NFL Week 3 Odds and Predictions: Best Picks Against the Spread
Here’s a quick look at all Week 3 NFL games, played Sunday unless noted.
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers, Thursday
The Giants will be without the heart and soul of their offence in Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, who could miss up to three weeks with an ankle injury. Veteran Matt Breida likely will become the featured back for this week as it’s likely too quick of a turnaround to make a trade (Jonathan Taylor) or free-agent pickup (Kareem Hunt). The Niners could be without WR Brandin Aiyuk due to a shoulder. He has 11 catches for 172 yards and two scores. The teams have split 42 all-time meetings including playoffs and are separated by only 22 total points.
Pick ATS: New York
Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns
Short week for Cleveland after losing 26-22 in Pittsburgh on Monday night and losing Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb likely for the season to a gruesome knee injury. Crushing loss. The team could re-sign free agent Kareem Hunt. The Titans got to 1-1 with a 27-24 OT upset of the Chargers on Sunday in Nashville. Nick Folk kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime to snap Tennessee’s eight-game skid. Ryan Tannehill had only four incompletions with a TD pass and TD run.
Point spread: Browns -3.5
Pick ATS: Tennessee
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions
The Lions had all the advantages Sunday against visiting Seattle but were upset 37-31 in overtime in large part due to a pair of second-half turnovers that led to Seahawks touchdowns. Jared Goff had a pick-six, his first interception in 383 attempts — 30 shy of Aaron Rodgers’ NFL record. Top Lions RB David Montgomery will miss at least this game with a thigh injury. Atlanta is a surprise 2-0 team and is beating teams by pounding them on the ground with rookie RB Bijan Robinson (and Tyler Allgeier). He and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs were the only two RBs chosen in Round 1 this year.
Pick ATS: Detroit (buy down to -3)
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers
Who needs Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers? Green Bay’s Jordan Love leads the NFL with a 118.8 QB rating in his first year as a starter, although the Packers were beaten late in Atlanta this past Sunday to fall to 1-1. Love was without No. 1 receiver Christian Watson and running back Aaron Jones due to injury. Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins is expected to miss multiple weeks because of a left knee injury suffered in the loss. Short week for New Orleans as it won 20-17 at Carolina on Monday. Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara is suspended the first three games so this will be his last on the sideline.
Pick ATS: Green Bay
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins
Denver is 0-2 despite having a point differential of just minus-3. The Broncos blew a 21-3 second-quarter lead at home Sunday and lost 35-33 to Washington. Russell Wilson hit Brandon Johnson on a Hail Mary at the end of regulation to give Denver a chance, but the two-point try failed. Miami was a 24-17 winner at New England and QB Tua Tagovailoa is now the NFL MVP favourite. Excellent Fins WR Jaylen Waddle did leave with a possible concussion so monitor his status.
Pick ATS: Miami
Los Angeles Chargers at Minnesota Vikings
The Chargers are 0-2 for the first time since 2017 when they lost their first four games in their first season in Los Angeles. With that talented of a roster, Coach Brandon Staley is probably on the hottest seat in the NFL. No. 1 RB Austin Ekeler is in question after missing Week 2 injured. The Vikings were 11-0 in one-score games in 2022, an NFL record for such wins. They are 0-2 this year after losing 34-28 in Philadelphia on Thursday in Week 3. Rumours of the team trading QB Kirk Cousins – to the Jets? – continue to get louder. He has thrown for 708 yards and six TDs already, great numbers, but Cousins always puts up rather empty statistics.
Pick ATS: Los Angeles
New England Patriots at New York Jets
Zach Wilson is not an NFL starting quarterback. If Jets fans weren’t pretty sure of that fact, they saw it again on Sunday when Wilson threw for just 170 yards on 12-for-27 passing with three picks in a 30-10 loss at Dallas. The Jets simply have nowhere else to go with Aaron Rodgers out for the year. New England is a rare 0-2 under Bill Belichick after a 24-17 loss to Miami on Sunday. Pats QB Mac Jones has played fairly well overall but has no deep threat as Jones is 1-for-10 on passes traveling 20 yards or more in the air this season.
Pick ATS: New York (buy up to +3.5)
Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders
The Commanders are 2-0 for the first time in 12 years after rallying from down 21-3 in Denver on Sunday to win 35-33 despite allowing a Hail Mary TD on the final play of regulation. Washington should have been called for pass interference on the Broncos’ failed two-point try but wasn’t. The team has not started 3-0 since 2005, also the last season it won a playoff game. Buffalo trashed the visiting Raiders 38-10 on Sunday. After four turnovers in Week 1, Josh Allen had zero vs. Las Vegas with three TDs.
