NFL Week 3 Predictions: Forecasting Underdogs Who Will Score Upset Victories

Although Week 2 of the NFL season was lighter on huge upsets than the opening week, there is reason to believe that underdogs will reign supreme once again in Week 3.

Plenty of solid teams are being given points by the oddsmakers, which increases the likelihood that some betting favorites will lose outright.

Observers are still trying to get a handle on what every NFL team is all about, which is why the early part of the season presents the best opportunity for bettors to make some money.

As the NFL's balance of power continues to shift, here are three underdog teams that will defy the odds and come away with big victories in Week 3.

Denver Broncos (+5) at Seattle Seahawks

It is not often that Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are underdogs, but they will be in Week 3 when they travel to Seattle for a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks.

The Seahawks thrashed Denver 43-8 in one of the most one-sided Super Bowls ever, but a lot has changed for both teams since February.

The Broncos enter the game at 2-0 after defeating the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs, while the Seahawks are 1-1. Seattle was exposed to a certain degree on Sunday in a Week 2 loss to the San Diego Chargers, and it is entirely possible that the Bolts provided Denver with a blueprint for victory.

Quarterback Philip Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates made life miserable for the Seahawks in Week 2, and the Broncos have the personnel to do something similar. Broncos tight end Julius Thomas is very much like a younger version of Gates, so Seattle is likely to pay special attention to him.

If the Seahawks are too preoccupied with Thomas, though, the Broncos also boast wide receivers Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker.

After missing the first two games due to suspension, Welker will be back in the fold on Sunday, according to NFL Network's Albert Breer:

Also, the Broncos defense looks much better than it did last season, largely thanks to the addition of elite pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson may not have much time to throw, which would put Denver in an advantageous position.

It won't be easy for the Broncos to go into Seattle and beat an agitated Seahawks team coming off a loss, but there is no reason why Denver can't duplicate what San Diego did in Week 2.

New York Giants (+1) vs. Houston Texans

Since the New York Giants have looked awful at 0-2 and the Houston Texans have looked excellent at 2-0, one might assume that Houston being favored in this matchup is a no-brainer.

With New York's back against the wall at home and Houston playing a bit over its head, though, this has all the makings of a trap game for the Texans.

Houston was the NFL's worst team last season, but it has utilized a simplistic and effective approach. Running back Arian Foster has been a workhorse offensively, while the Texans defense has been dominant.

That latter fact is somewhat skewed, however, since Houston has benefited from playing the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders so far.

As pointed out by ESPN's Adam Caplan, the Texans have essentially taken a perceived weakness out of the equation by limiting what they ask quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to do:

That is a smart strategy, but eventually Fitzpatrick will have to win games rather than not lose them. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin knows that his team needs a win and is also fully cognizant of the fact that making Fitz beat him is the best chance to come out on top.

Expect the Giants to load up the box defensively and put the game on Fitzpatrick's shoulders.

While Fitzpatrick has some strong weapons in the passing game such as Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, he isn't a quarterback who excels at making big plays down the field.

New York's Achilles' heel to this point has been its penchant for turning the ball over. Quarterback Eli Manning has played mistake-plagued football dating back to last season, but he has the tools to turn it around if he manages to play smarter.

According to Bob Glauber of Newsday, Manning is actually encouraged by the Giants' prospects moving forward after their Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals:

"

I thought we did some good things, but we just made too many mistakes that were big mistakes and left a few opportunities out there on the field that we needed to make. We have to score more points, (but) you see the plays that we made and you feel good about those. You see some of the plays that were out there to be made and we had good opportunities to make them; we just didn't execute quite well enough. We saw improvement, and hopefully we can build off that.

"

Based on Manning's comments, it wouldn't be surprising to see a heavy dose of running back Rashad Jennings in Week 3. If the Giants can neutralize Houston's offensive game plan and control the clock, then they'll have a great chance.

New York may not be anything resembling a playoff team, but it will hit the Texans with a reality check on Sunday.

Chicago Bears (+2.5) at New York Jets

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Both the Chicago Bears and New York Jets enter Week 3 with a record of 1-1, but they have taken very different routes to get there.

After a fairly routine win in Week 1, the Jets blew an 18-point lead against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. Conversely, Chicago was upset in Week 1 only to overcome a 17-point deficit in Week 2 and upset the San Francisco 49ers on the road.

Despite clearly having momentum on their side, the Bears will be underdogs on Monday night against Gang Green.

Although the Jets are at home, the matchups certainly seem to indicate that Chicago should have the advantage.

The Jets' weak secondary was exposed by Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and the Packers in a big way on Sunday to the tune of nearly 350 passing yards. With Jay Cutler throwing to the likes of Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte, it is difficult to imagine New York suddenly becoming a competent pass-defending team in Week 3.

Marshall will be a handful in particular after catching three touchdowns against a stout Niners defense last week. That performance put Marshall in some elite company, according to NFL on ESPN:

New York's best chance to compete in this game is to grind out yardage on the ground with running backs Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory. The Bears allowed the Buffalo Bills to run for nearly 200 yards in Week 1, so there is no question that they are vulnerable in that regard.

If the Bears are able to get on top early, though, it will force the Jets to lean on quarterback Geno Smith and the passing game more than they want to.

It seems likely that Chicago will be aggressive in its pursuit of the lead, so it could be a long night for the Jets.

The Bears are simply the more explosive team, with personnel capable of taking a game over. Winning on the road is never easy, but Chicago beat a tough team away from home last week and will repeat the feat in Week 3.

Spreads courtesy of Odds Shark.

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