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| After a decade of futility, the 49ers definitely have their traditional swagger back. (Getty) |
It wasn't without the usual snags. Stally's working about 16 hours a day as NASCAR is in town at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, Austen claims to very swamped with life as he prepares for a week-long trip to Europe (don't we all feel bad for him).
However, the crunch meant that the OXen actually had to push out the predictions early this week and you might actually get to read them before the 4 o'clock slate of games on Sunday!
Stally (Eight-Point Pick) - San Francisco over @Minnesota
Stally: I'd have to power rank the 49ers as Number 1 in the NFL right now. The Vikings, on the other hand, needed overtime to beat the Jags at home and lost to the Colts. There's a huge disparity here.
Austen: The 49ers might not be the best team in the league, but they could play a pretty terrible game and still knock off a Vikings team that is in the bottom three in the league.
Austen (Eight-Point Pick) - Pittsburgh over @Oakland
Austen: The Raiders have shown no life so far this season. They look like one of the worst teams in the league. They can't run the ball, they turn the ball over constantly, and their defense is a total mess. The Steelers might not be what they used to, but they should easily dispose of this team.
Stally: I don't think the Steelers are as strong as they used to be either and traveling across the country for this game gives me some pause. Do I think the Raiders will upset them? No, absolutely not.
Stally (Seven-Point pick) - @New Orleans over Kansas City
Stally: It's clear that the loss of Head Coach Sean Payton will affect this Saints team. However, they're still a strong team with a great home crowd and the Chiefs are a lousy team that struggles on the road. This is lopsided matchup.
Austen: This is a must-win for the Saints. They have been terrible so far this season, but a home game against the struggling Chiefs is just what the doctor ordered.
Austen (Seven-Point Pick) - Detroit over @Tennessee
Austen: The Titans are a total mess. Their defense can't stop a nose bleed and Chris Johnson looks just as bad as last season. Add in a very inconsistent young quarterback and you have a big fat "L" in the stat column. The Lions should have an easy time with this one.
Stally: At the beginning of the year, if, for argument's sake, we had to pick someone other than the Texans to win the AFC South, the Titans seemed to have some semblance of a fighting chance. Two weeks in, I'm wondering if they're even better than Blaine Gabbert's Jaguars.
Stally (Six-Point Pick) - @Chicago over St. Louis
Stally: The Bears had three extra days to pick up the pieces after a stinker in Green Bay. The loss of Matt Forte will hurt, but Michael Bush is a capable back up and the Bears are still a much better team than the Rams, especially when they leave St. Louis to go on the road.
Austen: The Rams are better than advertised, but I still think the Bears are one of the more talented teams in the league. If they cannot knock off the Rams at home, I will have to rethink the Bears as a team. However, it will be a closer game than most think.
Austen (Six-Point Pick) - @Indianapolis over Jacksonville
Austen: I was insane for taking Indy this high, but I really hate this Jacksonville team. They simply are not talented enough to compete with most team and they are even worse on the road.
Stally: One-hundred percent of that statement is true! The takeaway for our readers, however, is that the Colts are not talented enough to warrant a six-point selection.
Stally (Five-Point Pick) - @Dallas over Tampa Bay
Stally: Austen and I both predicted the Cowboys demise in Seattle last week, and they had a major letdown after a big opening week win in New York. However, I think that was a hiccup and that this Cowboys team will be excited to show off in front of their home crowd for the first time this season.
Austen: Both teams are coming off devastating losses so this could go to either team. The Bucs are a complete wild card and you never know what they will bring to the table, so I wanted to stay away from this game. That being said, the 'Boys have to win this game to stay in the playoff race in a very tough division.
Stally: Playoffs!? It's Week 3. Don't talk about ... playoffs!
Austen (Five-Point Pick) - New York-J over @Miami
Austen: The Dolphins are flat out awful and I'm a Jets fan. I have to have some faith in my boys, but who knows. In a week of a lot of toss ups, I'll roll the dice with them.
Stally: Miami is tied with every other team in its AFC East division for first place right now. #JustSayin.
Stally (Four-Point Pick) - Green Bay over @Seattle
Stally: Seattle proved last week with an unseating of the Cowboys that they aren't to be messed with at home. Then again, after losing to the 49ers in Week 1, the Packers reminded the league just how good they are by tranquillizing the Bears. Green Bay is a superior team and should win this one.
Austen: This is another one that I wanted to stay away from, but the Packers are the far superior team. This is another must-win game for a very talented team that is coming off a big division win.
Stally: Sorry to keep interjecting, but I feel like you can only use "must-win" about twice a year for a team. I have trouble using the term for a 1-1 team in Week 3. It seems to belittle the phrase.
Austen (Four-Point Pick) - Houston over @Denver
Austen: I hate going against the Broncos at home since it is so hard to beat them on the road. However, I think the Texans might be the best team in the league, so I'll stick with them in this contest. Also, I'm not sold on Peyton Manning being back to his old self, and he will need to have a great game against one of the best defenses in the league in order to come out on top.
Stally: Oh, my goodness! Save me someone! You know what I'm not sold on!? The Texans being the best team in the league! Just because they're gifted six divisional games and are well above average, so they could 8-4 non-division, doesn't mean they're that fantastic at 12-4. Matt Schaub is good, but are you really going to tell me he's the QB of the league's best team? Get outta he'a! Denver wins this AFC Measuring Stick.
Stally (Three-Point Pick) - Philadelphia over @Arizona
Stally: It's just too easy to jump on the Cardinals bandwagon after they won in New England last week. But, um, hello!? Their offense is horrendous! It's hard for me to accept that Arizona can start the season at 3-0.
Austen: I actually have the Cards winning this one. The Eagles have looked terrible so far, despite going 2-0. Vick is one hit away from being on the sidelines and the Cards have a great pass rush. Either way, I think their poor play finally catches up to them on the road.
Stally: Can we stop talking about Michael Vick getting injured? Let's just accept that any quarterback could be one hit away from being on the sidelines (and any other player for that matter. including punters and long snappers) and move on.
Austen (Three-Point Pick) - Buffalo over @Cleveland
Austen: I'm not sold on the Bills, but I still hold firm on thinking that the Browns are one of the worst teams in the league. They are also still missing their best player, Joe Haden, who is one of the most underrated defenders in the league. I'm not holding out much hope for the Browns.
Stally: I took the Browns with a single confidence point in our Pick 'Em. I think the Bills are going to be one of those teams that looks completely different on the road versus at home, so I like hometown Cleveland in this one ... barely.
Stally (Two-Point Pick) - @Washington over Cincinnati
Stally: Oh boy! Washington, D.C. has been waiting for this one since late April! Robert Griffin III's home debut as the face of the Redskins. Playing a middle-of-the-road Bengals team, this is a game that I'd see either home team winning ... advantage Washington.
Austen: I have been an RG3 believer since the first time I watched him play in college. The Bengals are a good team, but going on the road against one of the most exciting rookies of all-time, I'd have to side with the Redskins.
Austen (Two-Point Pick) - @San Diego over Atlanta
Austen: The Chargers play better at home and the Falcons tend to be horrendous on the road. Atlanta really did not look great last week, but was massively helped out by some horrible decisions by Peyton Manning. This game will not be so easy for them, and the cross country trip is always deadly. All signs point to a Super Chargers win.
Stally: Funny, the cross country road trip had no bearing on a lesser Steelers team in Oakland for eight points ... I like the Falcons, but as Austen said, they're not great on the road. This should give a real sign of whether Atlanta is for real or whether is still struggles from the same issues it always has.
Stally (One-Point Pick) - New England over @Baltimore
Stally: Selecting the Pats this late is more or less a sentimental pick. Just like I can't see Arizona starting 3-0, I can't see New England starting 1-2. However, the Ravens are the one team in the AFC (the Giants in the NFC) that seems to have figured out how to stick it to Belichick, Brady, and their 60-Minute men. This should be a quality Sunday night game for NBC, that's for sure.
Austen: I have the Pats winning this one. The Ravens pass rush is not what it has been in the past and I think the Pats will get the best of the Ravens.
Austen (One-Point Pick) - New York-G over @Carolina
Austen: I got this game because Stally for some reason took the Panthers in this one and we did not draft until the Giants were already up 20-0. I'm glad to get the one point, but I definitely would have gotten more had I picked up my phone a day before this game. I take my trivia night very seriously ...
Stally: Ok, first of all, I called Austen three times on Wednesday, as we'd already agreed earlier that day to do the draft that evening. Secondly, there were plenty of reasons to pick the Panthers: Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks didn't make the trip from New York; it's always been proven that road team struggles on Thursday night games; Carolina beat New Orleans last week, whereas the Giants needed some late, long distance heroics to take out the Bucs at home. Lastly, Austen put down six confidence points on the Giants and admitted rethinking the pick after the injuries, so it's not like it was a clear pick to him.
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