Pick ATS: Washington (buy up to +7)
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Houston might be 0-2 but appears to have picked the right QB at No. 2 overall in CJ Stroud. He has attempted 91 passes through two games and not been picked off despite a porous offensive line that has led to Stroud being sacked 11 times. Stroud’s 384 yards passing in Sunday’s loss to the Colts were second-most by a player age 21 or younger since the merger (1970), trailing only Matthew Stafford (422 yards) in 2009. Jacksonville’s offence went missing Sunday in a 17-9 home loss to Kansas City. Trevor Lawrence went 0 for 7 passing in the red zone, the most red-zone attempts in the NFL without a completion since Brett Favre also went 0-for-7 in 2006.
Pick ATS: Houston
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens
Despite playing without two injured starting offensive linemen and defensive backs, the Ravens improved to 2-0 with a 27-24 upset in Cincinnati on Sunday. Lamar Jackson was 24 for 33 for 237 yards and ran for 54 more yards. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. left during the game but is expected to be fine. The big question for Indy is whether impressive rookie QB Anthony Richardson will play after leaving Week 2 with a concussion. Veteran Gardner Minshew would start if Richardson can’t.
Pick ATS: Baltimore (buy down to -7)
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
Seattle was a 37-31 OT upset winner in Detroit on Sunday thanks in big part to forcing two second-half turnovers that let directly to touchdowns. On the first drive of OT, Geno Smith completed 6 of 7 passes for 69 yards on the winning drive, capping it with his second TD pass of the day to Tyler Lockett. The Seahawks played without both starting offensive tackles. It’s a short week for Carolina as it lost 20-17 in its home opener on Monday and likely lost top linebacker Shaq Thompson for several weeks to injury.
Pick ATS: Seattle
Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs
Former Bears head coach Matt Nagy is now Kansas City’s offensive coordinator so that will be a popular storyline this week. That Bears offence has looked terrible in the early going as Justin Fields has thrown for only 427 yards with two TDs and three picks. He has not taken the big step forward that was hoped for, although his offensive line is among the league’s worst. Chicago’s two starting safeties both left Sunday’s loss in Tampa due to injury. Kansas City avoided a 0-2 start with a 17-9 win in Jacksonville in the season debuts of Pro Bowl TE Travis Kelce and DT Chris Jones. Both had big impacts.
Pick ATS: Chicago
Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals
No team has looked better than Dallas so far as it has outscored the Giants and Jets a combined 70-10 in the first two weeks – or maybe the New York teams aren’t very good. The last time the Cowboys won both of their first two games of the season by 20 or more points was 1968. They are the fifth team in the Super Bowl era to score 70 points and allow 10 or fewer in their first two games. The Cardinals have played better than expected but have found ways to lose both games late. Top defender Budda Baker was placed on injured reserve Monday after being hurt in practice last week.
Pick ATS: Arizona
Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday night game. Pittsburgh only scored one offensive touchdown Monday but avoided a 0-2 start thanks to a pair of defensive touchdowns in a 26-22 comeback win over Cleveland. George Pickens had that lone offensive TD on a 71-yard catch and run. No. 1 WR Diontae Johnson was out and won’t play here. The Raiders were fortunate to win Week 1 in Denver but were outclassed this past Sunday in Buffalo in losing 38-10. Last year’s rushing champion, Josh Jacobs, had minus-2 yards rushing. WR Jakobi Meyers (concussion protocol) did not play after leading the team with nine catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1.
Pick ATS: Las Vegas
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Bucs, Monday
The Eagles will be well-rested as they played on Thursday in Week 2 and beat Minnesota 34-28 to improve to 2-0, although there have been some potential warning signs. Jalen Hurts has yet to throw for 200 yards, for example. Philly played without four starters against the Vikings and for sure linebacker Nakobe Dean misses Week 3 as he’s on IR. Tampa Bay is a surprising 2-0 behind Baker Mayfield. He has completed 69% of his passes with three TDs and no picks.
Pick ATS: Tampa Bay
Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals, Monday
Rams rookie wideout Puka Nacua, a fifth-round pick, made history on Sunday when the Rams lost 30-23 to San Francisco. The former BYU star caught 15 passes for 147 yards, breaking the NFL’s single-game record for receptions by a rookie and setting an overall league mark with 25 catches in the first two games of his career. The Rams opted to deactivate No. 1 RB Cam Akers before Week 2 and now will try to trade him. No team has gone 0-2 in back-to-back seasons and made the playoffs in both. That now is staring the Bengals in the face and they might not have QB Joe Burrow on Monday as he aggravated a calf injury in Sunday’s loss to Baltimore.
Pick ATS: Wait on Burrow
