NFL Week 3 Picks: Odds, Prop Bets and Predictions Before Thursday Night

The Green Bay Packers don't seem to be able to play at the highest level in the state of Georgia.

The Atlanta Falcons pounded them in the NFC Championship last season at the Georgia Dome, and when the Packers returned to Atlanta in Week 2 to play the first NFL game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they were beaten handily once again.

But there's a big difference between losing in Week 2 and losing in the postseason. The Packers can easily recover, get on a roll and win their division and make a postseason statement.

That type of outcome is quite likely because the Packers have a superb quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, who may very well be the best player at his position in the league—even if Tom Brady's backers would disagree.

Rodgers has uncanny accuracy, will hold on to the ball until the last second and then put it in a place where his receivers can catch it and then gain significant yardage after the catch.

Rodgers has a sensational receiver in Jordy Nelson (quadriceps), who appears to be on track to play this week when the Packers return to Lambeau Field to host the Cincinnati Bengals. Nelson participated in a full practice Wednesday, and he says he is on track to play, per Mike Spofford of Packers.com.

Nelson is a game-breaking receiver, while Randall Cobb and Davante Adams are solid complementary receivers who can make big plays.

Running back Ty Montgomery takes pressure off of Rodgers because he excels at getting through the cracks and breaking tackles.

Green Bay's diverse attack will be tough for the 0-2 Bengals to handle. Cincinnati has not scored a touchdown in either of their first two games, and offensive coordinator Ken Zampese has been replaced. If Andy Dalton doesn't get the Bengals offense to start producing at a consistent rate, the season is likely to fall apart quickly.

The Packers are 8.5-point favorites in this game, according to OddsShark, and that number should be within reach for the Packers. Even if they don't play their best game, they should have a lead at halftime, and they should be able to put some distance between themselves and the Bengals in the second half.

Look for the Packers to get the win and cover the spread.

Matchup, Line, Over/Under, Prediction (Odds courtesy of OddsShark)

Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers, LAR -2.5/39.5, LAR/Under

Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore -3.5/39.5, Baltimore/Under

Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh -7/44, Pittsburgh/Under

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings, NL, Minnesota

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, Denver -3/40, Denver/Under

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers, Carolina -6/46.5, New Orleans/Over

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions, Atlanta -3/50.5, Detroit/Over

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Even/40.5, Indianapolis/Under

Houston Texans at New England Patriots, New England -13/44, Houston*/Over

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, Miami -6/42, Miami/Under

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia -6/43, New York/Under

Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans, Tennessee -3/42.5, Tennessee/Under

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City -3/47.5, Kansas City/Over

Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers, Green Bay -8.5/44.5, Green Bay/Over

Oakland Raiders at Washington Redskins, Oakland -3/55, Washington/Over

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals, Dallas -3/47, Arizona/Under

*-will cover spread but fail to win game.

Oakland Raiders at Washington Redskins

The Raiders are off to a sharp 2-0 start, and they have picked up from where they left off last year prior to quarterback Derek Carr's injury.

Carr broke his leg in Week 16, and prior to that injury, the Raiders were in first place in the AFC West and had an excellent chance to finish as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. After he went down, the Raiders' offense lost much of its bite.

The Redskins looked sleepy in their season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but they bounced back nicely in their Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Both teams are coming east as the Redskins return home from Los Angeles, while the Raiders are making their second trip to the Eastern time zone in this young season.

The Raiders are three-point favorites in the game, and that's somewhat disrespectful to the Redskins. Kirk Cousins is an excellent quarterback, and the Redskins are certainly capable of playing well at home. While the Raiders can score with anybody, their defense is suspect, and it will be difficult for them to slow down the combination of Cousins and tight end Jordan Reed.

This game should be a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair, and the Redskins should be able to trade points with the Raiders. Additionally, their defense is likely to make more of a statement than the Raiders' defense will make.

The underdog Redskins will earn the straight-up victory.

Prop bet

Many handicappers like to have some action on the side in addition to their bet on the point spread or the over-under.

Prop bets are certainly plentiful in the postseason, but they are also available in the regular season.

OddsShark has posted several props on Thursday night's games between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

The one that gets our attention is the prop bet on whether either defense will score a touchdown. A yes bet is offered at plus-180 (risk $100 to earn a profit of $180), while a no bet requires a minus-220 bet (risk $220 to win $100). 

We're on board with the "yes" bettors on this prop. Rams quarterback Jared Goff is improving, but we could see him throwing the ball into coverage and having the ball returned for a score by the Niners.

Brian Hoyer is a smart quarterback for the Niners, but his receivers could make a mistake and run the wrong pattern. That could lead to an interception for a touchdown.

Take the "yes" side on the defense scoring a touchdown.