That was a brutal Week 2 of the NFL season and I do think it is partly down to the way the teams have had to prepare in a year affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Injuries are always a feature of the NFL and my main reason for suggesting that picking a winner of the Super Bowl in August is a foolhardy game.
Even then it was surprising to see so many big name players going down around the League and it doesn't do any favours for viewing figures that so many have been lost for the year.
For Fantasy Football players there are hard decisions to make in the next couple of weeks- when players you've picked high in the Draft have fallen by the wayside it can be tough to find those replacements to at least give your team a shot over the next fourteen weeks.
My own team has already been banged up in one League with Michael Thomas looking like he will miss a number of weeks, but I've managed to avoid much of the carnage in another. However, I am not going to be holding my breath that it will continue through the coming weeks as players are not quite conditioned to play full on NFL games with the lack of a pre-season and work that could be done to prepare for the new season.
I will get onto the Week 3 Picks below with a few words about the first two weeks of the season, but before that you can read my current top five and bottom five teams in my 'Power Ranking'.
1) Kansas City Chiefs (2-0): the Super Bowl Champions remain unbeaten, although they almost suffered the upset in Week 2. At the moment they are the team to beat, but I can't be the only one who can't wait to see how Monday Night Football goes?!
2) Baltimore Ravens (2-0): Lamar Jackson looks to have improved again and the Ravens are playing with a point to prove in 2020 having had another poor PlayOff run in 2019. They host the Chiefs on Monday Night and I think they can show the rest of the NFL what they are all about.
3) Seattle Seahawks (2-0): Russell Wilson is being allowed to 'cook' and the Seahawks look strong on both sides of the ball. The injuries in the 49ers line up makes Seattle the team to beat in the NFC West.
4) Green Bay Packers (2-0): Aaron Rodgers playing with a chip on his shoulder is not good for the rest of the NFL.
5) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0): The Defensive side of the ball looks as stout as last season, but the return of Big Ben is huge for the Steelers. He has looked good in the first two games and will surely only improve in each passing week in the League.
32) New York Jets (0-2): I don't like the Jets, but even I am beginning to feel sorry for a team that persists with Adam Gase as the Head Coach.
31) Carolina Panthers (0-2): The injury to Christian McCaffrey is only going to slow down the Panthers that much more.
30) Miami Dolphins (0-2): They were supposed to take a significant step forward in 2020, but the Dolphins fans are now just waiting to see when Tua Tagovailoa will be given the chance at Quarter Back.
29) Minnesota Vikings (0-2): The Defensive unit has taken a step backwards and Kirk Cousins and the Offense are not playing well enough to cover the vulnerabilities.
28) Detroit Lions (0-2): I could easily have switched them around with the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions are another team who need to recognise that Matt Patricia's time as Head Coach needs to be ended sooner than later.
Week 3 Picks
After a very strong Week 1, the Week 2 Picks actually returned an even better mark at 7-3 so I really can't complain about that.
A late Miami drive leading to a Touchdown meant they landed within the number which is my only disappointment, especially as they did not win the game outright if they were going to cover the mark. My other two losses in Week 2 never really got close to covering so I am not going to complain about those.
I did need a couple of late Defensive stands to make sure I earned a couple of winners with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants preventing late scores, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored inside the final two minutes to make sure of their win over the Panthers but also cover the mark.
In all honesty I have had more good luck than bad in the first two weeks of the season, but it is a long year and I am hoping to avoid the truly terrible weeks which can erase all the good work very quickly.
Keeping the momentum going in Week 3 is the only thing on my mind and taking it one week at a time towards the end of the year, one in which we are largely going to be sitting in and trying to stay as safe as possible.
Washington Football Team @ Cleveland Browns Pick: Both teams go into Week 3 with a 1-1 record and that means this non-Conference game is more important to both than they can sometimes be. In most cases the non-Conference games on the schedule are the 'least' important out of the sixteen that are played each season, but those do still make up a quarter of a team's season and for the Cleveland Browns and Washington Football Team there is simply not enough consistency to believe they can afford to drop any game.
That is particularly the case for the Browns who are in a Division where the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are both sitting at 2-0 already this season. Those two teams look like being amongst the very best in the AFC and so the Browns will have to make use of the other games outside of the Division to give themselves a shot at making the PlayOffs.
Their visitors are in a weaker Division, but the Washington Football Team have dropped their last game and will be looking to bounce back.
It won't be easy to do that with the injuries they are dealing with on both sides of the ball and the Offensive Line lost another key figure before this game. That means their young Quarter Back Dwayne Haskins won't be given a lot of time, although some of the enthusiasm for the selection will be taken away if the Cleveland Browns are not able to suit up some of their pass rushers.
Cleveland played on Thursday Night Football in Week 2 so I would be hopeful that some of those players will be able to return, but even without them I expect the Browns Defensive Line to win the battle in the trenches. The Browns Defensive Line should be able to contain any threat the Washington Football Team bring on the ground and that means Washington will be throwing the ball from third and long spots.
From there I do think the Browns can get the pressure on Dwayne Haskins and try and force mistakes, while also protecting a Secondary which has given up some big yards through the first two weeks of the season. The fact that Cleveland are banged up in the Defensive Backs unit does not help, but if Haskins is not given time and if Washington can't find some consistency from their Receivers I am not sure they are going to have enough to expose the Browns.
Pressure is not going to be reserved for Dwayne Haskins in this one though as Baker Mayfield can expect to see the Washington pass rush all around him whenever he is in obvious passing situations. The one key difference for Mayfield coming in off a strong outing is that he has the dual-threat in the backfield that can ease all the pass rush pressure coming at him.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have started this season in strong fashion and the Cleveland Offensive Line which has been rebuilt since the end of 2019 have really paved the way for them. They are earning 5.7 yards per carry and the Washington Defensive Line is much better when it comes to rushing the passer than stopping the run and that should mean Baker Mayfield is left in third and manageable spots.
Both Chubb and Hunt are capable of catching short passes from their Quarter Back and making tacklers miss, while the Offensive Line will also believe they can earn the advantage in the trenches to set up play-action for their team to move the ball down the field. There are holes in the Secondary which can be exposed by Mayfield who has some talented Receivers to throw to and I do think Cleveland will be able to put up the points that Arizona put up against Washington in Week 2.
The Browns have been a miserable team to back at home, and they failed to cover last week when they allowed Cincinnati to score late to get within the mark. Last week we almost saw Washington come back from a big deficit to cover, but they are 2-10 against the spread in their last twelve after a straight up loss and I think that trend is extended here.
Neither team should be looking ahead to Week 4, but the extra time to prepare should suit Cleveland for this Week 3 game and I will look for them to cover.
Las Vegas Raiders @ New England Patriots Pick: If someone had told you only one of these teams would be 2-0 going into Week 3 then I am sure the majority of people would have picked the New England Patriots to be that team.
A late goalline stand from the Seattle Seahawks prevented the Patriots from remaining unbeaten in the 2020 season, but Bill Belichick has to be pleased with what he saw from his new look Offensive unit which is coping without Tom Brady. Defensively he will be demanding improvements immediately, but the Patriots are home this week and that will certainly help.
Surprisingly they are hosting the 2-0 Las Vegas Raiders who have beaten the Carolina Panthers and then christened their new Stadium in the desert by knocking off the New Orleans Saints. That second victory will give the Raiders a lot of belief that they can have a very big 2020 season under Jon Gruden, although the short week is a hindrance.
A bigger problem for Las Vegas is the host of injuries on the Offensive Line as Ritchie Incognito became the latest to go down. That means the Raiders will head to New England with a number of unfamiliar faces on the Offensive Line and they are also dealing with knocks that the likes of Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller are dealing with too.
It doesn't bode well for Derek Carr despite the strong start to 2020 and even though the Patriots are not exactly known for their pass rush, I do think the injuries on the Offensive Line means the Quarter Back will be under pressure in this one. Last week the Patriots Secondary would have felt embarrassed by the amount of passing success Russell Wilson had, but this week they can bounce back and show why they are still considered one of the elite Defensive units in the NFL.
