NFL Week 3 picks

OK folks I lost another game to Loren so now I'm down two. Stinking Eagles!

Redskins at Cowboys

Derek - Cowboys. I'm hoping Romo starts. But I still don't have too much faith in the Skins, plus I get the bonus of having a home game on a big stage, exactly were Washington hasn't been in years, of course Dallas doesn't preform well on those stages either

Loren - Redskins. The Redskins are playing with more pride this year after an unexpectedly decent start. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are banged up and you already have Washington players asking for blitzes and the chance to put a shoulder on Romo's ribs. I think this game surprises a lot of people.

Texans at Saints

Derek - Saints. This should be a great game. Two offenses that can put up some big numbers. I'll be surprised if either team doesn't score in the mid to high 20's. But the Dolphins showed how to slow down the Texans and I think the Saints will win by double digits. Sorry Byron.

Loren - Saints. The Texans are going to be a tough team all year but Brees is dialed in and pissed off after the week 1 loss. Saints win at home in the dome.

San Francisco at Cincinnati

Derek - Cincinnati. I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers won this game but I"m thinking they Bengals can take one at home against an anemic offense. We'll see if AJ Green can have another great game.

Loren - Niners. Too many question marks for the Bengals. They have no receiving corps to speak of which is a shame because the secondary is the weakest spot on the Niner's defense. The Bengals won't be able to capitalize and Frank Gore will keep the Bengals on their heels all day.

Broncos at Titans

Derek - Titans. Will this be a fall off game for the Titans? That's the only way the Broncos can win it. I think this is the game Chris Jonson gets back on track. Look for a big one.

Loren - Titans. Tennessee looked really sharp last week. I don't think anyone expected them to handle the Ravens that way. The big question is if this is the sign of a talented team coming together or just a flash in the pan. Probably won't matter against the Broncos.

Giants at Eagles

Derek - Eagles. The Giants look bad, even in their win and if they are going to win this one they'll have to make it ugly. But the Eagles team speed is going to be way too much for the G-men.

Loren - Eagles. If Vick is able to play, there's no question you take the Eagles with how poorly the Giants' secondary has played. Things get a lot more interesting if Vick is out, but they still have to be the favorites.

Jets at Raiders

Derek - Jets. I'd like to pick the Raiders here being a west coast team hosting an east coast team but the Jets are just to dominant in the run game for the Raiders. This could be ugly or close either way the Jets take it.

Loren - Jets. The Raiders have given up 627 yards against two mediocre passing offenses. Think they miss Asomugha? I don't see their secondary making the leap this week. The Jets D is light years ahead of Oakland's competition so far this year. Jets big.

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NFL week 2 picks

Well that didn't turn out well. Loren went 3/6 and I went 2/6. We suck. And I suck more that Loren, that's not good since I'm competing with him. Don't forget if you need an ego boost play along in the comments section.

Cleveland @ Indianapolis
Loren – Indianapolis. One more week. Each week that Collins gets with the offense increases comfort and knowledge of the system and routes. The Browns aren’t a great team so this is the perfect opportunity for Indy’s offense to take some positive steps. The Browns are gamers, but they’re young and will lose some games a more seasoned team wouldn’t, like this one.

Derek - Indianapolis. If it was a better team I'd go against the Colts here but the Browns are the Browns and I don't expect much. Hillis could make it tough for the Colts inside, but I think Indy has the skill and too much pride to lose this one.

Chicago @ New Orleans
Loren – New Orleans. Even though Chicago put a thumping on Atlanta last week (and I think the Falcons could be better than the Saints by season’s end), I’m going with NO. The Saints were a play away from victory against an incredible Green Bay team. I don’t see Chicago being able to shut down the Saints’ O, even without Colston.

Derek - New Orleans. I had a Saints fan get mad at me last week for jinxing the Saint's, he later admitted that it might have been their D and not my pick that cost them that game. I think the home turf advantage will be enough to let Brees throw for a few TD's and I can't trust the Bears O.

Arizona @ Washington
Loren – Washington. Was the Cardinals’ secondary even on the field last week? If they gave up a game like that to Cam Newton, imagine what a more disciplined and talented offense in Washington will do. Obviously, the Redskins aren’t even close to an elite scoring machine, but I think Grossman will have a field day and the Cardinals will get their wings clipped.

Derek - Washington. I don't like picking crappy teams that travel all the way across the country. Grossman should be ok since the Cards don't seem to defend the pass, and the Redskins D should be good enough to stop anything on the ground.

San Diego @ New England
Loren – New England. The Chargers will get better throughout the season. Unfortunately for them, so will the Pats, and they’re already scary good. The Chargers look to be slow starters again and that won’t cut it against New England who look to come out and carve up opponents.

