Best NFL Picks for Week 3: Top Straight-Up Bets to Make

Previous Betting News

At times, it makes sense to forego betting on an NFL team to cover the spread and instead roll the dice on the team to win straight up. Often we can find decent money line overlays that allow us to potentially profit more if we don’t take the points. We can also lay a bit extra to not have to lay the points.

In our NFL Week 3 SU picks blog, we’ve got a couple of overlay money line choices, a couple of roll the dice money line choices, and a few ML choices that make sense. Keep reading for straight up NFL odds, analysis, and free picks for NFL Week 3.

2023 NFL Week 3 SU Picks | MyBookie Regular Season Preview

2023-24 NFL | 104th season of the National Football League
NFL Week 3: Thursday, September 28th – Monday, October 2nd, 2023

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions

SU: Falcons +140
Sunday, September 24th, 2023 at 1:00 PM | FOX
Ford Field, Detroit, MI

In NFL Week 2, the Detroit Lions allowed the Seattle Seahawks to hang around until eventually the Seahawks got a lead. Detroit rallied to force overtime, but Seattle managed an OT victory.

Atlanta rallied to beat the Green Bay Packers by a point as a +2 home underdog. The problem the Lions will have in this game is containing the Falcons’ rushing attack. Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgier, and Desmond Ridder can rush the ball. The ATL gets the road win.

NFL Week 3 SU Pick: Atlanta Falcons +140 | Bet Falcons at Lions
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Straight Up Pick

New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers

SU: Saints +104
Sunday, September 24th, 2023 at 1:00 PM | FOX
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

Green Bay is a solid team, but this game could come down to defense versus quarterback and in that sense, the Saints have the edge.

Derek Carr has more experience than Jordan Love. Carr also has more weapons. Green Bay’s defense will struggle to keep Carr, Thomas, and Olave from moving the football. On the other side, Love will have an issue versus a Saints’ D that’s given up 15 points to the Titans and 17 to the Panthers in a couple of games.

NFL Week 3 SU Pick: New Orleans Saint +104 | Bet Saints at Packers
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Straight Up Pick

Los Angeles Chargers at Minnesota Vikings

SU: Vikings -110
Sunday, September 24th, 2023 at 1:00 PM | FOX
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

The Bolts can’t close. Los Angeles had a shot at upsetting the Miami Dolphins in week 1. Then in NFL Week 2, LAC had a chance to put away the Tennessee Titans.

The Chargers failed in both games. On Sunday, the Bolts take on Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. If that wasn’t difficult enough, Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense goes against an aggressive Brian Flores coached defense. The Vikings ends the Chargers down the 0-3 rabbit hole.

NFL Week 3 SU Pick: Minnesota Vikings -110 | Bet Chargers at Vikings
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Straight Up Pick

New England Patriots at New York Jets

SU: Patriots -147
Sunday, September 24th, 2023 at 1:00 PM | CBS
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

The Patriots are -147 money line favorites even though this game happens in New York because, no doubt, Zach Wilson shouldn’t have a better game than Mac Jones.

The Jets D will step it up, but it’s difficult for anybody in NYJ’s organization to find motivation with Wilson at quarterback. So the Patriots are the pick.

NFL Week 3 SU Pick: New England Patriots -147 | Bet Patriots at Jets
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Straight Up Pick

Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders

SU: Commanders +228
Sunday, September 24th, 2023 at 1:00 PM | CBS
FedExField, Landover, MD

We’re taking another shot on the Commanders. Washington went to Denver last week, spotted the Broncos a 21-3 lead, and then rallied for the victory.

D.C. has the defense to rough up Josh Allen. Also, Allen and his mates head to FedEx Field a week after a blowout victory over the Raiders. So a bounce could happen.

NFL Week 3 SU Pick: Washington Commanders +228 | Bet Bills at Commanders
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Straight Up Pick

Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders | Sunday Night Football

SU: Raiders -107
Sunday, September 24th, 2023 at 8:20 PM | NBC
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

The Steelers played great football to upset rival Cleveland on Monday night. However, on Sunday, Pittsburgh travels to Allegiant Stadium on a short week to battle a Raiders squad that laid an egg versus Buffalo.

Vegas bounces back with a big win.

