My mom picks the NFL Week 3 games
This NFL season, instead of asking league experts to evaluate and pick the games on research and analysis, we've decided to go more on gut instinct and motherly intuition. So I've asked my mom, Nina Scott, a boarding school English instructor from New England, to pick each week's games.
After going 11-5 in Week 1, she followed it up with a respectable 8-8 performance for Week 2, still hanging with the Paste BN Sports NFL experts with their picks. This is our Week 3 conversation.
FTW: You ready to do some picks?
Nate's Mom: Are you serious? I'm so bad.
FTW: You're not so bad. You're still beating some of our experts.
Nate's Mom: OK, then. Bring it on.
FTW: Texans at Patriots.
Nate's Mom: Patriots.
FTW: That one's easy.
Nate's Mom: Yep. Always.
FTW: Ravens at Jaguars.
Nate's Mom: I see the… I'm writing it down this time, so I can look at the pictures in my head. And I think I'm gonna go with the Jaguars.
FTW: Wait. Wait. What do you mean you can look at the pictures in your head?
Nate's Mom: I see a picture of a little Jaguar and I see a picture of a Raven and then I get a sense. And you know how sometimes you don't know what you want, so you pick one, and then instantly you know you screwed it up?
FTW: Yeah?
Nate's Mom: Well, yeah. So I might go with the Ravens.
FTW: OK. What team are you picking?
Nate's Mom: The Ravens.
FTW: Alright. Redskins at Giants.
Nate's Mom: Oh. They're all so good. Giants.
FTW: Lions at Packers.
Nate's Mom: Again, I think, ooh, the Lions. Did they win last week? Or did the Packers win? Do you remember?
FTW: Both lost.
Nate's Mom: Oh. I'm going with Lions. I haven't had a good feeling about them but I definitely am now.
FTW: Browns at Dolphins.
Nate's Mom: Browns.
FTW: You're picking the Browns?
Nate's Mom: I am.
FTW: Any reason?
Nate's Mom: Don't tell me they're terrible.
FTW: They're terrible. But that's fine.
Nate's Mom: Shoot. Have they lost every game?
FTW: Yeah, but so have the Dolphins.
Nate's Mom: Oh, well then it's the Browns time. They're coming on!
FTW: Vikings at Panthers.
Nate's Mom: Panthers.
FTW: OK. Broncos at Bengals.
Nate's Mom: Bengals. No. I think … Broncos. Um… I'm not having a great feeling on this one. I might have to switch there.
FTW: OK.
Nate's Mom: I might have to say Bengals. Where are they from?
FTW: Cincinnati.
Nate's Mom: Hm. Hm… I'm going to have to say … Bengals. Are they good? Please tell me they're good.
FTW: Sure.
Nate's Mom: OK!
FTW: Cardinals at Bills.
Nate's Mom: Bills.
FTW: Any reason?
Nate's Mom: It's not cold yet. It's not freezing. So Buffalo, they have a chance.
FTW: Raiders at Titans.
Nate's Mom: Those Titans let me down, didn't they.
FTW: No, they won.
Nate's Mom: Oh my god! I'll never forget them! Going for them again, yay! We're on a roll, even though I really declined from the week before.
FTW: Rams at Buccaneers.
Nate's Mom: I think Buccaneers. I see them winning this. OK.
FTW: 49ers at Seahawks.
Nate's Mom: Well the Seahawks are really good, right?
FTW: Eh, they've had a couple weird games this year.
Nate's Mom: Where is the game?
FTW: Seattle.
Nate's Mom: I pick 49ers.
FTW: OK. Steelers at Eagles?
Nate's Mom: Steelers at Eagles. Eagles. Flying high.
FTW: Jets at Chiefs.
Nate's Mom: Oh. Hm. Hm…. Boy, I'm like in a fog here. I say Chiefs.
FTW: Chargers at Colts.
Nate's Mom: Yeah. Are Chargers horses also? How many horses are there? Chargers, Colts, Broncos …
FTW: No. No, Chargers are more like a lightning bolt.
Nate's Mom: Oh. Well that's strange. I would say, uh, Colts. Did they win last time? I thought I picked the Broncos.
FTW: The Broncos beat the Colts. You got that one right.
Nate's Mom: Wait, backup, rewind. Well, actually, this isn't fair now, because I'm trying to use logic instead of my previous telepathy.
FTW: Well, yeah, you did better Week 1 …
Nate's Mom: … with my telepathy. You're exactly right. So I guess let's just go with those Colts.
FTW: Bears at Cowboys.
Nate's Mom: Ohhh, the Bears! I love those Bears!
FTW: You want them because they're bears?
Nate's Mom: Yes, and because you're my little bear.
FTW: Mom.
Nate's Mom: I know it's a problem when I pick the ones I want. Like I always pick New Orleans because you lived there and I pick them no matter what, even if they're going to get clobbered.
FTW: Yeah both weeks you've lost a few because you automatically pick the teams of the cities I've lived in.
Nate's Mom: I know! But I love them because of that. I'm a true fan.
FTW: OK, speaking of which, last game, Falcons at Saints.
Nate's Mom: Saints are playing who?
FTW: The Falcons.
Nate's Mom: Falcons, oh goodness. Are the Falcons good?
FTW: Eh, they're OK.
Nate's Mom: Come on Saints, then! Do it. Do it for this mommy.
FTW: Alright, that's it. We did it.
Nate's Mom: We did it!