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NFL against the spread picks: Can Carson Wentz-mania keep rolling?

Carson Wentz is one of the biggest stories in the NFL through two weeks (AP)
Carson Wentz is one of the biggest stories in the NFL through two weeks (AP)

Carson Wentz is one of the best stories of the young NFL season.

The Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback is playing like a veteran. He’s so advanced that it’s not surprising when you hear stories of his girlfriend taking his phone because he was caught watching game film under the table on their date nights. We never know how the story will play out, but at this point you’d have to bet on him being a star for many years to come.

But he’s going to have his rookie moments. He won’t be the first to avoid that.

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It’s OK to question the competition he has faced. The Cleveland Browns are bad. The Chicago Bears are probably bad too. The Pittsburgh Steelers, this week’s opponent, will be Wentz’s first tough test.

I’m going with the Steelers, even as a road favorite, giving 3.5 points. More than Wentz, I don’t know how Philadelphia’s cornerbacks keep up with the Steelers’ receivers. It should be a great game for the late-afternoon window. And if Wentz can pull that off, get ready for the hype machine to get into overdrive.

SUPERCONTEST PICKS

Steelers (-3.5) over Eagles: It’s not like I even figured to beat all the other Team OddsShark pickers in the SuperContest, but 1-4 last week was no fun.

Colts (-3) over Chargers: Do the Chargers have any skill-position players left? The Colts desperately need this one at 0-2. I don’t know if it’s necessarily a must-win game for the Colts in a shaky division, but they better treat it as such. (The line is -2.5 in the Yahoo Pro Football Pick’em, which I use for my weekly picks.)

Vikings (+7) over Panthers: Strangely, I don’t think the Vikings will miss Adrian Peterson too much. He hasn’t really been the same superhero back since about Week 13 last year (one 100-yard game and one game over 4 yards per carry since then). And I like Jerick McKinnon. The Panthers have their own running back issues with Jonathan Stewart out. The Vikings will be competitive here.

Jaguars (pick ’em) over Ravens: If the Jaguars, desperate for a win at 0-2, can’t win this one at home, their season is going nowhere and then the clock starts really ticking on coach Gus Bradley.

Bears (+7.5) over Cowboys: No Jay Cutler, Bears coming off a terrible Monday night performance, everyone fired up about Dak Prescott and Dallas’ win last week … there’s some times when the pick seems a little too obvious. (The line is +7 on Yahoo.)

And here’s the picks on the other games …

Texans (pick ’em) over Patriots (picked Thursday): Bill Belichick and the Patriots deserve all the credit they’ve been given since beating the Texans on Thursday night. But what about the Texans? If you’re a legitimate team, you don’t get blasted like that. I was very high on the Texans through two weeks. I’m not anymore. That’s a telling loss.

Bills (+4.5) over Cardinals: It’s hard to pick the Bills right now, but after firing their offensive coordinator it seems like if there was a week for them to put forth their best effort, this is it.

Bengals (-3) over Broncos: Yes, Broncos fans, if they win here they’ll move up significantly in the power rankings you’re angry at me about.

Lions (+7.5) over Packers: I’m probably going to pick against the Packers until their offense looks right.

Raiders (+1.5) over Titans: Can’t say I feel good about it. But I’m giving the Raiders one more shot.

Dolphins (-10) over Browns: Cody Kessler making his NFL debut on the road, with no Corey Coleman either … I just can’t take the Browns.

Giants (-4.5) over Redskins: Picking New York under the “Redskins against a good team” rule.

49ers (+9.5) over Seahawks: Too many points for a banged-up, struggling offense to cover.

Buccaneers (-4.5) over Rams: I can count on the Bucs to score at least one touchdown. I can’t say the same for the Rams.

Jets (+3) over Chiefs: Great matchup. I’m just concerned enough about the Chiefs, who have played about a quarter-and-a-half of good football so far this season, to just grab the points.

Saints (-3) over Falcons: The Saints have done very well against the Falcons lately, winning 15 of the last 20 in the rivalry according to OddsShark. These two teams are going to put on quite a show. Not if you love defense, but expect a lot of points. This might be the most fun game of the Week 3 slate.

Last week: 6-10
Season to date: 18-15
SuperContest: 1-4 last week, 4-6 season

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!