Week 3 NFL Picks: Predictions for Sunday's Games, Odds Guide and Over/Under Tips

The NFL is one of the most unpredictable sporting leagues in existence, thanks in large part to the number of players, plays, officiating calls and potential injuries involved in each contest. One missed tackle, critical penalty or key injury can impact not only the outcome of a game but also the flow and tempo.

On Thursday night, a muffed punt cost the Tennessee Titans a possession and immediately put the Jacksonville Jaguars in scoring position. A play later, the Jaguars were on the board and the tone was set. It was a defensive battle, and the Titans—who were favored in the contest—were forced to play from behind the entire game.

Of course, trying to predict the outcome of games is half the fun for a certain subset of football fans—and that's what we're going to do here. We'll examine the latest odds and over/unders from Caesars, predict the final score of each contest and run down some tips for playing the over/unders in Week 3.

NFL Week 3 Odds, Over/Unders and Predictions

Atlanta Falcons (+1.5, o/u 47) at Indianapolis Colts: Atlanta 27-26

Baltimore Ravens (+5.5, o/u 52.5) at Kansas City Chiefs: Kansas City 30-28

Cincinnati Bengals (+6, o/u 43.5) at Buffalo Bills: Buffalo 30-21

New York Jets (+21.5 o/u 43.5) at New England Patriots: New England 40-13

Denver Broncos (+7.5, o/u 43) at Green Bay Packers: Green Bay 23-20

Detroit Lions (+5.5, o/u 45.5) at Philadelphia Eagles: Philadelphia 24-23

Miami Dolphins (+23, o/u 47.0) at Dallas Cowboys: Dallas 37-13

Oakland Raiders (+9.5, o/u 44.0) at Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota 30-28

Carolina Panthers (+2, o/u 44.5) at Arizona Cardinals: Cardinals 19-17

New York Giants (+6, 48.0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: New York 20-18

Houston Texans (+3, o/u 48.5) at Los Angeles Chargers: Los Angeles 22-20

New Orleans Saints (+4, o/u 44.5) at Seattle Seahawks: Seahawks 21=17

Pittsburgh Steelers (+6.5, o/u 43.5) at San Francisco 49ers: San Francisco 28-22

Los Angeles Rams (-3.0, o/u 47.5) at Cleveland Browns: Los Angeles 30-20

Chicago Bears (-4, o/u 40.5) at Washington Redskins: Chicago 20-18

Don't Expect Miami to Be Shut Out This Week

Shutouts are a relatively uncommon occurrence in the NFL. They do happen, however, as the Miami Dolphins proved last week.

Miami lost 43-0. It lost 59-10 in the opener. Based on how poorly the Dolphins defense has played—and the fact that the team just traded starting safety Minkah Fitzpatrick—we can expect the Dallas Cowboys to drop a lot of points.

In a game with an over/under below 50, there's a very real possibility that the Cowboys might hit the over on their own. They're at home, and the Dallas offense is thriving under new coordinator Kellen Moore.

Oh, and Dallas is about to completely unleash star running back Ezekiel Elliott.

"This is our third game," Moore said, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. "I think he's at that point where we're pretty much playing this thing out at this point."

It's likely to be a long day for the Dolphins defense, but the offense might provide some glimmers of home. With Josh Rosen now the starting quarterback, Miami should have some life on that side of the ball—at least for a period.

The Dolphins should be able to stumble their way to 10-17 points against a Dallas defense that ranks 18th in yards allowed (362.5).

Consider the Bears an Under Regular

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We're likely to see a lot of low over/unders for Chicago Bears games this season. Why? Well, they have a championship-caliber defense that isn't going to surrender many points to the opposition. They also have an offense that is languishing behind the poor play of Mitchell Trubisky.

Trubisky, who showed flashes of growth in his first season with head coach Matt Nagy, has regressed as a passer. He's thrown for just 348 yards with no touchdowns and an interception so far this season. Washington Redskins quarterback Case Keenum threw for more than that in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, the Bears defense should stymie Keenum and the Redskins for much of Monday night's contest. The Bears have allowed just 292.5 yards and 12 points per game so far this season. Of course, Chicago's opponents have had more success than Trubisky and Co.

Chicago has averaged just 263.5 yards and 9.5 points per game this season.

Until Trubisky gets his 2018 groove back—or Nagy decides to take the ball out of his hands—Chicago is going to be an enticing option for the under. Even in weeks when the over/under is in the 40-point range, as it is this week.

There have only been 43 points scored in the two Chicago games played this season.

Expect the Patriots to Run up the Score

The New England Patriots host the New York Jets, who are down to third-string quarterback Luke Falk because of illness and injuries. The Patriots have won their first two games by a combined score of 76-3. They should win this game handily, but don't expect Tom Brady or Bill Belichick to let off the gas until very late.

This isn't in New England's nature, and Jets head coach Adam Gase knows it.

"It's the NFL," Gase said, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. "This isn't pee-wee football."

The Patriots could be even more motivated to keep scoring points in the wake of Antonio Brown's release.

New England received plenty of backlash for signing Brown in the first place. Now, Patriots players likely want to prove that Brown was a luxury addition and not a player they ever needed. That's bad news for the Jets, but it's great news for those looking to pick the over.