NFL Picks Week 3: Predictions for Every Game

Week 3 of the NFL season features a number of marquee matchups, including games that did not look too appealing before the season started.

The biggest game of the weekend will feature the undefeated Houston Texans traveling to the Superdome to take on the always dangerous New Orleans Saints. Matt Schaub and Drew Brees are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Defense will be at a premium in this game, so expect the fireworks to fly early and often.

But that is not the only game worth paying attention to this weekend. The surprising Bills host division rival New England in a critical matchup for Buffalo. If they are able to win that game, it will be time to start taking them serious as playoff contenders this season.

Keep reading on to get official predictions for all 16 games in week 3.

New England Patriots (2-0) at Buffalo Bills (2-0)

The 2011 Patriots are a carbon copy of the 2003 Indianapolis Colts. They are so reliant on one player that when they play teams with more talent than they have, particularly on defense, they are going to lose. Fortunately there aren't many great teams in the NFL this year, so they can go far.

I still don't trust this defense to get a stop when it has to, but since Brady is so good, the defense won't have to make a lot of plays.

The Bills are riding high after two straight wins to start the season. The defense was picked apart by the Raiders offense last week, but they were able to score five touchdowns in the second half to win the game.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is emerging as a star, but he will have to play the game of his life in order to keep his team in this game.

I like this Bills team a lot, but they are not ready to topple the mighty Patriots.

Prediction: Patriots 34, Bills 27

Miami Dolphins (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)

This is a difficult game to try and offer a firm prediction because we don't know which Chad Henne is going to show up.

If it is the Henne who threw for over 400 yards against the Patriots in week 1, the Dolphins will cruise to victory against the Browns.

If it is the Henne who completed just 12-of-30 pass attempts against Houston last week,, the Dolphins will struggle to score.

The Browns have been bad in every facet of the game through two weeks. Even the pass defense, which is ranked second in the NFL right now, has yet to be tested. They have shut down Andy Dalton, Bruce Gradkowski and Kerry Collins.

I think the Dolphins are the better team, so they should win the game. But I would feel more confident if I knew how Henne was going to play.

I guess that's why they call it a prediction.

Prediction: Dolphins 20, Browns 17

Denver Broncos (1-1) at Tennessee Titans (1-1)

I will say this for the Broncos: At least they have improved their pass defense. The problem is the run defense is still terrible, and this week they have to go up against one of the best running backs in the NFL.

If that isn't bad enough, Matt Hasselbeck comes into this game hot after last week's destruction of the Ravens.

Johnson has been struggling mightily this season, just 2.2 yards per carry through two games, but the Broncos will be the cure for what is ailing him.

Prediction: Titans 27, Broncos 23

Detroit Lions (2-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-2)

The Lions-Vikings game is the biggest mismatch in week 3.

The Lions are firing on all cylinders right now. Everything that they do seems to be working, and it has made them the most fun team to watch in the NFC through two weeks.

The Vikings can't seem to get out of their own way. Donovan McNabb is a shell of his former self. If he keeps going at the rate he has been, it won't be long before the Christian Ponder era begins in Minneapolis.

If I may paraphrase a great sportscaster, the Vikings can't stop the Lions, they can only hope to contain them.

Prediction: Lions 31, Vikings 20

Houston Texans (2-0) at New Orleans Saints (1-1)

The best matchup of the weekend will pit two of the best offenses in the NFL against each other. This game is a who's who of the crème de la crème of offensive players: Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Pierre Thomas, Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Ben Tate, et al.

If you like scoring, this is the game for you to watch.

The Texans defense has looked better through two games this season than they did at any point last season, but part of that can be attributed to playing the Colts and Dolphins.

The Saints defense played terrible against the Packers, but looked better against the Bears.

The Texans offense is closer to the Packers as far as weapons are concerned than the Bears, so expect a shootout in the Superdome.

Prediction: Saints 38, Texans 31

New York Giants (1-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)

The Giants and Eagles, more often than not, play exciting games, though I would not necessarily say that all of their games are well played.

But this game has the potential to be ugly. The Giants are so beat up on defense that they have to have players fake injuries just to catch their breath, and Eli Manning is still lying in the weeds doing his own thing.

The Eagles could be without Michael Vick, who suffered a concussion last week against the Falcons.

But even without Vick, the Eagles are still good enough to beat the Giants. They are more talented and have more depth than the Giants, so they can play with Mike Kafka at quarterback and still win this game.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Giants 17

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (0-2)

It is not often that a rookie comes along and takes the NFL by storm, but Cam Newton is rewriting the record books, at least through two games. The only thing that is wrong with him so far is he hasn't won a game, but that is more of a reflection of the whole team than anything he is doing.

The Jaguars are a disaster of epic proportions, and Blaine Gabbert is not ready to start right now. He is getting thrown to the wolves because Jack Del Rio is in full-blown panic mode after Luke McCown threw four interceptions last week.

Newton will shine (again), and the Panthers are going to get their first win of the season.

