THURSDAY
Jacksonville @ Cincinnati 8:20 p.m. ET | NFLN
Jake: Bengals
Burrow vs Lawrence. I’m sure the NFL thought this 2020 CFP Championship game rematch would be more of a head-turner than this blowout will be.
Sam: Bengals
Johnny: Bengals
SUNDAY
Tennessee @ New York (A) 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS
Jake: Titans
Unfortunately an easy pick in Corey Davis’s first matchup against his former team.
Sam: Titans
The Titans seem to have taken a step back, or at least are having a slow start, but the Jets are terrible. The team’s failure isn't Zach Wilson’s fault but he also isn't doing them any favors. The first winnable game will be next week vs the Falcons, but week four is a lost cause.
Johnny: Titans
Kansas City @ Philadelphia 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS
Jake: Chiefs
Sam: Chiefs
Johnny: Chiefs
Carolina @ Dallas 1:00 p.m. ET | FOX
Jake: Cowboys
This Cowboys team looks very legit: especially defensively. Darnold has played exceptionally well, but with no CMC I think it’s gonna be difficult for him to dice up this much improved secondary.
Sam: Cowboys
Sam Darnold has been excellent so far, as some very smart people said he would be. With that being said, in a full week without Christian McCaffrey, against the Panthers hardest opponent yet, it’s going to be hard to pull out a win.
Johnny: Cowboys
New York (N) @ New Orleans 1:00 p.m. ET | FOX
Jake: Saints
Daniel Jones has quietly played very solid this year: 4 total TDs to 1 turnover with 314.4 total YPG. The Saints pass rush will overpower the Giants line though, and the receiving core will be shut down by the Saints secondary. Not to mention the Giants defense has grossly underperformed.
Sam: Saints
Johnny: Saints
Cleveland @ Minnesota 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS
Jake: Vikings
Kirk has been absolutely rolling this year, and I’m still patiently waiting for the Browns to pull a Browns.
Sam: Browns
Johnny: Browns
Detroit @ Chicago 1:00 p.m. ET | FOX
Jake: Bears
The Bears still have an upper-tier level defense, and Jared Goff is still the Jared Goff that can’t stand up to creative pressure packages.
Sam: Lions
This is an early contender for toilet bowl of the year. Both teams are bad, but the Lions did almost beat the Ravens last week (only to be stopped by the greatest field goal of all time) and the Bears are fresh off one of the worst games in football history. The Bears will come out angry and play much better than last week, but not good enough.
Johnny: Lions
Houston @ Buffalo 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS
Jake: Bills
Sam: Bills
The Texans haven't looked quite as bad as expected, and contrary to popular expectations they aren't, and aren't particularly close to being, the worst team in the league, at least so far. Is the Texans overperformance enough to compete with the Bills? Ha! don't kid yourself.
Johnny: Bills
Indianapolis @ Miami 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS
Jake: Colts
No Tua, no win
Sam: Dolphins
Johnny: Dolphins
Washington @ Atlanta 1:00 p.m. ET | FOX
Jake: Football Team
The Football team has been much worse than expected, but the Falcons have been as bad as expected.
Sam: Football Team
Johnny: Football Team
Seattle @ San Francisco 4:05 p.m. ET | FOX
Jake: 49ers
I want to pick the Seahawks to be contrarian, but their defense has played like the first half Seahawks defense last season.
Sam: 49ers
Johnny: 49ers
Arizona @ Los Angeles (N) 4:05 p.m. ET | FOX
Jake: Rams
Once again, I’m a huge fan of Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, and I think they have it in them to do some damage this season now that they have Chandler Jones back and JJ Watt, who isn’t the same player but can still command a double team every now and then. The Rams now have a real QB though, and given their team defensive prowess over the years, it was a long time coming for them to get a very QB, and Stafford is gonna do just enough to win in this one.
Sam: Rams
Johnny: Rams
Pittsburgh @ Green Bay 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Jake: Packers
Sam: Packers
Johnny: Packers
Baltimore @ Denver 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Jake: Ravens
Bradley Chubb is out for a few weeks and Lamar will have a much easier time in and out of the pocket as a result.
Sam: Ravens
Johnny: Ravens
Tampa Bay @ New England 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC
Jake: Bucs
Rip
Sam: Buccaneers
Johnny: Sadness
MONDAY
Las Vegas @ Los Angeles (A) 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN (No “Peyton & Eli” alternate viewing)
Jake: Chargers
I know the Raiders have been fantastic this year, but there’s no way Derek Carr can keep on this >400 ypg pace.
Sam: Raiders
Johnny: Chargers