NFL Week 3 Picks: Early Odds and Predictions for Every Upcoming Game
The second week of the 2016 NFL season is almost complete. While the season is still quite young, we now have a better view of the league's landscape than we did a week ago.
Some of what we thought we knew after Week 1 appeared to be confirmed over the weekend. That Denver Broncos defense, for example, appears as good as ever after effectively handling quarterbacks Cam Newton and Andrew Luck in back-to-back weeks.
Other early impressions, though, may have been a bit off. The Jacksonville Jaguars looked like a quality team against the Green Bay Packers on opening weekend. Considering the Packers have been regular playoff contenders over the past seven years, this seemed to indicate Jacksonville might finally have a contender of its own.
The Packers, though, struggled mightily against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, while the Jaguars were straight manhandled by the San Diego Chargers.
So while some trends and truths seem to be emerging, there are still plenty of unknowns waiting as we head into Week 3. As is too often the case, some potentially serious injuries have also thrown a proverbial wrench into things.
We're going to look at the upcoming slate of games and try to predict the outcomes based on what we do know. We'll also examine some of the bigger storylines bridging the gap from Week 2 to Week 3.
Early odds are courtesy of our friends at Odds Shark.
| Thur. 9/22 | Houston Texans | New England Patriots | CBS/NFL Network | Texans -2 | Texans 23-20 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Baltimore Ravens | Jacksonville Jaguars | CBS | Even | Jaguars 27-25 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Washington Redskins | New York Giants | Fox | Giants -4 | Giants 27-24 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Arizona Cardinals | Buffalo Bills | Fox | Cardinals -5.5 | Cardinals 31-24 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Denver Broncos | Cincinnati Bengals | CBS | Bengals -3.5 | Bengals 25-23 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Cleveland Browns | Miami Dolphins | CBS | Dolphins -7 | Dolphins 27-22 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Oakland Raiders | Tennessee Titans | CBS | Even | Raiders 24-17 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Minnesota Vikings | Carolina Panthers | Fox | Panthers -6.5 | Panthers 24-19 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Detroit Lions | Green Bay Packers | Fox | Packers -8 | Packers 27-23 |
| Sun. 9/25 | San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks | Fox | Seahawks -11 | Seahawks 20-13 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Los Angeles Rams | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Fox | Buccaneers -3.5 | Buccaneers 22-13 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Philadelphia Eagles | CBS | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers 34-24 |
| Sun. 9/25 | San Diego Chargers | Indianapolis Colts | CBS | Colts -3 | Colts 34-30 |
| Sun. 9/25 | New York Jets | Kansas City Chiefs | CBS | Chiefs -3.5 | Jets 28-24 |
| Sun. 9/25 | Chicago Bears | Dallas Cowboys | NBC | Cowboys -4 | Cowboys 28-24 |
| Mon. 9/26 | Atlanta Falcons | New Orleans Saints | ESPN | Saints -3.5 | Falcons 33-30 |
Matchups to Watch
Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots
Week 3 is set to kick off with one potentially meaningful AFC contest when the 2-0 Houston Texans visit the 2-0 New England Patriots. Both of these teams are leading their respective divisions by at least one game, which means the winner is guaranteed to stay on top.
Depending on how the rest of the season unfolds, this early matchup might even have an impact on playoff seeding.
After two weeks of play, the Patriots are looking like one of the more complete teams in the NFL. They stole a victory over the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 1 and handled the rival Miami Dolphins in Week 2. New England achieved both victories without the aid of suspended quarterback Tom Brady and injured tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The problem is that Jimmy Garoppolo, who has been starting in place of Brady, suffered a shoulder injury against the Dolphins on Sunday and may miss some time.
According to Tom E. Curran of CSN New England, Garoppolo suffered an injured AC joint and is expected to miss at least a week. The injury is a clear detriment to the Patriots offense, as Garoppolo was playing some phenomenal football prior to it. Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal noted:
"Jimmy was playing unbelievable," Patriots receiver Chris Hogan said, per Curran. "The kid was playing lights out. That goes to his preparation and what we talked about as a team last week, but this is the NFL and that kind of stuff happens."
With Garoppolo out, the Patriots must turn to rookie signal-caller Jacoby Brissett. The NC State product went 6-of-9 for 92 yards in relief of Garoppolo against Miami. He'll be getting his first NFL start against J.J. Watt and the fearsome Texans defense.
This is why we'll give Houston the edge, even in Foxborough.
Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Another strong defensive performance helped the Broncos walk away with a two-touchdown victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. However, it's worth noting that the Broncos played the second consecutive week at home.
Denver holds a tangible home-field advantage, thanks not only to the stadium environment but also to the actual environment—Sports Authority Field is 5,280 feet above sea level. If this game were in Denver, we'd be inclined to give the Broncos the edge.
However, this contest is in Cincinnati and will be the Bengals' 2016 home opener. Cincinnati is coming off a tough 24-16 loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers and desperately needs a win to stay in the early AFC North race.
The Bengals will be fired up to give their home fans a quality kickoff and to put this latest loss behind them.
This is another game that could have eventual AFC playoff implications, which is good news for Cincinnati.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Carolina Panthers
We learned a few interesting things about the Minnesota Vikings this past week. For one, the defense that absolutely dominated the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 looked every bit as good against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers offense.
Rodgers passed for just 213 yards with one touchdown and three fumbles (one lost).
We also learned that quarterback Sam Bradford, acquired to replace injured starter Teddy Bridgewater, might just be a perfect fit in Minnesota. Bradford went 22-of-31 for 286 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Bradford is now rated eighth overall among all quarterbacks to play through Sunday by Pro Football Focus.
Bradford and the Vikings face a daunting task this coming week against the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers. Carolina struggled a bit against the Broncos in Week 1 but got back on track Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Panthers pulled away in the second half to best the 49ers 46-27.
Unfortunately, it appears the Vikings will have to go to battle without starting running back Adrian Peterson.
Peterson suffered a knee injury against the Packers and had to be helped to the locker room by members of the training staff. He did not return. USA Today's Tom Pelissero reported that Peterson will undergo an MRI on Monday morning.
"Whatever it was, it calmed down," Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said of the injury, per Pelissero. "So we'll see."
According to Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole, the Vikings are confident that Peterson will be back this year, though it's unclear when:
If Peterson cannot go on Sunday, the Vikings will likely rely on the tandem of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon at running back.
Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart suffered an injury of his own on Sunday. A hamstring issue forced him to leave the game, and he did not return. He may not be at 100 percent on Sunday, either.
Still, after watching Fozzy Whittaker rush for 100 yards against the 49ers, we feel confident that the Panthers offense can survive. This is why we'll give the Panthers the edge in what could be a hard-hitting, defense-focused contest.
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