; 150 yards to the Panthers' 402 yards. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs have already won more games this year than they have last year. They've won their three games by a combined 37 points and have proved that they're a team to be reckoned with despite their abysmal recent past. If the Giants hope to make the playoffs, they need to turn it around this week. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening against a 3-0 Chiefs team. Giants 17 Chiefs 30
– By Adam Troyetsky
