NFL Predictions Week 3: Top Odds, Picks, Projections for Every Game on Schedule

The New England Patriots suffered a loss in Week 2, but based on past history, an early-season loss is not about to derail Bill Belichick's team.

The Pats suffered defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the heat of the mid-September Florida sun. New England can feel good about mounting a bit of a comeback in the second half before the Jaguars closed the game out, and it should be much improved as it goes to Ford Field to take on the struggling Detroit Lions.

Don't expect Belichick to have any sympathy for Detroit head coach Matt Patricia. His former defensive coordinator has gotten off to a poor start in his first two games with the Lions.

The Patriots are 6.5-point favorites in this game, according to OddsShark, and they could build a substantial lead in this game. 

New England has been lacking at the wide receiver position early in the season, but it took a major step to upgrade that position by trading for troubled Josh Gordon. If he can avoid the off-the-field issues that have dogged him for years, the Pats will have a dangerous deep threat and Tom Brady will be able to take advantage. 

The Lions played much better in their 30-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers than they did in their Week 1 loss to the Jets, but Patricia is still 0-2 as a head coach.

Detroit has to improve in all areas, but it has given up an averaged of 179.5 yards per game on the ground, and that's the worst in the league. Its ground game has been awful, averaging 68.5 yards and ranking 30th in the NFL.

Week 3 Point Spreads and Predictions

Thursday, September 20

New York Jets at Cleveland (-3) (Over/Under: 39); Jets 27, Browns 23

Sunday, September 23

Buffalo at Minnesota (-17) (O/U: 41); Vikings 38, Bills 10

Cincinnati at Carolina (-3) (O/U: 43.5); Panthers 17, Bengals 16

Denver at Baltimore (-5) (O/U: 43); Ravens 24, Broncos 23

Green Bay (-3) at Washington (O/U: 46); Redskins 28, Packers 23

Indianapolis at Philadelphia (-6) (O/U: 47.5); Eagles 24, Colts 17

New York Giants at Houston (-6) (O/U: 41.5); Texans 23, Giants 13

New Orleans at Atlanta (-3) (O/U: 53); Falcons 30, Saints 23

Oakland at Miami (-3) (O/U: 44); Raiders 17, Dolphins 16

San Francisco at Kansas City (-6.5) (O/U: 56); Chiefs 31, 49ers 28

Tennessee at Jacksonville (-6.5) (O/U: 39.5); Jaguars 20, Titans 10

Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5) (O/U: 48); Rams 17, Chargers 12

Chicago (-4) at Arizona (O/U: 40); Bears 23, Cardinals 17

Dallas at Seattle (-3) (O/U: 44.5); Seahawks 16, Cowboys 12

New England (-6.5) at Detroit (O/U: 51.5); Patriots 30, Lions 17

Monday, September 24

Pittsburgh (-2) at Tampa Bay (O/U: 53.5); Buccaneers 33, Steelers 24

Odds obtained from OddsShark.

Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings return home after their hard-fought 29-29 tie with the Green Bay Packers. Minnesota trailed the inspired Pack throughout the majority of the game, but it showed a high level of determination in figuring out a way to come back and send the game into overtime.

The fact that rookie placekicker Daniel Carlson couldn't make a game-winning field goal in overtime forced the Vikings to settle for the tie. Carlson has been placed on waivers and is expected to be replaced by former Cowboys placekicker Dan Bailey.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins is fitting in quite well with the Vikings, and he has a 6-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his first two games with his new team. Wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen and tight end Kyle Rudolph are all dangerous pass-catchers, and second-year running back Dalvin Cook has game-changing speed and moves when he is healthy.

The defense is among the best in the league. Free safety Harrison Smith is a superb tackler and ball hawk, while defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen are both dangerous pass-rushers.

The Bills are overmatched, as they will be against many opponents this year. Rookie quarterback Josh Allen has been thrown into the deep end, and he will have many hard lessons to learn. The Bills are going through a youth movement, and the Vikings will make them pay the toll in Sunday's matchup.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

While teams tend to rise or fall to their true level by the end of the season, there's no guarantee that will happen in Week 3.

The Steelers have tied one game and lost another, so it is quite likely that head coach Mike Tomlin will not be in a generous mood in practice this week. He needs to see a much better effort Monday night in Tampa, but the team still does not have dangerous running back Le'Veon Bell.

James Conner has done a fine job in his absence with 159 yards rushing and 105 more as a receiver, but he is not Bell. The Steelers will not be at their best until Bell comes back to the team and starts producing at the standards he has established throughout his career.

The Steelers can turn to Antonio Brown, but he is off to a sluggish start (for him) with 18 receptions for 160 yards and one touchdown while being targeted 33 times. 

Even with their troubles, the Steelers have an explosive offense as Ben Roethlisberger is averaging 377.5 passing yards in his first two games with four TDs and three interceptions.

The Bucs have gotten off to a sharp and surprising start with victories over the New Orleans Saints and Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown four TD passes in both of those games and appears locked into his position.

Head coach Dirk Koetter will have the final say on that when Jameis Winston returns from his suspension, but it doesn't seem likely that he will remove Fitzpatrick from the QB1 position anytime soon.

DeSean Jackson is one of the most dangerous and explosive receivers in the league, and he apparently has some excellent chemistry with Fitzpatrick. Jackson has caught nine passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns, and more big plays should be expected.

Look for both offenses to be sharp, with the Bucs finding a way to make it three wins in a row in a high-scoring game.