NFL Week 3 predictions

Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

Say this much for Jared Goff, he looks much more comfortable so far in his second season than he did last year. That isn't necessarily a high bar to leap over, but it has to be heartening for Rams fans who wondered if their team passed over the chance to draft Carson Wentz and got a dud instead. He will be tested against a 49ers defense that hung tough against Seattle and made what most expected to be a rout into a much tighter contest. The outcome of this one may well hinge on how many plays Goff can make, and how well the Rams can contain Carlos Hyde. At this point Brian Hoyer doesn't seem capable of getting the ball downfield enough to force any defense to respect him.

Pick: Rams

Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET (Yahoo! streaming, local coverage only)

No home field advantage for either side in this one, not that it would necessarily matter too much for the Jaguars. After thumping Houston, they were outclassed by Marcus Mariota and the Titans in Week 2. Baltimore is 2-0 despite being saddled with fairly mediocre expectations entering the season and not having Joe Flacco at all in the preseason. The Ravens' defense still looks dynamic, and Terrell Suggs was all over the field against Cleveland. If Terrance West is healthy, the Ravens should have plenty of chances to burn the Jaguars in the downfield passing game. If not, Jacksonville's defense may have a surprising amount of success against Flacco. London games are always hard to figure, and this one will be no different.

Pick: Jaguars

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

No team was more impressive in Week 2 than Denver, who throttled Dallas, stuffed Ezekiel Elliott, and did most everything they wanted to offensively. Trevor Siemian looked sharp, and the Broncos' defense made Dak Prescott look mortal. One guy who helped make things go in a major way was C.J. Anderson, who churned out 118 yards on the ground, and both ran for and caught a touchdown. Buffalo's defense made things surprisingly close against Carolina last week, but their offense was staggeringly inept, failing to put up 200 total yards. It's tough to envision a scenario where LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor get things going against a ferocious Broncos pass rush. The game might be ugly, but it should go Denver's way.

Pick: Broncos

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

So far, Carolina is a hard team to figure out. The Panthers churned their way through San Francisco, then won an exceedingly ugly game against Buffalo. Their offense has looked less than impressive in both contests, but their defense is ranked number one in the league in points allowed and yards after two weeks. Thing of it is, they haven't played a great, or even good offense yet. Drew Brees and the Saints represent Carolina's stiffest test yet, but they weren't competitive against New England, despite rolling up 429 yards of offense. The smart bet here is that Carolina finally gives up a touchdown or two, but scores several of their own against a truly awful New Orleans defense.

Pick: Panthers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

It's hard to say how good the Steelers' defense really is this season given they have played the Browns and the Vikings-Lite thus far. They are third in the league in yards allowed, but have not been tested. That figures to continue against Mike Glennon and the self-destructive Bears, who moved the ball well at times against Tampa Bay, only to implode with turnovers whenever they had scoring opportunities. One thing that is known about Pittsburgh is that Martavis Bryant is well on his way to being the spectacular deep threat he was pre-suspension. It is clear that Ben Roethlisberger loves looking for him down the field, and Bryant paid off the targets last week with an effortless catch and run touchdown, a spectacular diving catch, and a long pass interference penalty. 

Pick: Steelers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

This might be the best game of the weekend, with the Lions looking solid and the Falcons very sharp offensively. Detroit should benefit from playing at home, but they'll have to score plenty to keep up with an Atlanta offense that hasn't skipped a beat from last season. A Lions win would announce them as an early-season contender, while an Atlanta win would go a long way towards cementing them as the odds-on favorite in the NFC. Matt Ryan will have to be wary of Darius Slay, who made several big plays to help stifle Eli Manning and the Giants. The great unknown in this game is to what degree, if any, the road crowd affects Ryan's play. If Detroit can't throw him off his game early and often, they'll be hard-pressed to keep pace.

Pick: Falcons

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

If Atlanta vs. Detroit is the week's best game on paper, this one makes a strong case as the worst. Cleveland might be without Jamie Collins, and the Colts are still searching for answers in the absence of Andrew Luck. Jacoby Brissett is better than Scott Tolzien, but to what degree is unknown. There exists a good chance that neither offense will produce consistently, so the game may come down to which team limits turnovers, plays solid defense, and wins the special teams battle. In that case, DeShone Kizer's league-leading four interceptions are a potential bad omen for the Browns. 

Pick: Colts

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Will Sam Bradford play? As of now, it looks like he will. If that is the case, then Minnesota should be able to handle the Buccaneers. If not, the pendulum swings decisively the other way. Tampa Bay played takeaway against a sloppy Bears team last week, while the Vikings looked hapless against Pittsburgh without Bradford at the helm. If Bradford can play, all of Minnesota's offensive weaponry comes fully into play, and they would likely put on a dynamic show at home. There might not be another game all week whose likely outcome hinges more on the health of one player. Bradford is listed as probable, which means good things for Minnesota.

