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Lombardi Ave Picks 2016: National Football League Week 3 Roundup

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Week 3 has come and gone, Green Bay Packers fans.

This week we got to see the Packers start fast before holding off a hard-charging Detroit Lions team to eventually seal off a 34-27 victory, but that was just one of 16 exciting games on the NFL docket for the week.

As usual, some of my fellow writers and I here at Lombardi Ave made picks on who would win each Week 2 game.

Let’s take a closer look …

Sep 25, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) looks to pass in the third quarter during the game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The things we got right

The results are as follows:

As you could probably have expected, we were all on Green Bay to find some rhythm offensively and take out Detroit; they did so magnificently in the first half of the game before the furious Lions rally in the second half.

Seattle had looked quite underwhelming in the first two weeks, but as they seem to do every year came out and dominated the scoreboard against San Francisco.

Miami has the unfortunate trend of playing to the level of their competition, but saved us all by finding the endzone in OT — but only after Cleveland’s Cody Parkey missed his 3rd field goal on the afternoon that could have garnered the Browns a win in regulation.

Dallas came out and handled an injury-depleted Bears team starting Brian Hoyer in place of Jay Cutler; though chicago tried to make it interesting late, it wasn’t really all that close.

Packers cornerback Damarious Randall is one of Ted Thompson’s best draft picks. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

What we got wrong

Turns out a lot, actually; in total, there were six games we all chose the same on which ended negatively for our projections.

Arizona was widely expected to continue showing the excellent form they produced in Week 2 against Tampa Bay — especially against an overhyped Buffalo team that just fired their offensive coordinator and looked less-than-mediocre on defense despite being led by the Ryan brothers. Instead, we saw pretty much the exact opposite: Buffalo dominated on the ground against a usually-stout Arizona front seven, putting up a big lead and forcing Carson Palmer to force passes deep (which resulted in 4 INTs in the final quarter).

The Giants had been looking strong through two weeks, with the high-priced defensive additions making a major difference and new & returning pieces on offense giving them the most varied attack we’ve seen in New York in years; Washington meanwhile struggled to an 0-2 record and questions were already being raised (by the media and in the locker room) as to whether Kirk Cousins should be their QB after this season. Instead of the expected blowout, we saw Washington step up in all aspects while multiple Giants lost their composure in their eventual loss.

Sep 25, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen (88) drops a pass as he is hit by Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker Eric Kendricks (54) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina hasn’t been as efficient as they were in 2015, but they have still been expected to be one of the NFC’s contenders, and they have tended to play their best at home. Minnesota continued their surprising jump to contender status though, demolishing the Panthers’ offense while yet again getting a decent showing from their own Sam Bradford-led unit to place themselves at the top of the NFC standings three weeks in.

Tampa Bay and Los Angeles have been two of the more difficult teams to get a read on; both have a bunch of talent on one side of the ball (offense for Tampa Bay, defense for Los Angeles) and have proven to be dangerous. The Rams found a way to finally reach the endzone offensively while holding off the Buccaneers’ attack to put themselves at 2-1 — tying them at the top of the NFC West through three weeks.

Sep 25, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) on the sideline during action against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 34-3. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia looked good on both sides of the ball through two weeks, but based on their competition (Cleveland and Chicago) and having a rookie quarterback at the helm, it isn’t a surprise most would be leery to proclaim them as a legitimate threat to contend for the playoffs; Pittsburgh — with their array of offensive weaponry — would stand as a major test. The Eagles passed with flying colors, their defense held an explosive unit to just 3 points while the offense picked apart the underwhelming Steelers’ defense.

Both New Orleans and Atlanta have underwhelmed in recent seasons, and their defenses have been the main culprits. In a must-win contest at home in an expected shootout though, picking Drew Brees seemed to be a strong choice. Matt Ryan and the Falcons managed to spread the ball around and eviscerate New Orleans early and often though to put them on their heels and release the pass rush on Brees to force some mistakes late and take sole lead in the NFC South.

Who won the week?

This was a pretty rough week, with nobody reaching double-digits on their picks and only one of us not ending with a +.500 record.

That was Thomas.

Going against the grain worked in his favor more often than not, with selections like New England, Baltimore, and Denver giving him an edge over everybody.

Hopefully Week 4 will bring the rest of us better luck, or Thomas may begin to run away with this contest.

Week 3 Picks Records:

Thomas: 9-7
Brad: 7-9
Josh: 5-11
Kenn: 5-11

2016 Picks Records:

Thomas: 30-18
Brad: 26-22
Kenn: 25-23
Josh: 23-25

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