NFL Week 3 Picks: Underdogs Who Will Win Sunday

Despite all the commotion off the field involving the NFL, there is still business to settle on the turf. The Atlanta Falcons host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night to kick off Week 3 of the regular season.

There are plenty of interesting matchups this week, but here you'll find the games where the underdog will pull off the upset and come out victorious.

Below is a look at the full schedule with picks for each contest, followed by a closer look at a few of these games where the underdogs will play better than expected.

Away	Home	Spread	Pick
Tampa Bay	Atlanta	ATL -6.5	ATL
San Diego	Buffalo	BUF -1	SD
Oakland	New England	NE -14.5	NE
Minnesota	New Orleans	NO -10.5	NO
Tennessee	Cincinnati	CIN -7	CIN
Houston	New York Giants	HOU -2	HOU
Baltimore	Cleveland	BAL -1.5	BAL
Washington	Philadelphia	PHI -6.5	WASH
Green Bay	Detroit	DET -2	GB
Dallas	St. Louis	DAL -1	DAL
Indianapolis	Jacksonville	IND -6.5	IND
San Francisco	Arizona	SF -3	ARI
Kansas City	Miami	MIA -4	MIA
Denver	Seattle	SEA -5	DEN
Pittsburgh	Carolina	CAR -3	CAR
Chicago	New York Jets	NYJ -3	NYJ

Washington Redskins over Philadelphia Eagles

Typically, divisional games are extremely competitive, and this clash should be no different between two NFC East squads with talent on both sides of the ball. 

Philly enters the matchup atop the division with a 2-0 record while Washington is sitting at 1-1 after a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. The biggest story coming into this one has to be Robert Griffin III’s injury allowing Kirk Cousins to make his first start of 2014.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Now I don’t particularly think Washington is better than Philadelphia, but it can definitely win this week’s game. In order to do so, it will need to be successful running the football.

On Sunday night, the Indianapolis Colts nearly defeated Philly due in large part to their running game and maintaining possession. The Eagles offense is so talented that keeping it off the field for as long as possible is necessary to beating the team.

Indy held the ball for nearly 13 more minutes than the Eagles. It ran the ball 38 times for 169 yards.

If Alfred Morris along with Silas Redd and Roy Helu can consistently run the football, then Washington has a great chance. Cousins has shown he’s capable of being a decent pocket passer and should be able to do enough to get the win.

If the Redskins don’t turn it over like Indy did, I like them this week.

Arizona Cardinals over San Francisco 49ers

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Another underdog to watch in Week 3 is the Arizona Cardinals. It’s tough to consider the 2-0 Cardinals underdogs, but when they play their divisional games against San Francisco and Seattle, they will be.

That is the case this week as they take on the 49ers at home on Sunday. San Francisco blew a fourth-quarter lead against Chicago last week to drop to 1-1.

Now, unlike Washington, Arizona is capable of playing at San Francisco’s level all season long. It has a great defense and plenty of explosive weapons on offense. Andre Ellington, Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald are the top targets.

The one thing that could potentially hold Arizona back is its quarterback play. Even though Drew Stanton led the team to a win against the New York Giants, he’s not the guy to take this team to the playoffs.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, AZCardinals.com's Darren Urban suggests Carson Palmer’s injury isn’t too serious and the quarterback could be back this week.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

No matter whom Arizona starts, I like its odds this weekend. Its offense is capable of scoring enough points that its defense can lead the way for a win.

Colin Kaepernick was responsible for four turnovers Sunday night. If Patrick Peterson and company can create takeaways, the Cards can add another win to their record.

Denver Broncos over Seattle Seahawks

The final game that’s upset-worthy is the rematch of last year’s Super Bowl. Despite being undefeated, Odds Shark indicates that Denver heads into Seattle as a five-point underdog.

After being dismantled in the biggest game of the year last season, it makes sense that Peyton Manning and the Broncos aren’t favorites in this game. They’ll need to prove to people that they’re capable of scoring points against a very impressive Seahawks defense.

One thing that should make the Broncos confident is the result San Diego had in Week 2 against the defending champs.

Philip Rivers and the Chargers' passing attack were good enough to topple Richard Sherman and Seattle’s secondary. If the Chargers were able to pass the ball successfully, then why won’t the Broncos be successful too?

LM Otero/Associated Press/Associated Press

Beyond bringing a passing game that’s among the league’s best, Manning gets wide receiver Wes Welker back in the fold, per Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. Welker should provide an underneath safety option for the quarterback when he faces pressure.

Winning in Seattle is nearly impossible, but Denver is good enough to do it.

This week isn’t just another game for the Broncos. It’s a chance to get some payback and prove to themselves that they’re the best team in the NFL.