Week 3 NFL Picks: Predictions for Vegas Final Odds, Props on Sunday's Schedule

There doesn't seem to be much doubt that the Seattle Seahawks will get their first victory of the season when they host the Chicago Bears, but the big question is whether they can cover the 15.5-point impost they will face as home favorites Sunday afternoon against head coach John Fox's struggling team.

It always looks clear as we make our Sunday morning decisions, but experience has taught us that it almost never works out the way we saw it. Even when we get it right, it's usually not for the same reason that we thought it would be.

In this piece, we'll analyze three of the games on this week's schedule, make picks for all the games and go over some of the props being offered. All lines and props are courtesy of Odds Shark.

Game	Line	Over/Under	Selections
Cincinnati at Baltimore	Bal (-1)	44	Baltimore; Under
New Orleans at Carolina	Car (-9.5)	42.5	New Orleans; Under
Oakland at Cleveland	Cle (-3)	43	Oakland; Under
Atlanta at Dallas	Even	44	Atlanta; Under
Tampa Bay at Houston	Hou (-7)	40.5	Houston; Over
San Diego at Minnesota	Min (-1)	44.5	Minnesota; Under
Jacksonville at New England	NE (-14.5)	48.5	Jacksonville; Under
Philadelphia at NY Jets	NYJ (-1)	46	NY Jets; Under
Pittsburgh at St. Louis	Even	48	Pittsburgh; Over
Indianapolis at Tennessee	Ind (-3)	45.5	Indianapolis; Over
San Francisco at Arizona	Ari (-7)	44.5	Arizona; Under
Buffalo at Miami	Mia (-2.5)	41.5	Buffalo; Over
Chicago at Seattle	Sea (-15.5)	43.5	Seattle; Under
Denver at Detroit	Den (-3)	44.5	Detroit; Over
Kansas City at Green Bay	GB (-7)	49	Green Bay; Over

Raiders have the weapons to get the best of the Browns

The Oakland Raiders looked miserable in dropping their Week 1 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals but turned it around with a major upset of the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.

Few observers expected much from the Raiders this season because they have lost 10 or more games in 10 of the last 12 seasons and also have a new head coach in Jack Del Rio.

However, the Raiders now have an array of talent at the skill positions, which they hadn't seen in a while. Derek Carr, Latavius Murray and Amari Cooper give the Raiders a trio with enough talent to help the franchise for several years. Right now, all three players are in the developmental stages of their careers, though, which means their growth is likely to come in fits and starts.

This game looks like it could be a difficult one. Coming off a win of their own, the Cleveland Browns should be motivated. However, as Cleveland moves from Johnny Manziel to Josh McCown at quarterback, we expect the offense to make several mistakes.

While the Browns have had some explosive plays thanks to the speedy Travis Benjamin (nine receptions for 204 yards last week), the Raiders have one of the league's rising stars in defensive end Khalil Mack. His ability to shut down the run and create penetration could cause problems for the Browns throughout the game.

Look for the Raiders to stay close throughout the game and pull it out on a Sebastian Janikowski field goal in the final minute.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Jets remain undefeated and frustrate winless Eagles

First-year head coach Todd Bowles has the New York Jets playing smart and effective football. The team has kept mistakes to a minimum in winning its first two games.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has provided calm leadership at the quarterback position, and the Jets defense has allowed the fewest points in the NFL.

It's safe to say that New York is exceeding expectations.

On the other side, many expected the Philadelphia Eagles to take over the NFC East and possibly challenge the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers for NFC superiority. New acquisitions Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray were supposed to take lead roles in head coach Chip Kelly's offense, but the Eagles have been unable to find their stride early in the season.

It would not be smart to write off the Eagles because of their early difficulties, but they are likely to have trouble finding their way against a defense that features Muhammad Wilkerson, David Harris and Darrelle Revis.

The Jets will use their home-field advantage to stay unbeaten against the grounded Eagles.

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Seahawks take no pity on wounded Bears

Head coach Pete Carroll knew the Seahawks would have a challenging start to the 2015 season with road games against the St. Louis Rams and Green Bay.

He didn't expect to come home with an 0-2 record.

As a result, the defending NFC champions will be in a punishing and hurtful mood when they play before their adoring fans at CenturyLink Field against the Bears.

Chicago lost its first two games at home and will be playing at perhaps the most challenging road venue in the league. It has almost no hope of winning.

Staying close would be impressive, because the Bears will be without starting quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who are both battling hamstring injuries. While the Seahawks defense will benefit from the return of safety Kam Chancellor, its focus will be on stopping running back Matt Forte, as backup quarterback Jimmy Clausen does not appear to be a threat.

Look for Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch to have their way with the Chicago defense, which has been among the worst in the league since the start of the 2013 season. The Bears have given up a league-high 79 points through the first two games this year.

This game will be over early in the third quarter, and the Seahawks will cover the big line.

Battle of backup QBs in the props

With Clausen getting the start for the Bears and Brandon Weeden taking Tony Romo's place for the Dallas Cowboys, the oddsmakers have offered proposition bets for both of these backup signal-callers. Bettors will have the opportunity to make plays on their yardage totals and touchdown passes.

The magic numbers for Weeden are 250.5 yards and 1.5 TDs. Handicappers who want to bet on Weeden surpassing the yardage total can get 20-23 odds. They can also jump on the same line if they want to bet that he will fail to reach the total.

Bettors who think he'll throw more than 1.5 TD passes can get 6-5 odds, while those who think he won't reach the mark can get 2-3 odds.

Clausen backers who think he will exceed 210.5 yards or one TD can get 20-23 odds. Those who think he won't reach either of those totals can jump on the same line.