Schein 9 NFL Week 3:

Another off the charts and unpredictable week in the NFL. 

Upset specials! 

 

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Dogs winning on the moneyline across the league. 

The NFL is the ultimate reality show. 

Malik Willis won a game! Kirk Cousins rocked late in primetime! 

The Rams can’t function. 

Cincy and Baltimore are BOTH 0-2. 

You gotta love sports. Or hate em, depending on your wagers and teams.

I’m 3 games over .500 picking every game against the spread on “Make it Rain” (M-F, 3-4 p.m. ET) and I feel good to start the year.

Though not as good as my fourth-grade son waking up Tuesday morning to the news that Kyle Pitts’ catch on the Kirk Cousins’ game-winning drive won him his fantasy matchup. Thank you DeVonta Smith.

The Week 3 slate is amazing. Houston vs. Minnesota? Ravens against the Cowboys? Chargers in Pittsburgh? Saints hosting Philly. Yes, please. We will make all of our picks on Friday’s show.

But as always, here are our midweek musings, Schein 9 style.

1. Saints Are Marching

And it’s not a fluke. I told you preseason that the 7.5 win total over for New Orleans was a best bet. Derek Carr told us how much he loved Klint Kubiak’s offense and how the team is “10 times ahead” of where they were last August heading into the season. Derek is always honest when we speak on my SiriusXM radio show. He doesn’t speak in hyperbolic tones or cliches. I was a believer, but I never expected this! After smoking Dallas 44-19 in Big D against Mike Zimmer’s defense, the Saints have 91 points in their first 2 games. That’s the fourth-most ever for an NFL team in the first two weeks of a season. Carr is throwing the ball brilliantly and with confidence.

When I picked the wins for both the Eagles and Saints preseason, I had New Orleans beating Philly in Week 3. This was before the Saints’ explosion. Philadelphia is coming off of a brutal loss. The Dome is one of the toughest places to play. The Eagles pass rush is non-existent.  I love the Saints this week -2.5 on DraftKings. And if you haven’t grabbed the over on the Saints win total, what are you waiting for?

2. Sirianni’s Blunders

If Mike Vrabel or Bill Belichick were coaching the Eagles, I would’ve picked Philly to the Super Bowl. And Sirianni’s foolish coaching, from eschewing the field goal on the opening drive to calling a pass play on 3rd and 3 on the Atlanta 10 with 1:46 to go while the Falcons had no timeouts, to then kicking the field goal instead of going for it (bleed the clock behind Barkley and the massive amazing line!!), was on full display in the aftermath on Monday’s improbable debacle and meltdown.

This is why I couldn’t pick the Eagles to win the NFC. Howie Roseman assembled legit Super Bowl talent in the offseason.

FanDuel currently has Siriani at +1000 for the first head coach fired. The Eagles have too much talent to let this season slip away. I’d get in now before Sunday. Remember the Eagles brass met with Siriani after last year’s meltdown and opted to give him two new coordinators instead of eliminating him. If the Eagles don’t make a legit Super Bowl run, this coveted position will be available.

3. Panthers Aren’t Serious People

Bryce Young is benched? After a year and two games? To paraphrase Logan Roy from Succession, ‘the Panthers are not serious people’. This team constantly changes coaches and plans and trades core players with no feel and clue. This is all because of the meddlesome / clueless owner David Tepper. Frank Reich wanted CJ Stroud. Tepper didn’t. Reich was fired. Dave Canales was brought in to fix Bryce Young just like he did with Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield as an assistant. Now, Young is glued to the bench.

But don’t look at this as a positive for backing Carolina in the betting space and get duped by Andy Dalton and think somehow this is 2015.

Carolina opened as a seven-point dog against the Raiders in Vegas. Upon the news of the benching, the line shifted to 5.5. The Over/Under went up from 37.5 to 41.5. Don’t take the cheese here. The Panthers have no talent, plan, or clue. And Andy Dalton is 13-17 against the spread since leaving the Bengals, according to ESPNBet. I love the Raiders to smack the dumpster fire mess that is the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have not led with time on the clock in the fourth quarter in 20 straight games. You can’t make this up. Expect it to continue.