The New England Defensive Line has played the run pretty well and I think they can at least contain Jacobs if he is not at 100%. With more pressure likely to come up front against the banged up Las Vegas Offensive Line I do think it could be tough for the Raiders to have the same kind of successes they have enjoyed through the first two weeks of the season.
One player I do expect to keep his standards going is Cam Newton even though the New England Patriots have lost a key piece of their own Offensive Line for the next month. Center David Andrews has gone down with an injury and the rest of the Line look to him for leadership so there may be a dent in what the Patriots have been able to do in the first two weeks under their new Offense.
Even with the injury, the Patriots may still believe they are going to be able to give Cam Newton time to throw the ball against a young Las Vegas Secondary which is still learning their trade at this level. The Quarter Back can help himself by leaning on the run game, which Newton is a key part of, and I fully expect New England to be able to establish the run in this one.
The Raiders Defensive Line have given up 4.9 yards per carry through the first two weeks of the season and I do think this Patriots team can have success even without Andrews and possibly James White too.
Having Cam Newton in the backfield means there is the additional threat of the Quarter Back tucking the ball in and moving the chains himself with his legs and that should keep the Raiders pass rush from really pinning back their ears.
Without the pressure, Newton should be able to pick up from last week and let rip down the field. The Raiders have some talented players in the Secondary, but we may not see the best of them in what has to be considered a learning year for them and the Patriots have enough in the Receiving unit to get the better of them.
It should mean this is largely a day in which New England keep the chains moving up and down the field, while also having a Defensive unit that is able to take advantage of the injuries the Raiders are faced with.
Playing on a short week does not help the Raiders cause and they are 4-14 against the spread in their last eighteen following a win. New England have always been a very good team recovering from losses under Bill Belichick and I think Cam Newton can take the team on his back and keep that trend going with a good looking home win in Week 3.
Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers Pick: After the way the Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive unit performed last season, the return of Big Ben Roethlisberger was expected to take the team forward in 2020. Despite the strong efforts on one side of the ball, the Steelers missed the PlayOffs in 2019 because of their inconsistent Offensive play, but the return of a two time Super Bowl Winning Quarter Back is a huge boost for the team.
If the first two weeks of 2020 are anything to go by the Steelers are looking much more in sync Offensively and that allows the Defensive unit to step up and really intensify their bid to make plays.
Ben Roethlisberger is still getting on the same page with some of the younger Receivers on the roster, but he will be given a big boost by the return of a key Offensive Lineman. It is important to have a healthy blocking unit when facing a Defensive Line like the one the Houston Texans will be bringing out to the field and it should mean Roethlisberger is pretty well protected in this one.
A bigger factor may be the fact that Pittsburgh should be able to run the ball efficiently in this game against a Houston Defensive Line giving up 5.6 yards per carry. Any time a team is able to do that it should mean the pass rush is eased slightly and the play-action becomes a real threat for that team.
Pittsburgh should be able to have their way Offensively even though the Houston numbers in the Secondary are pretty good through the first two weeks despite playing Kansas City and Baltimore. Teams being able to crash through the Houston Defensive unit on the ground is part of the reason for the good looking numbers, and I do think the Steelers can have success throwing the ball when they establish the run.
The Houston Texans are 0-2 this season and they now face yet another top team having met the Super Bowl Champions and the team that finished with the best record in the AFC in back to back weeks. Things are not going to be easier for a team who might not be on the same page as Head Coach Bill O'Brien after the decision to trade away DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals.
It has left Deshaun Watson in a very difficult spot and I really feel sorry for the Quarter Back who has impressed since coming into the NFL. His Offensive Line has been struggling to keep Watson upright and now they have to face the Steel Curtain which has been able to get in front of the marker an give their key pass rushers the full go-ahead to get after the Quarter Back.
David Johnson made up part of the trade that sent Hopkins to Arizona, but this is a very difficult match up for him and Duke Johnson who do share the ball in the backfield. Deshaun Watson is capable of making some runs to move the chains himself, but it might be foolish to try that against this Steelers Defensive unit and it may all be on Watson's arm to keep the chains moving with any kind of consistency.
