Thursday

Washington at New York Giants (-4)

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins is completing 75 per cent of his passes, and has put up those numbers against two very good defences in St. Louis and Miami. Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden has also reignited running back Alfred Morris, who rushed for 180 yards against the Rams and Dolphins. On the opposite side, the Giants have lost two games through their own miss-management. The NFC East is wide open and this divisional game should be close.

The pick: Washington

Sunday

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-2)

It’s hard to think the Ravens could be 0-3 and perhaps equally difficult to think of the Bengals at 3-0, but that is what I think will happen. Both teams have already played the Raiders in Oakland this season. The Bengals destroyed the Raiders 33-13, while the Ravens lost to Oakland 37-33. The key in the game for Cincinnati is to get a lead early in a game, which allows the pass rush to be aggressive and not concern itself with the running game. Logic says the Ravens are too good to fall to 0-3, but the Bengals have won the last two and looked good doing it.           

The pick: Bengals

New Orleans at Carolina (-3)

Saints quarterback Drew Brees will play, but I wonder how healthy he will be. Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton has been responsible for four of the five Carolina touchdowns this season. The Panther defence dominated Texans quarterback Ryan Mallet and Jaguars pivot Blake Bortles in last two games, while the Saints defence was dominated by Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and Tampa Bay rookie Jameis Winston. One team is confident and should be; the other is desperate and should be. I will take the confident Panthers to cover the three points in Bank of America Stadium.

The pick: Panthers

Oakland at Cleveland (-3)

This is the first road game of the year for the Raiders after two very different performances at home. Which Oakland team will show up? The one that was dominated by the Bengals or the one that beat the Ravens?  You can ask the exact same question about the Browns. Will the team that was dominated by the Jets show up or will it be the one that did the dominating against the Titans? The Browns have decided to start Josh McCown over Johnny Manziel. The Ravens ran 70 plays for 493 yards against Oakland last week. Cleveland won't duplicate those numbers, but I think they cover the three.

The pick: Browns

Atlanta (-1) at Dallas

The value of the Matt Ryan-to-Julio Jones combo for the Falcons cannot be underestimated. Jones already has 22 catches, including a number of contested throws where the ball could go to either the defensive back or receiver. Jones wins those battles most of the time. I do look for the Cowboys defensive line to make an impact, just like they did against the Eagles last Sunday. The unit will try to put Atlanta in consistent third-and-long situations, but I can also see Ryan to Jones finding a way to turn third-and-long into first downs. This is a tough one to pick as the Falcons will be without running back Tevin Coleman, but Cowboys tight end Jason Witten may not be 100 per cent either. In the end, it’s Ryan over Dallas backup quarterback Brandon Weeden.

The pick: Atlanta

San Francisco at Arizona (-6.5)

I have no read on the 49ers yet. The team was very impressive in Week 1, beating Minnesota 20-3, but very unimpressive in losing to Pittsburgh 43-18 on Sunday. I do have a good read on Arizona. The Cardinals were impressive in the first two games, easily beating the Saints and Bears. Enough said.

The pick: Cardinals cover 6.5.

Buffalo at Miami (-3)

The Bills did a lot of talking, but the Patriots did all the playing in a 40-32 road win in Buffalo on Sunday. Overlooked in the loss was Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor making a game of it in the fourth quarter. Even though it has come against passive defences, Taylor is completing 75 per cent of his passes. Pass-blocking is everything for both teams in this game. New England got to Tyrod Taylor eight times and the talent on the Miami defensive line is excellent. The Bills gave up 466 passing yards to the Patriots, the most in franchise history. That’s not going to happen again this week.

The pick: Bills

Chicago at Seattle (-14)

Sometimes it is not who you play but when you play them. The timing could not be more difficult for the Bears to face the Seahawks. Seattle will have safety star Kam Chancellor back in the lineup for their home opener. The defending NFC champions are desperate for a win coming off two losses, and get to face Jimmy Clausen instead of Jay Cutler.                     

