Week 3 NFL Picks: Tips, Odds and Over-Under Predictions for Sunday

The NFL refuses to make the picking process easy with its darn parity, and the sheer unpredictability translates to over-under bettors trying to handicap the scoring outcomes.

Over-under plays are always tricky propositions. Past the simple "Who will win?" question, we must hypothesize how exactly the game will go. If a blowout is in order, will the other team mount garbage-time points? Will a coach ruin everything by going for two?

Of course, I would be crazy for writing, "Robbie Gould will hit a meaningless 44-yard field goal with 40 seconds left to bring the score a point above the over line." So instead, let's settle for a more broad analysis of the matchups. (But wouldn't it be crazy if that actually happened now?)

Here are odds and over-under predictions for the entire remaining Week 3 slate.

Away	Home	Time (ET)	Over-Under	Prediction
San Diego Chargers	Buffalo Bills (-1)	1 p.m.	45.5	27-20 SD
Dallas Cowboys	St. Louis Rams (Even)	1 p.m.	44	24-13 DAL
Washington Redskins	Philadelphia Eagles (-7)	1 p.m.	50	34-27 PHI
Houston Texans (-1)	New York Giants	1 p.m.	41.5	20-13 HOU
Minnesota Vikings	New Orleans Saints (-11)	1 p.m.	49	38-16 NO
Tennessee Titans	Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5)	1 p.m.	42.5	21-10 CIN
Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns (Even)	1 p.m.	41	24-23 CLE
Green Bay Packers	Detroit Lions (-2.5)	1 p.m.	52	30-24 GB
Indianapolis Colts (-7.5)	Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.	45	35-13 IND
Oakland Raiders	New England Patriots (-15)	1 p.m.	46.5	28-7 NE
San Francisco 49ers (-2.5)	Arizona Cardinals	4:05 p.m.	42	17-16 SF
Denver Broncos	Seattle Seahawks (-5)	4:25 p.m.	48.5	27-24 SEA
Kansas City Chiefs	Miami Dolphins (-3.5)	4:25 p.m.	42.5	14-13 MIA
Pittsburgh Steelers	Carolina Panthers (-3)	8:30 p.m.	42	20-9 CAR
Chicago Bears	New York Jets (-2.5)	8:30 p.m. (Mon.)	45.5	30-23 CHI

All odds, updated as of Friday evening, are courtesy of Odds Shark.

Houston Texans at New York Giants (Under)

A weird thing happened during the New York Giants' 25-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals: Eli Manning actually played well.

The struggling quarterback finished 26-of-39 for 277 yards and two touchdowns. He added two interceptions to his embarrassing tally, but one came in the final desperate seconds of a decided contest. Nevertheless, the streak continued, per ESPN Stats & Info.

It's tempting to say Manning and the Giants have turned the corner running Ben McAdoo's new offense, but the Houston Texans present a terrible matchup. Manning wilts under pressure, and Houston has that J.J. Watt fellow. Last year's No. 3 passing defense allowed one passing touchdown during the first two games.

On the other side of the equation, Texans Radio's Deepi Sidhu reported that Arian Foster is uncertain to play this Sunday:

Houston's star rusher has amassed 241 yards on the ground. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has compiled 345 passing yards. The Texans aren't scoring many points without a healthy Foster.

This has all the makings of an ugly, low-scoring affair Houston edges out by forcing key turnovers.

Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints (Over)

In two losing efforts, both New Orleans Saints games exceeded the current 49-point over-under line. Now they finally get to play in the Superdome against a squad with a dangerous passing offense but little to offer defensively.

The Saints are not 0-2 because of their offense. They scored 58 points and rank third in yards per game. Making their home debut in need of a win, Brees will lead his passing juggernaut to an array of points.

After allowing six points to the St. Louis Rams, the Minnesota Vikings quickly became unhinged by the New England Patriots in a 31-7 defeat. While working on one level to show the Saints can pile up the points, it also created worry that Minnesota can't.

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

This matchup should alleviate those fears. New Orleans has surrendered 647 passing yards through two games, the NFL's worst mark. As long as Matt Cassel doesn't toss another four interceptions, Cordarrelle Patterson and Greg Jennings will inflict some serious damage. 

Minnesota won't need to light up the scoreboard. With the Saints providing the heavy lifting with a tally in the mid-30s, the Vikings can linger in the teens to meet the over-under point. 

Chicago Bears at New York Jets (Over)

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Before the season began, everyone worried about the New York Jets' secondary sans Antonio Cromartie. Then they contained the Oakland Raiders and Derek Carr well enough during his NFL debut, and the panic momentarily subsided.

Time to start the engine up again. Aaron Rodgers torched Gang Green's green unit for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Against an incredible quarterback, the weakened group was exposed, warts and all.

According to the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta, New York's most-used cornerback against Green Bay just learned the position:

Antonio Allen will see a former face on the other side. He attended South Carolina with Alshon Jeffery, whom the new corner evaluated somewhat harshly to Newsday's Greg Logan.

"

I played with him a lot at South Carolina. I do respect him as a receiver and as an athlete. He's a ball hawk. If the ball is in the area, he's going to get it. Then again, he's lazy sometimes. He lacks footspeed. But he's still a baller, and he still can make plays at the end of the day.

"

Jeffery has not scored a touchdown yet this season, but that will likely change if his former college teammate draws the rough assignment. Then again, Brandon Marshall isn't an easier draw.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Don't mistake this for a one-sided blowout, either. Chicago entered the 2014 season with the league's worst rushing defense. While the Buffalo Bills played to that flaw with 33 carries for 193 yards in their overtime win, the San Francisco 49ers oddly abandoned the run during their second-half meltdown.

Behind Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson, the Jets lead the NFL in rushing yards this year. Both offenses are perfectly built to exploit the opposing defense's Achilles' heel. That should make for a high-scoring bout in New Jersey.