When you alone accept 16 amateur to accomplish your mark, there is so little allowance for absurdity that if you booty a bold for accepted you will lose. The NFL is a catchy barbarian to amount out. There are atypical moments that awe us, but it's watching the anatomy of assignment that defines the best teams.
Again, though, the cardinal of amateur armament us to overreact to everything. One anniversary ago at this time, Seattle was an unstoppable force that wouldn't lose a bold on the west coast. Now, there are injuries axle up that leave us with questions about how the Seahawks will handle Denver.
Finding argumentation in the NFL is as acceptable as award it in a Michael Bay movie. All you accept to do is sit back, watch what happens and appraise it afterwards. We're activity to try putting a adjustment to the carelessness with predictions for Anniversary 3 amateur adjoin the spread.
NFL Anniversary 3 Picks Adjoin the Spread | Matchup | Pick |
| San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills (-1) | Chargers, 24-17 |
| Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5) | Bengals, 27-13 |
| Baltimore Ravens (-1) at Cleveland Browns | Browns, 23-20 |
| Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (-2.5) | Packers, 31-27 |
| Indianapolis Colts (-7.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars | Colts, 31-13 |
| Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots (-15) | Patriots, 35-14 |
| Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints (-12) | Saints, 41-17 |
| Houston Texans at New York Giants (Pick 'Em) | Giants, 17-14 |
| Washington at Philadelphia Eagles (-7) | Washington, 28-24 |
| Dallas Cowboys at St. Louis Rams (Pick 'Em) | Cowboys, 28-20 |
| San Francisco 49ers (-2.5) at Arizona Cardinals | 49ers, 23-17 |
| Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins (-3.5) | Dolphins, 24-21 |
| Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks (-5) | Broncos, 27-24 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers (-3) | Panthers, 24-14 |
| Chicago Bears at New York Jets (-2.5) | Jets, 20-17 |
via Oddsshark.com
Note: Odds via Oddsshark.com
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks (-5)
The bigger antagonism of the weekend is a rematch of aftermost year's Super Bowl, admitting alone the Seahawks and their admirers would call that February beating as a abundant game. The acceptable account is we should get article added adequate with the aptitude on both of these teams instead of a 43-8 shellacking.
After accident in San Diego aftermost weekend, the Seahawks accept a lot of questions to answer. We apperceive they are a abundant aggregation at abounding strength, but Earl Thomas was hobbled in defeat and Marshawn Lynch is ambidextrous with a abscessed aback that Pete Carroll says, via Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk, has been an "ongoing issue."
Which underdog will accept the best achievement in Anniversary 3?
Which underdog will accept the best achievement in Anniversary 3?
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Denver Broncos (at Seattle)
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Arizona Cardinals (vs. San Francisco)
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Green Bay (at Detroit)
Another botheration for the Seahawks is that San Diego was able to accomplishment the antagonism of Antonio Gates adjoin a linebacker, as the bound end had three touchdown catches to coffin the arresting champions. The Broncos accept a acceptable bound end in Julius Thomas, who measures in at 6'5".
There is acceptable account for the Seahawks, so let's not act like it's all doom and gloom. The breach has looked able through two games. Even in the accident to the Chargers, they denticulate 21 credibility admitting accepting beneath than 18 account of control time.
Percy Harvin is convalescent now than he was in the Super Bowl, which is alarming because he had 137 advantageous yards on four touches, including a alpha acknowledgment touchdown to alpha the additional half.
With the Seahawks assuming some vulnerability on aegis aftermost week, they will accept to account added than accustomed to accumulate up with the Broncos.
Any comparisons of this accepted Denver aggregation to the one Seattle saw in the Super Bowl are misguided. The Broncos accept 10 altered starters this time around, including Ryan Clady aback on the abhorrent line, Emmanuel Sanders replacing Eric Decker, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward in the secondary.
Seattle's arresting band is additionally weaker compared to what the Broncos saw in the Super Bowl. Terry Blount of ESPN accent the changes for the Seahawks up advanced in a bold preview:
The Seahawks added adept arresting tackle Kevin Williams, but his appulse has been negligible so far. Rookie Cassius Marsh, who was accepted to accomplish a aberration as an edge-rusher, hasn't credible abundant yet. Abyss on the arresting band was a huge aggregation backbone aftermost division because it kept anybody beginning backward in bold and into the playoffs. Afterwards two games, that aforementioned abyss isn't apparent, but it's early.
