NFL Week 3 Picks: Final Predictions and Over-Under Odds Before Thursday Night

As always, once the NFL season arrives it starts to move extremely quickly. It's already time for Week 3, which kicks off with an NFC South clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football.

It's a key game for Tampa Bay, which was a popular sleeper team coming into the campaign. Narrow losses to the Carolina Panthers and St. Louis Rams have put them behind the eight ball early. Going on the road to face the Falcons doesn't make things any easier.

In terms of the over-under situation for the week's opening game, it's one of the toughest calls on the board. So let's check out a complete list of lines and picks for the complete slate, followed by some selections that have a little more confidence behind them.

Over-Under Lines and Picks

Date	Road	Home	Line	Pick
Sept. 18	Buccaneers	Falcons	45	Under
Sept. 21	Chargers	Bills	44	Over
Sept. 21	Cowboys	Rams	45	Over
Sept. 21	Redskins	Eagles	50	Over
Sept. 21	Texans	Giants	42	Under
Sept. 21	Vikings	Saints	51	Under
Sept. 21	Titans	Bengals	43.5	Over
Sept. 21	Ravens	Browns	41.5	Under
Sept. 21	Packers	Lions	52	Over
Sept. 21	Colts	Jaguars	45.5	Under
Sept. 21	Raiders	Patriots	47	Under
Sept. 21	49ers	Cardinals	42.5	Over
Sept. 21	Broncos	Seahawks	48.5	Under
Sept. 21	Chiefs	Dolphins	42	Under
Sept. 21	Steelers	Panthers	41.5	Over
Sept. 22	Bears	Jets	45.5	Over

Top Selections

Over: Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Redskins will turn to Kirk Cousins while Robert Griffin III works to overcome an ankle injury. While he doesn't bring the same type of dual-threat ability (35 rushing yards in nine games), the drop-off won't be major considering Griffin still hadn't returned to peak form.

In fact, Cousins showed last week with 250 yards and two touchdowns that he actually fits the Jay Gruden system quite well. Chris Wesseling of NFL.com passed along comments from the Redskins head coach, who remains confident despite the change at the most crucial position:

"

I feel like we can win any game with Kirk Cousins. Kirk is a special guy. He started four games last year and didn't have great success, but obviously has a skill set that I feel like is very much suited for what we do. He can handle it mentally, and obviously, physically. I feel that he can make every throw in the book and we are going to move forward with Kirk.

"

As long as Washington produces, this game should be in great shape to go over. The Eagles are averaging 32 points per game through two weeks, ranking in the top 10 in both passing and rushing. The quick pace obviously helps.

While the Redskins rank first in yards allowed, LeSean McCoy and Co. are far more dangerous than the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Philadelphia is going to get its fair share of points. The question is whether Washington will with Cousins, and it should.

Under: Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The high-powered Denver offense gets another look at a Seahawks defense that played a nearly perfect game in the Super Bowl last season. A game that was expected to develop into an intriguing battle between two elite units instead became a blowout.

That said, the key here is the Broncos defense. The revamped unit has looked average at best throughout two weeks in narrow victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs. Trey Wingo of ESPN pointed out a particular area of concern from the latter matchup in Week 2:

Yes, there are a lot of new pieces on that side of the ball and it's probably going to take a couple more weeks to fully jell. That said, this is a chance to show progress in a game where a Peyton Manning-led attack won't put up as many points as usual.

Going into Seattle and emerging with a win is incredibly difficult. It's a challenge made tougher for Denver due to those Super Bowl demons and the fact the Seahawks defense is built perfectly to slow down its quick-striking offense. That makes picking the under the way to go.

Over: Chicago Bears vs. New York Jets

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

When making these type of picks it's always good to know both offenses will have one facet where they have a high probability of success. That's the case here as the Bears passing game and Jets rushing attack should both post big numbers against defenses weak in those areas.

New York gave up 346 yards and three touchdowns through the air to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers last week. Now the secondary has to deal with Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte coming out of the backfield.

The Bears are allowing more than 160 yards per game on the ground, which is right in line with their number last season that ranked last in the league. It's hard to imagine the front seven having any added success against the one-two punch of Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson.

Time of possession is the only concern. If the Jets dominate on the ground so much they are able to completely control the clock, reaching the number could become an issue. But the way the teams match up suggests the over is a strong choice.