NFL Picks Week 3: Which Teams Will Emerge as Clear NFC Favorites?

The Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers will emerge as the favorites in the NFC.  The NFC has several good Super Bowl candidates, but the above teams are the early favorites.  Today each of these teams has an opportunity to further separate themselves from the competition.

Philadelphia is facing division rivals and playoff hopeful New York Giants.  A win today would not only put the Eagles at the top of the NFC East, but also knock the Giants to a 1-2 record.  The Eagles need a healthy Michael Vick if they hope to get a victory.  Vick's health appears to be the catalyst for the Eagles Super Bowl hopes.

After a Week 1 loss, the Saints are looking to make a statement.  Today's game is a great matchup, as the Saints are facing the Houston Texans.  In the early going, the Texans have looked very impressive and will be looking to show they should be considered a threat.  A Saints win today would cement their status as one of the top teams in the NFL.

Green Bay is looking to remain undefeated, while further hurting the playoff chances of their division rivals, the Chicago Bears.  The Bears are one of the many teams in the playoff discussion, after making the NFC championship game last season.  If Green Bay is able to pull off a road victory, they would be the clear leaders in the NFC.  The defending Super Bowl champions would be undefeated, with victories against the Bears and Saints.

It is still early and anybody could go on a run.  However, these three teams are both talented and winning.  The fact that they pass the paper and on-field tests makes this an easy argument.

Jon Dove is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report, covering the NFL and NFL draft. Check him out on Twitter @Jon_Dove42.