ALTERNATIVE PICKS – WEEK 3, 2017

Last week, Andy got to choose whether he went first or second and third because Tony edged him out in Week 1. This week, he gets to choose again, while hoping not to dig himself a hole that he can’t climb out of, as Tony went up 17-14 with a 9-7 week.

Both picked well at the top, but things got a bit dicey at the bottom of the list, with Andy missing on the Chargers (11th pick) and Jacksonville (13th pick). The only game Tony got wrong in the Alternate picks was his 16th pick of the Cowboys–in fact, in his straight up picks, he went 14-2 for the week (vs 11-5 for Andy).

This week, Andy chose to go second and third again — because sooner or later it will work out for him:

1. Tony: New England over Houston – Rookie quarterback for Houston, vs possibly the best head coach (who happens to specialize in defense) of all time. Yup, I’ll stick with the Pats.
2. Andy: Pittsburgh over Chicago – Is there really any need for discussion on this? I would have preferred to get New England, but this was my second choice.
3. Andy: Green Bay over Cincinnati – And this was my third. So … mission accomplished.
4. Tony: Miami over NY Jets – Andy commented after this pick that I have a lot more faith in the Dolphins than he. Actually, I’ve just got more faith in Josh McCown and the Jets.
5. Andy: Denver over Buffalo – And Tony asked me about this game. Same deal – I have faith in Buffalo to pretty much suck. In retrospect, Tony is probably right on the Dolphins game. It hit me not that long ago that just a year or two removed from Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and an up-and-coming Quincy Enunwa, Jermaine Kearse is now expected to lead the team in targets. That’s gross.
6.  Tony: Atlanta over Detroit – Looking back, not sure if I would have grabbed them this high again — but until someone knocks off the NFC champions, no reason to pick against them.
7. Andy: Dallas over Arizona – I’m still not sold on Dallas this year, but minus David Johnson, I’m even less sold on Arizona.
8. Tony: Baltimore over Jacksonville – Baltimore has surprised me so far this year. Jacksonville … hasn’t.
9. Andy: Oakland over Washington – I was glad Tony picked Baltimore (see Bet the Mortgage, week three). As for this game, I’m not as confident as I maybe should be, but I like the direction the Raiders are headed. Washington … so far, not so much.
10.  Tony: Philadelphia over NY Giants – Has any team in the NFL missed on their expectations greater than the Giants this year? Brandon Marshall was supposed to be the weapon they needed to take control of the NFC East. Maybe they should have spent more time looking at a sexier position … like offensive line. Giant fans have to be hoping that OBJ returning to full health will be the spark they need … if that happens at all this year.
11. Andy: Kansas City over Los Angeles Chargers – I probably would have picked Philadelphia, but those NFC East games often turn into curve balls. I do think OBJ would be an upgrade at left tackle for New York, though. As for this game, San Diego’s real players have to be demoralized. They’re end-of-game field goals away from an overtime and a win. Instead, they’re 0-2 and playing one of the hottest-starting teams so far. Until they find a new kicker, I’m done with San Di … Los Angeles.
12. Tony: Carolina over New Orleans – New Orleans is great on artificial turf, playing inside. The Panthers haven’t looked particularly good so far this year, but playing the bad Saints defense on grass, outside, might be just what they need.
13. Andy: Tampa Bay over Minnesota – I think the bigger issue for Carolina is that they get to play the great Saints offense on grass, where Drew Brees is merely pretty good. In this game, if Sam Bradford plays the Vikings have a shot. Actually, Case Keenum apparently owns the Bucs the last couple years. But … this is more of a gut feeling, I guess. We’re into the tossup stage.
14. Tony: LA Rams over San Francisco – You know how much I like LA in this game?  Just enough to make me pick them ahead of choosing between the Seahawks/Titans and Browns/Colts game.
15. Andy: Seattle over Tennessee – You know how much I like Seattle in this game? Just enough to make me pick them ahead of the Browns/Colts game.
16. Tony: Cleveland over Indianapolis – Last week’s 16th pick (Dallas/Denver) was a tossup in my eyes. This one is as well. The big difference? Dallas & Denver are at least decent. This game…I’m guessing most of the players’ mothers won’t even watch.

So, again, for anyone scoring at home, here are the picks:

For our more conventional picks, here are the standings. The picks are below.

And the picks: