NFL Week 3 Predictions: Steelers fall short, Cowboys rebound against Ravens

Well, after a great first week, I struggled massively in Week 2 as we witnessed multiple upsets. The losses stacked quickly as the Week 2 record finished a dismal 6-10.

No matter, we get back at it this week with another full slate in Week 3.

Season Record: 19-13

Thursday Night

New England Patriots @ New York Jets

We start Week 3 with another AFC East matchup. The Patriots have given the league a bit of a surprise beating the Bengals and taking the Seahawks to overtime. There’s little doubt that the Patriots will play most of their games closely despite how outmatched they may be. The Jets beat Tennessee as the Titans got in their own way. New England won’t replicate those mistakes, but the Jets play clean enough to pick up another win.

Winner: Jets, 20-7

Sunday Early Window

New York Giants @ Cleveland Browns

The New York Giants looked more competent against a division rival last week and likely come away victorious with a placekicker. As for the Browns, Deshaun Watson holds the team back but did look a bit more polished against the Jaguars. Cleveland gets the advantage for having a legitimate defense.

Winner: Browns, 16-3

Green Bay Packers @ Tennessee Titans

Green Bay showed they can be productive with Malik Willis at quarterback, riding a talented defense and powerful running game to victory over Indianapolis. The Titans are a strange team that cannot get out of their own way. A win will come their way soon, but not against the headstrong Packers.

Winner: Packers, 17-14

Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts

The Bears have a chance to grow offensively in another tight game against the Colts. Unfortunately, the growth is still in its early stages and they won’t be able to match the firepower the Colts employ inside Lucas Oil Stadium. Last week was an anomaly for Anthony Richardson. Expect him to play better against Chicago.

Winner: Colts, 20-13

Houston Texans @ Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are a bit of a surprise, notching a home victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, the Texans have proven to be explosive even as they come together offensively with new weapons. Justin Jefferson’s health weighs heavily in the outcome, so I’ll go with CJ Stroud and the Texans to continue their winning streak.

Winner: Texans, 23-17

Philadelphia Eagles @ New Orleans Saints

The Saints just might be for real. Their offensive production blindsided the league in the first two weeks, but their decimation of the Dallas defense was a real wake-up call. Meanwhile, the Eagles struggled against Kirk Cousins and the Falcons in primetime. The Saints have too much momentum to fall now.

Winner: Saints, 28-23

Denver Broncos @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up a huge road win against the Lions last week and are shaping up to be strong contenders in the NFC with Baker Mayfield leading the way. Meanwhile, the Broncos are struggling to get things going with rookie quarterback Bo Nix. He won’t face quite the same daunting test as he did in Week 2 against the Steelers, but he still doesn’t have enough to get past Tampa on the road.

Winner: Buccaneers, 31-10

Los Angeles Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

A lot of Steelers fans have more confidence in the Steelers getting a win in their home opener than I do. Certainly, Justin Herbert’s availability is going to determine quite a bit. At this point in the week, I expect him to play and to be the difference maker as this game comes down to the wire in an exciting finish.

Winner: Chargers, 17-10

Sunday Late WIndow

Carolina Panthers @ Las Vegas Raiders

The Panthers look like a team incapable of winning at this point. Coming off of a huge road win against the Ravens, the Raiders might be a dark horse team going forward. While they shouldn’t sleep on their opponents this week, they have little excuse not to come away with another win.

Winner: Raiders, 29-10

Miami Dolphins @ Seattle Seahawks

The Dolphins are in a bad way without Tua Tagovailoa. While Skylar Thompson should take advantage of being a distributor of his elite weapons, he’s proven in the past he lacks the consistency to truly take Tagovailoa’s place. The Seahawks will likely make it a closer game than many believe it should be, but they will pick up another home victory.

Winner: Seahawks, 27-13

Baltimore Ravens @ Dallas Cowboys

Neither of these teams expected to be coming off of losses heading into this high-caliber matchup, but here we are. The Ravens are 0-2 and struggling with their identity on offense while the lauded Cowboys defense was sucker-punched by the Saints. Both teams can garner a great amount of momentum with a win. The Cowboys at least have a more consistent offense and home-field advantage to lean on.

Winner: Cowboys, 24-21

San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams

This would be a fun matchup if half of the Rams’ offensive firepower wasn’t on the injury report. The 49ers have little excuse to not get back on track after a surprising loss in Minnesota.

Winner: 49ers, 23-7

Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals ripped through the injury-riddled Rams last week showing that Kyler Murray still has the goods and Marvin Harrison Jr. can certainly be a problem. The Lions got away from the rushing attack against the Buccaneers, but it’s hard to believe they make that mistake again so soon.

Winner: Lions, 24-20

Sunday Night

Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons' win over the Eagles is certainly impressive. Atlanta’s defense has to be nearly perfect for a chance to beat the high-powered Chiefs, but it isn’t impossible. Playing at home adds a bit of intrigue to the matchup as well. But I can’t bring myself to pick against Patrick Mahomes in primetime, even with an offense down a star and short of its full potential.

Winner: Chiefs, 31-26

Monday Night

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Buffalo Bills

The Jaguars remain a frustrating franchise on the heels of a home loss to the Browns. There just isn’t enough evidence that Trevor Lawrence can go toe-to-toe with Josh Allen on the scoreboard.

Winner: Bills, 23-13

Washington Commanders @ Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals looked better against the Chiefs despite falling short of victory. At 0-2 unexpectedly, how they respond against Washington will be a big indicator of how strong they’ll really be through the first half of the season. The Commanders may have played the Giants closely, but I expect they are a team that will hang around more often than not.

Winner: Bengals, 21-20