2016 NFL Week 3 ATS Winner Predictions
Posted by Joe Solari on Wednesday,July 6, 2016 4:31, EDT in
It’s all hands on deck as the focus of the offseason turns to the training camps. Soon, we will be able to finalize the names of the starters for all teams in league and how teams are likely to perform in the 2016 NFL odds. In the meantime, here are our selection of NFL Week 3 odds. So make sure to check our picks for winners against the spread.
2016 NFL Week 3 Winners Against the Spread
Washington Redskins at New York Giants (-3)
Week 3 NFL ATS Pick: Giants (-3)
The Giants have dominated the Redskins when playing at home, going 4-0 in their last four straight games against Washington at the MetLife Stadium, including last year’s 32-21 home win. And with New York coming into the new season with an improved defense and a more talent-laden offense (compared to Washington’s offense), I don’t expect the story to be any different. The win and cover should especially be encouraged by the fact that playing on the road has been a big problem for the Redskins over the recent years.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (-14)
Week 3 NFL ATS Pick: 49ers (+14)
During the 2015 NFL season, the Seahawks only had three home wins of 10-or-more points, so it comes as a big surprise that they are favored to beat the Niners by 14-plus points. San Francisco played awful football in 2015 and the Hawks have dominated the 49ers since Jim Harbaugh was given his matching orders out of the Bay Area. And, of course, Coach Chip Kelly failed miserably with his experiments in Philly last year, giving very little confidence about his abilities to turn things around in San Francisco. But then again, this is the same Kelly that turned Oregon into an elite football powerhouse, winning three consecutive outright conference titles with Oregon in his first three years with school (from 2009-2011). And upon moving to the NFL in 2013, he led Philly to two straight double-digit win seasons before last year’s collapse. So, really, writing out Kelly from making San Fran competitive would be a huge mistake. Oh, and news from the Niners camp is that Collin Kaepernick–the QB who fueled San Francisco’s NFC title run in 2012—is putting in better work in the offseason and is looking confident for a better performance in 2016 as a potential starter over Blaine Gabbert at QB. Should Kelly and Kaepernick turn things around from their disappointing campaigns last year, and then get the needed support from the rest of the team, covering the exaggerated 14-point spread should be very possible for San Francisco.
Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys (-6)
Week 3 NFL ATS Pick: Bears (+6)
With a healthy Tony Romo back in the fold, a strong running game supported by arguably the best O-line in the league, and a defense that is known for its ability to make big plays on any given Sunday; I just don’t see the Bears hacking a W in this game. That said, Jay Cutler and his bevy of attacking weapons will make a game out of this clash and Chicago’s improved D from the offseason should be able to keep things tight. So when all is said and done, I believe that the Bears—winners of 3 of the last 4 overall meetings against Dallas dating back to 2010 (including a 2-0 record in the last two straight trips to the Cowboys Stadium)—should be your preferred pick for the ATS lines here.
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-1.5)
Week 3 NFL ATS Pick: Saints (-1.5)
When these two divisional opponents met in their two clashes last season, the Saints swept the Falcons two-nil; winning 20-17 in Atlanta and 31-21 in New Orleans. That, for the record, happened in spite of the fact that the lethal QB-WR combo of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones was efficient enough to take advantage of New Orleans’ league-worst defense. With the Saints coming off an offseason where they’ve heavily invested their resources to improve their defense, and future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees getting some additional weapons to support him in the offense; there’s simply no way the Falcons will be faring any better than they did last year. Simply put, grab the Saints on their -1.5 line because this will be a surefire win of 3-plus points for the highly underrated New Orleans team.