If Watson has time he should find some holes to exploit, but that is a huge if when you think of the way the Steelers have had successes knocking the Quarter Back to the ground. The Secondary has given up some yards, but Houston are still building the chemistry with their star Quarter Back who generally would have turned to DeAndre Hopkins when in key downs and distance in the past.
The pressure on Deshaun Watson to make plays has led to him pushing too had and making mistakes he may not otherwise make. That is always the danger agains this Pittsburgh team and I think the Steelers can put the Texans in a big hole and perhaps having to think about their Head Coach and whether he is going to get them over the line in the PlayOffs.
Houston were crushed at home by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2, but they are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine after a double digit straight up loss at home. However, they have not covered in their four as the underdog and Pittsburgh are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven at home.
The Steelers are not always a team I like backing as a favourite, but the favourite has covered in five in a row between these teams and I think Pittsburgh can do the same here.
San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants Pick: A few months in the NFL can be a very long time and the Super Bowl losing team the San Francisco 49ers will know all about that. They could easily have won the big game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but the 49ers were narrowly beaten and many would have believed they would be good enough to go again.
They might well be good enough, but for now we have no idea as the 49ers are dealing with a host of injuries on both sides of the ball. There are times when you get the under-rated injury that the casual fan may not appreciate, but San Francisco are missing skill players on both side of the ball and they are travelling back to a Stadium that they complained about last week.
San Francisco had several players complain about the surface at MetLife Stadium but they have to return to the same venue and that has to play on the mind for them. They have blamed the surface for the injuries that were picked up last week which means the 49ers are going into Week 3 with their backup Quarter Back Nick Mullens being given the keys to the Offense.
At normal health you would favour the 49ers to simply run the ball down the New York Giants throat and they would have success, but without their starting Quarter Back I do think it will be much harder to do that. The reason for that is you have to imagine the Giants are going to load the box and make sure Mullens has to try and beat them through the air, although New York's Defensive Line have not contained the run very well to open the 2020 season.
Raheem Mostert being ruled out helps the Giants too and I do think they can get into a position where they can unleash the pass rush to take advantage of the San Francisco Offensive Line. That Line is much happier paving the way for the running game rather than pass blocking and New York can give themselves a chance to earn an upset here if they can use the San Francisco injuries in their favour.
The 0-2 Giants have not escaped the injury bug themselves though and that has ruled Saquon Barkley out for the remainder of the season. The Running Back is a key weapon for the Giants who have been struggling being guided by Daniel Jones, but the 49ers have a host of injuries on this side of the ball too and that should only aid their young Quarter Back.
Devonta Freeman has been signed to take over from Barkley but he is likely to be a bigger threat catching the ball out of the backfield rather than running the ball straight at the 49ers. However he may have more success than he might usually have done because the San Francisco Defensive Line is down some key starters too and that should only bee good news for a Giants team struggling to score points.
Richard Sherman is missing from the Secondary in this one too and so Jones may have more success throwing the ball than he has for much of this season. The Giants can't expect the 49ers to roll over even with the injuries they are dealing with and last week the New York Jets found that out very quickly so Daniel Jones and company have to play a clean game.
With San Francisco having spent a week on the East Coast I do think there is a chance the players are just looking forward to going home. The injuries are piling up and mentally they might not be happy to be back on a surface that they heavily criticised last week.
My one concern is that the Giants are a miserable 1-11 against the spread in their last twelve games as the home underdog. San Francisco have some very strong trends under Kyle Shanahan as their Head Coach, but it is hard to imagine any NFL team dealing with the host of injuries they have on both sides of the ball.
Nick Mullens Quarter Backed the San Francisco 49ers when they last played the New York Giants and he saw his team lose by 4 points despite being favoured by this same spread that we see for this game. Daniel Jones has not really lit up the scoreboard which is a concern, but the sharp money is behind the Giants and I do think they cover as the home underdog.
