NFL—Week 1 punched me in the mouth. Week 2 got me back to even. Now Week 3 is where Rock’s Locks is supposed to start separating from the pack.
I went 9-7 last week, moved the season record to 16-16, and then opened Week 3 by taking Atlanta over Green Bay when the ESPN panel went the other way. Falcons win, Rock’s Locks moves to 17-16, and now the rest of the board is set.
This is the week I’ve been waiting for. Sixteen games, several spots where I’m breaking directly from the expert consensus, and I’m putting every one of them on the record before kickoff. No changing picks after the fact. No hiding the misses. If I’m going to chase down this ESPN panel, this is where the climb starts.
I said before the season that the first couple of weeks are usually the hardest to read because teams are still showing us who they actually are. By Week 3, tendencies start becoming evidence. Injuries start changing matchups. Offensive lines get exposed. Defenses show what they can and cannot stop. Now there is enough football on tape to start attacking the board instead of guessing at it.