NFL Week 3 SU Pick: Las Vegas Raiders -107 | Bet Steelers at Raiders
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Straight Up Pick

Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

SU: Buccaneers +191
Monday, September 25th, 2023 at 7:15 PM | ABC, ESPN+
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

The Eagles’ defense hasn’t played well. Philly gave up 20 points to New England in the first game. Then in their second, Minnesota rallied to make the game close in a 34-28 Eagles victory.

Tampa is 2-0 because Baker Mayfield is playing great football and the Tampa D has rediscovered it’s 2020-2021 form. Tampa is, no doubt, one of the better teams in the NFC this season. So this game will be close enough for us to take a shot on the home team Bucs to get it done.

NFL Week 3 SU Pick:Tampa Bay Buccaneers +191 | Bet Eagles at Buccaneers
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Straight Up Pick

Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals | Monday Night Football

SU: Bengals -128
Monday, September 25th, 2023 at 8:15 PM | ESPN, ESPN2
Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

The odds are fair on the Bengals. The Rams have a lot of young, fast, determined players. But Cincinnati is desperate for a victory.

Cincinnati prevents the playoff chances killing 0-3 start and beat the Rams at home.

NFL Week 3 SU Pick: Cincinnati Bengals -128 | Bet Rams at Bengals
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Straight Up Pick

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?

NFL Vegas Odds
MyBookie Odds for the Games

Previous Betting News

Week 3 of the NFL season is almost upon us, which means it’s time to look ahead and start making some picks for the weekend games. We are off to an okay start with our SU selections this season, going 4-2 through the opening 2 weeks, but we can certainly do better. That said, we always try to avoid taking the obvious slam dunk picks, choosing instead to go with matchups that the bookies see as being closer than most. We will follow that format again this week as we try to break down the action. There are several teams who already look to be in trouble, as well as a couple more who have the makings of being a dark horse this season. I’m looking at you, Las Vegas Raiders. Without further ado, let’s get to our NFL SU picks for Week 3 so you can get ready to make your bets against the NFL odds.

NFL Betting | Straight-Up Picks for Week 3 of the 2021 Season

Pittsburgh Steelers over Cincinnati Bengals

We all knew that the AFC North was likely going to be strong this season, but the general consensus was that the Bengals would be sitting well off the pace. They have not been as bad as advertised through the opening couple of weeks and come into Week 3 with a 1-1- record. That is the same mark as the Pittsburgh Steelers, who stunned everyone with a road win against the Buffalo Bills in their season opener before losing to the Raiders. This is a matchup that the Steelers have dominated over the years, winning 9 of the last 10, which includes 5 in a row at home. The Steelers D is already a little banged up, but I like them to still get the win here.

Tennessee Titans over Indianapolis Colts

Even at this early stage of the season, you have to say that this game is incredibly important for both teams. The Titans are favored to win the AFC South and finally looked like what we expected in Week 2 after getting blown out by Arizona in their season opener. Things are a little more problematic in Indianapolis, as the Colts will fall to 0-3 if they fail to win this weekend. There are not a lot of teams who have historically bounced back from that type of start to have a successful season. Making matters worse for Indy is that QB Carson Wentz is doubtful for this weekend. While the Colts have made a habit of winning in Tennessee, I think they are in trouble here.

Seattle Seahawks over Minnesota Vikings

The Seattle Seahawks are at their best when they strike the right balance between offense as defense, which is what they did in Week 1 with a 28-16 win over the Colts. They are not as effective when they get sucked into a shootout like they did last week in a 33-30 loss to the Titans. I think that their offense is more than good enough to keep the Vikings O off the field, which would prevent them from getting into shootout mode with a dangerous team. That has worked for them in the past against Minnesota, as the Seahawks have won 7 in a row against their Week 3 opponents. I like them to make it 8 in a row this weekend.

Previous Betting News

Week 2 of the NFL season is now in the books and it is quickly becoming clear that this season is going to be tough to predict. We are seeing the favorites to win the Super Bowl either struggle to win or outright lose to underdogs. We saw it again in Week 2, with the Chiefs needing OT to take care of the Chargers, while the Saints lost to the Raiders on Monday night. Things will eventually level out, with the better teams rising to the top as the season progresses, but these early weeks are going to be a challenge. We are always up for that challenge, though, which is why we are going to start making some picks for Week 3 so you can set down your bets against their NFL odds. The focus here is on SU plays, but we will also have ATS and Week 3 O/U picks coming your way, so watch out for those.

