NFL Week 3 choices: Titans shock Browns in Cleveland, Vikings win thriller over Chargers, 49ers ruin Giants

I want to begin things off here by keeping in mind that I found out an extremely essential lesson in Week 2 which lesson is that you must never ever switch off an NFL video game early. I do not care if your home is burning down, discover a method to leave the video game on, since if you turn it off, there’s a 100% opportunity that you’ll miss out on some sort of insane return. 

Case in point: With the Giants routing the Cardinals 28-7 in the 2nd half, I practically switched off the video game so I might clip my finger nails (which was way more interesting than anything the Giants were doing at that point), however fortunately, I didn’t, since the Giants wound up winning 31-28. 

I likewise practically switched off the Commanders video game when they were routing 21-3 to Denver, however then I kept in mind that they were playing the Broncos and nobody understands how to blow a lead much better than the Broncos. I will never ever be switching off a video game early ever once again. Well, unless it’s the Bears. It injures my head to see them play.

One thing that does not injure my head is making choices, so let’s get to those. 

Actually, prior to we get to the choices, here’s a fast pointer that you can have a look at the weekly choices from every CBSSports.com NFL specialist by click on this link. The factor you must click over and have a look at the other specialists today is to see how severely Jamey Eisenberg ashamed everybody. Jamey is a senior dream author here at CBSSports.com, however obviously, we require to make him our senior betting author, since he’s been squashing it versus the spread this year with a record of 19-12-1 through 2 weeks. 

I may need to begin copying his choices. Just joking. I have the second-best record, I do not require to copy anybody. If anything, they must copy me. OK, let’s get to the choices genuine this time. 

NFL Week 3 choices

N.Y. Giants (1-1) at San Francisco (2-0)

Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET (Amazon Prime)

I just have one guideline when it pertains to making NFL choices which guideline is that I need to choose versus Daniel Jones whenever he’s playing in prime-time show. For the bulk of a years, Andy Dalton was the laughingstock of primetime football, however I’m quite sure that honor now comes from Jones, who is most likely going to ultimately ask the NFL to stop putting him in primetime video games. 

Over the course of his profession, Jones has a record of 1-10 in prime-time show, that includes a 40-0 loss to the Cowboys in Week 1. In those 11 video games, Jones had actually tossed more interceptions (15) than goals (12) and the Giants 10 losses have actually visited approximately 12.4 points. 

Unfortunately for Jones, things aren’t going to be getting any much better today since the Giants are dealing with a match problem on Thursday night. If you’re the Giants, the simplest method to take pressure off of Jones is to get your run video game going, however that choice is most likely going to be off the table given that Saquon Barkley will not be playing after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2. 

This indicates that the Giants offense is going to solitarily focus on Jones, which looks like a catastrophe waiting to occur. Jones has actually currently been sacked 10 times this year, which is the 2nd most in the NFL, which overall may double on Thursday night with a banged up Giants offending line dealing with a 49ers defense that consists of the ruling protective gamer of the year (Nick Bosa). Asking the Giants offending line to stop Bosa resembles asking me to stop a bus on the interstate with my bare hands. It’s simply not going to end well. 

As you can most likely currently inform, I do not believe this video game is going to end well for the Giants. 

The choice: 49ers 31-17 over Giants. 

Tennessee (1-1) at Cleveland (1-1)

1 p.m. ET (CBS)

If there’s one group in the NFL that has actually astonished me more than any other, it’s absolutely the Titans. When it pertains to choosing their video games, I’m 2-0 versus the spread, however I’m 0-2 straight-up. When I believe they’re going to zig, they zig, however when I believe they’re going to zag, they consume Fruit Loops. I’ve got them 50% found out, which indicates 50% of the time, I have no concept what’s happening with this group. 

I have not been this baffled given that the very first time I viewed “Tenet.”

The Browns used Monday night in Week 2, which indicates they’ll be heading into the Tennessee video game on a brief week and let me simply state that Derrick Henry is the last man I wish to be attempting to deal with if I’m coming off a brief week. 

The Browns have among the very best pass-rushes in football, however that does not truly do you any excellent when the other group isn’t tossing it and I do not believe we’ll see them toss a lot of hand down Sunday (Ryan Tannehill just tossed 24 passes in Week 2). The Titans are at their finest when they have the ability to reduce the video game, which is generally their tactical plan weekly. They run the ball and run the ball and run the ball to keep the clock running, and after that prior to you understand it, it’s the 4th quarter and you’re down 3 and you have no concept what’s going on anymore. And that’s when their defense punches you in the mouth. That’s Mike Vrabel football in a nutshell. 

The Titans have an excellent defense, and through 2 weeks, I have actually not seen a single thing from Deshaun Watson that makes me believe he can move the ball versus an excellent defense. Also, the loss of Nick Chubb seems like a gut punch to this group and they may require more than a week to recuperate from that. 

The Browns need to use a brief week after a psychological loss, which looks like the ideal area for the Titans to enter into Cleveland and take a win. 

The choice: Titans 19-16 over Browns

L.A. Chargers (0-2) at Minnesota (0-2)

1 p.m. ET (Fox)

I have no concept how it took place, however a video game including 2 winless groups may be the very best video game on the schedule today. Well, it may not be the very best, however it needs to definitely be the most amusing. For one, you have the Chargers, who discover a brand-new method to lose weekly. Let’s see what that brand-new method remained in Week 2: 

That is really innovative, Chargers. For a 2nd, I didn’t believe it was possible for them to come up with a brand-new method to lose, however then they did. 

As for the Vikings, they’re practically as amusing as the Chargers which’s since every video game they play in is chosen by one rating. Last year, that was a good idea, since the Vikings won all their one-score video games, going 11-0. This year, the law of averages lastly reached them and they’re now 0-2 in one-score video games. The law of averages constantly gets you. I found out that in college. 

Through 2 weeks, the Chargers have actually quit more passing backyards than any group in the NFL, and now, they need to deal with the group that has perhaps the very best pass receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson. I’m uncertain what the NFL record is for getting backyards in a video game, however Jefferson may get it in one quarter versus the Chargers. OK, so I searched for the record and it’s 336 backyards. I do not believe Jefferson will get that in one quarter, however he may get it in one half. 

This video game seems like a shootout waiting to occur with the Vikings just winning after the Chargers develop another difficult method to lose. If the Chargers do lose this video game and drop to 0-3, Brandon Staley’s hot spot is going to be the very same temperature level as the surface area of the sun. 

The choice: Vikings 34-31 over Chargers

New Orleans (2-0) at Green Bay (1-1)

1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Out of all the video games in Week 3, this one intrigues me the most which’s primarily since I still have no concept what to make from either group. The aspect of the Packers is that I’m still not precisely sure how excellent they are this year. They most likely must be 2-0, however they’re not, since their defense had an overall crisis in the 4th quarter versus the Falcons in Week 2 (Green Bay was leading 24-12 in the 4th prior to losing 25-24). 

I wish to think in Jordan Love, however I’m uncertain if I can. Yes, he has the greatest QB score in the league and yes, he’s connected for the NFL lead in goal travels through 2 weeks, however he likewise completely melted down in the 4th quarter versus the Falcons, going 0-for-6 in crunch time. If you read this today, you finished as numerous 4th quarter passes as Love carried out in Week 2 and when random individuals on the web are finishing as numerous passes as you in the 4th quarter of a video game, that’s absolutely not a good idea. 

Also, I’m uncertain I can rely on Jordan Love since he tried to run what may decrease as the worst QB sneak of all-time. 

If you can’t run a QB sneak, I can’t trust you to run anything. Although Love has actually looked excellent through 2 weeks, the Saints will be the very best defense that he’s faced this season and I might see him having a hard time. The Saints defense has actually just quit one goal all year which was available in trash time, so I’m not even sure it counts. 

After investing the very first 2 video games of the season on the roadway, this will be the Packer’s house opener and I dislike choosing versus them in their house opener, so I’m not going to do it. Surprise! I’m taking Green Bay. I believe these groups are quite even, however I provide the small edge to the Packers since the Saints got dealt a ruthless hand by the NFL schedule-maker: They need to use the roadway on a brief week. 

