It was a solid Week 2 for me — at least against the spread.
You’d think I’d be good at taking games live, but that wasn’t the case last week. I went 7-9 straight for a 17-15 overall record and 9-6-1 ATS for a 17-12-3 record. I’ll make my usual point about the right-choice-wrong-consequence gripe with the Giants. If they have a kicker, they beat the generals, another win for me.
Ah, that’s the heck. Until this week.
Four teams play consecutive road games this week, which is always a challenge. Keep that in mind when choosing your games.
Some power teams like the 49ers, Ravens and Cowboys should get back on track this week. One of them will be the winner — unless there’s a tie — as the Ravens play in a marquee game against the Cowboys in Dallas.
The Ravens are 0-2 and Dallas is 1-1. A loser has major issues.
Desperation can be key in the NFL. Watch them beat the Eagles as a big dog in Atlanta Monday night. The Ravens appear to be the most desperate team against the Cowboys as they are winless. So what to choose? Read them all.
New England Patriots at New York Jets (-6.5)
Thursday, 8:15 pm and (main video)
This is a game where the two teams are 1-1 with the Jets playing at home for the first time this season. The Jets offense showed some life in the second half against the Titans last week. That could continue against a Pats defense that gave up several big plays last week. I expect a great game from the Jets defense. The Jets pick it up, but the Pats hang around.
Selection: Jets 20, Bats 16
Bonus: Emory Hunt is under 38.5 in this game and is 18-5 in Patriots games. Look Which side does he take against the spread at SportsLine.
New York Giants at Cleveland Browns (-6.5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
The Giants play a series of road games and they face a good defense with a suspect offense. That’s never a good thing. The Browns won last week in Jacksonville behind that defense, and this week the Giants must find a way to slow down the offense. The Browns take it.
Selection: Browns 21, Giants 10
Chicago Bears (-1.5) at Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
The Bears are on the road for the second week in a row, and they face a desperate 0-2 team. The Colts have been lacking in the run game the last few weeks, which could mean De’Andre Swift. Anthony Richardson and Caleb Williams should both play well, but this is a tough spot for Richardson. Even so, I think he plays better at both.
Selection: Colts 23, Bears 20
Houston Texans (-2.5) at Minnesota Vikings.
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
This is a big game between two undefeated teams. The Vikings were a surprise team, and the Texans were expected to be good. Minnesota’s defense is very good. They are CJ. I think that’s what makes the difference in the game. They will force a turnover and get a lot of pressure. A close win for the Vikings.
Selection: Vikings 24, Texans 21
Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
The Eagles needed to roll to 2-0, but coach Nick Siriani’s late pick-up in Monday’s game against the Falcons cost them the loss. However, the biggest problem is defense. They’ve been bad against the run, while the Saints have been running it better. Watch the Saints run from 3-0 down in the game.
Selection: Saints 27, Eagles 20
Bonus: The SportsLine projection model also likes to include the Saints as part of its top five team parlay for Week 3. See Model’s full Week 3 NFL Parlay on SportsLine.
Los Angeles Chargers (-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
It’s a game featuring two 2-0 teams, both showing up every Sunday. The Steelers have a better defense, but the Chargers are better with Justin Herbert. They keep playing road games, but it doesn’t matter. They will win it on the road.
Selection: Chargers 21, Steelers 17
Denver Broncos (-6.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
While the Broncos have major offensive issues with Bo Knicks, the Bucs are riding high. The Tampa Bay defense is playing well, even undermanned, and this one goes here. Baker Mayfield will also play well. Bucks are rolling.
Selection: Bucs 26, Broncos 13
Green Bay Packers (-3) at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
Will Lewis has two boneheads in two games to keep the Titans from winning. He should be better. For the Packers, it will once again be Malik Willis in the quarterfinals against his former team. Willis was solid last week, but it was the run game that helped Green Bay beat the Colts. It will be tough here against a good Titans defense. Check out the defensive battle the Titans won.
Selection: Titans 21, Packers 17
Carolina Panthers (-5.5) at Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
Andy Dalton started for the benched Bryce Young for the Panthers. He can’t be bad, but this is a good Raiders defense. Gardner Minshew played well, especially last week. The Raiders defense and Minshue would go on to win 2-1.
Selection: Raiders 24, Panthers 10
Bonus: SportsLine’s RJ White identified the Seahawks and Texans as good pivots among NFL survivors away from the consensus favorites who lost in the first two weeks. He stays away from the Raiders, but See who he picks as his favorite survivor on SportsLine.
Miami Dolphins (-5) at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
It was a tough first start for Skyler Thompson, replacing Dua Tagovailoa. Seattle is as tough as it gets for a road stadium and the Seahawks are playing well. Seattle’s offense has been good in two games, and that will continue here. Watch a big game from Geno Smith. The Seahawks go to 3-0.
Selection: Seahawks 31, Dolphins 16
Detroit Lions (-3) at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
The Lions go on the road for the first time, with the Cardinals coming off an impressive win against the Rams. Arizona has done well with Kyler Murray, which will stress the Lions defense. Watch Arizona win a shootout that could bring each team within 30.
Selection: Cardinals 31, Lions 29
Baltimore Ravens (-1) at Dallas Cowboys.
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
The game lost some luster as the Ravens went 0-2 and were blown out by the Cowboys last week. Both teams have issues, but the biggest is the Ravens offensive line. After seeing what the Saints did to the Dallas defense, they’ll break it down and run Derrick Henry. The Ravens will get their first win on the road against the Cowboys.
Selection: Ravens 27, Cowboys 24
San Francisco 49ers (-7.5) at Los Angeles Rams.
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
The 49ers play their second straight road game after losing to the Vikings, while the Rams play their home opener. It’s a tough mix. Both teams have been plagued by injuries with top stars out of the lineup. The 49ers are deep, and it shows. They take it behind a good game from Brock Birdie.
Selection: 49ers 27, Rams 18
Bonus: SportsLine’s AI PickBot identified A-grade picks in the spread and total for this game, whose overall play is the best of the entire slate. See Every AI PickBot Projection for Week 3 on SportsLine.
Kansas City Chiefs (-4) at Atlanta Falcons.
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC, Fubo)
The Falcons are coming off a short week after beating the Eagles with a last-minute touchdown. Atlanta’s offense is much improved from week one, which is a good thing. The Chiefs looked sluggish on offense against the Bengals, but they’ll get it here. Their speed is visible in the fast lane.
Selection: Chiefs 32, Falcons 23
Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills (-5.5)
Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN, Fubo)
The Bills are playing with plenty of rest, while the 0-2 Jaguars are coming off two close losses. Like Monday night’s game, that’s a huge margin for the Bills. But their biggest edge is their defense against a Jacksonville offense that has struggled. The bills keep rolling.
Selection: Bills 28, Jaguars 17
Bonus: SportsLine’s hottest NFL expert, Jason LaCanfora, makes this game part of his early top bets every Monday morning on SportsLine. See Here’s the rest of his early Week 3 play.
Washington Commanders (-8) at Cincinnati Bengals
Monday, 8:15 pm ET (ABC, Fubo)
The Commanders won for the first time last week, while Bengal are still looking for a first. They played well in Kansas City and probably should have won the game. And that will continue here as they play very well and Joe Burrow gets great commanders in a big game.
Selection: Bengals 29, Commanders 16
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