NFL Week 3 Picks

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NFL Week 3 Schedule

The 3^rd week of the NFL regular season is scheduled as following:

Carolina Panthers vs. New York Giants; Giants to Win

The Odds

Both teams in this match-up have a subpar defense, which is why they rely mostly on their offense to win the games.  This means it is a battle between offenses, where the defenses will have a slightly less role to play; not entirely, as the defense could surprise.

This is going to be a competitive matchup, as both teams are 1 – 1. As mentioned above, this game will depend greatly on the offenses, and only slightly on the defense. The Giants have a slight advantage over the Panthers, in the sense that their passing game is much better. The Panthers pass coverage is average compared to the rest of the league’s, which could stop a couple of the Giants passing plays.

With Super Bowl champ, QB Eli Manning, throwing for an average of 361.5 yards per game, will be able to pass it to one of three main receivers; WR Victor Cruz, WR Hakeem Nicks, and TE Martellus Bennett. These three players are able to compliment Manning’s passing, which have been spot on. The Giants defense may not be the best in the League, but they have shown good depth at covering the passes and even intercepting them; this will benefit the Giants as they cover the Panther QB, Cam Newton.

As it stands, the Giants will win the match, and with such a low point spread, it is more than likely that they will beat the spread as well. With the offenses doing most of the playing, the final score will be high.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints; Saints to Win

The Odds

With both of these teams proving that they lack a proper defense, which is evidenced by their 0 – 2 records. Even though the Saints have a losing record, they are more likely to win due to two factors, home field advantage and a much better offensive passing game. It has been proven once and again that even if a team has the best rushing offense in the League, they cannot win games based on that alone. The Chiefs may have a good offense, and a better defense than the Saints, but the Saints have better QB coverage. The Chiefs QB, Matt Cassel, has already been sacked 8 times in just two matches; it is an impressively high amount. The Saints defense, even though one of the worst in the League, will be able to do a good job at harassing the QB.

The Saints have lost their first two games, but they were able to score a lot regardless; the KC Chiefs were not as lucky, they lost without posting high scores. With this in mind, the Saints could beat the point spread.

Houston Texans vs. Denver Broncos; Texans to Win

The Odds

This is going to be an intense match-up. Both of these teams have great defense, although the Texans defense has been extremely efficient. Their defensive line is what is going to stop the average Bronco offense. It can be said that the Houston Texans have a top ranking NFL team; the one area that they are still lacking in is their passing game.

The Broncos have Peyton Manning, one of the best quarterbacks in the League; however, it would seem he is past his prime and has had a hard time adjusting to his new team. He has had 3 interceptions and 5 sacks in the two previous matches; these are not great stats for a QB to have. On the other hand, the Texans have one of the best defenses in the League so far, and they will be able to shut down most of the passing plays that Manning can dish out. By stopping the Broncos main weapon, they will be able to assure that the Broncos won’t be able to score as much. OLB Von Miller has been able to get 3 sacks so far, and with the lack of proper QB blocking, Miller is going to be able to get in Peyton Manning’s face.

On top of the excellent defense, the Texans have been posting up high scores thanks to their solid rushing game, and they average passing game. With these two factors complementing each other, the Texans are sure to win, even if they are playing on the road.

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots; Patriots to Win

The Odds

Both of these teams are very well matched when it comes to the offense. They each have an excellent passing and rushing game, and are able to post high scores each match. In the end, the defense will prevail for the New England Patriots. The Patriot defense has been able to keep the opponents from scoring high, even if they have lost one match so far. The Ravens defense has also done a good job, but are still lacking, and that is where the Patriots are going to take advantage.

The Patriots, along with their superior offense and defense, will be able to beat the Ravens while playing on the road.

Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks; Seahawks to Win

The Odds

This is a pretty balanced match, and should be a very fun game to watch; with the teams being so balanced, the scores may end up being low. Both teams have a good defense, but are lacking in one area, which the opposing team could take advantage of.  The Seahawks will end up using their better rushing game to break through the poor rush defense that the Packers have; however, solely depending on the rush game is not an efficient way of playing, let alone winning games. The Packers have won their first match of the season, and that combined with the fact that it will be their first road game, they could be out to prove themselves.

The Packers defense has done a great job at stopping any form of pass plays, with a total of 11 sacks in just two matches; with the Seahawks QB, Russell Wilson being prone to sacks, it isn’t promising. This game will certainly be determined by how well the Packers stop the Seahawks rushing plays, and are able to create their own passing options.

It will be a close game, but the Packers will still take the victory. Based on how their defenses play, the final score will be low.

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