Pick: Vikings

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Deshaun Watson made one of Week 2's most electrifying plays to carry the Texans to a win over Cincinnati, but he will have his work cut out for him, to say the least, against Bill Belichick. Watson failed to beat the Bengals with his arm, and looked uncomfortable in the pocket. Unless Bill O'Brien can devise a spectacular game plan, or the Texans can control the ball with a steady, effective running game, they won't be able to stay anywhere close to the Patriots. New England, for their part, looks to have their mojo back after going into the Superdome and shredding the Saints. The going might be somewhat tougher against the Texans' defense – so long as J.J. Watt plays – but Tom Brady and company should still have their way.

Pick: Patriots

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Jay Cutler Era got off to a successful, if not spectacular start with a win against the Chargers. Things should be even easier this week, despite the fact that the Dolphins are on the road against the Jets. New York looks like a team that won't fall out of the top three in next year's draft order. The Jets' offense can't move the football, and their defense can't stop the run or the pass. Cutler and Jay Ajayi, both of whom were good against the Chargers, should both be able to have big games. Look for Jarvis Landry, whose 13 catches for only 78 yards are uncharacteristically "possession receiver," to break out in a big way against an underwhelming Jets secondary.

Pick: Dolphins

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

There is plenty of trouble brewing around the Giants. Ben McAdoo blamed Eli Manning for the Giants' costly delay of game penalty Monday night, and while Manning focused the scrutiny on himself, there is also talk of McAdoo surrendering play-calling duties. There is plenty of reason for discord, given that New York has scored 20 or fewer points in eight straight games dating back to last season. Worse yet, there appear to be few answers in sight. The Giants have no running game, inconsistent play at wide receiver, a porous offensive line, and a quarterback in Manning whose best days are pretty clearly in the rear view mirror. Carson Wentz and the Eagles should have their way on Sunday, and Philadelphia's defensive front should have plenty of opportunities to punish Manning.

Pick: Eagles

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)

This may not be the best game of the weekend, but it certainly is one of the most interesting, as it pits one of the game's rising quarterbacks in Marcus Mariota, against a Seattle defense that is still ferocious, but likely on its final run as one of the game's absolute best squads. Mariota has been average through the Titans' first two games, and will be without Corey Davis, lost this week to a hamstring injury. Seattle, meantime, may have found something in the running game with Chris Carson. DeMarco Murray is questionable for the Titans, and if he can't go it might actually be a blessing in disguise for Tennessee, given that Derrick Henry is averaging 5.9 yards per carry so far this season. If the game was in Seattle, the Seahawks would be the pick. It's not, so they aren't.

Pick: Titans

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

Cincinnati is in full-on crisis mode, with A.J. Green ripping the offense's performance after a lackluster outing against the Texans, and Andy Dalton's fitness for the starting quarterback job the subject of rumors. Already there are calls for A.J. McCarron to take Dalton's place, and if Cincinnati doesn't at least put together some touchdown drives against the Packers, it wouldn't be crazy to see McCarron under center sooner rather than later. Aaron Rodgers and the Pack are licking their wounds after getting soundly thumped by Atlanta last week, but from all appearances, the Bengals may well be just what the doctor ordered.

Pick: Packers

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

Poor Philip Rivers. In the Chargers' last 24 games decided by one score or less, the team is 5-19. Last week, it was rookie kicker Younghoe Koo missing two field goals inside of 45 yards, including the potential game-winner with five seconds left, that doomed Los Angeles. Rivers put up good numbers, as he typically does, but it wasn't enough. Given the uncertainty at kicker, the onus will be on the Chargers to finish drives with touchdowns. That will be especially important, given that the Chiefs have looked as good and as dangerous as any team in the NFL. Kareem Hunt's emergence has provided Kansas City with a new and lethal dimension to their offense, and Alex Smith looks like an MVP candidate. Hunt's productivity in the run and pass game will be enough to carry the day on the road.

Pick: Chiefs

Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

Derek Carr has been superb early on and the Raiders have followed his lead, going on the road for an impressive win in Nashville, then throttling the hapless Jets last weekend. Washington is somewhere between those teams, likely not as good as Tennessee, and certainly not as bad as New York. The problem for Kirk Cousins so far has been getting the ball downfield with consistent success. Through two weeks, not one of his targets has 100 yards receiving. Terrelle Pryor seems most poised to emerge as a true deep threat. That won't matter, though unless Washington's defense can slow down a refreshed-looking Marshawn Lynch, whose solid running has freed up Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper.

Pick: Raiders

Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Ezekiel Elliott had a rough Sunday in Denver. First, he couldn't get anything going against the Broncos' defense. Then, he took broadsides for a perceived lack of hustle when he simply put his hands on his hips and stood still following an interception a few yards away from him. He'll have to snap out of his funk, and quickly, or the Cowboys will become perilously one-dimensional on offense. Arizona needs to find some semblance of a running game in David Johnson's absence, and will need Larry Fitzgerald and J.J. Nelson to be even better in John Brown's absence. The Cardinals avoided a disastrous start by winning in overtime against Indianapolis, but impressed no one in the process. Arizona is at home, but Dallas has its most important players healthy.

Pick: Cowboys