I feel it's only just to dedicate this Best Bets column to Colin Hay, lead singer of Men At Work, and the man who authored the 80's classic “Down Under.” I couldn't help but think of him and his Aussie mates as I sized up the Week 3 card.
The NFL, for me, this week, is The Land Down Under. In so many of these games, I found myself leaning into the Under, being most captivated by the Under. There are some teams whose offense have been fairly tragic through two weeks, some units ravaged by shoddy offensive line play or injuries or suspensions (ahem, Tampa). There has been a trend in Unders in prime time games, and plenty of not-ready-for-prime-time games going Under as well.
- More Week 3 picks: Model | Hartstein |'Pick 'em'| Survivor | Props |'DFS
How low will Vegas go? Not low enough for me not to still take the Under in several games this week. (Feel free to throw on “Business As Usual,” or “Cargo” if you like while reading this column, and keep in mind that “Overkill” and “Catch A Star” don't get nearly enough accolades).
Eagles -6.5 at Commanders
The Commanders defense is a joke (again). The Eagles offense is a problem. Here are some staggering numbers — Washington is allowing a league-worst 7.48 yards per carry and a staggering 4.28 yards before contact (the next closest team, Miami, allows 2.85). Now th ink about the Eagles robust option rushing attack led by Jalen Hurts. Yeah, it could be ugly. In the contest with the then-WFT a year ago in which Miles Sanders played, the Eagles racked up 238 rushing yards in an easy win. Oh yeah, and Washington has also allowed the most plays of 20 and 25 yards in the league and is yielding over 12 yards per pass to wide receivers (Hello A.J. Brown!). Yes, the Eagles rush defense is struggling, but I don't see Washington exploiting this much. Carson Wentz will make a few mistakes around the red zone. And after nearly blowing a huge lead to the Lions in Week 1, I don't see the Eagles taking their foot off the gas here (hopefully preventing any back-door cover nonsense).