Live Odds and Best Bets for NFL Week 3
We got the wake-up call we needed in Week 2, dropping all three of our best bets to land our record at 2-3-1 at this point in the young season.
The Packers and Falcons went back and forth in the second half of their matchup, scoring 30 points to leave our under play in the dust. As for our picks in the Bears-Bucs game, both were sunk on a single play made by Justin Fields late in the fourth quarter.
Fields and company were pinned inside their own 10-yard line when, just before the two-minute warning, Fields dropped back and lofted a short screen pass in the direction of Khalil Herbert.
Tampa’s Shaq Barrett stepped in between, intercepted the throw, and rammed his way into the endzone, costing us both the under and the Bears’ push on the spread. 1-1-1 sounds much nicer than 0-3, but we’ll accept that these events level out as the season extends.
For Week 3’s afternoon schedule, there are four games with spreads of more than a touchdown and four with numbers of a field goal or less. The Chiefs (-12.5) and Cowboys (-12) are the weekend’s largest favorites, with the Jags also favored by 10 at home against the Texans.
Dallas is the third-straight NFC East team to face the Cardinals to open the season; Arizona has lost to New York and Washington and has San Francisco on the horizon next Sunday.
We’ve prepared a best bet card in the hopes of a rebound to our winning ways in Week 3.
Titans @ Browns: UNDER 39.5
The Titans present one of the most formidable front sevens to run against in pro football and will put that to the test against an effective running team in Cleveland despite the loss of their top rusher on Monday night.
Nick Chubb sustained a gruesome knee injury in the Browns’ loss to the Steelers on MNF, leaving the backfield duties to Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong. No team has attempted more rushes than Cleveland in 2023.
Tennessee has been balanced offensively, ranking right in the middle of all teams in yards per play, but is 20th in scoring after accumulating 42 points through two games.
With two teams prioritizing the run, the clock should continue to tick away in this matchup. If Cleveland is forced to throw, we don’t have too many concerns there either, with the team ranking 30th in yards per pass attempt.
Patriots @ Jets: UNDER 36.5
Last season’s two meetings between these AFC opponents averaged 26 points per game, with New England prevailing in both by seven points or less. Neither team has reached the 40-point mark through two weeks of the 2023 season, and we envision a possible repeat of their 10-3 final score last November.
The Patriots rank 15th in scoring defense after facing Philadelphia and Miami in Weeks 1-2, which should be commended. New York has struggled to score on offense with Zach Wilson at the helm and committed four turnovers against a ferocious Dallas defense in Week 2.
We expect a difficult day for both offenses again and will play the under in the lowest total on the board.
Panthers @ Seahawks: UNDER 41.5
The Panthers and Seahawks rank in the bottom eight teams in the league in total offense. Carolina is second-worst in the NFL in offensive yards per play, while Seattle has only run more plays than four other teams.
With Bryce Young under center, the Panthers are averaging 133 passing yards per game, the fewest among all teams through two weeks. Most of their damage has come on the ground thanks to ball-carriers averaging 5.0 yards per rush on 51 attempts this season.
Conversely, the Seahawks have struggled to move the ball on the ground, managing just 3.9 yards per carry with the fourth-fewest rushing attempts in the NFL.
Neither offense has a two-pronged attack to challenge the opposing defenders in this matchup, and the quarterback play hasn’t been consistent either. We predict both teams will scrap their way to a low-scoring total on Sunday.
Nicholas Berault
Sports Betting Contributor
Nicholas brings over 10 years of sports betting and DFS experience to our team. He’s a player prop specialist who holds a degree from Penn State University. He enjoys a nice round of golf in his downtime and covers the NFL, NBA, baseball, CFB, and CBB. Mr. Berault is currently on a great run with his NFL best bets, so be sure to check those out!
