NFL 2026 Week 3 Prequel
Thursday, September 24, 2026, 8pm
Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers (-4 1/2) — The Falcons are an absolute mess, but at least they get Michael Penix back from injury. The Packers are no that special, but it will take time for the Falcons to get into sync. Go with the home crowd against a wounded team. Packers cover
Sunday, September 27, 1pm
Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills (-7) — The Bills are as good as advertised while for some strange reason the Chargers are not. They cannot stop fumbling the ball. They lost two games at home to supposedly inferior teams by double digits. The Bills offense has been unstoppable. Until the Chargers get their act together, they do not get the benefit of the doubt. Bills cover
Carolina Panthers (-2 1/2) at Cleveland Browns — Yes, the Browns won a game last week. The Panthers blasted Atlanta 34-3. Both teams won on the road. It is hard to picture the Browns winning two weeks in a row, especially since the Carolina offense has been quite good. Bryce Young is playing better than Deshaun Watson at this point. Panthers cover
New York Jets at Detroit Lions (-6 1/2) — The Jets were a fourth quarter collapse from being 2-0, while the Lions again seem to have a potent offense and little defense. Yet at home indoors on their turf, their track meet offense led by Dan Campbell and Jared Goff should keep rolling. Lions cover
Houston Texans (-2 1/2) at Indianapolis Colts — The Texans are again 0-2 but the Colts have been up and down. The Texans have the better defense. This is the week the texans finally turn their ship around. Texans cover
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) — Both teams are good and won big at home last week against inferior teams. The Patriots have the better defense, and home field is not an issue in this game. Mike Vrabel’s defense buried Aaron Rodgers last week and this week will pressure Trevor Lawrence. Upset special, Patriots win outright
Kansas City Chiefs (-11 1/2) at Miami Dolphins — The Chiefs offense has returned to their Super Bowl form, although they barely survived an overtime game against Indianapolis.Andy Reid is already in full walrus form. The Dolphins might be the least talented team in the NFL. While this has the makings of a blowout, the spread is too high for a road team coming off a tough win and a short week. The Dolphins could get a garbage touchdown to beat the spread. Chiefs win but fail to cover
Tennessee Titans at New York Giants (-2 1/2) — The Titans are awful. They may be the league’s worst team, although they did put a scare into Philadelphia last week. The Giants lost Jaxson Dart for the season, but Jameis Winston is no scrub. He has spent his career throwing touchdown passes to both teams, but at home with a good running game, he will not have to do too much to get a win. Giants cover
Cincinnati Bengals (-3 1/2) at Pittsburgh Steelers — Joe Burrow is back to form, Aaron Rodgers is not getting help, and the Bengals have the better defense. Home field rarely matters in this series. Yet getting high on the Bengals and too low on the Steelers has proven a mistake in the past. Upset special, Steelers win outright
Seattle Seahawks (-7) at Washington Commanders — The defending champions take on a Washington team that just lost Jayden Daniels for a few weeks. The spread is high for a road team going against a desperate team, and Marcus Mariota is a competent backup. The Seahawks can run the ball, which should be enough to get the win. Seahawks win but fail o cover
4pm
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (-8 1/2) — The Cardinals returned to earth by getting blown out at home last week by Seattle. Now they travel to San Francisco to face another team that on paper is far better than them. he 49ers are healthy, and Brock Purdy has his weapons. This could get ugly early. 49ers cover
Minnesota Vikings (-1 1/2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Kevin O’Connell’s defense looked like the old Purple People Eaters last week. hey took a Chicago team that scored 59 points in the opener and limited them to 3 points. The Vikings sack on the final play was an exclamation point. The Buccaneers have been uneven. If the Vikings can get an average day from their offense, their defense can do the rest. Vikings cover
Baltimore Ravens (-3) at Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The second ever NFL game of Brazil and the firs ever NFL game from Rio De Janeiro will feature a pair of desperate teams. The Ravens looked lethargic in a loss at home to New Orleans. The Cowboys are 0-2. Every year the Cowboys are overrated, but this year they might be bad. Lamar Jackson is better than Dak Prescott. There is no evidence the Cowboys have a defense. Ravens cover
Las Vegas Raiders at New Orleans Saints (-3) — he Raiders are 2-0 while the Saints took Detroit to the limit and got a quality win at Baltimore last week. Tyler Though is playing well. The Raiders may no longer be a doormat, but put away the anointing oil. At home, expect Though to sling it, testing how improved the new Raiders defense really is. Saints cover
8pm
Los Angeles Rams (-2 1/2) at Denver Broncos — Both teams rebounded from ugly opening week losses in getting statement wins last week. The Rams have the better offense but the Broncos have the slight edge among two very good defenses. The Broncos would be favored in colder weather, but this early in the season, go with Matthew Stafford over Bo Nix. Both Sean McVay and Sean Payton are pinball wizards on offense, Denver’s defense suffocated Trevor Lawrence when it mattered, but Stafford has proven resilient. Rams cover
Monday, September 28, 8pm
Philadelphia Eagles (-4 1/2) at Chicago Bears — he Eagles showed resilience in eking out a win over lowly Tennessee. Chicago got swallowed up at home again Minnesota, with Caleb Williams leaving with an injured hamstring. Without Williams, the Bears present less of a challenge. The Eagles always seem to make things more difficult than they need to be, rarely winning games by large margins. Eagles win but fail to cover