Week 3 SU Picks for the 2020 Season | NFL Betting

Atlanta Falcons over Chicago Bears

It has been a very different start to the season for these two teams. There was a lot of talk about the Bears and their QB situation prior to the start of the season, but they have come out and won their opening 2 games of the year. The Falcons, on the other hand, have been putting up a ton of offense, yet have failed to pick up a win. Their collapse against the Cowboys in Week 2 was one that could prove to be totally demoralizing. Despite all of that, I still think that Atlanta are due for a win. They have too much firepower not to start winning games, so I believe they get off the mark at home this weekend.

LA Rams over Buffalo Bills

This one features a battle of the unbeatens, with the Rams coming in as a slight underdog on the road to the Buffalo Bills. We all expected Buffalo to challenge for the AFC East this season, and with a 2-0 start, they are certainly living up to that expectation. Before we all get too carried away with them, though, it should be noted that their wins have come against the Jets and the Dolphins, two teams that look as though they are going to struggle this season. The Rams have a good team, but they have looked better than expected in their 2-0 start. This is a team that is 10-1 SU in their last 11 September games, so they might be a good underdog pick here.

Baltimore Ravens over Kansas City Chiefs

This is, without a doubt, the biggest game on the schedule this weekend, with the Super Bowl champions going head to head with the team that finished last season with the best record in the league. The Chiefs are perhaps a little lucky to still be unbeaten, as they struggled mightily against the Chargers in NFL Week 2, eventually winning on a FG in OT. The Ravens have made it look easy so far and are now on a run that has seen them win 14 straight regular season games. They are 10-1 SU in their last 11 versus conference foes, so I like them to edge this one.

Previous Betting News

Other than the Monday night game, which will see the Cleveland Browns take on the New York Jets, two weeks of the NFL season are now in the books. That means that we are more than ready to look ahead to Week 3 and the bets that could potentially put a little extra money in our pockets.

There are, as always, a lot of games to choose from, which is why we will be looking at a variety of different plays for Week 3. We will have ATS and O/U picks coming your way, but for the purposes of this piece, we are going to look at some games that we like as SU NFL odds for Week 3.

2019 NFL Week 3 SU Betting Picks

Tennessee Titans over Jacksonville Jaguars

The Tennessee Titans come into Week 3 with a 1-1 record after delivering two very different performances to start the season. They looked great in a 43-13 demolition of the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, but they then struggled to get the offense rolling in a 19-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

They will head to Jacksonville on Thursday night as a slight favorite against the 0-2 Jaguars. Points may be tough to come by here, so we can perhaps expect a tight one here. No matter how it plays out, I like the Titans to get the road win in Week 3.

Kansas City Chiefs over Baltimore Ravens

It’s a battle of the unbeatens this Sunday, with the Baltimore Ravens heading to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. Both offenses have looked great to start the year, with Lamar Jackson of the Ravens proving to be a double threat to opposing defenses.

On the other side, Patrick Mahomes has picked up where he left off last season, so this one should be a thriller. There are a couple of reasons to like the Chiefs here, starting with the fact that they have won 8 of their last 10 at home. They are also 9-2 SU in their last 11 games versus conference foes.

Atlanta Falcons over Indianapolis Colts

The Falcons went into Week 2 of the season under some very real pressure. They had ben seriously outclassed in their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings and really need a home win against the Eagles. They got that in what was a rousing Sunday night game.

This is a team that does not usually deliver the goods against AFC opposition, but I think the momentum gathered in that win over Philly carries over into this one. The Colts have been decent in the opening 2 weeks, but I think they will be on the losing end of this in a close one.

Pittsburgh Steelers over San Francisco 49ers

Every week, I look at the schedule and try to pick out a real surprise pick. With the news that Ben Roethlisberger is done for the year with an elbow injury, the 0-2 Steelers suddenly look as though their year is going to turn into a nightmare. Young Mason Rudolph looked very capable in the second half in the Steelers loss to Seattle on Sunday.

This reminds me of when Big Ben took over from Tommy Maddox in his rookie year and reeled off 15 straight wins. The 49ers have looked good through the opening two weeks, but I have a hunch they will be caught off guard here.

