The Cards beat the Cowboys last week. Can the 49ers avoid the same fate?
The San Francisco 49ers have proved to be one of the best teams in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season. Relatively healthy after a trio of comfortable victories, the Niners will look to take advantage of a longer layoff against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have had one of the strangest starts to the season in the league. At times, the Cards have looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they also upset the Cowboys last week.
Due to our sponsorship with Tallysight, we have to pick every game. But, as usual, we’ll narrow it down to six for you at the bottom. Odds for all the games are available on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Marc’s picks record last year:
Regular season: 154-116-2
Postseason: 12-1
This season:
Week 1: 7-9
Week 2: 9-7
Week 3: 10-6
Here are Marc’s picks for this week’s slate of games:
Packers over Lions: The Lions continued improving their early-season resume with a win over the Packers. I let the Packers being an underdog at home lead me into the wrong call.
Jaguars over Falcons: The Jaguars had a disappointing loss to the Texans last week, but C.J. Stroud was a huge part of that and Desmond Ridder just has not looked like the high-volatility youngster that Atlanta probably needs to keep up.
Texans over Steelers: Of course, as soon as I give up on my expectation that the Texans would outperform expectations last week, they pull out a win. I don’t like picking against Mike Tomlin, but they are +124 at home, which pushed me over the top.
Rams over Colts: Despite their 1-2 record, the Rams have looked closer to the 2021 version of themselves than 2022.
Vikings over Panthers: Maybe this is when Bryce Young finally finds a rhythm, but the Vikings are in a seemingly must-win situation. I don’t think they come up short.
Bucs over Saints: I need to recalibrate my NFC South priors from last season and accept that the Saints are easily the best team in the division. But, for now, +142 was too favorable for me to pass on picking Tampa.
Eagles over Commanders: The Eagles still look like the only team on the 49ers tier in the NFC. Needless to say, the Commanders have not looked good enough to keep up with Philly.
Dolphins over Bills: In the Dolphins first big challenge of the season, Tua Tagovailoa will look to continue making an MVP case against Josh Allen. At +120, I’m riding with Mike McDaniel.
Titans over Bengals: The Bengals have looked like a shell of themselves to start the season, and two out of the Titans’ three losses have come in close games to solid teams. I think Tennessee takes advantage of Cincy’s early-season inconsistency.
Ravens over Browns: Lamar an underdog against Cleveland? Easy.
Bears over Broncos: I know the Broncos will probably clean the Bears’ clocks, but I just really want to be rooting for Sean Payton to take an even more embarrassing L than he did last week, when they allowed 70 points to the Dolphins.
Chargers over Raiders: Jimmy G has looked… like Jimmy G. That’s not going to be enough against the Chargers.
Cowboys over Patriots: Perhaps Dallas’ loss to the Cardinals is a sign of things to come, and Bill Belichick is the perfect coach to scheme based on last week. However, I still think the Cowboys are a playoff team.
49ers over Cardinals: The Niners have no excuse for losing this game. They have avoided their recent early-season struggles this year, and now they have an opportunity to put their struggles against the Cardinals behind them too.
Kansas City over Jets:
I love Robert Saleh, but Zach Wilson is going to be too much to overcome this season, especially against Mahomes.
Seahawks over Giants: Geno Smith > Daniel Jones.
Here are the six games to pick (times in Pacific):
Bengals @ Titans, 10:00 AM
Dolphins @ Bills, 10:00 AM
Rams @ Colts, 10:00 AM
Bucs @ Saints, 10:00 AM
Raiders @ Chargers, 1:05 PM
Cardinals @ 49ers, 1:25 PM
Raiders @ Chargers, 1:05 PM