NFL Week 3 Picks: Score One for The Giants

Written by Rodney Campbell

It’s NFL Week 3 and here are all the predictions you may ever need.

aNewDomainrodney-campbell-anewdomain — It’s NFL Week 3 and here are my predictions.

New York Giants -3.5 vs. Washington – (Thursday, 8:20 p.m., CBS)

The Giants have won the past four games in the series and we’re confident that streak continues Thursday. New York has held double-figure leads in its first two games and the Redskins caught a flat Rams team to pull off an unlikely victory at home last Sunday.

Minnesota -2.5 vs. San Diego (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, DTV 707)

Statistics will make you nuts. The Chargers are 9-1-1 against the number in their past 11 September games and the Vikings are 9-3 ATS in their last dozen games. We like Adrian Peterson and a controlled ground game for Minnesota.

Houston -6.5 vs. Tampa Bay (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, DTV 713)

Let’s give this one more shot. If the Texans flop again this week, we’re off their bandwagon. Hard to imagine the Bucs pulling of1920px-Mike_Tomlin_2007 - NFL week 4f back-to-back impressive road games following their surprise victory over the Saints last Sunday.

Philadelphia +2.5 at New York Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX, DTV 714)

The Eagles are 5-1 ATS in the teams’ past six games and Philly has to get it going sooner or later. The Jets are on a roll at the moment, but they have to face a little turbulence at some point. We think it will be this week.

New Orleans +6.5 at Carolina (Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX, DTV 711)

Saints quarterback Drew Brees is suffering from a bruised rotator cuff but is expected to play. New Orleans has won three of the past five games on the road in this series, including a 28-10 victory during a terrible 2014 season.

Jacksonville +14 at New England (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, DTV 708)

After tense wins over the SteeLions at Redskins 8/20/15lers and Bills to start the season, the Patriots get what appears to be a breather at home against Jacksonville. New England is 1-8 against the number as a double-digit favorite over the past three seasons. We think the Jaguars, playing on the road for the first time this season, keep it sort of close.

St. Louis +2 vs. Pittsburgh (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, DTV 709)

We’re playing a favorite NFL betting tactic with this one. The team that looked bad last week will turn things around this Sunday and vice versa. Home dogs are 8-5 against the spread this season, including St. Louis’ win over Seattle in Week 1.

Baltimore -2.5 vs. Cincinnati (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, DTV 705)

The Ravens are too good to be 0-2, including a loss at the Raiders last week. Are the Bengals good enough to win and reach 3-0? We don’t think so. Count on a close Baltimore victory.

Oakland +3.5 at Cleveland (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, 706)

While the Browns are 4-2 ATS in their past six games, the Raiders should keep this one within a field goal one way or the other. We also have precious little faith in Cleveland’s Johnny Manziel, who has 21 completions in 39 pass attempts in two games this season.

Indianapolis -3.5 at Tennessee (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, DTV 710)

Somehow, the Colts are 0-2. But recent domination of AFC South Division rivals suggests a turnaround this week. Indianapolis is 12-0-1 against the number in its past 13 division games. A slight word of caution: Money has been going the Titans way this week.

Dallas +2 vs. Atlanta (Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX, DTV 712)

Losing Tony Romo and Dez Bryant in the first two games of the season has the Cowboys on their heels. Their excellent offensive line should be able to keep Brandon Weeden on his feet and Dallas on the winning side.

San Francisco +6.5 at Arizona (Sunday, 4:05 p.m., FOX, DTV 715)

The 49ers have won four of the past six games straight-up against the Cardinals in Arizona. The Cards are 2-0 built on wins over unimpressive New Orleans and Chicago. San Francisco is coming off a bad road loss to Pittsburgh. You know where this is going.

Seattle -15 vs. Chicago (Sunday, 4:05 p.m., FOX, DTV 717)

The loser of this game is 0-3 and probably out of the playoff hunt. That means Seattle wins. The larger question is whether the Seahawks can cover. Sparked by a loud crowd in its first home game of the season, Seattle should pull off a close win against the number.

Miami -3 vs. Buffalo (Sunday, 4:25 p.m., CBS, DTV 716)

Oh, goodness, this game feels like a push. Both teams are coming off losses last week and need wins Sunday to get back on track. We’ll go with the home team.

Detroit +3.5 vs. Denver (Sunday, 8:30 p.m., NBC)

The Broncos have covered just once in their past six games against NFC North opponents. The Lions are 0-2 this season and in desperate need of a win. We’ll take Detroit getting points at home, even with a banged up Matt Stafford.

Kansas City +7 at Green Bay (Monday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)

The Chiefs have a little extra time to prepare after playing the Thursday night game last week. The Packers are coming off an emotional payback win over Seattle on Sunday night. We like Kansas City, which is 7-1 ATS in its past eight games against Green Bay.

 

Please ignore my record, below. It’s only there for the sake of transparency. Famous last words of any degenerate gambler. This week will be different …

Last week: 6-10

Overall: 11-20-1

For aNewDomain, I’m Rodney Campbell.

Photos of Eli Manning and Matt Stafford courtesy of Keith Allison via Flickr. All rights reserved. Photo of Mike Tomlin courtesy of SteelCityHobbies via Flickr.