NFL Picks from The Popcorn Trick - Week 3

So, what did we learn from week 2 other than so far, I have given you no reason to seriously look at my picks?

We learned Kurt Warner is still awesome.
We learned St. Louis is awful.
We learned the Jets can't beat the Patriots.
We learned no matter what, I will never be able to truly handicap the Raiders. Seriously, the Raiders have been my nemesis since college. I'll never get a beat on them. Remember that.

Regardless, I went 6-8-1 last week. Not a Herculean effort on my part, and I make no excuses. But not to worry, I did the same amount of research for this week. Couple that with what we've learned in week 1, and I think I have a pretty good chance to right the ship.

Also, every week, I'm just trying to make a profit. I don't care about the overall season record. So assume that $100 is wagered on each game, with a 10% vig. That means I have to go 9-7 to come away with a profit. Last week of course I would have dropped $340, if you're keeping track. Right now, I hope you're not.

On the flip side, the picks for Week 3...


As always, picks are bold:

Kansas City +4 @ ATLANTA

Kansas City is bad. I'm just talking about the city at this point. You have the Chiefs and the Royals. If I lived there, I would move.

Oakland +7.5 @ BUFFALO

I'm still living off my beautiful upset pick of Buffalo last week. Hey, it was a small bright spot. I figure Buffalo seems to be able to beat the bad teams, and at home they're going to want to do it with style. But remember, I have no idea how to pick a Raiders game.

Tampa Bay +3 @ CHICAGO

3 points at home seems easy to cover. Still not sold on Tampa Bay. Of course, that means I am technically sold on Kyle Orton as QB. And it looks like he has trouble just growing a beard, so betting on him seems a bit risky. But I'll stick with it.

CAROLINA PK @ Minnesota

I calling it now - Carolina makes the playoffs. Though I'm not supremely confident they go into Minnesota and win, I do like them for the whole season. Plus, Minnesota is in all kinds of weirdness right now. With Ferrotte leading them now, and Adrian Peterson doing his best Mr. Glass impression, I'll take Carolina here.

MIAMI +10.5 @ New England

Yes, they stink. Yes, they go smoked by Arizona last week. But let's for a minute pretend that last week's game was a result of them looking ahead to a division rival game? Now the pick doesn't look so stupid. It's still stupid, just not AS stupid.

Cincinnati +10.5 at NY GIANTS

Ok, the Bengals are terrible. The number's high, but the Bengals are terrible. Marvin Lewis fired after this week?

Houston +4.5 at TENNESSEE

I waffled a bit here. The Titans are the better team, but Houston has had more time off (due to Hurricane Ike). Still, I'm going with the home team here.

Arizona +1 @ WASHINGTON

As any of my friends will attest, I'm a huge Warner fan. I even have a Warner Iowa Barnstomers jersey. So I love to see this resurgence of his. However, doing it at home against the Dolphins isn't the same as doing it against the Redskins.

DETROIT +2.5 @ San Fran

Detroit put some points up last week, right? And San Fran is still coming off the high of beating the Seahawks. That's at least something.

St. Louis +6 @ SEATTLE

Steve Largent is probably waiting for his phone to ring to suit up at receiver for the Seahawks - and the Seahawks would be stupid not to at least consider it. Well, they can at least wait another week to make that decision as they won't need Largent to beat St. Louis.

New Orleans +6.5 @ DENVER

I heard Hoculi is reffing this game.

Pittsburgh PK @ PHILADELPHIA

The Eagles offense seems to be clicking. Sure the Steelers look good too, and will probably run a lot more since Ben's shoulder is sketchy at best right now. Take the Eagles at home to win the battle of the keystone state, and get ready to listen to Pittsburgh fans curse themselves for not voting enough times to get Lynn Swan into office.

JACKSONVILLE +4 @ Indianapolis

Jaguars have Indy's number. They always play them tough. And Indy doesn't seem like the Indy of old anyway.

CLEVELAND -1 @ Baltimore

My "what the fuck game" on the schedule.

Dallas +1.5 @ GREEN BAY

Dallas and Philly really got jobbed early on the season schedule wise. This is a tough game. I don't see Romo being able to deal here and give the Packers a squeaker win.

NY Jets +6 @ SAN DIEGO

Speaking of tough schedules, the Jets can't be thrilled with theirs right now. Though they might not have to face LT. Unfortunately, I don't think that will matter.