Last week was absolutely bananas with some crazy finishes and unfortunately I was on the wrong end of some of those wild comeback wins. The Browns, Raiders and Ravens all blew double-digit 4th quarter leads on home field, while the Colts continued their misery on the road in Jacksonville with a shutout loss. Let's look ahead to a tough Week 3 slate of games.
**All betting lines from bet365.com** (Updated Sept. 25)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) @ Cleveland Browns (1-1)
I'm not really sure what to make of this matchup as the Browns have some key defensive injuries that include Jadeveon Clowney sitting this one out and Myles Garrett battling through a neck ailment from last week. Mitch Trubisky has been horrendous through two weeks and I don't see that changing on short rest. Pick: Browns, 20-16.
Line: Browns -4.5
ML: Browns
Spread: Steelers
Baltimore Ravens (1-1) @ New England Patriots (1-1)
J.K. Dobbins will make his regular season debut this week against a stout Pats defense. I don't know how the Ravens let a 35-14 lead slip away at home last week against the Dolphins, but John Harbaugh can't be pleased with that effort. Can Bill Belichick limit Lamar Jackson's opportunities in this one? Pick: Ravens, 23-16.
Line: Ravens -2.5
ML: Ravens
Spread: Ravens
Buffalo Bills (2-0) @ Miami Dolphins (2-0)
This was shaping up to be the game of the week in Miami between two undefeated AFC East rivals. However, the Bills are extremely banged up on defense -- Micah Hyde was placed on IR with a neck injury and Ed Oliver will sit this game out -- and I'm questioning if the Bills have enough to overcome the lack of depth. Pick: Bills, 24-23.
Line: Bills -4.5
ML: Bills
Spread: Dolphins
Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) @ New York Jets (1-1)
The Bengals are off to an 0-2 start, losing both games on field goals with time expiring. I think many people are hitting the panic button on this team, but Joe Burrow isn't one of them. It feels like a dangerous spot here and a winnable game for the Jets, but I'll bank on the Bengals avoiding the 0-3 start. Pick: Bengals, 21-16.
Line: Bengals -6
ML: Bengals
Spread: Jets
Detroit Lions (1-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (1-1)
D'Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson will be available for the Lions in this game, so Jared Goff will have all of his weapons back on offense for a big tilt with the Vikings. Kirk Cousins continues to be abysmal in primetime, falling to 1-10 under the bright lights, and he played one of the worst stretches of football in the second half last week I've ever seen. Will Justin Jefferson blow the top off the secondary? Pick: Vikings, 30-27.
Line: Vikings -6
ML: Vikings
Spread: Lions
Houston Texans (0-1-1) @ Chicago Bears (1-1)
Lovie Smith's defense has played pretty well through the first two weeks and I think they will be able to smother Justin Fields for the most part who hasn't looked great to start the season. Expect this to be a low scoring affair with the team that forces more turnovers to come out on top. Pick: Texans, 16-13.
Line: Bears -3
ML: Texans
Spread: Texans
Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) @ Indianapolis Colts (0-1-1)
The Colts are in a tough spot this week hosting a red hot Chiefs team and they badly need a win to get their season back on track. Matt Ryan reportedly engaged in some heavy talks with his teammates this week in hopes of lighting a spark. I just think it's not the ideal bounce back spot Frank Reich's team is aiming for. Pick: Chiefs, 30-24.
Line: Chiefs -5.5
ML: Chiefs
Spread: Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders (0-2) @ Tennessee Titans (0-2)
Hunter Renfrow is out for this game and Josh Jacobs has missed practice all week with an illness. The Titans were also just embarrassed on Monday night by the Bills and Mike Vrabel is generally really good at getting his team to bounce back and play hard after games like that. Both these teams are desperate for a win and I have to think Derrick Henry has the type of game we've been waiting on from him for two weeks. Pick: Titans, 23-20.
Line: Raiders -2
ML: Titans
Spread: Titans
New Orleans Saints (1-1) @ Carolina Panthers (0-2)
This has the makings of a sloppy defensive game on both sides with Jameis Winston continuing to battle through his rib injury and Baker Mayfield...well, being Baker Mayfield. I think both teams will lean heavily on the run game and look for the Saints' defense to play well. Pick: Saints, 20-16.
Line: Saints -2.5
ML: Saints
Spread: Saints
Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) @ Washington Commanders (1-1)
This is a big NFC East matchup as the Eagles look to maintain their lead on the division in a Carson Wentz revenge spot. Honestly, Wentz has played fairly well to start the year, but he still demonstrates those mental lapses down the stretch that result in costly turnovers. Pick: Eagles, 30-23.
Line: Eagles -6
ML: Eagles
Spread: Eagles
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) @ Los Angeles Chargers (1-1)
I really loved the Chargers in a bounce back spot here with 10 days to prepare, but all signs point to Justin Herbert struggling to get on the field and if he does it will be via a pain injection. Can Chase Daniel step in if needed and give this team a chance to pull out the victory? Pick: Chargers, 20-17.
Line: Chargers -3.5
ML: Chargers
Spread: Jaguars
Atlanta Falcons (0-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
This is a tough game to call with the Falcons nearly pulling off the comeback upset last week over the Rams and they've played some tough games to open the season. I think Marcus Mariota can use his legs to exploit the Seahawks a little bit defensively and the Falcons come away with a road win here. Pick: Falcons, 21-20.
Line: Seahawks -1
ML: Falcons
Spread: Falcons
Green Bay Packers (1-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
Two future Hall-of Fame quarterbacks meet for potentially the last time and Aaron Rodgers is 2-3 lifetime against the Bucs. Tom Brady won't have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for this game and Leonard Fournette is a little bit banged up. I still think Todd Bowles' defense steps up here. Pick: Buccaneers, 23-20.
Line: Buccaneers -1.5
ML: Buccaneers
Spread: Buccaneers
Los Angeles Rams (1-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-1)
Kyler Murray worked some mastery in a comeback win against the Raiders last week and we really saw his potential and creativity to keep the play alive from the pocket. Sean McVay is 6-1 against Kliff Kingsbury and despite the Rams looking out of sorts through two weeks, I think they hold firm in this game. Pick: Rams, 24-20.
Line: Rams -3.5
ML: Rams
Spread: Rams
San Francisco 49ers (1-1) @ Denver Broncos (1-1)
With Trey Lance now out for the season, Jimmy Garoppolo takes the reigns in San Francisco. On the other sideline, Russell Wilson and the Broncos offense has looked out of sorts to start the year and Nathaniel Hackett's decision-making and clock management has been awful. I'm going to lean on the Niners here as I think Kyle Shanahan will draw up some creative plays to keep the Broncos guessing. Pick: 49ers, 24-21.
Line: 49ers -1.5
ML: 49ers
Spread: 49ers
Dallas Cowboys (1-1) @ New York Giants (2-0)
Cooper Rush played a solid game last week and protected the football in a surprise win over the Bengals to keep the Cowboys afloat in the NFC East. Now, they take to the field in a primetime spot against a surprise undefeated Giants squad. This Cowboys defense is special and I think they will force Daniel Jones into some mistakes to sneak away with a win. Pick: Cowboys, 21-17.
Line: Giants -1
ML: Cowboys
Spread: Cowboys
Results
Week 2
ML: 9-7
ATS: 8-8
Overall
ML: 19-13
ATS: 19-13