After a week of upsets, the Week 3 schedule features just one game between teams with 2-0 records.
It’s early, but a possible NFC championship preview between the Buccaneers and Rams is the highlight of the schedule; a chance for Los Angeles to show it’s for real with new quarterback Matthew Stafford. Should Tom Brady and Tampa Bay be underdogs in that one?
Oddsmakers are extremely sharp when it comes to setting lines. With a week between games, they have ample time to fine-tune their numbers to get action on both sides. Let’s take a look at every Week 3 game and pick some winners against the spread.
Week 3 of the NFL season could be a pivotal one for several NFL teams.
Will some 0-2 teams get a much-needed win? Will some 1-1 teams go above .500? Will some 2-0 teams improve to 3-0?
Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars
This will be a popular public bet because a key for Arizona’s continued success will be Murray’s ability to find his secondary targets when teams try to take away Hopkins. He did that in a big way against the Vikings; Rondale Moore had seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Jacksonville hung tough for about three-quarters of their Week 2 loss to Denver, but had no answers for a Broncos defense that perplexed Trevor Lawrence after he got off to a fast start. Lawrence completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw two more interceptions, the fourth and fifth of his young career.
Arizona takes its No. 2 offense to Jacksonville against the winless Jaguars and rookie QB Trevor Lawrence who has completed 50% of his passes with 4 TDs and 5 picks.
Our prediction : Arizona Cardinals -8
Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants
After fading the Falcons as a favorite against the Eagles in Week 1 then vs. the Buccaneers in Week 2 (via tease), it’s finally time to buy low on Atlanta — Arthur Smith showed he was a brilliant offensive mind in Tennessee, and I expect the first-time head coach’s team to improve as the season progresses.
The reason I faded Atlanta in Weeks 1-2 was that it was badly outmatched in the trenches (correctly evaluating the offensive line vs. defensive line battle on both sides is a key to being a profitable long-term NFL bettor). But in this Week 3 matchup, the Falcons should be able to hold their own against a Giants front that has brought down the quarterback only three times in two games. And on the defensive side, the Falcons won’t be great, but the matchup against the Giants’ bottom-tier offensive line is substantially better than the top-tier Eagles and Bucs units.
Our prediction: Atlanta Falcons +3
Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns
Justin Fields will make his first NFL start this Sunday. Andy Dalton suffered a bone bruise in his knee last week against Cincinnati, and he won’t be available against the Cleveland Browns this week. Fields didn’t do much in Chicago’s win over the Bengals last week, but the Bears’ first-round pick will need to play much better if he is going to pick up his first win as a pro.
Chicago has a defense that can put the clamps on this offense. The Bears have a front seven that can stop the Browns’ formidable ground game as linebackers Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith are two of the best in the league. Fields won’t do enough to pull off the upset, but Chicago can stay within the number. Giants covered on the road last week, and now they’re getting a field goal (or more at some books) at home. This has been the formula to betting the Giants: Giants stink at home, go on the road and surprise people, and then come back down to earth just in time to be overrated for what turns out to be an ugly showing in the Meadowlands of New Jersey.
Our prediction: Chicago Bears +7.5
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Cincinnati had lost 11 straight games to Pittsburgh before the Bengals pulled out a victory behind Ryan Finley in Week 15 last year. Joe Burrow will now look to beat the Steelers for the first time, and he has a great opportunity with Pittsburgh’s offense in disarray.
The Bengals are struggling massively with pass protection, as none of their offensive linemen, save Riley Reiff, have acquitted themselves all that well. Center Trey Hopkins has been particularly poor and guards Quinton Spain and Xavier Su’a-Filo only marginally better. Joe Burrow has already been sacked nine times after taking 32 in just 10 games in his rookie season. There is talent on the roster in Cincinnati, but that won’t matter if the most important piece keeps getting battered. Speaking of battered, Ben Roethlisberger has been taking hits left and right despite getting rid of the ball faster on average – 2.41 seconds, per NFL Next Gen Stats – than any quarterback in the league through two weeks. Roethlisberger’s young offensive line continues to disappoint and show major inconsistency, and the Steelers’ offense is suffering as a result.
We enjoy betting against Steelers when they are favourites.
Our Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals +3