2024 Week 3 NFL Predictions
New England Patriots @ New York Jets
The Jets are coming off Aaron Rodgers’ first win in New York. The Patriots came back down to earth last week against the Seahawks in a 23-20 overtime loss. New England is better than expected this year, but keeping up with the Jets will be difficult in Week 3. This is New York’s game to run with.
Winner: Jets
Denver Broncos @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Broncos have a lot of things to work on. Bo Nix is on a learning curve and the team hasn’t found its chemistry yet. The Bucs are coming off a hot win over the Detroit Lions. Tampa’s defense is fun to watch every week, and Baker Mayfield has ignited the offense. The Buccaneers have the more complete team in this game.
Winner: Buccaneers
Los Angeles Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
This one is hard to predict. The Steelers’ defense has been their driving force, while the Chargers have an extremely efficient offense. Both teams are sitting at 2-0 going into Week 3.
This game should come down to what Pittsburgh can do with the ball. Justin Fields is the likely starter once again while Russell Wilson recovers. LA’s defense has only allowed 13 points in two weeks. Fields has held the fort down for Pittsburgh, but the Bolts bring too much to the table here.
Winner: Chargers
Houston Texans @ Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have blown expectations out of the water in their first two weeks. Sam Darnold looks like a whole new QB in Wes Phillips’ offense. Their defense is solid and they were humming against the 49ers on Sunday.
Now they’re running into a Texans team that just mauled Caleb Williams and the Bears. The score was close but Houston never gave Chicago a chance in that one. The Texans had a lot of issues with flags last week, amassing 12 penalties. If they can get that under control, they’ll halt Darnold’s momentum.
Winner: Texans
Philadelphia Eagles @ New Orleans Saints
A year ago, picking the Saints in this game would be absurd. Three weeks into the 2024 season and it’s not so crazy anymore. The Eagles have glaring problems on both sides of the ball. The defense got shredded by Kirk Cousins to close out Monday night, while the offensive play-calling has been abysmal.
New Orleans has the most high-powered offense in the NFL right now. Alvin Kamara looks like himself again and Derek Carr is as confident as ever. This could easily go to Philly, but the Saints are hot with no signs of slowing down.
Winner: Saints
Green Bay Packers @ Tennessee Titans
Malik Willis exceeded expectations in Green Bay’s 16-10 win over the Colts. Now he may get to face the team that drafted and traded him. The Titans haven’t established any kind of game plan or identity yet. It’s unclear if Jordan Love plays in Week 3, but this should be a Packers win regardless.
Winner: Packers
Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have had a polarizing two weeks to start the year. They fought hard in a close loss to the Texans in Week 1, then completely fell apart against the Packers. The Bears didn’t look great on paper, but when they hit the field they played hard. Chicago hasn’t figured things out with rookie QB Caleb Williams, but they’re making progress. This will be an easier opponent for the Bears, and they should start coming together in this one.
Winner: Bears
New York Giants @ Cleveland Browns
The Giants looked a bit better in their Week 2 loss to Washington. They got Malik Nabers more involved, and the defense didn’t give up a single touchdown. The Browns aren’t slouches here, but they’re not exactly dominant either. This is a good Week 3 matchup for the Giants to get their first win.
Winner: Giants
Miami Dolphins @ Seattle Seahawks
Tua Tagovailoa was put on IR by the Dolphins this week, which means he’ll be out for the foreseeable future. Miami is in a tough position right now without their franchise QB. The Seahawks looked good in their two wins so far, even if they were too close for comfort. If Tua was healthy this would be Miami all the way. Unfortunately, they just have to push forward until they sort out the QB situation.
Winner: Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
These are two teams being destroyed by injuries. The Niners are without stars like CMC and Deebo Samuel, while LA lost Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. This game should feel like a big deal but it’s just two shells facing off. LA’s pass game will suffer without its best playmakers. The Niners still have a good defense that can show out against what may be a one-dimensional opponent.
Winner: 49ers
Carolina Panthers @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Panthers looked no better last week than they did in Week 1. Now QB Bryce Young is being benched and it’s Andy Dalton’s offense moving forward. The Raiders are coming off a huge win over the Baltimore Ravens. Gardner Minshew is comfortable in his role, and Vegas looks to be on the right track.
Carolina’s issues extend far beyond Bryce Young and Andy Dalton is not the cure-all. They’ll find a way to win a couple of games this year, but this isn’t one of them.
Winner: Raiders
Baltimore Ravens @ Dallas Cowboys
This one is hard to predict for the wrong reasons. Both teams completely fell apart against underdog opponents in Week 2. This game now feels like a race to see who can turn things around first. The Ravens’ offensive line has been horrible this season, and the Cowboys defense will take advantage of that. Both teams will pick themselves backup in this one, but Dallas might have the edge.
Winner: Cowboys
Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals looked tremendous in their Week 2 win over the Rams. Kyler Murray looks to be all the way back, and Marvin Harrison Jr. has officially arrived.
The Lions haven’t looked as dominant as they should be. The defense is struggling against high-powered teams. Jared Goff threw for 300+ yards last week, with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Arizona is insanely fun to watch but the Lions have to bounce back this week. This could go either way and it will be close, but Detroit should get the win here.
Winner: Lions
Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons
The Chiefs have not looked like themselves through two weeks. Travis Kelce is uninvolved in the offense. Patrick Mahomes barely broke 150 yards passing last week along with two interceptions and two touchdowns. They’re at 2-0 but it’s not a comfortable 2-0. Now they face a hot Falcons team in Atlanta.
The Falcons just got the win over Philadelphia on Monday Night Football. They weren’t perfect but they showed up when it mattered. If they play that same way in Week 3; they can leave with this one. Kansas City has a knack for pulling off wins when they shouldn’t though. Unfortunately, this looks like more of the same.
Winner: Chiefs
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Buffalo Bills
The Bills once again exceeded expectations in Week 2. QB Josh Allen barely had to do anything and they still beat Miami by 21 points. The wide receiver room was a point of conversation all offseason, but it hasn’t seemed to be a problem for them.
The Jaguars offense hasn’t been able to pick up any steam yet. Even with their defense playing hard, Jacksonville has struggled to put points on the board. The Bills look great, and it’s clear they feel great too.
Winner: Bills
Washington Commanders @ Cincinnati Bengals
The second Monday night game sees the Commanders go into Cincinnati to face the Bengals. The Commanders are still finding themselves with rookie QB Jayden Daniels. He’s playing well and the team is starting to grow around him.
The Bengals usually start slow and take a while to find their spark. They found it early this year against the Chiefs, coming within an inch of victory. Joe Burrow shook the rust off and Cincy is awake now. If the Bengals were still down, the Commanders could win this. That’s not the case anymore though.
Winner: Bengals
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