Los Angeles Rams @ Buffalo Bills Pick: Two teams who have remained unbeaten through the first two weeks of the NFL season are meeting each other on Sunday and I think this is the chance for both the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams to show they are 'for real'. The Bills have beaten the two weaker teams in the AFC East as the favourites, while the Los Angeles Rams have wins over two teams from the NFC East which doesn't have a single team with a winning record through two weeks.
That means both teams will have been given some plaudits, but the players themselves and the Coaching staff may see this as a chance to make a statement that they are going to be firmly in the mix when we get to January and possibly February.
Out of the two teams I would suggest the Rams being 2-0 is more of a surprise than the Bills only because the latter look to be a progressing team under third year Josh Allen at Quarter Back. The Bills went out and helped their young Quarter Back by bringing in Stefon Diggs and the Wide Receiver and Allen look to be on the same page already which has helped the Bills surprise people with a strong passing game through two weeks.
Josh Allen had 1000 more passing yards in 2019 compared with his rookie year and he has already thrown over 700 yards in the two games played in 2020. He will feel confident he can get after the Los Angeles Rams Secondary considering some of the key pieces this team have lost on the Defensive side of the ball over the last several months.
He is a hard Quarter Back to take down and Allen is always capable of making a couple of scrambling runs to reach the First Down marker when he needs to. Physical strengths aside, the Bills may feel they can deal with the Los Angeles pass rush as long as they can keep an eye on where Aaron Donald is lining up and that should give Josh Allen the chance to find some holes in the Secondary and keep the big plays coming.
We have yet to see the Bills really knuckle down and run the ball like we have become used to, but the Offensive Line could pave the way for some big gains on the ground. It is time for Sean McDermott to lean on Devin Singletary rather than the committee approach used for the Running Back position through the first two weeks of the season and doing that should help the Bills keep the Offense in manageable Third Down spots against a Rams Defensive Line which has allowed 4.8 yards per carry.
There is no doubt that part of the reason a lot of people were not expecting a lot from the Los Angeles Rams was because of the down season that Jared Goff had at the Quarter Back position. Fewer Touchdown passes thrown and more Interceptions had people questioning whether Goff was going to be able to get the Rams over the line, but he has come out with 542 yards thrown through two games and led Los Angeles to two solid wins.
This week Goff is going to be going up against the best Defensive unit he has seen in 2020 and that is going to present a real challenge for him. The Buffalo Bills have some key players back to strengthen a unit that has not played as well as they can do in the first two games of the season and they could benefit from the fact that the Rams are down to a third string Running Back.
It has not been easy to run the ball against the Bills, but Los Angeles are a smart Offensive team that will use different schemes to open things up for their team. Short passes into screens can just loosen Defenses, and that may be the game plan without Malcolm Brown and Cam Akers in this game.
The Los Angeles Rams Offensive Line has played really well in protecting Jared Goff who can help with his scrambling ability as well throwing quick passes to negate any pass rush Buffalo can bring. This is a Defensive Line with plenty of ability to get to the Quarter Back, and that will help Buffalo to force mistakes when teams throw into a talented Secondary which also looks to have important players ready to go.
I do like the Bills in this game and I think the miles the Los Angeles Rams have had to travel over the last ten days is not going to help their cause, nor is the early slot in the Eastern Time window. They are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games as the favourite, although Buffalo did not cover last week, while the Rams are 5-12-1 against the spread in their last eighteen as the underdog.
I think this feels like a game in which the Bills will be making a statement to show they are one of the top teams in the NFL and I do think they are better than the Rams. Josh Allen can outplay Jared Goff in this one and I think they are good value to cover this spread even if the public are very much behind the Rams.
MY PICKS: Cleveland Browns - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)
New England Patriots - 6 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
Pittsburgh Steelers - 4 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (2 Units)
New York Giants + 3 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
Buffalo Bills - 2 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)
Los Angeles Chargers - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Indianapolis Colts - 11.5 Points @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 6 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
Seattle Seahawks - 4.5 Points @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Arizona Cardinals - 5.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
Green Bay Packers + 3.5 Points @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
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