These are my picks to win every Week 3 NFL game, ranked by confidence level. You can bet on any of these games at DraftKings Sportsbook.
NFL Week 3 Confidence Picks
These are picks to win every NFL game straight up, tiered by confidence level and ranked within each tier.
High Confidence
Bengals over Commanders: The Bengals are incredibly unlucky to be 0-2. They fumbled inside the 5-yard line to lose against the Patriots, and had a questionable PI call that allowed the Chiefs to kick a game-winning field goal. The Bengals are now desperate for a win and should put forward a massive effort in this game. Jayden Daniels will also be playing his first primetime game on the road which is always tough on a rookie QB.
49ers over Rams: The 49ers are coming off of an upset loss to the Vikings but this is a good spot for them to bounce back. The Rams usually play them pretty well with Sean McVay and Matt Stafford but the Rams are really depleted at the moment. They will be without both of their top receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, and that will just make things too easy for the 49ers’ defense.
Bills over Jaguars: The Bills have extra rest in this spot after playing on Thursday Night Football last week. Josh Allen always performs great in Buffalo, and the Bills should stick to that run-heavy approach that has been working so well for them. The Jaguars’ offense seems to have some real issues and they won’t be able to keep up with the Bills on the road.
Jets over Patriots: The Jets host the Patriots on Thursday Night Football after they finally broke their losing streak against New England in their final game against Bill Belichick last season. This should be a pretty low-scoring game, and the Patriots may have some success running the ball. However, with the Patriots’ lack of firepower at wide receiver and the Jets’ great cornerbacks, the Jets’ defense will be able to sell out to stop the run. Just like last week against the Titans, Aaron Rodgers should make the one or two throws that his opponent cannot which will be the difference in this game.
Raiders over Panthers: The Panthers made a much-needed change at quarterback by benching Bryce Young and starting Andy Dalton. That should improve the floor of the team by a decent margin but they still have a lot of issues at other positions. The Raiders are riding high after their big win over the Ravens and should be able to do just enough to get over the line with a win.
Medium Confidence
Chiefs over Falcons: The Falcons pulled out a huge win over the Eagles last week, but in reality, they were outplayed for 80% of the game. Their offense is still not totally up to speed with Kirk Cousins and a new system. If your offense is not at full strength, it is hard to beat the Chiefs. Mahomes will get his points no matter what and make the winning plays at the end of the game.
Lions over Cardinals: The Lions were much better than the Bucs last week by basically every metric except the final score. They were unlucky to lose that game and just played a bit sloppy. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are coming off a huge blowout victory, and could be caught reading headlines a bit ahead of this game. The Lions need a win and should be able to score against the Cardinals’ defense to get it done.
Seahawks over Dolphins: The Seahawks have looked great to start the season, and now they get to face a backup QB in Skylar Thompson. The Seahawks also have great cornerbacks to deal with the weapons that the Dolphins have on the outside. The Dolphins should go with a run-heavy approach in this game and try to slow it down, but ultimately the Seahawks should take care of business at home.
Titans over Packers: The Titans are incredibly unlucky to be 0-2. They lost both of their first two games due to inexplicable mistakes by Will Levis. The Packers played well in their first game without Jordan Love but there is now a full game of tape on how they want to play with Malik Willis at QB. The Titans’ defense has looked really good through two games and should do enough to get the Titans the win.
Bucs over Broncos: The Bucs are on fire to start the season and Baker Mayfield is continuing his great play from last season. The Broncos’ offense is struggling with Bo Nix so far and could take a few more games to really find their flow. The Bucs should just have too much offense for the Broncos to overcome in this game.
Browns over Giants: The Browns could be on upset alert, which is why I have them so low in my confidence rankings. However, they should still find a way to win the game so I am going with them. The Giants should have won last week if they didn’t get an injury to their kicker midgame. The Giants’ pass rushers should be able to get after Deshaun Watson like the Cowboys did in Week 1 which was very effective but the Browns have even better pass rushers and should force major mistakes out of Daniel Jones.
Coin-Flip Games
Eagles over Saints: The Saints have been the best team in the NFL through two games but this will be a tough test against the Eagles. The Eagles have by far the best rushing attack that the Saints have seen so far and that could present them some real challenges they haven’t seen yet. This should be a fun, close game but ultimately the Eagles’ rushing attack should get them the win.
Ravens over Cowboys: The Ravens are another team that is very unlucky to be 0-2 and they could really use a win in this spot. The Cowboys’ secondary was exposed by the Saints last week and Lamar Jackson should have a lot of success moving the ball against them. This should be another close game but the Ravens should come out on top.
Texans over Vikings: CJ Stroud and the Texans’ offense look fantastic so far with their new weapons. They are going to be a really hard team to beat for anyone in the NFL, even the Vikings who have played so well to start the season. The Vikings have been great but Justin Jefferson won’t be at 100% for this game and there is now a lot of film on how the Vikings want to play with Sam Darnold. The Texans should have too much firepower and pick up a win.
Chargers over Steelers: The Steelers’ defense has led them to two wins to start the year. But this is a bad matchup for them. The Chargers under Jim Harbaugh are playing a very similar brand of football to the Steelers, but have a better offense. The Chargers also want to play tough defense and run the ball, and they have the superior running backs and quarterback to make winning plays late in the game.
Bears over Colts: Caleb Williams has struggled to transition to the NFL through two games but, he should keep getting better each week. This is also the worst of the three defenses he has faced so far. This could be Williams’ chance to show what he can do at the NFL level and get the Bears a huge win over the Colts.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is blakekrass) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and cannot access any non-public information.
