Armenian Sports News

After another exciting week of football, we are headed to Week 3 of the NFL season.

Before I give you my against-the-spread picks for this week, let’s take a look at how I did last week.

Week 2 record: 8-8
2021 Season: 17-15

All odds via DraftKings sportsbook as of Wednesday morning.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Carolina Panthers (-8.5) vs. Houston Texans, 8:20 PM

Andre’s Pick: Panthers. Carolina’s defense is for real. They’ve allowed the fewest yards per play this season (3.6) and now they go up against Davis Mills. They also have the league’s second-best yards per play differential. This team is extremely underrated and they’ll have a good run this season. Carolina also leads the NFL in sacks and they’re going up against a very weak Houston offensive line.

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Arizona Cardinals (-7) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Cardinals. Arizona is averaging more than 7 yards per play. Jacksonville got blown out by two really bad teams in Houston and Denver. Kyler Murray shouldn’t have any issue running all over the Jaguars’ defense.

Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants (-3), 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Giants. Atlanta’s pass defense is bad. We already knew that. But what’s surprising is their offense has been just as terrible. They’re only averaging 4.5 yards per play (29th in NFL). The Giants have their weaknesses, but Daniel Jones is more than capable of making big plays. Atlanta’s rush defense is also trash, as they allow nearly five yards per carry. Not good news when you’re going up against Jones and Saquon.

Baltimore Ravens (-7.5) vs. Detroit Lions, 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Lions. Baltimore is coming off an emotional home win on Sunday night against their rival. This is a big let down spot for the Ravens on the road against a team that many perceive to be terrible. But Jared Goff can sling it and I think they’ll do just enough to cover. The Ravens have a negative yards per play differential and they allow nearly 7 yards per play — the second-highest mark in the league.

New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots (-3), 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Patriots. The Saints average 4.4 yards per play (30th in NFL) and now the interception-prone Jameis Winston goes up on the road against Bill Belichick’s defense. Also, Drew Brees’ absence is really impacting Alvin Kamara. He’s averaging 3.1 yards per carry compared to 5.0 last season. He’s also averaging two fewer receptions per game.

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5), 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Chargers. This is a slam dunk. The Chiefs allow the most yards per play in the NFL. The Chargers WILL put up points and keep this within the number. The Chiefs are 1-11-1 against-the-spread since Nov. 8, 2020.

Washington Football Team vs. Buffalo Bills (-7.5), 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Football Team. This might be Buffalo’s biggest test against an opposing quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger is a shell of himself and Jacoby Brissett is a backup. The Bills have allowed the fewest yards per pass attempt, but it’s been against weak competition. What should be more concerning is that Josh Allen is ranked 31st in the NFL in yards per pass attempt. He hasn’t been playing well. I don’t know if Washington wins, but they have a solid QB in Taylor Heineke, some decent threats and an okay defense. They’ll cover.

Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns (-6.5), 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Browns. Justin Fields is making his first career start. The Browns allow the third-fewest rushing yards per carry in the NFL (and they’ve gone up against the Chiefs in one of their two games). If the Bears struggle to run the ball, that’s going to be extra pressure on Fields to succeed — not a good position to be in as a rookie.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans (-5), 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Titans. Last week, I said that if the Titans fell behind big against the Seahawks, it would be very difficult for them to come back because they would have to get away from Derrick Henry and their explosive running attack. They stuck to it and instead came back and won. Carson Wentz is banged up and the Colts’ rush defense is pretty average.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-3), 1:00 PM

Andre’s Pick: Steelers. Big Ben is regressing and falling off a cliff, but the Steelers defense can create some havoc and they’re going up against a Bengals offensive line that has allowed the most sacks this year.

Miami Dolphins vs. Las Vegas Raiders (-4.5), 4:05 PM

Andre’s Pick: Dolphins. Miami isn’t getting shutout this week. They also have a great defensive mind as a head coach and they’ll be able to mitigate Derek Carr this week. The Dolphins allow the fifth-fewest yards per passing attempt and the Raiders have no running game. Jacoby Brissett is also a serviceable backup and will be able to make some plays to propel the Dolphins to victory.

New York Jets vs. Denver Broncos (-10.5), 4:05 PM

Andre’s Pick: Jets. I can’t believe the Broncos are going to be a 3-0 team. They’ll win this game by virtue of going up against another weak team (Giants in Week 1, Jaguars in Week 2). But this team has no business being a 10 point favorite over any team.

Tampa Bay Bucs (-1.5) vs. Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 PM

Andre’s Pick: Rams. The Rams are not as run-dependent with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. This is a good thing. The Bucs run defense is impossible to penetrate, but Dallas showed in Week 1 you can have offensive success without running the ball against Tampa. Stafford is averaging nearly 11 yards per pass attempt. They’ll put up points. The Rams defense is solid, but they haven’t faced an offense as potent as Tampa’s this season. But they’re at home with an elite QB in Stafford.

Seattle Seahawks (-1.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings, 4:25 PM

Andre’s Pick: Seahawks. Russell Wilson is averaging more than 11 yards per pass attempt. Minnesota allows the second-most passing yards per attempt. That is all.

Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers (-3), 8:20 PM

Andre’s Pick: 49ers. Green Bay has only put up 30 minutes of good football this season and that was at home against a bad Lions team. Now they have to travel to San Francisco on a short week against a complete team that is healthy. Jimmy Garoppolo is very underrated this season. He hasn’t turned the ball over and he’s averaging more than nine yards per pass attempt.

Monday, September 27, 2021

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys (-3.5), 8:15 PM

Andre’s Pick: Eagles. Philly leads the league in yards per play differential. Their defense has been elite against two QBs who have played in Super Bowls in the first two weeks. The Eagles allow the second fewest yards per pass attempt. They may pull off a surprising upset win on the road.