Week 3 Review/Week 4 Preview:

For Week 3/Season:
vs. W/L: (10-6)/(35-13)
vs. ATS: (9-7)/(27-21)
vs. Aggregate: (7-9)(30-18)

vs. "The Loyal Opposition":

vs. ATS:
CBS Judge 32-16-0
Postcards 27-21-0
ESPN Simmons 26-20-2
CBS Brinson 26-22-0
USAT Saraceno 22-24-2
CBS Prisco 22-26-0
CBS Freeman 21-27-0
CBS Richard 20-28-0
Walter Football 21-22-4

vs. W/L:
Postcards 35-13
ESPN Golic 35-13
ESPN Schefter 34-14
ESPN Schlereth 34-14
ESPN Wickersham 34-14
ESPN Pick 'em 33-15
ESPN Hoge 33-15
FOX Schrager 33-15
USAT Pete O'Brien 32-16
USAT Tom Pedulla 32-16
ESPN Accuscore 32-16
USAT Jarrett Bell 32-16
PFT Rosenthal 31-17
ESPN Allen 31-17
USAT Jim Corbett 30-18
USAT Nate Davis 31-17
USAT Robert Klemko 30-18
USAT Gary Mihoces 30-18
USAT Jon Saraceno 30-18
PFT Florio 30-18
ESPN Mortensen 28-20

Week 3 Notes:

It was a tough week for a number of teams and players. Tennessee’s Kenny Britt went down for the year with a nasty knee injury that will really hamper the Titans moving forward. Looking over things for this week, the Vegas Boys have put the squeeze on prognosticators, making this week’s slate a very tough challenge. This is the week in which we take chances not only on the hot teams but some that need a win to get rolling.

At Dallas -1.5 Detroit 47.5

It’s safe to conclude that the 3-0 Lions are not a mirage based on their big comeback win in Minnesota last week. This week, they travel to Big D for a big test. This is where we find out whether they’re contenders or pretenders. The Cowboys came away with a thrilling hard-fought 18-16 win over Washington on Monday night, as their defense had an impressive night. It will be a difficult task for the Lions’ O-Line to contain DeMarcus Ware, as he was an absolute beast against the ‘Skins. If there’s one weak link with Detroit so far, it’s been the play of the O-Line. Based on their outstanding start, we’ll roll with Honolulu Blue.

Projected Final Score: Detroit, 23, Dallas 20

New Orleans -7.5 At Jacksonville 46.5

Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense put on quite a show on Sunday, hanging 40 points on the Texans’ defense that was reputably stout. Blaine Gabbert’s pro debut was marred by having to play in a deluge in Carolina, so the game wasn’t a sufficient look as to his capabilities. The Jags’ D usually plays really tough at home, but going up against the Saints is a bigger challenge than they have faced this year.

Projected Final Score: New Orleans 31, Jacksonville 20

At Philadelphia -7.5 San Francisco 44

The ‘Niners are coming off of a nice defensive performance against the Bungles last week. Now they have to travel to Philly, where the Eagles will be in ill humor after last week’s home loss to the G-Men. Vick suffered an injury to his non-throwing hand and took a savage beating from the Giants’ front seven last week. Vick is expected to play this week and may get a little more scrutiny from the officials after having complained that he’s not treated like other quarterbacks when they get hit. Of course, there are no other quarterbacks that possess the mobility that Vick has, so he’s in a bit of a conundrum there.

Projected Final Score: Philadelphia 24, San Francisco 13

At St. Louis -1.5 Washington 44.5

Why are the Lambs favored here? They were blown off the field by the Ravens and didn’t know what hit them. The Redskins are coming off of Monday night’s two-point loss in Dallas as their defense played well against the injured Romo. Grossman was harassed all night long but should have better success dealing with the Rams’ front seven. If Grossman can play a relatively mistake-free game, there’s no reason why the Redskins can’t come away with the victory.

Projected Final Score: Washington 21, St. Louis 20

At Cleveland -1.5 Tennessee 37.5

The 2-1 Titans squeaked past Denver by only a field goal and now travel to the Dawg Pound where the 2-1 Browns nipped Miami by a point last week. The Titans are surely hurt by Kenny Britt’s season-ending injury and it will be a big test for Hasselbeck & Co. to replace Britt’s contribution.

Projected Final Score: Cleveland 24, Tennessee 21

Buffalo -3.5 At Cincinnati 44

Who would’ve expected that the Bills would be in first place at the end of September? They had a great comeback win over New England, capitalizing on four turnovers, penalties and stupid football. If the Bills are going to be considered as serious contenders, they need to dominate teams like Cincinnati. The Bungles played miserable offense, mustering only 8 points against ‘Niners. Their defense was not the problem, as they only surrendered a touchdown and a couple of field goals.

