A Little "Go Reds" with Your Week 3 NFL Picks

And YOUR Cincinnati Reds are in the playoffs for the first time since 2013! As Wick Terrell of the RedReporter.com wrote, "It's on, folks." 

What expanded playoffs? OK.

Shortened season? So?

Don't care! Don't care! Don't care! Reds are in the PLAYOFFS!

Look, us small market team fans have to take what we can get. The deck is constantly stacked against us. Denver Nuggets fans feel me. Don't ya? 

I have been cheering the Reds since before I went to Riverfront Stadium the first time in August of 1980 with my grandpa, dad and older brother. Sometimes it has been forced. Often times it has been painful. It is good today.

Gallagher says, "Go Reds." Smash a watermelon, people. It is on.

This is between '05 and '10...not sure. But it was summer, we were day drinking at Chuck's Sports Bar in Richmond, Ind. and I was wearing Reds gear. Go Reds!

Let's do some picks!

Week 3 NFL Picks

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots (-5.5): The New England defense got shredded last week in a 35-30 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Coach Bill Belichick will get that defense fixed and I like what I am seeing out of Patriots QB Cam Newton. Chris Mason of MassLive.com reports that Newton has completed 71.4 percent of his passes and is totally buying in to the Patriot Way. The Raiders are on a short week and 1 p.m. games are tough on teams from the Western time zone (5Dimes.edu: From 2003-18, west coast teams have gone 80-133 when playing on the east coast). - PATRIOTS

Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns (-7): Washington leads the league in quarterback sacks and will look to harass Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield into game changing mistakes. We know Washington can get after the quarterback, but can they stop the run? The Browns come into the game with the second-most team rushing yards in the NFL after compiling 215 rushing yards in a 35-30 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Washington gave up 160 rushing yards last week in their 30-15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. - BROWNS

San Francisco 49ers (-3.5) at New York Giants: These two teams have both been decimated by injuries. San Francisco will likely be without starting QB Jimmy Garappolo (ankle) and will definitely be without last year's Defensive Rooke of the Year, DE Nick Bosa (knee). New York lost elite-level RB Saquon Barley to a season-ending knee injury last weekend. That is not what New York QB Daniel Jones and the 32nd ranked offense needed (You do know there are only 32 NFL teams, right?). - 49ERS

Tennessee Titans (-2.5) at Minnesota Vikings: I am kind of thinking the 2-0 Titans aren't THAT good, and the 0-2 Vikings can't be THAT bad. You have to expect that both teams regress to the mean a bit this weekend, meaning a Minnesota victory - you know, they are a desperate and talented team that just got off to a bad start. But, all the writers at VikingsWire.com think Tennessee is good enough to beat a bad Minnesota team. Those dudes probably know more than I. - TITANS 

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons (-2): The 0-2 Falcons are favorites at home versus a 2-0 Bears team. Huh? I guess Vegas is looking at this game through the same lens I was looking at the previous one. Kind of weird considering Atlanta is coming off an epic collapse, as described by Matt Johnson of SportsNaut.com, and playing a Chicago team with an elite defense. Even with all that, there is something to be said for regressing to the mean in a league built upon parity. - FALCONS

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-4): And another 0-2 (Houston) versus 2-0 (Pittsburgh) tilt that is hard to pick. The Texans being 0-2 is understandable since they have played the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens, who had the best record in the NFL last year. I watched a lot of the Steelers 26-21 victory over the Denver Broncos last week and they did not look all that good to me - let a middling Denver team and their backup quarterback hang around way too long. - TEXANS

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills (-1.5): This game could be an offensive explosion. Buffalo is the 5th ranked team in total offensive yards and Los Angeles is ranked 7th. Buffalo is the top rated team in passing yards and Los Angeles is the 3rd ranked rushing offense. The Rams have some superstar defenders in DL Aaron Donald and CB Jalen Ramsey, but also have unknown stalwarts like LB Micah Kiser who made 16 tackles, forced a fumble and broke up a pass last week in the Rams 37-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Sal Maiorana of the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat Chronicle. With Buffalo missing RB Zack Moss and TE Dawson Knox, the Los Angeles defense will be the difference in this game. - RAMS

Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles (-4): Here is some interesting history from Brandon Lee Gowton of BleedingGreenNation.com: Eagles are 3-9-1 against the Bengals all time; Eagles have failed to beat the Bengals in their last three matchups, Bengals 32-14 win (2016), Bengals 34-13 win (2012) and 13-13 tie (2008). What does all that mean Sunday? Probably nothing. What does matter? Bengals rush defense is awful and their offensive line can't protect rookie QB Joe Burrow or open holes for RB Joe Mixon. - EAGLES

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts (-11.5): It's Jets/Colts week so we must talk about the 2018 NFL draft in which the Jets sent the 6th pick in the first round and three second round picks to the Colts so they could move from 6th to 3rd in the first round and grab QB Sam Darnold. Indianapolis ended up trading one of those picks for two more and turned all those picks into "two-time All Pro Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Kemoko Turay, Rock Ya-Sin ,and Jordan Wilkins," according to Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. That's 3-4 starters, depending on the week, and five legitimate contributors. What? Oh, sorry, this week's game...Jets stink and their receiving corps has been depleted by injuries. - COLTS

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Chargers (-6.5): The Chargers might have discovered an offensive weapon last week when rookie QB Justin Herbert filled in for starting QB Tyrod Taylor on ten minutes notice, as described by Joseph Person and Daniel Popper of The Athletic. The Panthers lost their most effective offensive weapon, RB Christian McCaffrey, to injury last week. McCaffrey's injury changes the dynamics of every single fantasy football league, and pretty much shit cans the Panther's chances this week, as well. - CHARGERS 

These next five picks are brought to you by our most consistent and benevolent sponsor: Late Night Followed by an Early Morning. Gotta rush 'em out.

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks (-5): Both of these teams are excellent. Both of these quarterbacks are excellent. Great game, can't wait. - SEAHAWKS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6) at Denver Broncos: Broncos looked tough versus the Steelers last week before and after losing starting QB Drew Lock. A guy on the radio I heard this week (couldn't tell you who he is, but we will assume he is an expert, because he was on the radio) said he looked at all the tape and Buccaneer QB Tom Brady is "making all the throws" or something to that effect. AND, with that, we make a decision. - BUCCANEERS

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals: Detroit head coach Matt Patricia doesn't strike me as a complete boob like Houston's Bill O'Brien, but he is undeniably failing miserably in his current position. He makes Jim Caldwell and his 9-7 seasons look like Vince Effing Lombardi. - CARDINALS

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers got motivated during the offseason when his team picked a quarterback in the first round of the draft. Apparently, Saints QB Drew Brees got old during the offseason. - PACKERS

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens: What...an...awesome...game! Defending Super Bowl champion versus the team with the best regular season record last year. Chiefs have shown weaknesses this year and the Ravens have not. - RAVENS