Previous Betting News

If you’re looking to ‘keep it simple’ in NFL Week 3 and make some easy SU picks that don’t require a lot of thinking about which team will cover the spread, then you’ve come to the right place. The majority of the NFL Week 3 Lines are out for you to check out. And thanks to my trio of NFL odds picks to bet straight up in Week 3, you’re going to have a great chance to cash in not once or twice, but a whopping three times.

Top NFL Odds to Bet Straight Up in Week 3

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) at Chicago Bears (0-2)

When: Sunday, September 24 at 1:00 PM ET
Where: Soldier Field
NFL Odds: Pittsburgh -7.5
Total: 45.5

Analysis: Pittsburgh jumped all over Minnesota in their 26-9 Week 2 win while easily covering the NFL betting line as an 8.5-point home favorite as Ben Roethlisberger completed 23 of 35 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns and the Steelers’ defense constantly harassed Minnesota backup quarterback Case Keenum who got the start for the injured Sam Bradford, who could return sooner than later.

Chicago got man-handled in its 29-7 Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay while never coming close to covering the NFL betting line as a 7-point road dog. The Bucs took a 2-0 lead into the half and were never challenged as Jameis Winston completed 18 of 30 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown and running back Jacquizz rushed for 67 yards and one score on 19 carries.

Now, for this Week 3 pairing, the Steelers are the easy pick to get past a Bears team that looked nothing like the competitive team we saw in the preseason and in Week 1. Pittsburgh is the better team in all three phases of the game and will win this game without too much effort if you ask me.

NFL Odds Pick: Pittsburgh 31 – Chicago 17

Series History

• Total Meetings: 26
• First Meeting: Steelers 0 – Bears 28 (1934)
• Last Meeting: Steelers 23 – Bears 40 (2013)
• All-Time Series: Bears 18-7-1
• Largest Margin of Victory: Steelers 38 – Bears 3 (1980)
• Longest Win Streak: Bears W10
• Current Win Streak: Bears W2

Denver Broncos (2-0) at Buffalo Bills (1-1)

When: September 24, 2017 at 1:00 PM ET Where: New Era Field NFL Odds: Denver -2.5 Total: 41M

Week 3 Game Analysis The Buffalo Bills beat the abysmal New York Jets 21-12 in Week 1 and they played well defensively in their 9-3 Week 2 loss against Cam Newton and company, but they’re simply not going to be able to put enough point on the board against a Denver Broncos defense that made the Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott look completely ordinary in their statement-making 42-17 blowout on Sunday.

While Buffalo managed to score a grand total of three points this past weekend, Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian is clearly blossoming in his role as starter in Denver, having tossed four TD passes, while running back C.J, Anderson rushed for 118 yards and one score.

Denver has won 16 of its last 23 games and six of its last eight meetings against the Bills while Buffalo has gone 2-4 ATS in its last six home games. Von Miller and the rest of the Broncos stout defense will shut the Bills down en route to the emphatic road win and ATS cover!

NFL Odds Pick: Denver 31 – Buffalo 14

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals

When: Sunday, September 24 at 8:30 PM ET
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium
NFL Odds: Arizona +3.5
Total: 47.5

Week 3 Game Analysis

The Cowboys got completely dominated in their humbling 42-17 road loss against Denver in Week 2 while never coming close to covering the spread as a 2.5-point road dog while Arizona looked mostly awful in sneaking past the pitiful Indianapolis Colts 16-13 in overtime.

Dallas let Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian toss four TD passes in the loss while Ezekiel Elliott got completely shut down to the tune of eight rushing yards on nine carries. Arizona nearly fell to Indianapolis in Jacoby Brissett’s first career start but got the win on Phil Dawson’s 30-yard field goal with 8:02 remaining in overtime.

For this Week 3 NFC battle, I’m going to urge you to back the Arizona Cardinals to get it done, mostly because they’re at home and just can;t play any worse offensively than they did this past weekend. With both of these playoff hopefuls allowing more points per game than they are averaging right now, I say take the lesser of two evils.

Dallas is just 2-7 ATS in its last nine games and 1-4 ATS in it s last five road games. Arizona has won seven of their last eight meetings against Dallas and is 4-1 ATS in their last five against the Boys. I love the Cardinals as a surprising home dog in this one!

NFL Odds Pick: Arizona 28 – Dallas 24