NFL Picks Week 3: Which Teams Are Absolute Locks?

In some ways, it's a bit presumptuous to say a team is a guaranteed lock over another in any given game. A single injury to a high-octane player, or a series of them, can take a team from a favorite to a loser in just one play.

However, barring unforeseen events, on paper there are a number of Week 3 NFL matchups that look less-than-difficult to predict.

New York Jets vs. Oakland Raiders

The New York Jets take on the 1-1 Oakland Raiders on Sunday, and I don't see the Raiders putting on the kind of offensive performance that kept them close in their Week 2 loss against the Buffalo Bills.

Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell will not likely repeat his 323-yard, two-touchdown day against the Bills when he takes on the efficient Jets defense. Running back Darren McFadden is a perennial threat and should serve to be the biggest test for the New York defense.

However, the Raiders have proven they can be scored against, allowing the Bills 38 points on Sunday, and this game should more closely resemble the Jets' blowout over the Jaguars rather than the close, high-scoring affair the Oakland experienced last week.

Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading for another major disappointment this week, when they travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers.

The Chiefs have the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL after two games, putting up an average of five points and 110.5 passing yards. With running back Jamaal Charles and safety Eric Berry both lost for the season, both offense and defense for the Chiefs are only going to get worse.

San Diego is going to absolutely crush Kansas City in this game, and I don't believe I am being hyperbolic in saying so. The Chiefs are suffering from a wholesale collapse; their remaining 14 games don't represent opportunities to turn the season around. Rather, they serve as a painful reality that the season can be both long and cruel.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts

Finally, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Indianapolis to take on the slumping Colts, a team that can't get anything going on offense or defense.

While the sting of the Steelers' Week 1 drubbing at the hands of the rival Baltimore Ravens still lingers for last year's AFC champion squad, their 24-0 domination of the (admittedly terrible) Seattle Seahawks puts them on the right footing to take on yet another disappointing 2011 team.

With the Colts' passing game yet to get in sync, and a run game that won't get anywhere against the Steelers, it's hard to say how Indianapolis can exit the contest with their first win of the season. If the Browns could manhandle the Colts in Week 2, then surely they are in for an uphill battle against Pittsburgh in Week 3.