NFL Predictions Week 3: Top Odds Picks, Projections for Every Game on Schedule

Take what you thought you knew about the 2015 NFL season and discard it, because surprises and shocking starts—both good and bad—have turned conventional wisdom on its head entering Week 3.

From Super Bowl 50 contenders starting 0-2 to teams thought to be in the league's cellar opening with two victories, surprises have been the norm throughout the NFL so far. But we're only two weeks into the season, which means that all could change in a hurry.

Beginning with Week 3, early risers and surprise disappointments will get the chance to write another chapter in their seasons. Let's take a look below at a full breakdown of the odds, including projections for each game.

NFL Week 3 Odds and Projections

Game	Line	Pick ATS
Washington at N.Y. Giants	NYG -3	N.Y. Giants
Cincinnati at Baltimore	Bal. -1.5	Baltimore
New Orleans at Carolina	Car. -3	Carolina
Oakland at Cleveland	Cle. -3.5	Oakland
Atlanta at Dallas	Even	Atlanta
Tampa Bay at Houston	Hou. -4	Houston
San Diego at Minnesota	Minn. -2	San Diego
Jacksonville at New England	NE -14	New England
Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets	Phil. -2.5	N.Y. Jets
Pittsburgh at St. Louis	Pit. -1.5	Pittsburgh
Indianapolis at Tennessee	Ind. -5	Indianapolis
San Francisco at Arizona	Ariz. -6	Arizona
Buffalo at Miami	Mia. -2.5	Buffalo
Chicago at Seattle	Sea. -14	Seattle
Denver at Detroit	Den. -2.5	Denver
Kansas City at Green Bay	GB -6.5	Green Bay

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (-6)

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

After a one-week respite that included an opening win over Minnesota, the San Francisco 49ers appear to be back in the league cellar that everyone expected them to be in. 

The defense finally showed its holes in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's likely that the Arizona Cardinals will see a similar amount of offensive success with Carson Palmer playing lights out to start the season.

Palmer drew up a connection with Larry Fitzgerald last weekend and further showcased his winning ways by continuing a personal streak, per ESPN Stats and Info:

Of course, this isn't really about Palmer as much as the Cardinals' 53 being far superior to the Niners' roster. Arizona showed in its 48-23 beatdown in Chicago that both sides of the ball are clicking and healthy enough to make another run at an NFC title.

San Francisco has Carlos Hyde, but not much else. Arizona's defense will put the clamps on the Niners passing game that did click last week in Pittsburgh. The Cards will ride a dominant performance to victory behind their stingy defense.

Projection: Cardinals 27, 49ers 14

Indianapolis Colts (-5) at Tennessee Titans

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Monday Night Football wasn't a fluke. The Indianapolis Colts are in real trouble, but they face the perfect opportunity to build some confidence—and get that elusive first win—Sunday in Tennessee.

It's not every day that a team starts 0-2, travels to a divisional rival in their home opener and is dubbed a five-point favorite. But it's not every day that a team of the Colts' caliber starts like this.

You simply can't expect more of this play from Andrew Luck, who contributed four of the Colts' five turnovers against the Jets. They happened to face two of the most suffocating bump-and-run defenses in Buffalo and New York in back-to-back weeks.

As for the Titans, their secondary is fresh off being gashed by Johnny Manziel. Luck threw for six touchdowns and one pick last season against Tennessee, a team he's 6-0 against in his NFL career.

Most importantly, the Colts' players and coaches are not one bit happy, and know in the back of their minds that if their playoff aspirations aren't over yet, they will be with a loss in Tennessee. Luck and Co. won't let that happen.

Projection: Colts 28, Titans 21

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-1.5)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Joining the Colts, Seattle Seahawks and a plethora of other strong teams at 0-2 are the Baltimore Ravens, whose schedule doesn't get any easier with a visit from the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday.

With a defeat in Week 3, the Ravens could really fall behind in the AFC North race—which the Bengals lead at 2-0 with the Steelers and Browns behind them at 1-1. Already down Terrell Suggs for the season, the Ravens can't afford that big of an early hole.

When it comes down to it, though, the Ravens are 0-2 after two games that could very well have gone either way. A 19-13 opening loss to Denver was aided by a pick-six that allowed the Broncos to win, and late defensive lapses led to a 37-33 upset from the Oakland Raiders.

Baltimore showed against Denver it has the defensive grit to take down strong offenses, and that's just what they'll do to the Cincinnati Bengals. Andy Dalton has enjoyed a terrific start to the season, but will be swarmed by a Ravens defense intent on setting the tone and making a statement.

Projection: Ravens 24, Bengals 21