All times are 1:00 p.m. ET unless otherwise noted.
THURSDAY
Carolina @ Houston 8:20 P.M. ET
Jake: Panthers
Now that Tyrod’s hurt the Texans are a bad team again.
Sam: Panthers
Sam Darnold and his Panthers look legit! That being said, even if they didn't look legit this would still be an easy pick. The Texans are terrible.
Johnny: Panthers
SUNDAY
New Orleans @ New England
Jake: Patriots
Jameis has improved a lot but given Belichick’s ability to confuse quarterbacks with creative blitz packages and disguised coverages—as well as the fact that they lead the league in interceptions—I think this one’s going to look a lot like the Jameis of old. Also: he played like old Jameis last week.
Sam: Saints
I’m hesitant about this one, since Jameis looked like old Jameis last week and the Patriots defense already has 5 interceptions on the year. This game certainly could blow up in the Saints face and not be close, but I still think New Orleans outguns New England.
Johnny: ____
We saw how Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo’s defense treated Zach Wilson, I think they can do similar damage to Jameis Winston’s mind
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Jake: Titans
I liked Jacob Eason as a quarterback prospect last year, and from all accounts (including a solid preseason) he’s improved a lot from when he was drafted to now. Nonetheless, I don’t think he’s ready to beat a team at the level of the Titans, especially with Derrick Henry’s ability to control the clock.
Sam: Titans
Johnny: Titans
It’s truly impeccable how often Derrick Henry keeps CARRYING Ryan Tannehill on his back. Tannehill is holding this team back BIG TIME, a team that already has AJ Brown, and replaced Corey Davis with Julio Jones! With all of this being said, the Colts are very beatable, even more so without Carson Wentz, so Tennessee should improve to 2-1.
Atlanta @ New York (N)
Jake: Giants
Daniel Jones looked really good last week, and the Falcons secondary (and defense in general) is still a joke. The Giants defense hasn’t played well either, but they are better than they’ve played.
Sam: Giants
Johnny: Giants
Atlanta showed a little hope last week for a few drives against the Bucs, but I can’t see them winning this weekend
Los Angeles (A) @ Kansas City
Jake: Chiefs
Sam: Chiefs
The way that I see it, last week’s Chiefs loss showed us that the Ravens are serious, not that the Chiefs aren't. Kansas City still has one of the best offenses I’ve ever seen and the Chargers have looked just a little worse than expected so far.
Johnny: Chiefs
I expect LA to keep up with Mahomes, but there’s a curse that Herbert hasn’t overcome yet: The Chargers can’t win close games
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
Jake: Steelers
Burrow has been struggling without an offensive line, and while the Steelers lost key pieces on defense—such as Bud Dupree and Mike Hilton—Burrow is still going to have TJ Watt and crew in his face all game.
Sam: Steelers
Both of these teams had fairly close losses last week that were largely unexpected, but the difference is the Steelers lost to the Raiders and the Bengals lost to the Bears.
Johnny: Bengals
Big Ben could get the last laugh, but I’m expecting a bounce back performance from Joe Burreaux
Chicago @ Cleveland
Jake: Browns
Sam: Browns
Johnny: Browns
Stefanski > Nagy
Mayfield > Fields
Browns > Bears
Baltimore @ Detroit
Jake: Ravens
Sam: Ravens
Johnny: Ravens
Can’t wait for some #GoffGarbageTime
Arizona @ Jacksonville
Jake: Cardinals
Sam: Cardinals
Johnny: Cardinals
It will be interesting to see how Trevor Lawerence responds to this lethal Cards pass rush
Washington @ Buffalo
Jake: Bills
Sam: Bills
Johnny: Bills
New York (A) @ Denver 4:05 p.m. ET
Jake: Broncos
The Broncos have looked like a contender this year. Bridgewater has been a massive upgrade over Drew Lock, and it was only a matter of time before the uber-talented defense became a top 3-5 unit in the league.
Sam: Broncos
Denver has an underrated defense this year, and the addition Teddys Bridgewater has made the offense consistent and passable. Zach Wilson will struggle again and Bridgewater will put up enough points to keep it from being a competitive game.
Johnny: Broncos
Teddy B at it again!
Miami @ Las Vegas 4:05 p.m. ET
Jake: Raiders
Sam: Raiders
Johnny: Raiders
Carr is a September MVP Candidate, Tua is not
Tampa Bay @ Los Angeles (N) 4:25 p.m. ET
Jake: Bucs
Sam: Buccaneers
The Rams are back and this is going to be the game of the week. The Rams defense will give Brady his toughest test in a little while and the Matt Stafford led LA offense will make it a very interesting matchup, but I still expect Tampa to come out on top.
Johnny: Bucs
I wish this game was later in the year with more playoff implications known, but this will definitely set the headlines for the NFC favorite for the rest of they season
Seattle @ Minnesota 4:25 p.m. ET
Jake: Seahawks
Sam: Seahawks
We’re witnessing the annual “Russell Wilson looks like the MVP for the first half of the season”! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! If this was a late season matchup there's a real chance that Vikings would win but in week three Seattle wins by a million.
Johnny: Seahawks
Like I said last week, Russ will throw around 32 TDs until what is formerly known as Columbus Day, then we’ll see where it goes from there
Green Bay @ San Francisco 8:20 p.m. ET
Jake: Packers
Sam: Green Bay
The 49ers opened the season with an 8 point win against the Lions, who Aaron Rodgers had a 145 passer rating against last week in their 18 point win. The Pack is back (even though they never left) and San Francisco is just in the way.
Johnny: 49ers
MONDAY
Philadelphia @ Dallas 8:15 p.m. ET
Jake: Cowboys
Sam: Cowboys
Johnny: Cowboys
Just what we need, the NFC-Least in the spotlight and another Cowboys primetime slot!