• Featured |
  • Burton DeWitt
  • Vin Diec
  • Trevor Freeman
  • Diane M. Grassi
  • Gabe Kahn
  • Ryan McGowan
  • Kris Pollina
  • Matt Waters
  • Ray Yocke
  • -----------
  • Write for SC
  • Get Featured
  • Nominate
• blog |
• Journals

• NFL
• NBA
• MLB
• NHL
• College
• Other

• forums + |
  • Chat Room
  • Message Boards
  • Philly Message Boards
  • Photo Pool
• Submit |
• Help

2006 NFL Week 3 Picks

By Editor, Section NFL
Posted on Thu Sep 21 2006 at 2:04 AM EST
More on: NFL Picks, podcast, gambling (all tags)

Last week we went a combined 49-15, a win percentage of .766 compared to the ESPN crew's 95-32 record (.748). The top scorer for the second straight week was Vegas Vinny with 14correct. We're also going to let the weekly winner of the Sportscolumn pickem contest pick the games as well. Week 2's winner was Crumb Snatcha with 13 correct and his picks for this week are included below.

The featured games this week are Chicago @ Minnesota, Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh, Jacksonville @ Indianapolis, NY Giants @ Seattle and Philly @ San Francisco. You can download the podcast directly (running time 34 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

Week 3 Picks

**The weekly winner from the Sportscolumn Weekly Pickem Contest will be featured as the fifth prognosticator.

Locks of the Week Sponsored by:

[Editor's Note: This year, we're making the Locks of the Week a little more interesting as we have a side bet amongst the four experts. The person with the most money at the end of the year in Locks betting takes home all the money. Disclaimer: The amounts discussed are for illustrative and entertainment purposes only. Gambling may be illegal in your locale.]

Vegas Vinny: Everybody is on the Minnesota bandwagon because they beat the Media's Super Bowl pick the Carolina Panthers but they're not in the same league as the Bears. Last week the Vikings went 2-15 on third down conversions -- meanwhile, the Bears are tops in the league on third down defense, stopping their opponents 90% of the time. The Vikings might not make a third down the entire game. The offenses are pretty equal. The Vikings offense is statistically better than the Bears (about 12 yards per game) but the Bears defense will give Rex Grossman a short field with some takeaways. The line at -4 is a little scary because most people expect a field goal game but here's a trend for Chicago: when they win a game straight up, they are 55-5-2 against the spread so chances are they will beat the Vikings and beat them by more than 4. I'll put $55 on the Bears (-4) to win $50. (Balance = $995)

BostonMac: I’ll be honest; I hate the lines this week. I like the Patriots at home but I’m not going to touch a 7-point spread, after the Pats barely covered against the Jets. Nor do I want to mess around with the Giants on the road. So I’ll go against my better judgment and take Brett Favre to knock off the Lions, a team he is 21-9 against in his career with 7,726 yards passing, his most against any one team. The Packers put up some decent offensive numbers last week, so look for them to at least cover, even though I’ll take them to win outright against the hapless Lions. $55 to win $50 on Green Bay (+6.5) over Detroit. (Balance = $995)

Trevor F: Every season there is one team that the oddsmakers don't come around on until about Week 5. This season the 49ers are that team. They are currently 2-0 against the spread and could be 2-0 on the season if some breaks had gone their way on the road in Arizona. The 20-13 win over the St. Louis Rams does not indicate the way the 49ers beat down a Rams team that had knocked off the Denver Broncos a week earlier. The experts are still riding the Philly bandwagon even though they went 6-10 last year and have only beaten the Houston Texans this season (the Texans were moving the ball on the Eagles I might add). The Eagles just took a stomach punch loss and now have to cross the country and play an emerging 49ers team. The key to this game will be the 49ers offensive line. So far this year they have made Alex Smith one of the most well-protected quarterbacks in the league and have also opened up holes for Frank Gore to run through. I think this is a trend that will continue in San Francisco on Sunday. The Five-Time Super Bowl Champions not only cover the six and a half........but they win 20-17. Niners (+6.5) over the Eagles. $55 to win $50. (Balance = $1,100)

RJ Warner: You've got to like Seattle (-3.5) on Sunday over the New York Little Giants. I don't think the Seahawks have really gotten it going yet this season. They always seem to play at the level of their opponent. I'm not calling the Giants an elite team, but they are the best the 'Hawks have faced so far, and I think they'll be up for Eli and the boys big time on Sunday. The Seahawks have won their last 11 games (including playoffs) at Qwest Field, including a rock-solid 9-2 ATS. One of those wins, you'll remember, was a big one over these very same G-Men. It was the game where Jay Feely missed about a hundred game-winning field goal attempts and Jeremy Shockey looked about as dumb as a Miami stud...oh wait, nevermind. Anyway, I don't believe it will be as close as last year's thriller. Seattle's offense has definitely gotten off to a slow start but look for it to rebound and play a solid, ball-control game with Alexander finally getting past 100 yards. He hasn't been held under 100 in three straight games in almost three years. So far, it's been the defense that's been carrying the defending NFC champs and I believe that will continue. As long as they don't have an Eagle-esque meltdown, look for Seattle to be comfortably ahead in the fourth quarter. I want to put more on it, but early stupidity has forced me to play catch up; so I'll throw another 55 to win 50 on Seattle (-3.5) over the Giants. (Balance = $940)