The first two weeks of the 2016 NFL season are over. We’ve seen upsets, blowouts, down-to-the-wire games and several big-time individual performances from the usual and some surprising names. What can we expect in Week 3 this time? There is no answer to that yet obviously, but without a doubt, it’s going to be another one to remember. So with that said, it’s now time to check out below our picks and predictions for every game this upcoming week.
NFL News and Previews
- Washington Redskins vs. Kansas City Chiefs Preview - October 2, 2017
- Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos Preview - October 1, 2017
- Carolina Panthers vs. New England Patriots Preview - October 1, 2017
- 2017 NFL Week 4 Picks and Predictions
2016 NFL Week 3 Complete Picks and Predictions
Thursday, September 22
Houston Texans at New England Patriots – 8:25 PM ET
Even without an injured Rob Gronkowski, a suspended Tom Brady and an undermanned offensive and defensive line, the Patriots are still winning. They improved to 2-0 this season after dispatching the Dolphins in Week 2, 31-24. That win, however, was pretty costly as starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo became one of the newest names to be added in the injury pool. His status for Week 3 versus a fellow undefeated squad in the shape of Houston is very questionable, which only means that rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett can expect to get the nod. It’s a good thing, though, that Brissett will have a thunderous home crowd supporting him in his first NFL start. New England is 9-1 SU (6-1-3 ATS) in its last 10 games at Gillette Stadium.
Writer’s Prediction: The Pats squeak out a 29-27 win.
Sunday, September 25
Arizona Cardinals (-4.5) at Buffalo Bills (+4.5) – 1:00 PM ET
Writer’s Prediction: Arizona wins, 35-20
Oakland Raiders (+1) at Tennessee Titans (-1) – 1:00 PM ET
The Oakland defense was terrible last Sunday, allowing Matt Ryan and his Falcons to put 35 points in the scoreboard and 528 yards of total offense. The Raiders weren’t pretty bad themselves offensively, though. They racked up 28 points and nearly 500 total yards, but the defense ultimately led to their doom. The same fate could happen to them in Week 3 against the Titans if they don’t make the necessary adjustments. QB Marcus Mariotta threw for 238 passing yards and delivered a pair of touchdown passes—to Andre Johnson and Delanie Walker—in leading Tennessee to its first win of the season at the expense of the Lions. Walker finished with a team-high of 83 yards on six receptions.
Writer’s Prediction: Raiders (+1) bounce back, 28-24.
Cleveland Browns at Miami Dolphins – 1:00 PM ET
Cleveland, to nobody’s surprise, was one of main headlines in Week 2 for the wrong reason. The Browns couldn’t hang on to a 20-point lead last Sunday, as they conceded the game to the Ravens, who scored 25 unanswered points in the final three quarters. Well, despite the loss, the Browns have something to look forward to next week, particularly in the pair of RB Isaiah Crowell and WR Corey Coleman. Both had a breakout performance against Baltimore.
Crowell rumbled for a game-high of 133 yards on 18 carries along with a score. Coleman, on the other hand, was very efficient, catching all of his five catches for 104 yards to lead all receivers.
However, the Browns are still a big liability on defense. They are allowing almost 30 points per game—27.0 to be exact—after two games this season. Miami’s passing game, which is averaging 269.5 yards per contest, should be able to find many opportunities through Jarvis Landry. He went nuts in Week 2, hauling in 10 of 13 targets for 137 yards against New England.
Writer’s Prediction: Miami wins, 27-13.
Baltimore Ravens (+1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (-1) – 1:00 PM ET
Coming back from a 20-point deficit—even if it was against a lowly Browns team—is no easy task for any quarterback. Joe Flacco did just that, overcoming an ugly start to eventually rally back his Ravens past Cleveland, 25-20, yesterday afternoon. He tallied 302 passing yards and two touchdowns, while being intercepted twice in the first half. Up next for Flacco and the Ravens is a trip to EverBank Field for a date with the 0-2 Jaguars, who are averaging 32.5 points allowed per game through two games this season. Baltimore, however, has never beaten the Jaguars on the road since 2001.
Writer’s Prediction: This one goes to the win-hungry Jags (-1), 24-21.
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers – 4:05 PM ET
Detroit, like the Browns, also experienced a major meltdown in Week 2. The Tigers began the fourth period with a 15-3 advantage and eventually allowed their opponents—the Titans—to tally 13 unanswered points to steal the victory. QB Matthew Stafford was held to 260 passing yards and a single touchdown. A bounce-back win in this weekend’s matchup with a redemption-seeking Green Bay club appears unlikely. The Packers, who suffered their first loss of the season against Minnesota last night, are 7-3 SU (5-5 ATS) in their past 10 home games overall. They’ve also beaten Detroit in two of their last three encounters (2-1 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction: Green Bay wins, 30-19
Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals – 1:00 PM ET
Von Miller reminded the world why he’s the Super Bowl 50 MVP during Denver’s win over the Colts yesterday night. He finished the game with three sacks, which includes a sack-strip of Andrew Luck that ultimately sealed the victory for the Broncos. The team also limited Luck under 200 passing yards and a single score. With the defense looking as solid as ever, the Broncos should be able to keep the Cincinnati offense (396.5 total yards per contest) at bay. But can they finally find some success on offense with Trevor Siemian, who was touchdown-less in the game versus Indy, behind center? The answer to that question remains unknown.
