NFL Week 3 Picks: Squads That Will Cover Spread

The 2013 NFL season has featured many close games through the first two weeks, but the Chicago Bears are one of the teams that will cover the spread in Week 3.

Through two weeks, 22 games have been decided by seven points or fewer. Many big favorites, like the New England Patriots, have failed to cover big spreads this season.

Seattle and Denver enter the weekend as huge favorites, and the spreads will be tough to cover. They have the talent to blow their opponents out, but it's not a lock that both teams will win by at least 15 points.

On the other hand, most of the games have small spreads. Many of the favorites will be able to cover, but some will have an easier time than others.

Here are all of the lines for Week 3 followed by the teams that are locks to cover the spread. Lines are courtesy of Covers on Sept. 21 at 1:30 p.m.

Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings (-6.5)

The Vikings are 0-2 and are favored by nearly a touchdown. That's saying something.

Minnesota lost a tough one to Chicago in the final seconds last week, so it has the talent to compete against good teams. The Vikings will be going up against a team that is now expected to vie with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record in the league.

Cleveland bypassed backup Jason Campbell in favor of third-string quarterback Brian Hoyer, who is on his fourth team since August of 2012. Josh Gordon will return for the Browns, but Hoyer isn't going to do much through the air. 

The Browns traded last year's No. 3 overall pick, running back Trent Richardson, to the Indianapolis Colts this week. It will be interesting to see how many yards Cleveland is able to gain in this game.

Minnesota has scored 54 points in two games. Cleveland has scored 16, and that's with starting quarterback Brandon Weeden and Richardson.

This will be an easy game for Minnesota. Christian Ponder should involve Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson in the offense, and Adrian Peterson will be able to run the clock out.

St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys (-3.5)

The key for Dallas will be to win the turnover battle. It forced six turnovers against the New York Giants in Week 1, and Dallas won that game by five. The Cowboys lost the turnover battle 2-0 against Kansas City, and the Chiefs won 17-16.

Dallas has more talent than St. Louis on paper. Tony Romo has thrown for 561 yards and three touchdowns to only one interception this season. He has a great receiving corps to target. Jason Witten, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin are all great options in the passing game.

St. Louis edged Arizona on a late field goal in its opener, but the Rams were dominated early on by the Atlanta Falcons last week. Atlanta went up 21-0 only a few minutes into the second quarter and held on late.

The Cowboys have the talent on offense to put up a lot of points against the Rams. They have averaged 27.1 points per game at home, so look for Dallas to cover the spread.

Chicago Bears (-2.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh is a mess on offense. It ranks 27th in passing yards and 31st in rushing yards, both of which can be attributed to the inexperienced offensive line. 

The Steelers lost at home by seven points, although it was 16-2 in the final minutes, to the Tennessee Titans. Pittsburgh then lost by 10 on the road in Cincinnati, so it hasn't been able to keep games within reach.

Chicago comes in at 2-0 thanks to a pair of fourth-quarter comebacks. Jay Cutler has thrown for 534 yards and five touchdowns. The veteran quarterback has completed 67.6 percent of his passes, and he has a few quality targets to work with on offense.

The Steelers will have a hard time containing elite receiver Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Both receivers are at least 6'3", so they give Cutler big targets near the goal line. Martellus Bennett has 125 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season, so he gives Cutler another option in the middle of the field.

It's hard to imagine Pittsburgh starting 0-3, but Chicago is talented. Once the Bears get the lead in this game, Matt Forte will finish off the Steelers on the ground.

*All stats are courtesy of NFL.com.