N.F.L. Week 3 Predictions: Our Picks Against the Spread
Week 2 was a wild one. Underdogs went 10-4 against the spread and seven won their games straight up. Eight teams covered by double digits. This week there are no double-digit favorites and no team is favored by more than a touchdown.
Buffalo Bills (2-0) are coming off a thumping of the Titans Monday night. Miami Dolphins (0-2) came back from a touchdown down to beat the Ravens.
The Vikings are going to play the Lions. The Vikings won last week. Detroit's defense is not as good as the offense. Vikings' offense should be able to bounce back after struggling against the Eagles on Monday night.
Philadelphia has taken lots of money every week. The Eagles played Monday night and have to travel to Washington on a short week, but the line might be too far. Washington's new quarterback, Carson Wentz, has put up back-to-back games of 300 or more yards and three or three touchdowns in his first season in Washington.
The look-ahead line for this game was 10. Jacksonville has attracted 93 percent of the money. Justin Herbert is expected to start for the Chargers on Sunday. This one is a coin flip.
The Rams were 10.5-point favorites against the Falcons last week. The Cardinals won a thriller against Raiders in overtime. Arizona is trending up and attracting heavy money.
Green Bay Packers (1-1) play Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) in the Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox.
The Buccaneers are playing a game with a number of injuries to their receivers. Mike Evans is suspended. Aaron Rodgers is auditioning his receivers, with eight different Packers having recorded catches in Week 2.
Jameis Winston has four fractured vertebrae, but the Saints plan to play him anyway. Alvin Kamara is also questionable to take part in the game. The Panthers are the home team and they are favored to win.
The Bears ran the ball well against the Packers last week. The Bears are favored by 2.5 points. San Francisco 49ers are playing Denver Broncos.
The line for the game between the 49ers and Denver has moved from Denver -2.5 to San Francisco -1. As of Wednesday, it was at 1. The market thinks the veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is an upgrade for San Fran. Denver fans are booing the first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett's play calls and counting down the play clock to avoid delay of game penalties.
Kansas City beat the Chargers last week but failed to cover by a half point. The Colts have struggled to find an effective unit to build around. Jonathan Taylor had just nine carries in last weeks' loss. Most bets are on Kansas City but the actual money is split on the Colts' home opener.
Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at New England Patriots ( 1-0) is a 1 p.m. game on Fox. The Ravens' secondary is the worst-ranked in the N.F.L. for a second year. New Patriots are coming off a win and their quarterback Mac Jones is throwing the ball better.
Bengals are struggling against Cover 2 defenses. Their offensive line has given up a league-high 13 sacks for 73 lost yards. Joe Burrow is at the bottom of the league in passing yards and the Jets are coming off a thrilling upset win over Cleveland. Bengals are favored by 4.5 points.
The market has been active on both sides of this game. The Titans opened as slight favorites, but after a Monday night drubbing from the Bills, the money came in on the Raiders. Since then, there has a buyback on Titans' side.
The Seahawks are the favorite to beat the Falcons. The Falcons are 0-2 straight up and 2-0 against the spread.
The Giants are covering the Cowboys by one point. Cooper Rush played well for the Dallas Cowboys last week. The Giants can't rely on their passing attack and the team is vulnerable to the run.
Cleveland Browns beat Pittsburgh Steelers 29-17. Running back Nick Chubb had 113 yards on 23 carries.
The betting lines work as follows. Favorites are listed next to a negative number that represents how many points they must win by to cover the spread. Las Vegas must beat Chicago by at least 6 points to win their bet.
