Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants — Sunday, Sept. 25, 1 p.m.

I hate to play the “what if game,” but I’m pretty sure the Eagles would have beaten Atlanta last weekend if Mike Vick wasn’t spitting up blood and dealing with a concussion.

That being said, the Eagles’ front seven have a lot of work to do if they want to get back on track against the Giants this Sunday.

Michael Turner averaged 5.4 yards a carry and the Falcons offensive line muscled the Eagles talented front seven. This has to be worrisome for the Eagles.

The Giants certainly have the ground game to run on Philadelphia and, in my opinion, that is the only way they have a shot at winning on the road.

After a disappointing ground game in Week 1, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for a respectable 109 yards in their Week 2 win against the Rams. That number, however, needs to improve.

Even if Vick doesn’t play, Mike Kafka looked great, going 7-9 for 72 yards with the game on the line.

The reason the Eagles were projected to be so good this year was because of their depth on both sides of the ball. That depth needs to step up here and I say it will, with or without Vick.

The Pick: Philadelphia

New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans — Sunday, Sept. 25, 1 p.m.

Feel free to disagree, but this is the most intriguing game of Week 3 in my opinion. Houston is 2-0 and looks poised to take down an absolutely dreadful division.

Sure, their first two games were against the 0-2 Colts and the 0-2 Dolphins, but the offense hasn’t missed a beat despite little contribution from Arian Foster at running back.

Fill-in Ben Tate has been outstanding, racking up 219 yards, which ranks third in the NFL.

The Saints really impressed me last week with a 30-13 rout of the Chicago Bears.

There was a lot of talk about the Bears being a top-tier team in the NFC entering the game, but New Orleans was quick in silencing that and reminding the country just how damn good they are.

This one could be a real shootout, and a win for Houston would give them a sense of legitimacy they have never had in their existence as a franchise.

I simply haven’t picked against the Saints at home in the last two years and they continue to give me no reason to do otherwise.

The Pick: New Orleans

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers — Sunday, Sept. 25, 4:15 p.m.

As mentioned previously, Chicago opened the eyes of the league with a rout of Atlanta in Week 1. But at New Orleans, Jay Cutler had a measly 42 percent completion percentage and was sacked six times. That’s classic Jay Cutler for you.

Matt Forte is quietly establishing himself as the best dual-threat running back in the NFL. In the first two weeks of the season he has racked up 117 rushing yards and an astounding 207 receiving yards out of the Chicago backfield.

Imagine Cutler without Forte?

The Packers are 2-0 but their defense, or lack thereof, has been well documented.

One of the most dominant defenses last year has allowed 952 yards in two games. That trend cannot continue and I don’t think it will.

With the firepower Green Bay has on offense, it is almost like the defense doesn’t have a sense of urgency yet and frankly, who can blame them?

Chicago really needs to play well in this one against their division rival, and — half because I believe it and half because I really want it to happen — I say Cutler has yet another Cutler-type game and the Packers run away with a ‘W.’

The Pick: Green Bay