They needed to play a roadway Monday video game in Week 2, and now, they need to reverse and use the roadway once again in Week 3. They’re the only group in the NFL this year that needs to use the roadway following a roadway Monday video game, so I believe what I’m stating is that the schedule-maker plainly dislikes the Saints. 

The choice: Packers 23-20 over Saints. 

L.A. Rams (1-1) at Cincinnati (0-2)

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Bengals have actually just played 2 video games and their whole season is currently beginning to break down. If you check out these choices routinely, you understand that I’m a Bengals homer and let me simply state that my panic level is at DEFCON 3, which I believe is the middle DEFCON, however I can’t state for sure, since I can’t ever keep in mind how the DEFCON number system works and I’m too lazy to Google it. 

The point here is that I’m sensation at the same time positive and downhearted about the rest of their season. 

On one hand, I’m not worried at all, since the Bengals have actually made it a practice of falling on their face to begin the season. This is Joe Burrow’s 4th year in the NFL and his profession record throughout the very first 2 weeks of the season is 1-7. That indicates the Bengals generally lose their very first 2 video games, and after that they generally recuperate. As a matter of truth, they began 0-2 in 2015 prior to making it all the method to the AFC title video game.

That being stated, this year feels a little various. The 0-2 start this year is even worse since the Bengals lost 2 divisional video games. Also, Burrow has actually been bad: According to our research study group, he’s 0 for 12 on passes of 15 or more air backyards this season. Basically, he can’t strike the huge play, which is a substantial part of the Bengals offense. 

Oh, and let’s not forget that Burrow exacerbated his calf injury, which indicates if he’s on the field today, he’s not going to be 100%. Not just is Burrow need to handle his calf injury on Monday night, however he’s going to be dealing with Aaron Donald, who is practically the last individual that any quarterback wishes to deal with, particularly when they’re hobbled. 

This seems like a make-or-break video game for the Bengals season. Although Burrow tends to have a hard time in the very first 2 weeks, he constantly appears to figure things out by Week 3 and this is Week 3, so I’m going to state he figures things out simply enough to beat the Rams. If for some factor Burrow does not play due to his calf injury, I will 100% be altering this choice to the Rams, however for now, I’m taking the Bengals. 

The choice: Bengals 23-20 over Rams. 

NFL Week 3 choices: All the rest

Lions 24-17 over Falcons
Dolphins 27-20 over Broncos
Patriots 20-17 over Jets
Bills 30-23 over Commanders
Jaguars 27-17 over Texans
Ravens 31-20 over Colts
Seahawks 30-20 over Panthers
Chiefs 34-23 over Bears
Cowboys 30-16 over Cardinals
Steelers 19-16 over Raiders
Eagles 27-24 over Buccaneers

Last Week

Best choice: Last week, I anticipated that the Falcons would beat the Packers in a thriller and think what took place? The Falcons beat the Packers in a thriller. Now, did I understand that Freddie the Falcon was going to discard cheese all over a Packers fan? Of course, I did. The very first thing they teach you in mascot school is that you constantly require to have a container of cheese prepared in case you require to put it on a Packers fan. 

Clearly, Freddie the Falcon paid really very close attention throughout his time at mascot school. 

Worst choice: I’m uncertain what I was consuming recently, however it should have been something strong, since I in some way persuaded myself that the Texans were going to beat the Colts. Going into the season, the basic agreement was that Houston was going to be among the worst groups in the NFL this year, however I picked to overlook the basic agreement and choose the Texans to beat the Colts. In my defense, when I learnt that the basic agreement does not like pineapple on pizza, I stopped trusting it. Pineapple is among the 3 finest garnishes that you can place on a pizza and I will not be encouraged otherwise. If the Texans had actually played as excellent as pineapple tastes on pizza, they would have won by 7 goals, however they didn’t. If the Texans were a pizza topping, they’d be anchovies. 

Picks Record

Straight up in Week 2:  11-5
SU general:  19-13

Against the spread in Week 2:  9-6-1
ATS overall: 18-13-1

You can discover John Breech on Facebook or Twitter and if he’s refraining from doing among those things, he’s most likely consuming consuming a container filled with nacho cheese with Freddie Falcon.