Projected Final Score: Buffalo 26, Cincinnati 20

Minnesota -2.5 At Kansas City 40

Two 0-3 teams looking to get off the schneid. The Chiefs did not roll over and die against San Diego, which was a great sign for this team moving forward. The Vikings are another story altogether. AP ran his heart out against the Lions and the Vikes had a big lead only to falter in the second half. AP only had five touches in the second half. Why did Frazier abandon the run in the second half? The Vikings have held substantial leads in all three of their losses only to suffer second-half breakdowns. They haven’t shown the ability to hold a lead so why should this week be any different? Perhaps the lack of success of this week’s opponent may change their luck. Then again, the Chiefs (despite their woeful start) are at home, where they’ve been historically hard to put away.

Projected Final Score: Kansas City 23, Minnesota 21

At Chicago -7.5 Carolina 44

Cam Newton got his first NFL win over Jacksonville as the teams played through monsoon conditions. It was hard to believe that the game was played, that’s how hard the rains fell. The Bears have to come into this game in a foul state after the way they were beaten by the Packers. They didn’t simply lose; they were whipped at every turn of the ball by the Packers. This week you’d have to figure they’d be highly motivated to put a hurtin’ on an inferior team.

Projected Final Score: Chicago 30, Carolina 20

At Houston -4.5 Pittsburgh 45.5

Give Indy a lot of credit as they played the Steelers tough on Sunday night, especially against the run. Pittsburgh stubbornly stuck to the run game even though it wasn’t working most of the time. The Texans’ defense allowed Drew Brees and the Saints to have a field day, which was surprising considering their first two impressive outings. Now they’re home looking to atone.

Projected Final Score: Houston 27, Pittsburgh 20

Atlanta -5.5 At Seattle 42

The Falcons travel west to Seattle after having failed to seal the deal against the Bucs (despite several opportunities to take the game). There is probably no other team where the home/road distinction is so pronounced than Atlanta. The Seahawks won at home last week against Arizona, and put forth a decent effort on defense. The Seahawks’ offense can’t be counted on to deliver much of a punch, so the D will have to hold down the fort against Matt Ryan and the Falcons’ offense.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 24, Seattle 17

NY Giants -1.5 At Arizona 44.5

The G-Men also make the westward trek to the Valley of the Sun, where the defense looks to duplicate their efforts from last week. The Giants’ D basically pushed around and manhandled Vick all afternoon, putting him out of the game early with a (non-throwing) hand injury. The question is whether they can duplicate the same ferocious effort this week. The Cardinals are coming off another sorry outing in Seattle and the jury is still out on whether Kolb is a major-league quarterback.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 23, Arizona 17

At San Diego -9.5 Miami 46

The Chargers were supposed to dominate Kansas City last week but the Chiefs gave them everything they could handle. Meanwhile the Dolphins are 0-3 and Coach Sparano’s on the hot seat. The Chargers need a dominant outing from Rivers and the offense this week.

Projected Final Score: San Diego 28, Miami 17

At Green Bay -13.5 Denver 47.5

The best team in football gets a cupcake on the schedule this week as the Broncos come calling at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The Pack played a great two-way game in Chicago last week and they’re systematically blowing through opponents one by one. The Broncos have injuries and holes on both sides of the ball to deal with and it’s hard to see them mustering much of a challenge to Rodgers & Co.

Projected Final Score: Green Bay 31, Denver 17

New England -5.5 At Oakland 53.5

It isn’t often that Tommy Boy has a bad day at the office, but when he does, it makes it clear that the Patriots are an inferior team. The Pats had a 21-0 lead that slipped away due to four turnovers, numerous penalties, poor execution and bad coaching. The Buffalo game was eminently winnable but the Pats blew it with sloppy play. The Patriots’ defense is a work in progress and after three weeks, they’re not progressing well at all. If they play like that in Oakland, the Raiders will run them off the field just as they did with the Jets last week. That was a big win for the Raiders as McFadden rushed for 176 yards and had the Jets’ vaunted defense looking like a slice of Swiss cheese.

Projected Final Score: Oakland 31, New England 28

At Ravens -4.5 NY Jets 40

The schedule maker saved Sunday’s best matchup for last as Coach Rex returns to his old stomping grounds for a date with the Ravens. That was a disturbing loss for the Jets last week in Oakland as the Raiders’ offense easily huffed and puffed and blew the house down. The Ravens are coming off a dominating road win in St. Louis and are looking to continue the trend against an alleged “quality” opponent.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 24, NY Jets 20

Monday Night Preview:

At Tampa Bay -9.5 Indianapolis 41.5

Life Without Peyton rolls on. In this week’s episode, Coach Caldwell & Co. travel to Tampa Bay where the 2-1 Bucs will be waiting with open arms. Curtis Painter makes his NFL starting debut and he ought to be in for quite a ride against the packages Coach Morris has designed to confuse him. Indianapolis’ defense gave the Steelers fits on Sunday night and they’ll need a repeat effort if they intend to hold Josh Freeman in check.

Projected Final Score: Tampa Bay 24, Indianapolis 13