Derek - New England. I'm sticking with the Pats all year. Did you see their no huddle O, the Fins D which is good looked like a highschool kid trying to get a bra off. Brady had a big game and 12 players for NE catch passes.

Houston @ Miami
Loren – Houston. With Foster back, Miami will be forced to play 6 and 7 up front. This will open things up even more for Schaub and AJ. Henne looked better than expected last week, but they were embarrassed defensively against the Pats, and things don’t get much easier for them this week. Ask yourself which team has more confidence coming in to this game.

Derek - Houston. Miami has issues with big recievers. Johnson is a big reciever, he'll score minimum of 1 TD most likley two. That might be enought to beat the Dolphins.

Philadelphia @ Atlanta
Loren – Atlanta. The Eagles certainly didn’t run away from the Rams last week. Atlanta, meanwhile, has to figure out what went wrong against Chicago. Atlanta’s D hits harder and is faster than that of the Rams. On the other side of the ball, Asomugha will be blanketing Roddy White, so Julio Jones could have his first game with double digit catches. Falcons get back on track against a team they haven’t beaten since 2005 (0-4 in that span).

Derek - Philadelphia. Seems strange that this game almost is a must win for the Falcons, that being said they did not look like a team that was just about to put it together last week. The Eagles D is not what the Bears is but should be good enough to stop Ryan and force Turner to beat them. Philly will make one or two explosive plays on the offensive/special teams side of the ball to win it.

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NFL week 1 picks

Well, folks it's that time of year again. Football season!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes we here at Portland Men on Sports are excited. We'll kick off our 3rd season of NFL picks right now.

New Orleans @ Green Bay
Loren - Green Bay. The Saints seem to be a trendy pick but I still have concerns about their running game and the Packers are celebrating their Super Bowl win in front of the home crowd. I just don't see them dropping this one.

Derek - New Orleans. Can you say high scoring? All fantasy owners will be glued to this one. I'm taking the Saints since I think they'll be able to spread the ball around enough to make the Pack pay. Remember the Packers went 10-6 last year and the home field advatange does really kick in until the cold weather appears.

Atlanta @ Chicago
Loren - Atlanta. The Falcons are going to be good this year. Really, really good. Meanwhile, though Chicago won their division last year, they don't have consistent talent on both sides of the ball. Atlanta should handle this one comfortably.

Derek - Atlanta. Yeah the Falcons should be able to handle this one ok. Chicago seemed to be one of the teams that got worse in the off season.

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore
Loren - Baltimore. Flacco has two dependable starting quality receivers now, so he can spread the field and give Ray Rice more room to find holes. That was the difference in their divisional playoff loss last year, which Pittsburgh barely won after being down 21-7 early. Statement game early in the season, and the home team is going to take this one.

Derek - Pittsburgh. Until the Ravens can dethrone the Steelers in the division I've got to go with Pitt. They'll score in the air, on the ground and on D.

Dallas @ NY Jets
Loren - NY Jets. Say what you want about the Jets, but they beat Indy and New England in the playoffs last year before losing a close game to the Steelers. Their only 2010 loss to a non-playoff team was a hangover loss to Miami after getting pasted by New England in week 13. Dallas lost 7 of their first 8 games last year and had exactly one win streak...of 2 games. The Cowboys have to prove they can win against a good team before I'd even consider picking them.

Derek - NY Jets. I think Dallas will be better this year, but not good enough out of hte gate to beat the Jets. And you should know my feelings about the Jets by now. H A T E HATE HATE HATE them.

Oakland @ Denver
Loren - Denver. Well, this is nothing but a homer pick. Denver has lost the last three meetings, including 59-14 and 39-23 shellackings last year. If they can't do better against the run, they have no chance. On the plus side, they're playing at home and their overall defense should be better with a 4-3 scheme and Elvis Dumervil coming off the end. But still, homer pick.

Derek - Oakland. Oakland has one of if not the worst owner in sports, perahps other buinsess as well. They have a new QB who noone expects anything out of, I'm not sure if I could name a WR on the team...nope can't. And yet they'll take Denver down easily. That should tell you how far the Broncos have gone down since the firing of Shanahan.

Tennessee @ Jacksonville
Loren - Tennessee. I was all set to take the Jags, but after this Garrard business I'm can't do it. McCown is an 8 year veteran with 9 TDs and 10 INTs. There's a reason he's never been a starting QB. The Titans can put enough pressure on McCown to force mistakes and Hasselbeck can manage the game well enough to get the win.

Derek - Tennessee. My plan to tick Loren into taking the Jags didn't pan out, oh well.

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