The pick: Seattle covers 14

Tampa Bay at Houston (-6.5)

Texans coach Bill O'Brian has been around the best quarterbacks in football, so it must be immensely difficult for him not to “coach” his present two quarterbacks to excellence. Neither Brian Hoyer nor Ryan Mallet look like a long-term solution in Houston. On the opposite side, Bucs rookie pivot Jameis Winston showed some progression in Week 2, depending on running back Doug Martin and not trying to do too much on his own so early in his career. Both defences should dominate, making points are the big issue in this game.

The pick: Tampa Bay

San Diego at Minnesota (-2.5)

Both teams have beaten Detroit at home this season. Both teams have good running backs to rely on. Melvin Gordon is going to be good for the Chargers, carrying 30 times for 139 yards in his first two weeks on NFL football.  Vikings star Adrian Peterson went from 13 touches in Week 1 to 31 in Week 2. Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner may give Peterson even more this week, considering the Chargers allowed 175 rushing yards to Cincinnati. Mike Zimmer's defence will limit Philip Rivers’ success, while Turner’s offence will continue to improve.

The pick: Vikings

Jacksonville at New England (-13)

It’s important for New England to stay in the moment. This home game against Jacksonville follows the Bills "challenge" game last week and comes ahead of a bye week that is followed by a high-profile clash against the Dallas Cowboys. I don't believe New England will look ahead; they are too good and too experienced to make that mistake. New England’s young offensive line is improving, allowing Brady to throw for 466 yards while surrendering just two sacks to the Bills. It’s too early in the season for an average game to happen in New England.     

The pick: Patriots cover

Philadelphia at New York Jets (-2)

After watching the Jets control, and in some ways dominate, the Colts on Monday night, I’m surprised the line here is only two. The Eagles couldn’t run on Dallas, so I don’t expect them to get much done on the ground against the Jets. New York has an exceptional front seven against the run that will blitz you into mistakes if you get caught in third-and-long situations. Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick does not self-destruct. Slowly but surely, head coach Todd Bowles is creating with the Jets what he had with the Cardinals: an aggressive team with game-changing ability on defence.

The pick: Jets

Pittsburgh (-1) at St Louis

Pittsburgh running back Le'Veon Bell is one of the best in the business because he is a complete player. He can run, catch and block; and he is back in the lineup for the Steelers this week, meaning one of the game’s best offences is almost back to full strength. St. Louis lost 24-10 to Washington last week, unable to stop Kirk Cousins’ offence from having an excellent day. Pittsburgh’s offence is better and can do the same.

The pick: Steelers

Indianapolis (-3.5) at Tennessee

The NFC South is wide open. With the Colts going 0-2, any of the four teams could be a division winner. That said, the Colts are still the best team in the division. Quarterback Andrew Luck struggled against the Bills and Jets - two of the best defences in the NFL. He’s due for a rebound game, so look for him to dominate against the Titans. Luck has five interceptions this season, while Titans rookie Marcus Mariota has none. Who would have predicted that?

The pick: Colts cover

Denver (-1) at Detroit

It will be interesting to see how Denver head coach Gary Kubiak presents this week’s offensive game plan to quarterback Peyton Manning and how it evolves with 10 days in between games. Manning looked average at best in the first quarter against the Chiefs in Week 2, but he improved as the Broncos went to more shotgun formations. Pass protection for was a problem for the Lions against the Vikings. Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford was hit eight different times. Denver has a strong pass rush, so the Detroit offensive line is in for another test. The battle between Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib and Lions receiver Calvin Johnson will be interesting to watch. This is a rare Sunday night home game for Detroit and it will be loud. Manning can handle it.

The pick: Denver.

Monday

Kansas City at Green Bay (-7)

The Chiefs gave away a game to the Broncos last Thursday with mistakes and an inability to capitalize on opportunities. Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles will be motivated to redeem himself after his key fumble against Denver. But the Packers held Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch to 41 yards on 15 carries, and although Charles is a different type of running back, I believe the Green Bay can have similar results. Without injured receiver Jordy Nelson, the Packers look more like the Patriots in terms of pass distribution. Against Seattle, Aaron Rodgers completed eight consecutive passes, four of which were for five yards or less. The Packers adapt and overcome.

The pick: Packers cover the 7

Record: 6-10 last week and 13-18-1 on the season.