Predictions: Panthers 27, Jaguars 10

New York Jets (2-0) at Oakland Raiders (1-1)

The New York Jets are the most frustrating team to watch. They are talented and have a good defense. Rex Ryan is a fun coach to listen to, and he has helped turn this franchise around. But watching their first two games, I am not convinced that this team is a playoff team.

They got a lucky win over the Cowboys in week 1 thanks to Tony Romo, and they played a terrible Jacksonville team last week and Mark Sanchez was not very good in that game.

They could/should be better than they have played, but at some point we have to accept that this team is not going to be as good as originally thought.

The Raiders haven't been playing great football either, but they are an improving team that will win some games that they shouldn't. Darren McFadden is a great running back, and the defense will get better as the season moves along.

Prediction: Raiders 24, Jets 20

Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-2)

The Ravens had the highest of highs when they defeated the Steelers 35-7 in the first week of the season, but laid an egg against the Titans last week.

So which Ravens team will we see this week?

I think that they lost focus after the Steelers game and the loss last week will serve as a wake-up call.

The Rams are a mess right now. Sam Bradford has not looked good this season, though part of that can be attributed to the fact that he has no help at wide receiver.

If the Ravens lose this game they don't deserve to go to the playoffs.

Prediction: Ravens 30, Rams 13

San Francisco 49ers (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)

San Francisco is playing well, at least on offense, coming into this game. Alex Smith has been better than average, but he still isn't taking that next step that Jim Harbaugh was hoping to see.

The biggest problem for the 49ers has been the defense, which was supposed to be the strength of this team. The secondary is terrible, and the defensive line isn't putting enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks to force them into making mistakes.

The Bengals are coming off a loss to a bad Denver team, but at least rookie quarterback Andy Dalton played well.

I think the journey across the country for the 49ers is going to be the difference in this game.

Prediction: Bengals 20, 49ers 17

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at San Diego Chargers (1-1)

The Chiefs are the worst team in the NFL right now. Starting running back Jamaal Charles and starting safety Eric Berry are out for the season. Matt Cassel looks lost right now, and nothing that this team is doing will work.

The Chargers offense played well enough to win last week at New England, but the defense did not do anything to help them out.

Philip Rivers will have a huge game and the Chargers will cruise to their second victory of the season.

Prediction: Chargers 35, Chiefs 14

Green Bay Packers (2-0) at Chicago Bears (1-1)

How many games does the Packers defense have to allow 400 yards passing before we start worrying about them? The first game was justified since they were playing Drew Brees. But the second game against Cam Newton is inexplicable.

Everyone praised the Packers for their talent and depth on both sides of the ball coming into the season, but so far the defense has not held up its end of the equation.

The Bears will be the perfect remedy for this Packers secondary because they have no receivers at all. Matt Forte is by far their best receiver and his primary position is running back.

Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher have to have terrific games to stop Aaron Rodgers from picking the defense apart.

Prediction: Packers 23, Bears 16

Arizona Cardinals (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (0-2)

There is nothing like a game against the Seahawks to make a mediocre team feel good. It happened with the 49ers in week 1, the Steelers last week, and it will happen this week for the Cardinals.

We talk about the Chiefs as being the worst team in the NFL, but as far as talent goes, the Seahawks are the least talented team in the NFL. Tarvaris Jackson is not the answer at quarterback, and there are no playmakers around him to help him out.

Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald will have a field day against this defense.

Prediction: Cardinals 35, Seahawks 14

Atlanta Falcons (1-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)

Atlanta and Tampa Bay could wind up being the best game of the weekend.

These two teams played a critical team late last season, which the Falcons won late thanks to a Matt Ryan touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins, and it wound up costing the Buccaneers a playoff spot.

The Falcons defense has been suspect through two weeks, but the offense bailed them out last week against the Eagles.

The Buccaneers needed a miracle comeback to beat a bad Vikings team last week. Josh Freeman doesn't seem to be able to function properly unless the team is down in the fourth quarter.

This game will be close, but the Buccaneers will pull it out in the end.

Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Falcons 23

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Indianapolis Colts (0-2)

The Steelers are going to be 2-1 at the end of this week, but we are still going to have no idea how good or bad they really are because the two wins will be over Seattle and Indianapolis.

The Colts are lost without Peyton Manning, and he isn't coming back any time soon, so things are going to get worse before they get better.

Kerry Collins might be on a short leash given how he has struggled throwing the ball and is turning the ball over too much.

The Steelers will look great in this game, but keep it in context.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Colts 7

Washington Redskins (2-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

The Monday Night game between the Redskins and Cowboys essentially boils down to one thing: Tony Romo's fractured rib.

If Romo were healthy, I think the Cowboys would win this game. He has looked good in the team's two games this season, but all anyone wants to focus on is two plays he made in the fourth quarter of the game against the Jets.

But with a fractured rib and punctured lung, Romo is going to have problems breathing, and one hard hit will likely knock him out of the game.

The Redskins have been playing well, and Rex Grossman has not been a terrible quarterback.

The Cowboys don't have enough in the secondary to stop any quarterback, so another 300-yard game with two touchdown passes is not out of the question for Grossman.

Prediction: Redskins 28, Cowboys 23