Week Three Pick ‘ems 

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-1)

I think the Pittsburgh-St. Louis game will be one of the best games to watch this upcoming weekend. The big question about this game will be regarding which St. Louis team shows up — the team that beat Seattle in week one or the team that lost (depressingly) to Washington in week two. In week two, the Rams managed to engineer just over 200 yards of offense after putting up more than 350 the prior week. On top of the 150-yard difference in offensive productivity, the 350 yards were against the Seahawks.

It doesn’t matter that the Steelers are 1-1. Big Ben has thrown for 720 yards in the first two weeks (averaging 360 per game) and has made the Steelers offense a force to be reckoned with. In part due to the success of the passing game and in part because of DeAngelo Williams, who has managed to give the Steelers’ running game some strength in the wake of the injured Le’Veon Bell. I can’t wait to see how the Steelers play when Bell returns.

Steelers 30 Rams 20

Buffalo Bills (1-1) at Miami Dolphins (1-1)

In what I viewed as a big upset, the Jaguars beat the Dolphins 23-20 in week two. Ryan Tannehill didn’t play badly, throwing for 359 yards and two touchdowns on 30 of 44 passes, but the big shock was Miami’s running game. Lamar Miller was even more disappointing in week two compared to week one, running for only 14 yards on 10 carries. The Jaguars’ defense certainly deserves some credit, but then again, this was a game where the Dolphins were not only expected to win but also needed to win. Instead, they’ll host the Bills, who have looked tough as nails so far.

I don’t care if the Bills let up 40 points and over 500 yards to the Patriots last weekend. Buffalo still put up 380 yards of offense and 32 points. In no world did I see them beating the Patriots; for that to happen, the Bills would have to play like, well, not the Bills. Despite Tyrod Taylor’s three interceptions, he did throw for three touchdowns and completed 77 percent of his passes for 242 yards. Without the three interceptions, the Bills probably would’ve won. Still, I saw a lot of positives for the Bills.

Bills 30 Dolphins 24

Chicago Bears (0-2) at Seattle Seahawks (0-2)

Simply put, the Bears’ season is over. Even though they faced two strong teams in Arizona and Green Bay, they were two huge losses at home. The Bears’ defense is allowing nearly 40 points per game and Jay Cutler could potentially miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury that he sustained after throwing an interception. After taking over for Cutler last week and throwing for 121 yards and a pick, Jimmy Clausen will start for the Bears as they head into Seattle, probably the toughest NFL stadium to play in.

I don’t think anyone could have thought that the Seahawks would start the season 0-2, especially after acquiring Jimmy Graham in the offseason. Yet, their defensive struggles this season (61 points allowed), which could maybe be solved if they came to terms with Kam Chancellor. Chancellor is still holding out on contract terms, and it might be time for the Seahawks to pay the man what he wants. Fortunately for the Seahawks, they host the Bears in their first home game of the season. Coupled with the fact that the Bears look terrible are CenturyLink Field’s noise levels; it may as well be sayonara for the Bears. 

Bears 13 Seahawks 31

Denver Broncos (2-0) at Detroit Lions (0-2)

If you managed to catch the Broncos game last weekend, you’re as shocked as I am that they managed to come away with the win. Despite struggling early in the game, Peyton Manning managed to put his team in a position to win, connecting with Emmanuel Sanders on a 19-yard touchdown with 36 seconds left. Nine seconds later, Jamaal Charles fumbled the ball, and Bradley Roby picked it up and put the Broncos on top with 27 seconds remaining — a 14 point swing in nine seconds. The Broncos running game still fell short as Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson combined for 61 yards on 21 carries. While my confidence in the Broncos hasn’t changed, they do go into week three playing the Lions.

The Detroit Lions may as well be a mirror image of the Denver Broncos. Neither team can run the football, and they both rely on their quarterbacks to throw 45-plus passes a game. Unfortunately for the Lions, their quarterback isn’t named Peyton Manning, and their luck hasn’t been as generous as the Broncos’ has. Yes, the Lions haven’t had a game at home yet, which is certainly something to take note of, but regardless, their defense has let up 557 passing yards this season. No matter how poorly either of these teams played, Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning.

Broncos 35 Lions 24

Philadelphia Eagles (0-2) at New York Jets (2-0)

I won’t discuss this game too much, but I’m going to continue to ride the Jets wagon until they lose. Gang green is back. Jets to 3-0.

Eagles 14 Jets 24

 

Last Week’s Record: 2-2

Season Record: 4-3

 

 

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