Art by Leah Bae
Week 2 of the NFL season had numerous exciting finishes, as several games were decided in the final seconds, giving our staff glorious victory in some and horrible defeat in others.
Staff writers Austin LeDe’ and Joe Doonan, as well as Digital Editor Karl Winter, chose the thrilling Thursday night game correctly, as the Washington Football Team defeated the New York Giants on a field goal as the time expired.
The entire staff didn’t believe in the Las Vegas Raiders, who moved to 2-0, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 26-17. Nevertheless, they all caught a break, as they won the Arizona Cardinals game when the Minnesota Vikings failed to convert on a potential game-winning field goal to end the game. In addition to the Cardinals win, the entire staff swept six other games.
Karl differentiated himself from the competition this week, choosing correctly in 14 of the 16 games. Some of these picks were taking the Chicago Bears to beat the Cincinnati Bengals alongside Creative Director Ali Levens, as well as picking the Tennessee Titans over the Seattle Seahawks.
To see the rest of the picks from the last slate of games, read our Week 2 article.
Week 3 has more divisional matchups in store, as the Indianapolis Colts will take on the Tennessee Titans, the Los Angeles Chargers will visit the Chiefs in Kansas City and the Philadelphia Eagles will clash with the Dallas Cowboys in a gritty matchup.
Despite these interesting matchups, all eyes will be turned to LA because the Rams will be taking on the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium in a battle between Super Bowl contenders.
It’s up to our staff to predict the winner of these tricky games, as the NFL enters Week 3. Without further delay, here is Karl, Alec, Austin, Ali and Joe with their Week 3 picks!
Carolina Panthers (2-0) at Houston Texans (1-1) (Thursday, Sept. 23 at 5:20 p.m. PDT)
Ali: Panthers
Joe: Panthers
Karl: Panthers
Austin: Panthers
Alec: Panthers
“I think both of these teams have overachieved to start the season, but I’ll stick with Carolina. They shut down the Saints last week which was impressive and if they continue to use the formula of getting the ball to Christian McCaffrey as much as possible they should be fine.” – Karl
“I’m taking the Panthers as well. The Texans and the AFC South have looked pretty weak as a whole through the first two weeks, so my strategy will be to pick against them for the time being.” – Alec
Indianapolis Colts (0-2) at Tennessee Titans (1-1) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Titans
Joe: Titans
Karl: Titans
Austin: Titans
Alec: Titans
“I really want to pick the Colts because I think they’re a good team. They played really well against the Rams, but I’m pretty sure that Carson Wentz sprained both his ankles on the same play, which is honestly impressive in a way. If he isn’t playing, I don’t see how the Colts can compete with the Titans who just got a huge win over the Seahawks.” – Joe
“I’m going with the Titans too. If Wentz is hurt and the Titans are riding high from last week’s win, I don’t see the Colts winning.” – Austin
Atlanta Falcons (0-2) at New York Giants (0-2) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Giants
Joe: Giants
Karl: Giants
Austin: Falcons
Alec: Giants
“This is my last-ditch effort to stay with my team [Giants]. Daniel Jones, please. Please. Please.” – Ali
“Matt Ryan is a veteran quarterback and they showed flashes against the Bucs last week, so I’ll take Atlanta.” – Austin
“This is a cool game because one of these teams will get a win, which is good for their fans. I saw that the Falcons gave up a combined 80 points in their first two games, which is far too many, so I’ll go with the Giants.” – Alec
Los Angeles Chargers (1-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-1) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Chiefs
Joe: Chiefs
Karl: Chiefs
Austin: Chiefs
Alec: Chiefs
“I don’t think the Chiefs’ loss to the Ravens means anything. They lost to another great team and it’s early in the year, so I don’t expect them to play perfect football. This should be a game they win, but the Chargers will put up a fight.” – Joe
“I think the Chiefs will recover from last week. The Chargers tend to be competitive in their games against superior teams, but the Chiefs are gonna have a fire under them after their perfect season went out the window.” – Karl
Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Steelers
Joe: Steelers
Karl: Steelers
Austin: Bengals
Alec: Bengals
“The Steelers have some defensive line injuries and the Bengals offense can struggle at times because of their weak offensive line, so I think those factors matchup in the Bengals favor. Joe Burrow will have more time in the pocket and I think the Bengals will win.” – Alec
“This might be a grind-it-out type of game where not much can really be gained for us as viewers, as far as what we know about these teams. I don’t expect the Steelers to drop another game at home, but unless there’s a blowout win, I don’t think this game will tell us much about either one of these teams.” – Karl
Chicago Bears (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Browns
Joe: Browns
Karl: Browns
Austin: Browns
Alec: Browns
“A classic orange, boring logo, Midwest matchup. Bears are okay, but the Browns are better.” – Ali
“It’s possible that Justin Fields starts with Andy Dalton getting injured last week and a first career start against the Browns isn’t easy. The Browns are just better, I have them.” – Austin
Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at Detroit Lions (0-2) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Ravens
Joe: Ravens
Karl: Ravens
Austin: Ravens
Alec: Ravens
“I have the Ravens, Lamar Jackson almost never loses against bad teams. He’s like 32-8 in his career and three of those losses are to Mahomes.” – Austin
The Ravens looked great against the Chiefs, making the comeback against a team like that is impressive. Their defense the first two weeks has been shaky, but I don’t expect the Lions to light them up. I trust Lamar Jackson, he usually takes care of business against bad teams.” – Joe
New Orleans Saints (1-1) at New England Patriots (1-1) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Patriots
Joe: Patriots
Karl: Saints
Austin: Saints
Alec: Patriots
“Man, the Saints played like dog poo last week. I think the Pats are coming together. Get ready for a potential Mac-attack.” – Ali
“This is an interesting one. These are two teams in different places with different storylines, but I’m gonna take the Saints here. The Patriots always make the most of the talent they have, but the Saints have way more talent.” – Karl
Art by Ali Levens
Arizona Cardinals (2-0) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Cardinals
Joe: Cardinals
Karl: Cardinals
Austin: Cardinals
Alec: Cardinals
“I think the Cardinals win this in a blowout. This is a game that Kyler Murray fantasy owners will love to see.” – Joe
The Cardinals really look good and Kyler seems to be on an MVP campaign. For the Jags, we all know it’s gonna take time before they start winning again, so the Cardinals in this one for sure.” – Austin
Washington Football Team (1-1) at Buffalo Bills (1-1) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Ali: Bills
Joe: Bills
Karl: Bills
Austin: Washington
Alec: Bills
“I’ll go with the Bills; they clearly heard that I was talking smack and decided to shut out the Dolphins last week. I’m gonna hop back on the bandwagon.” – Alec
“This could be a trap game for the Bills, but even if it’s close, I don’t think they drop another head scratching home game. I give the Bills the advantage.” – Karl
New York Jets (0-2) at Denver Broncos (2-0) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 1:05 p.m. PDT)
Ali: Broncos
Joe: Broncos
Karl: Broncos
Austin: Broncos
Alec: Broncos
“I have the Broncos. They’re an old school team who plays good defense, runs the ball, and has a game-managing QB in Teddy Bridgewater.” – Austin
“I think the Broncos take the free spot. The Jets are essentially the free tile in the middle of a bingo board.” – Alec
Miami Dolphins (1-1) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 1:05 p.m. PDT)
Ali: Raiders
Joe: Raiders
Karl: Raiders
Austin: Raiders
Alec: Raiders
“I have been doubting the Raiders, but they are really coming through so far. Let’s see if they can hold it together for Miami.” – Ali
“This game is tough because I see these teams as on the same tier at the moment when it comes to how good they are at their best. I’m gonna go with the Raiders because they’re riding high off of two big wins and the Dolphins just got smoked 35-0.” – Joe
Seattle Seahawks (1-1) at Minnesota Vikings (0-2) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 1:25 p.m. PDT)
Ali: Seahawks
Joe: Seahawks
Karl: Seahawks
Austin: Seahawks
Alec: Seahawks
“Fun fact: the Seahawks, Sounders and Mariners all lost over the weekend, so Seattle is down bad right now. A lot of the Seahawks mistakes were self-inflicted and I don’t think they make that many mistakes again this week.” – Alec
“I still like the Seahawks. I don’t care for the Vikings. They are just kind of there, screwing up my picks.” – Ali
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) at Los Angeles Rams (2-0) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 1:25 p.m. PDT)
Ali: Bucs
Joe: Rams
Karl: Rams
Austin: Rams
Alec: Bucs
“I’m taking my Rams, obviously. Our run defense has been a bit sketchy, so that might be worrisome, but the Rams beat the Bucs last year with Jared Goff at QB.” –Austin
“What a great matchup. This game will be one of the better ones this season. I love watching the Rams play, but when Tom Brady wants to win, he wins. If Matthew Stafford looks over to the Bucs’ bench and sees Tom’s head hanging low, he knows he is done for.” – Ali
Green Bay Packers (1-1) at San Francisco 49ers (2-0) (Sunday, Sept. 26 at 5:20 p.m. PDT)
Ali: Packers
Joe: Packers
Karl: Packers
Austin: 49ers
Alec: Packers
“I’m gonna go with the 49ers because their run game always dominates the Packers, whose defense looks worse than previous years.” – Austin
“I’m not confident in this pick at all, but I think I saw just enough from the Packers against the Lions to take them against the Niners who haven’t impressed me by any means so far this season.” – Joe
Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1) (Monday, Sept. 27 at 5:15 p.m. PDT)
Ali: Cowboys
Joe: Cowboys
Karl: Cowboys
Austin: Eagles
Alec: Cowboys
“I swear these teams play each other more than two times a year. I think the Cowboys will win this one. The Cowboys have been impressive to me by almost beating the Bucs and beating the Chargers this last week.” – Alec
“This is another matchup of teams that hilariously hurt their own fanbases. This is a tough one, but I think the Cowboys are the better team. Does that mean they will win this game? No, but I’ll stick with them.” – Karl
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Contact Joe Doonan via Twitter (@jdoonan12) or via email: joe.doonan@pepperdine.edu
