Hopefully, if you’re reading this, you are still alive in your Survivor Pool – or if you’re like me, so many participants were knocked out in Week 1 that your commissioner decided to implement a double-elimination into the contest. Thanks, Commish!
In Week 2, I backed the Rams, thinking I was playing it safe since I already had one loss under my belt. It appeared my pick was a lock until LA nearly blew a 28-3 lead – thankfully, I survived.
Week 3 is here, and there are still plenty of picks to make. Let’s get into our best bets:
Bengals over Jets
Very few – if any – expected the Cincinnati Bengals to begin the year 0-2. This team was a quarter away from being crowned Super Bowl champs only a few months ago. This season, the Bengals’ offense has not come close to even remotely resembling the unit that defeated the Chiefs to win the AFC Conference Championship. Joe Burrow was sacked six times in this past Sunday’s contest against the Cowboys. The Bengals priority in the offseason was upgrading an offensive line that was responsible for allowing Burrow to be sacked more than any other quarterback. Instead, new additions Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, and La’el Collins have yet to warrant the big contracts they signed in the offseason.
Still, the Bengals should bounce back this weekend. Sure, the Jets had their feel-good win against a Cleveland Browns squad that looked like it hit the showers early once they were up double-digits at home. The Jets had an improbable comeback, and QB Joe Flacco tasted the fountain of youth, but it won’t last or carry into Week 3. The Bengals are favorites entering the weekend and will lock up their first win on Sunday.
Chargers over Jaguars
The Chargers will benefit from a ten-day rest between last Thursday night’s loss to the Chiefs and this Sunday’s contest hosting the Jaguars. WR Keenan Allen should return from injury, which will boost the receiving corps. QB Justin Herbert, who sustained a fracture to his ribs in the defeat, looks like he will be ready, given the extra time off.
The Jaguars were victorious in Week 2 by shutting out the Indianapolis Colts 24-0. In that matchup, however, the Colts were dealing with a bevy of injuries, most notably to top receiver Michael Pittman. The outcome may have been much different had the Colts been fully healthy. Still, Jacksonville is a much-improved squad under head coach Doug Pederson. WR Christian Kirk has fit in nicely in the receiving unit along, and Brandon Scherff has bolstered the offensive line.
The Chargers are vastly more talented on both sides of the ball than the Jaguars and will be rested entering Sunday’s matchup. Jacksonville struggled in Week 1 against an inconsistent Commanders squad on the road and should do so at SoFi Stadium. Chargers win comfortably.
Ravens over Patriots
Almost every Ravens fan across the country sat shell-shocked as they watched their team surrender a 21-point lead to the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore and lost 42-38. It was a wasted effort by Lamar Jackson, who put his team in a position to start the season 2-0. Now, the Ravens will look to bounce back against an anemic Patriots offense, which has struggled to put points on the board in its two games to start the year.
Patriots QB Mac Jones has regressed in his second year in the league, despite having WRs Davante Parker, Jakobi Meyers, and Nelson Agholor. After mustering only seven points against the Dolphins in Week 1, the Patriots barely accumulated 17 points against a flailing Pittsburgh squad, who happened to be missing its top linemen T.J. Watt.
The Ravens will be eager to wipe away the embarrassment of blowing such a substantial lead this past Sunday. New England’s offense is nowhere near as potent and explosive as Miami’s, so Baltimore will be able to shut down Mac Jones and the passing game along with the run game. Ravens win this one.
Eagles over Commanders
The Eagles’ offense entered the season with high expectations, and it has yet to disappoint through two games. On Monday Night, Jalen Hurts again made a case for why he is a franchise quarterback, rushing for one TD and throwing for another. After putting up 38 points on Detroit in Week 1, the Eagles contributed another 24 points against a Vikings squad that previously limited Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to a mere seven points.
The Commanders remain as inconsistent as ever. An impressive comeback win against the Jaguars led to a defensive failure against the Lions in their loss Sunday. While Carson Wentz and Washington’s offense can do a decent job of getting in the endzone, it is on the other side of the ball where the team struggles. The Commanders fail to generate an effective pass rush or stop the run, and that will be a legitimate weakness against a blazing Eagles offense.
This is a division rival game, so just because the Eagles are heavy favorites does not mean the Commanders are less than capable of an upset. The Eagles will play on short rest, which may factor in this contest, but they should win outright even if they fail to cover the spread. Take Philadelphia.
Vikings over Lions
The Vikings were just humiliated on national television, losing to the Eagles 24-7. In that contest, the Vikings were overmatched and had no answer for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense. All night, A.J. Brown and DeVonte Smith were left wide open. The Vikings’ secondary was non-existent, and their offense struggled as well. The run game never got going behind Dalvin Cook, and Kirk Cousins continued his primetime woes by throwing three INTs – two of which were in the endzone.
Meanwhile, the Lions are flying high after their win against the Commanders at home. Their offense remained firepower, putting up 36 points in the contest to earn their first win of the season. Expect more of the same from Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and D’Andre Swift, especially if the Vikings’ defense gives the same lackluster performance.
However, the Vikings will bounce back in this affair. There is a reason they are 6.5-point favorites, according to the sportsbooks. Good teams tend to erase any embarrassment they suffered from the previous week, and this will be the case. The Vikings win this one.
