NFL: 3 and Out - Week 2

After starting the season off strong (OK, 2-1 darn you Falcons) here at the Public Money we're tempted to have a typical week one over reaction, declare the season a winner, and shut it down for Champagne and oysters.

But that's not the way the world works. We have 16 weeks left to go and strong starts are not indicative of winning seasons.  You have to put in the work.

So, here we go:


1.  Baltimore @ Cincinnati (-1) [44].

Pick: Baltimore to win on the M/L.

Maybe we caught this line at a vulnerable moment, or maybe it's just that in this rivalry, the home team is often favored, but we like where we're sitting against a Bengals team that pulled a win out of the jaws of defeat in the first week.  Granted, Baltimore is not playing Buffalo this week, the Bengals have some talent and a competent coaching staff, but they should do well enough to pull out an important win on the road and walk out of Cincy 2-0.  Baltimore is better at almost every position and, while it's close, Flacco > Dalton.


2. Kansas City @ Pittsburgh (-4.5) [52.5]

Pick: Kansas City to Cover +4.5

It's a little bit early in the season to be predicting the Andy Reid swoon. In game two his offense should be fresh enough, he should still be calling aggressive plays and there's still not enough film for defenses to figure out what he's going to do. Pittsburgh is a tough place to play, and the Steelers are still pretty good despite tying Cleveland last weekend. I think this is a close game, field goal difference either way. Don't be surprised though if Kansas City pulls the upset here.


3. NY Giants @ Dallas (-3) [42]

Pick: New York to win on the ML.

Saquon Barkley looked every much the real deal last Sunday and there's every sign that Odell Beckham is fully back. The anchor for New York on offense is Eli Manning, but even he won't be able to mess things up against a Dallas team that has legitimate offensive issues that are, rightly or wrongly, being laid on the shoulders of head coach Jason Garrett (who probably won't see the end of the season in his current position.)  Dallas is going to struggle this year against teams with a good defense, and the Giants have a decent one.

Yes, I realize that I'm picking two road upsets this week but.....Don't Panic.

The game in which I have a rooting interest:

Detroit @ San Francisco (-1) [47]

If you think this is a trap line, you'd be correct. I feel that the public is going to hammer the 49ers so you might want to get in on this early, before it starts drifting up on Sunday.  While Detroit looked impossible on Monday I've a feeling their defense especially is going to start to figure things out in week 2.  The Niners have issues at running back and are a very one-handed offensive unit right now so they'll be easier to defend. Offensively I cannot see a scenario where Matthew Stafford throws 4 INTs against a San Fran defensive backfield that's slightly below average. The 49ers are going to need Jimmy G to come up big and I think he will.  But I don't see San Fran winning this by much more than a field goal.