Here we go folks, Week 3 of the NFL is here. Granted, the NFL is certainly testing our willingness to watch these Thursday night games. This week, we get our annual Thursday meeting between the Rams and the 49ers to kick things off. We also get the first London game of the season this Sunday, which means MORNING FOOTBALL!

Yes, Sunday will be a 14-hour marathon of NFL action. So make sure to get your fantasy lineups set, a big pot of coffee made, and find a comfy seat. Hopefully that means we get a solid day of games. Before we get to tonight’s game and my picks for the week, let’s talk about a couple of the best games on Sunday.

The best game that we haven’t talked about this week could be Tampa Bay vs. Minnesota. Now I’m on record with my belief that Atlanta-Detroit is the game of the week, but TB-Minnesota has the potential to steal the show. That would mean Minnesota quarterback Sam Bradford plays though.

This is a game for the fans that enjoy the strategy of the game. Both teams have tough defenses, and the offenses have different ways to move the football. Dirk Koetter and Mike Zimmer will really be earning their paychecks for winning this game. Each team has playoff aspirations and with a potentially deep Wild Card race at the end of the year. These are the early season games that end up impacting the postseason race.

For Tampa Bay, this type of matchup is why you went out and signing DeSean Jackson. DJax’s presence on the field means that Minnesota likely cannot have shutdown corner Xavier Rhodes shadow Mike Evans all day. That means Jameis Winston will need to show poise and the ability to read the field. One of his top two targets will have a mismatch, but Winston has to recognize that. A poor read could mean Minnesota safety Harrison Smith interceptions.

Minnesota desperately needs Bradford back on the field this week. Without him this offense was dead on arrival against Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay arguably could have the better defensive front than the Steelers. Case Keenum is what he is, a backup quarterback. As a starter, he doesn’t even rank in the top-32 statistically in key QB stats, more specifically completion percentage. Bradford completes nearly 70 percent of his passes while Keenum hovers around 55-60 percent on a good day.

It doesn’t help that whichever quarterback plays in this game could be under fire a lot in this game as well. Minnesota upgraded the offensive line, but this is another test of how improved this line actually is. Tampa Bay’s defensive front is fierce led by Gerald McCoy. We all saw the amount of pressure they generated last week against Chicago. Keenum in the game could mean this defensive line can pin their ears back and dominate. Bradford in the game means that the Vikings have more options and can create a more balanced plan to keep this defense out of attack mode.

Today’s practice report did have Bradford as a limited participant, which is a step in the right direction. His knee injury looks like its lingering, but there is still the hope he is able to go on Sunday. If that is the case, we are looking at a fantastic matchup between NFC playoff hopefuls.

Now we turn our attention to the Sunday night game between Oakland and Washington. It’s a very intriguing matchup that will hopefully live up to the billing of the primetime spotlight. There is not really a clash of styles or anything like that, just two solid offenses going up against defenses that leave something to be desired.

We haven’t quite seen the same run and gun offense from Oakland that we saw last season, but this is a more effective style they are playing. The addition of Marshawn Lynch has meant the Raiders are shifting towards a more power-oriented style. This allows Derek Carr and this passing game to pick their spots more judiciously, instead of having to force the ball downfield.

Washington is still trying to find their offensive rhythm, but last week finally got the running game going against the Rams. Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson, and Samaje Perine all ran well against that tough defensive line from Los Angeles. They will have a chance to replicate and improve upon that success from a week ago. Washington might need to do that without Kelley though because he is currently recovered from a non-displaced rib fracture. Perine and Thompson should be able to pick up the slack though.

The Redskins will need to get this passing game going though. Terelle Pryor has been a non-factor thus far and doesn’t seem to be on the same page with Kirk Cousins. Adding to pressure to that pair getting it together is the injury to Jordan Reed, who might miss this game. Oakland is the type of defense where they can solve some of those offensive issues.

Overall, you have to give Oakland the edge in this game. They are a much better team on the road than they are at home. Plus the primetime slot is less of a disadvantage for the West coast team.

Okay, let’s quickly talk about tonight’s matchup between the Rams and 49ers. It’s tough to get a read on this one, mostly because these teams don’t play consistently one way or the other. That being said, we might be in for a slog similar to last week.

The Rams should have the advantage in this game despite being the road team tonight. They have the more talented offense and a much better defense than the Niners. Turnovers could be plentiful in this game as well. This won’t be pretty but I’ll take the Rams (-3) to start Week 3.

As for the rest of my ATS picks this week, I think that we could be turning the corner here. Week 1 I went under .500, and last week I improved to .500. Let’s keep the good momentum going though. Here are my ATS picks for Week 3 (Winners in Bold)

Last Week: 8-8-0         2017 Season: 13-17-1

9:30 a.m. kickoff (London)

Baltimore (-3.5) vs. Jacksonville

1:00 p.m. kickoff

NY Giants vs. Philadelphia (-6)

Denver (-3) vs. Buffalo

New Orleans vs. Carolina (-5.5)

Pittsburgh (-7.5) vs. Chicago

Atlanta (-3) vs. Detroit

Cleveland (-1.5) vs. Indianapolis

Tampa Bay (+1.5) vs. Minnesota

Houston (-13.5) vs. New England

Miami (-6.5) vs. NY Jets

 

4:05/4:25 p.m. kickoff

Seattle (+2.5) vs. Tennessee

Cincinnati vs. Green Bay (-9)

Kansas City (-3) vs. LA Chargers

 

Sunday Night Football

Oakland (-3) vs. Washington

That’s it for me this week. I’ll be out covering sports and other events for SNJ Today this weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with “No Huddle.” Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page.