Week 3 NFL Picks: Predictions, Advice for Latest Vegas Spreads, Odds and Props

The Green Bay Packers were not at their best in their Week 2 loss against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.

There were a few key reasons for this. Most of them had to do with a Minnesota defense that limited Aaron Rodgers to 213 yards and one TD pass and held running back Eddie Lacy to 50 yards. The other factor was a fired-up Vikings team playing its first home game in U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Packers have high aspirations this season, and they are the top-ranked NFC team when it comes to winning the Super Bowl, according to Odds Shark.

But after playing an average game against the Vikings, the Packers need to bounce back. They have an opportunity to show what they're capable of when they host the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field this week.

The Lions seemed to go against their own tendencies when they gave up a late-game touchdown to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, but they still managed to win with an end-of-game field goal by Matt Prater.

The Lions could not follow up that win when they hosted the Tennessee Titans in Week 2. Penalties and an inability to stop Marcus Mariota and Andre Johnson down the stretch doomed the Lions.

The Packers have shown an ability to win at home versus the Lions over the years. While Detroit won at Lambeau by an 18-16 margin last year, the Packers had won 24 straight home games against the Lions before that loss.

The Packers should be able to unleash their powerful offense in this game. Not only does Rodgers have a healthy Jordy Nelson to throw to once again this year, Lacy is in better shape than he was a year ago. This team will be motivated to get off to a sharp start and show the Lions that last year's upset was nothing but a fluke.

The Packers are 7.5-point favorites in this game, according to Odds Shark. Look for a high-scoring win by the Packers, one that they should command by 10 points or more.

Matchup	Spread	Total	Predicted Spread Cover
Houston at New England	Even	41	New England
Minnesota at Carolina	CAR -7	43	Minnesota
Detroit at Green Bay	GB -7.5	48	Green Bay
Baltimore at Jacksonville	Even	47	Baltimore
Arizona at Buffalo	ARI -4	47	Arizona
Oakland at Tennessee	TEN -1.5	46.5	Oakland
Cleveland at Miami	MIA -9.5	42	Miami
Washington at N.Y. Giants	NYG -4.5	45.5	New York Giants
Denver at Cincinnati	CIN -3	41	Denver
San Francisco at Seattle	SEA -9.5	40.5	Seattle
L.A. Rams at Tampa Bay	TB -5.5	42	Los Angeles
N.Y. Jets at Kansas City	KC -3	42	NYJ
San Diego at Indianapolis	IND -2.5	51.5	Indianapolis
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia	PIT -3.5	46	Pittsburgh
Chicago at Dallas	DAL -7	44.5	Dallas
Atlanta at New Orleans	ATL -3	53.5	New Orleans

The Carolina Panthers did it all last season until the final game of the year, when the Denver Broncos spanked them in Super Bowl 50.

As the season plays out, NFL fans will discover whether the Panthers were motivated or ruined by that defeat. With a strong leader like Ron Rivera at the helm, we're betting that it's the former.

The Panthers will play high-quality football with Cam Newton dominating on offense, while Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly lead the way on defense.

However, they'll have many tests along the way, including Week 3 when they host the up-and-coming Vikings. Despite losing Teddy Bridgewater to a devastating knee injury shortly before the start of the season, the Vikings are 2-0, and they appear to have one of the best defensive units in the league.

Head coach Mike Zimmer is hoping that Sam Bradford adjusts quickly and can give the offense the consistency it needs against top teams like the Panthers.

The Panthers were able to climb the NFC ladder because of their hard-hitting, nasty defense. The same thing holds true for the Vikings. We expect both teams to play a very strong defensive game here.

If both defenses make early stops, look for Rivera and Zimmer to engage in a defensive-minded contest. That means a heavy dose of the running game and a slew of punts to help win the field-position battle.

The total in this game is 47, and we see this as a field goal battle. These two teams will not reach the 40-point mark—the under should be a winning play.

Adrian Kraus/Associated Press

The Kansas City Chiefs made the playoffs last year thanks to a 10-game winning streak to close the regular season. While the Chiefs played sensational football during that stretch, they were one of the most disappointing teams in the league through their first six games, compiling a 1-5 record.

Could they be following the same pattern this year? The Chiefs are 1-1 through their first two games, but it took a near-miracle comeback for the Chiefs to beat the San Diego Chargers in Week 1, and they were quite dull in their Week 2 loss at Houston.

Meanwhile, the New York Jets nearly beat the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Week 1, before downing the Buffalo Bills with a convincing offensive road show in Week 2.

The Jets have a strong defense, thanks to Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams, and they now have the kind of offense to compete with most teams in the league.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker give the Jets a solid passing game, and the addition of Matt Forte gives them another dimension. Not only is Forte an effective runner—he had three rushing TDs in Week 2—he is an exceptional third-down receiver out of the backfield.

The Jets are three-point underdogs against the Chiefs, and we like them to win this road meeting straight up against their ancient American Football League rivals.

Jared Wickerham/Associated Press

Props

Prop bets are usually on the minds of most players during the NFL playoffs. Prop fever is always at a fever pitch prior to the Super Bowl.

However, props are also available at this time of the year, and Odds Shark lists odds for the likelihood of each team winning its division. The New England Patriots are 3-10 favorites to win the AFC East, while the Pittsburgh Steelers are 8-11 to win the AFC North. The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos are favored in the AFC South and West, respectively.

In the NFC, the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals are favored to win their divisions.