The acumen Seattle was able to boss Denver in the Super Bowl is because of the burden on Peyton Manning. With the Broncos accepting their best abhorrent lineman arena this time around, and a weaker Seahawks arresting line, don't apprehend to see the aforementioned affectionate of burden this time around.
Sanders, who has afire speed, is the affectionate of advanced receiver who can accord Richard Sherman fits because the abrupt cornerback doesn't accept aristocratic speed. His backbone is closing and arena the ball, so attending for the Broncos to try bifold moves and booty the top off Seattle's accessory to get big plays and booty the army out of it early.
Broncos 27, Seahawks 24
San Francisco 49ers (-2.5) at Arizona Cardinals
This could accept been Arizona's advancing out affair as the aggregation to exhausted in the NFC West, or at atomic in the chat with Seattle, because the 49ers showed their weaknesses aftermost anniversary in a accident adjoin Chicago.
Jim Harbaugh's accumulation continues to get penalized at an alarming rate—16 times vs. the Bears and 27 through two games. They kept giving Chicago opportunities and eventually it amount them, not to acknowledgment four turnovers by Colin Kaepernick.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Carson Palmer's ailing accept hasn't bigger abundant and he will absence his additional beeline game, via Darren Urban of Cardinals.com.
Even in a division area the 49ers accept struggled to blitz the quarterback, with the barring of Justin Smith, who has three of the team's four sacks, Drew Stanton isn't acceptable abundant to exhausted Vic Fangio's defense.
Last week, while the final account shows the Bears put up 28 points, San Francisco's aegis was outstanding. They accustomed 216 absolute yards and it was alone because of the penalties that a lot of Chicago's drives were able to break alive.
Kaepernick's achievement backward in the bold is activity to be acute for the 49ers. Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Network begin the 49ers quarterback has a quarterback appraisement about 100 credibility lower in the fourth division compared to the aboriginal quarter:
If there's a antagonism the Cardinals can try to betrayal in the casual bold with Stanton, it's application big receivers like Michael Floyd (6'3") and Larry Fitzgerald (6'3) adjoin San Francisco's cornerbacks. Brandon Marshall denticulate three touchdowns adjoin Jimmie Ward aftermost week.
As continued as the Cardinals can get in the red area consistently, apprehend to see a lot of jump assurance and achromatize routes from Stanton to accomplishment those matchups.
Still, it's adamantine to see Stanton advancing through adjoin a acceptable aggregation afterwards almost actual the New York Giants aftermost week.
49ers 23, Cardinals 17
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (-2)
Lost in the drag of the Broncos-Seahawks action is a noteworthy NFC North antagonism amid the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. These two teams are agnate in a lot of ways, but altered abundant to coin their own identity.
The Packers accept to await on Aaron Rodgers because Eddie Lacy has been banged up and black so far, while the aegis has accustomed 60 credibility and 353 hasty yards through two games. Jordy Nelson keeps accepting better, arch the NFL in targets and accepting yards through two weeks (via ESPN Stats & Info and NFL on ESPN):
When it comes to throwing the brawl and accepting a game-changing advanced receiver, the Lions can address a book about that. Matthew Stafford has 80 attempts through two amateur and Calvin Johnson has bent 13 passes for 247 yards.
The Lions aren't active the brawl with any ability this season, cutting up 146 yards through two games. That plays into Green Bay's easily because the Packers don't stop the run.
Even admitting Detroit's aegis ranks ninth in casual yards allowed, we can't draw any abstracts yet because it came adjoin a Giants aggregation that looks abhorrent and a bound Cam Newton. This anniversary will be the litmus analysis to see how acceptable that assemblage is.
Rodgers has best afar Detroit's aegis throughout his career, According to Justin Rogers of MLive.com, the Packers quarterback has completed 68 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and bristles interceptions adjoin the Lions.
Until Detroit manages to acquisition some bendability from anniversary to anniversary and a way to accommodate Rodgers, it's adamantine not to like the Packers in this spot.
Packers 31, Lions 27
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