NFL Picks Week 3: Advice for Current Vegas Odds, Spreads and Over/Under Lines

If you bet on the Las Vegas Raiders to win the inaugural game at Allegiant Stadium on Monday night, you were rewarded for taking a risk. While the New Orleans Saints are one of the top teams in the NFC (even without top wide receiver Michael Thomas), they couldn't pull out a win to end Week 2.

The Raiders won 34-24 to improve to 2-0 this season. Now, the focus turns to Week 3, which will get underway with a Thursday night matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Here's a look at the full Week 3 schedule, along with odds, over/under lines and picks for all 16 games.

NFL Week 3 Odds, Picks

Thursday, Sept. 24

Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5); Over/Under 47.5 points

Sunday, Sept. 27

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons (-3.5); O/U 47.5

San Francisco 49ers (-4.5) at New York Giants; O/U 41

Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5); O/U 46.5

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots (-6); O/U 47

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-4); O/U 45

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills (-2.5); O/U 47.5

Tennessee Titans (-2.5) at Minnesota Vikings; O/U 47

Washington Football Team at Cleveland Browns (-7); O/U 44

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts (-10.5); O/U 43.5

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Chargers (-7); O/U 43.5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6) at Denver Broncos; O/U 43

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals (-5.5); O/U 54.5

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks (-4.5); O/U 55.5

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints (-3.5); O/U 51.5

Monday, Sept. 28

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens (-3.5); O/U 53.5

Odds obtained via DraftKings

Potential Underdogs to Watch

L.A. Rams (+2.5) over Buffalo

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

Both of these teams are 2-0 to open the season, and this is likely to be a competitive matchup when they face off Sunday afternoon. With the Bills a 2.5-point favorite, this is a contest that could go either way.

However, that provides a chance for bettors to cash in on the Rams as an underdog, as there's a solid chance they could notch the road victory or lose by fewer than three points. Los Angeles is coming off back-to-back impressive victories over Dallas and Philadelphia, and its offense put up more than 400 yards in each of them.

Buffalo may have a strong defense, but even if the Rams end up scoring a lot of points, the Bills have an offense that appears to be able to keep up in a shootout. They pulled out a 31-28 win at Miami in Week 2, with quarterback Josh Allen getting off to a strong start to the season (729 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions).

But the Rams offense is clicking early, with quarterback Jared Goff and their assortment of playmakers continuing to put up big numbers. Bet on them to keep it going, improving to a 3-0 start with a quality road victory over the Bills.

Carolina (+7) over L.A. Chargers

Jason Behnken/Associated Press

Sure, the Panthers will be without star running back Christian McCaffrey and their defense has had some early-season struggles. The Chargers are also coming off a strong showing against the Chiefs in which they nearly pulled off an upset win before falling in overtime. But still, this game could end up much closer than the line is predicting.

Carolina may struggle to notch the upset win on the road, but it could play a competitive game. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is still getting comfortable in the Panthers offense and developing connections with his receivers. Although he threw a pair of interceptions in Week 2 at Tampa Bay, he went 33-of-42 for 367 yards.

Although rookie quarterback Justin Herbert impressed in his first career start against the Chiefs, the Chargers are expected to go back to veteran Tyrod Taylor, who was a late scratch due to chest pains in Week 2. When he led Los Angeles offense in Week 1, it barely edged Cincinnati 16-13.

This isn't to say the Chargers won't win. But it could be smart to bet on the Panthers to cover the spread.

Green Bay (+3.5) over New Orleans

The Packers and Saints are both led by veteran quarterbacks who are among the best of their era. However, they've gotten off to much different starts. Aaron Rodgers has passed for 604 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions while leading Green Bay to 2-0. Drew Brees has passed for 472 yards, three touchdowns and one interception with New Orleans sitting 1-1.

It should still be exciting to watch these two offenses face off Sunday night. Injuries could play a role in which unit is better—Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas didn't play in Week 2 due to a high ankle sprain, while Packers receiver Davante Adams suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday.

Even if Thomas plays, Green Bay has a solid chance to pull off the road upset, or at least lose by three points or fewer. The Packers have impressed in their first two wins over the Vikings and Lions, and although this will be a tougher test, they have a lot of offensive momentum.

This game is likely to be competitive, so bet on Green Bay with the extra 3 1/2 points.