Week 2 was good with a ho-hum record of 13-3. But the fellas in Vegas know what they're doing, so this guy wouldn't have gotten paid all that much with a 9-7 record against the spread.
Mark Craig's Week 3 picks against the spread
September 26, 2020 at 9:34PM
Only two underdogs won last week. The guess here is five will win this week: Rams over Bills, Washington over Browns, Bengals over Eagles, Packers over Saints and … wait for it …
VIKINGS over Titans.
P.S. Sorry for the jinx.
Last week's picks: 13-3; Vs. the spread: 9-7.
Year to date: 22-10; 18-13-1
Vikings games: 2-0
Raiders (+6) at Patriots: Patriots by 7
The Patriots can slug it out or score the 30-plus they'll need to beat the Raiders.
Rams (+2½) at Bills: Rams by 6
Sorry, Stefon Diggs. It's time to step up in weight class after chest-thumpin' wins over the Jets and Dolphins.
Texans (+4) at Steelers: Steelers by 7
The Texans fall into that above-mentioned bounce-back category after opening with losses to the NFL's top two teams, Kansas City and Baltimore. Unfortunately, Houston is playing what might be the third-best team in football.
49ers (-4) at Giants: 49ers by 3
The 49ers will scrounge up an ugly victory behind Nick Mullens, assuming the new turf at MetLife Stadium doesn't circle back and finish off what's left of their roster, which lost five players on that surface in last week's win over the Jets.
Washington (+7) at Browns: Washington by 3
If you're from Cleveland, you know the Browns being favored to win big usually means they'll play small.
Bengals (+6) at Eagles: Bengals by 1
Philly, Houston and the Vikings are the only 2019 playoff teams without a win. Which one is the worst? Philly makes a strong case by losing to the Bengals.
Bears (+3½) at Falcons: Falcons by 7
To be safe, Atlanta builds a 40-point lead and hangs on to win on a last-minute drive by an offense that can scare even Chicago.
Jets (+10½) at Colts: Colts by 14
The equivalent of a check-down pass in any survivor pool is picking whoever the Jets play that week.
Panthers +6½ at Chargers: Chargers by 3
So Justin Herbert, the sixth overall draft pick, is forced into action. He plays pretty darn well. And then the coach says Tyrod Taylor will return as the starter when healthy. Um, yeah, right.
Lions (+5½) at Cardinals: Cardinals by 10
The Lions are a league-worst 0-11 since Matt Patricia had any chance of having a future in Detroit.
Buccaneers (-6) at Broncos: Bucs by 7
Including playoffs, Jeff Driskel trails Tom Brady by 249 career wins.
Cowboys (+5) at Seahawks: Seahawks by 3
Barring a couple of hangovers from the two best finishes of Week 2, this should be the game of the day Sunday. Russell Wilson has a league-best nine touchdown passes and 140.0 passer rating.
Packers (+3) at Saints: Packers by 6
Drew Brees just doesn't look like, you know, Drew Brees.
Chiefs (+3½) at Ravens: Ravens by 4
Best team on the planet beats the best player on the planet. At least during the regular season.
UPSET SPECIAL
Titans (-2½) at Vikings: Vikings 24, Titans 22
This is one of those predictably unpredictable the-world-was-against-us-and-we-showed-them bounce-back games for the Vikings. They've been dismissed from relevancy but have not yet reached their give-up point. Translation: They're still ticked enough to play far above their heads. Whether one of these types of games can happen in a lifeless, fan-free stadium that provides no home-field advantage remains to be seen.
Last week's upset special: Patriots (+3) 30, Seahawks 27.
Result: Seahawks 35, Patriots 30. Record: 1-1.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
