Week 3 ATS Recap: A Whole Week of WTF

Andre called it Bizarro Week. That about summed it up. In one week, everything we thought we knew about the league had been flipped: bad teams rose up, previously reliable teams faltered, and pass happy offenses embraced the run. This is why we pick 'em all! I'm just glad that putting up a 4-win week only cost me 2 games off my lead over Dre.

Picks We Both Won (2)

• Lions (PICK 'EM) 27, Redskins 20 - In a week when all flipped, even this one was in doubt. Tied at 17 going into the 4th quarter, the Lions managed to pull away thanks to their star playmakers in Matt "China Doll" Stafford and Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. They don't win many games, but they sure have enough nicknames to go around.
• Seahawks (-19) 45, Jaguars 17 - When Seattle backup QB Tarvaris Jackson has a more productive day in garbage time than any of the Jags regulars, you know it's been a tough day. With the 49ers faltering, the Seahawks look primed to put the NFC West in a stranglehold.

Picks We Both Lost (7 and a PUSH)

• Titans (-3) 20, Chargers 17 - PUSH - This was one of three picks I either tied or lost in the final seconds of the games. Inexplicably, with the Titans needing a TD to win, the Chargers played man up coverage on the outside, allowing Jake Locker to throw a ball up for grabs into single coverage. His receiver won the jump ball and sent my SD pick right to Pushyville. Props to Dre, he sure knows his pushy.
• Chiefs (+3) 26, Eagles 16 - We covered this on the podcast before our week 3 picks, but perhaps we BOTH underestimated the Chiefs and overestimated the Eagles. Philly hasn't looked like much since their breakneck first half against Washington, and while KC isn't flashy, they sure don't kill themselves and manage to get the job done.
• Ravens (-1) 30, Texans 9 - So Baltimore gets destroyed by Denver and barely escapes their home opener against Cleveland with a win, they're sure no match for the Texans, right? So, of course, the Ravens beat Houston with special teams and defensive touchdowns, despite being outgained on the day. That's So Ravens!
• Panthers (-1) 38, Giants 0 - OK, so maybe I had the Giants thing right about them sucking ass to start the season. Problem is, they've shown NOTHING to make anyone think they're going to turn this thing around. How bad is it when the Giants aren't even the best team in their city, and the other team is the fucking Jets?
• Saints (-9) 31, Cardinals 7 - We took a chance on the big number and lost. It happens. In the meantime, the Saints are looking better on both sides of the ball and look poised to cruise to the NFC South title if Atlanta can't figure out how to stop choking late.
• Browns (+6½) 31, Vikings 27 - All you need to know is how bad we ragged on Brian "Whoyer" Hoyer on the podcast and that the Cleveland banners outside their own stadium should read "What the Fuck?!?!?!?" Naturally, Cleveland won. We even referenced this in the show, we knew we had doomed ourselves.
• Jets (-1) 27, Bills 20 - The Bills got down big early and made a game of it late, but Gino Smith found Santonio Holmes in single coverage late (a theme on the day perhaps?), and Holmes beat his defender and then pushed him out of the way en route to a 69 yard game winning score.The Jets are 2-1, but know this: they're still crap.
• Broncos (-14½) 37, Raiders 21 - Really, the only drama in this whole game was the betting line. When the Broncos RBs are throwing down Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who will score the next TD, is there anything else in the game worth watching?

Picks Dre Won Head to Head (4)

• Patriots (-8½) 23, Buccaneers 3 - Tom Brady wasn't completely on the same page with his new wideouts yet, but the improvements were enough to hold off the sinking ship that is the Tampa Bay Bucs. It's getting ugly down in Tampa, and big changes are on the horizon if they don't right this thing.
• Bengals (+2½) 34, Packers 30 - The Packers seem good for one of these every year. Last year it was the meltdown in Indianapolis, and now this. The Bengals were up 14 before Aaron Rodgers touched the ball, but the Packers still managed to score the next 30 points. Should be enough, right? Nope, the Packers got sloppy late, and the Bengals took advantage and eked out the win. Neither team impressed this day.
• Cowboys (-3½) 31, Rams 7 - I got cute with the Rams and lost. Dre called it with his DeMarco Murray stat. Nice work. The talking heads are proclaiming the run game is back in Big D. I say no, Murray just loves to run on the Rams. End of story.
• Dolphins (-1) 27, Falcons 23 - Miami did the thing that Atlanta has been unable to: score the winning TD at the very end of the game. The Falcons high octane offense looks weak at the moment, while Miami, who managed to trail until the very end of the game, seems to have found its groove.

Picks I Won Head to Head (2)

• Colts (+10) 27, Niners 7 - Whoa! I expected a letdown from the Niners after getting crushed in Seattle, but not like that! Not at home. The radio commentators on this game pointed out that Seattle may have found the blueprint to beat Kaepernick in taking away the over the middle routes and making him beat you on the outside. It's exacltly what the Colts did, and something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
• Bears (-1) 40, Steelers 23 - I told you that the Steelers were D-O-N-E in week 1 and I am certainly sticking by that assessment. The Bears are off to a nice 0-3 start, but good luck getting anyone to admit to you they are the best team in the NFC North. They're not. Not yet.