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For those who survived the Patriots knocking off the Bengals in Week 1, Week 2 brought plenty more surprises. The Saints torched the Cowboys, the Raiders upset the Ravens, and the Vikings knocked off the 49ers. Let’s try to make sense of it all and break down the matchups for Week 3.
Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game, and rank their selections for those who play in a format that requires it. The games will be grouped into locks, semi-confident picks, and toss-ups. The number listed next to the game shows my confidence level, counting down to my least confident pick. The winner picks are italicized.
Some weeks you may see a subcategory of “Wait and See” because some platforms require all games to be selected before the kickoff of Thursday Night Football. There may still be some injury questions for Sunday and Monday games. If that’s the case, I’ll leave those games off to the side and suggest where they should be placed if a player is in or out. Let’s get to our Week 3 picks.
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Week 3 NFL Pick 'Em Pool Locks
The number listed next to the game shows my confidence level, counting down to my least-confident pick. The higher the number, the better. The winner picks are italicized.
- 16 – Tampa Bay vs. Denver
- 15 – Las Vegas vs. Carolina
- 14 – Cleveland vs. New York Giants
After an impressive road win over the Lions, the Buccaneers will return home to face the Broncos. The Buccaneers have allowed a total of 36 points over their first two games, while rookie Bo Nix has led the Broncos to just 26 combined points in their 0-2 start. The Broncos don’t have the firepower to hang with the Buccaneers on the road.
The Panthers have made a change at quarterback, benching Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton. The last time Dalton started, he threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3 last season against the Seahawks. He gives the Panthers a better chance to win, but the Raiders are still the better team among these two.
Panthers are benching former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, per sources.
Andy Dalton is Carolina’s new QB1. pic.twitter.com/HClZWCEqOM
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2024
The Giants are a mess right now. Their offense finally woke up in Week 2, but their defense allowed the Commanders to march up and down the field at will. They limited them to seven field goals, but with their own kicker Graham Gano leaving with an injury after the opening kickoff, the Giants only scored 18 points despite totaling three touchdowns. Their offense is likely to struggle against the Browns.
Semi-Confident Picks For Week 3 Pick 'Em Pools
13 –Kansas City at Atlanta
Losing Isiah Pacheco (lower leg) is certainly a big blow to the Chiefs. However, they still have Patrick Mahomes and plenty of dangerous receiving options. The Falcons will be on a short week, which puts the Chiefs in a great spot to win. The only reason to pause here is that the Chiefs are on the road after an emotional win against the Bengals. If there was ever a letdown spot for them, this is it.
12 – Cincinnati vs. Washington
Jayden Daniels couldn’t get the Commanders into the end zone against the Giants, but part of that was because his offensive line kept having penalties inside the red zone. The Bengals’ offense looked much better in their battle with the Chiefs, including Joe Burrow throwing two touchdown passes. There is the potential for the Bengals to deliver a dud again like they did in Week 1, but they are the better team here.
11 – New York Jets vs. New England
The Patriots have been surprisingly tough through two weeks. After beating the Bengals in Week 1, they took the Seahawks to overtime in their Week 2 loss. The Jets earned a much-needed win on the road against the Titans last week and will now play their first home game of the season. Even with how tough the Patriots have been, the Jets should be able to win this game.
10 – Buffalo vs. Jacksonville
The Jaguars’ defense has played well, but the team is 0-2 because their offense has combined for just 30 points. Trevor Lawrence has just one touchdown pass and has thrown for a combined 382 yards. Josh Allen has the Bills’ offense rolling in their 2-0 start, so expect them to take care of business at home.
4th down? Make that a touchdown.
Josh Allen finds James Cook for 6️⃣#BUFvsMIA on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/gzIF5sAUaG— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2024
9 – Houston at Minnesota
The Vikings are 2-0 with Sam Darnold under center. Their defense has led the way, giving up a total of 23 points. Their defense will be tested against C.J. Stroud and company. If Stroud and his receivers are locked in, I’m not sure that Darnold and the Vikings’ offense can keep pace, especially with Justin Jefferson (quadriceps) and Jordan Addison (ankle) battling injuries.
8 – Seattle vs. Miami
The Dolphins are going to take a cautious approach with Tua Tagovailoa after he suffered yet another concussion. They added Tyler Huntley on Monday, but Skylar Thompson is lined up to make this start. Asking him to win this game in Seattle is a tall order, even with Tyreek Hill and De’Von Achane at his side.
NFL Pick 'Em Toss-Ups Of Week 3
7 – San Francisco at Los Angeles Rams
These two teams have been hammered by injuries. Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) and Puka Nacua (knee) are both on injured reserves. Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) are also set to miss multiple games. Jordan Mason has filled in well for McCaffrey and the 49ers still at least have Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, which does give them a slight edge in this matchup.
6 – Detroit at Arizona
This game could have plenty of fireworks between two talented offenses. The Cardinals scored 41 points during their dismantling of the Rams on Sunday. Even though they lost to the Bills in Week 1, they scored 28 points. The Lions entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, but it would not be a surprise if the Cardinals took care of business at home.
5 – Pittsburgh vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Get ready for a lot of rushing attempts in this game. Justin Fields attempted a total of 43 passes over his first two games for the Steelers. Justin Herbert has attempted 46 total passes and is now dealing with a leg injury. Points should be at a premium in this game, but give the slight edge to the Steelers with this matchup being in Pittsburgh.
4 – Green Bay at Tennessee
Malik Willis helped the Packers earn a victory despite Jordan Love (knee) being out against the Colts. They leaned heavily on Josh Jacobs, who ran 32 times for 151 yards. Love will likely be out again for Week 3 and this game will be on the road. Still, Will Levis makes enough horrible mistakes that the Packers could pull out the victory.
Josh Jacobs pic.twitter.com/AELU38hDJc
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) September 16, 2024
3 – Chicago at Indianapolis
This will be a battle between two inexperienced quarterbacks who have a ton of upside but haven’t looked great this season. Richardson has completed 49.1% of his pass attempts and has four interceptions. Caleb Williams has thrown for 267 yards, two interceptions, and no touchdowns. I’ll give the edge to the Bears because of their better defense, but this likely comes down to which quarterback makes the fewest mistakes.
2 – Dallas vs. Baltimore
This is going to be a fun one to watch. The Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations but are 0-2 out of the gate. After dismantling the Browns in Week 1, the Cowboys were steamrolled by the Saints in Week 2. The Ravens desperately don’t want to start out 0-3, but the Cowboys will likely be highly motivated at home to make up for last week’s disaster.
1 – New Orleans vs. Philadelphia
I want no part in predicting this game in a Pick ‘Em contest. The Eagles suffered a late collapse to lose against the Falcons on Monday. The Saints have surprised the league by scoring a combined 91 points on their way to a 2-0 record. With A.J. Brown (hamstring) likely out again, it’s not inconceivable that the Saints could start out 3-0.
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