4. Just Win Baby

The Raiders had the win of the season in Baltimore on Sunday. Down 23-13, I thought the game was over. Davante Adams, Brock Bowers, and Maxx Crosby all put their stamp on this incredible comeback. These cats are terrific players. I loved the postgame embrace from Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco. This mattered. Check the upcoming schedule. The Raiders have the Panthers and Browns at home, Denver on the road, Pittsburgh in Vegas, the injured Rams and then the banged-up Chiefs, who, of course, they beat last year in Arrowhead on Christmas. Sure, the quarterback play is concerning. But if Gardner Minshew can play like he did in Baltimore, the Raiders will compete all year. Hope you got in at 6.5 for the win total. I still like the Over now at 7.5 -110 on ESPN Bet.

5. Jet Fuel

Sure, the Jets win against the Titans wasn’t clean. But Jets fans know that the Jets historically find a way to lose a game like that. Aaron Rodgers rocked steady and New York made plays in the fourth quarter. As bad as Week 1 was against the Niners, it only counted as one game. New York is 1-1. The Patriots are in New Jersey on Thursday. Bo Nix follows. No excuse for the Jets. They should be 3-1. And, while Jerod Mayo’s team has shown toughness and more talent than I thought they had, I expect the Jets to take out decades of frustration on New England and lay the lumber and cover the 6.5-point spread.

6. Yes I’ll keep betting against Pittsburgh

Hubris? Arrogance? Stubbornness? Stupidity? Or playing law of averages with the competition. 

Yes, I picked the under on wins for Mike Tomlin’s team. I’m still not sold after a one-score win in Denver. I’m thrilled for Justin Fields and wish he was named the permanent starter. He deserves it. He deserved it all offseason. But Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers are the truth. They have allowed the fewest points in the NFL in two games. Pittsburgh is 2-0, but not lighting up the scoreboard. Chargers on the moneyline and absolutely love the Under in the Steel City.

7. Sam I Am

Sam Darnold truthers unite again! You know that I am not surprised by Darnold’s domination to start the season. He just needed this kind of elite coaching and talent around him. He just sliced up the Niners defense. Think about that. Can’t chalk this up to playing the Giants as some haters tried to do after Week 1. DeMeco Ryans’ outstanding Texans come to Minnesota this week. I truly love the way both of these teams are playing. Darnold going Over 218.5 passing yards at -120 is my midweek play on this game.

8. Fits the Bill

If we were doing a power ranking, Buffalo would be at the top of the list. The Bills destroyed the Dolphins as I predicted. But the fact they oddly did it without relying on Josh Allen to be Superman made it the most remarkable and inspiring win in the regular season in quite some time. Allen made his usual John Elway plays, but they dominated with James Cook and a fantastic defensive performance. Buffalo welcomes the Jags on Monday night. Jacksonville has been a supremely disappointing 0-2, prompting mild-mannered Trevor Lawrence to say “We suck right now.” Truer words have never been spoken. And that means you lay the 5.5 with Buffalo at home in front of those amazing Bills fans.

9. Giant Mess

Week 1 Daniel Jones threw the ball to the wrong team. Week 2, Brian Daboll inexplicably didn’t have a healthy kicker on the roster and Graham Gano, injured on Friday, had to leave the game after the opening kickoff. Of course, the Giants lost and Washington covered because the Giants couldn’t attempt field goals or extra points. I said before Week 1 on Make it Rain on VSiN that I would keep betting against the Panthers and Giants until proven otherwise based upon lack of talent and matchups. Both teams are off to gross starts. A Deshaun Watson-led team favored by 6.5 makes me hold my nose on my theory. Daniel Jones going on the road against Myles Garrett makes me sleep like a baby.

Check out the NFL Week 3 Hub for betting tools, best bets, and more!

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