Writer’s Prediction: Cincy wins it, 21-19.
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers – 1:00 PM ET
Minnesota would have preferred to lose last night’s game with Green Bay instead of losing Adrian Peterson to an injury. Last season’s rushing-yards leader hobbled off the field in the third quarter after hurting his right knee. The severity of the injury is still unknown, but many are already expecting it to potentially rule him out for the season (let’s hope it won’t!). But if that’s indeed the case, the Vikings, who are already playing without Teddy Bridgewater, are in deeper trouble.
Without a premiere threat on ground, they might have to rely almost solely on their passing game moving forward. WR Stefon Diggs is going to be the go-to target, needless to say. He caught nine catches for a team-high of 182 yards with a TD against the Packers. It’s going to be easier said than done, however, to replicate that versus Carolina. The Panthers, across two games this season, currently rank sixth-best in the league in defending against the pass and are 10-0 SU (8-2 ATS) in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction: Carolina wins and covers.
Washington Redskins (+4.5) at New York Giants (-4.5) – 1:00 PM ET
Through two games this season, Kirk Cousins has three interceptions and one touchdown pass under his name. If those numbers don’t improve anytime soon, specifically in this weekend’s road game versus New York, you can expect the Redskins to falter. The Giants, meanwhile, have won their first two contests. Their passing game, in particular, is averaging 278.0 yards per contest while their overall defense has held opponents below 20 points thus far. They’ve lost six of their last 10 games at home, however.
Writer’s Prediction: Giants (-4.5) stay untarnished, 30-27.
Los Angeles Rams (+4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4) – 4:05 PM ET
A humiliating season-opening loss to the 49ers appeared to be a blessing in disguise for the Rams. How so? Well, they pulled off a major upset over the Seahawks yesterday, 9-3. It wasn’t a pretty win, as neither club found the end zone. Los Angeles ultimately won this game through Greg Zuerlein’s three field goals and its defensive efforts. The Rams have yet to score their first touchdown of the season, but they might finally do so in this weekend’s contest with the Bucs. Tampa Bay took a massive beating in Week 2, losing by 33 points to Arizona. Clearly, there’s a bunch of things that need fixing in regards to the Bucs’ defense. LA will try to take advantage of that from the get-go.
Writer’s Prediction: Rams (+4) win, 26-22.
San Francisco 49ers (+9.5) at Seattle Seahawks (-9.5) – 4:05 PM ET
San Francisco was sent back down to earth in Week 2. The 49ers couldn’t build on their 28-0 blowout victory against Los Angeles, as they were overwhelmed by a ruthless Carolina squad yesterday afternoon, 46-27. To be fair though, the 49ers kept things close after two quarters, trailing only by seven points at halftime. With that said, they now just need to find a way to sustain their efforts down the very last stretch. If so, there’s a chance—a pretty slim one—that Seattle could end up losing to another inferior team and for the second-straight week. The Seahawks failed to score a touchdown in the loss to the Rams.
Writer’s Prediction: Seahawks (-9.5) win, but don’t cover.
New York Jets (+3) at Kansas City Chiefs (-3) – 4:25 PM ET
The Jets feasted upon the Buffalo defense last week, garnering a total of 37 points to register their first victory of the year. Matt Forte was arguably the star of stars, as the former Chicago running back rumbled for 100 yards on 30 carries and found the end zone three times. The pair of Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall, meanwhile, eclipsed the 100-receiving-yards mark, combining for 227 all in all. Replicating that success against Kansas City, which has surrendered at least 388 yards of total offense in its first two games, should be quite possible.
New York is 5-5 SU and 3-7 ATS in its last 10 encounters with the Chiefs.
Writer’s Prediction: Jets (+3) win, 26-24.
San Diego Chargers (-2.5) at Indianapolis Colts (+2.5) – 4:25 PM ET
The Colts stayed winless after falling short to Denver last night, 34-20. A return trip home for next week’s matchup with San Diego might be what they need to get it together. Quarterback Andrew Luck had one hell of a performance in their season opener against the Lions, throwing for 385 yards along with four touchdowns. The Chargers’ defense, which held the Jaguars to just 14 points last week, have yet to prove that it can provide quality results when playing on the road. San Diego gave up 413 yards of total offense in its season-opening loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
Writer’s Prediction: Indy (+2.5) gets its first win, 39-25.
Monday, September 26
Atlanta Falcons (+3) at New Orleans Saints (-3) – 8:30 PM ET
Atlanta will be looking to build on its newly-found momentum here. The Falcons showed signs of improvement in the road win over Oakland last Sunday, racking up 37 points and 528 total yards. QB Matt Ryan had three scores, which included a deflected touchdown pass that gave his team the lead for good. Their passing game is bound to do wonders versus the Saints next Monday. New Orleans is allowing 336.0 passing yards per game, the third-most in the NFL right now.
However, the Falcons are also going to have their hands full in defending against the pass. The Saints, on average, are putting up 333.0 passing yards in two games this season.
Writer’s Prediction: New Orleans (-3) wins this high-scoring affair, 38-31
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