Two things are true of the NFL season as Week 2 winds down: On the strength of two games down for nearly every team, we can start to draw patterns, even a few loose conclusions. Some teams are winless and some are undefeated, and it’s not just Week 1 nerves and chaos anymore. The field is starting to separate.
But also: It’s early. Last year after Week 2, the Washington Commanders were 2-0. They would go on to win only two more games all season.
With that grain of salt to season the dish, let’s look at the NFL odds for Week 3’s matchups and where the field stands. A few teams are outperforming early expectations, with odds this week to show for it. The New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all pulled off surprise wins to go 2-0 in games that made their Week 1 victories look less like flukes and more like trends. The Saints are barely underdogs to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings are 2-point underdogs to the Houston Texans and the Bucs are a touchdown favorite against the 0-2 Denver Broncos.
On the flip side, what is going on with the Baltimore Ravens? The team with the best regular-season record last year started its 2024 season 0-2 with a shocking Week 2 loss to the once-lowly Las Vegas Raiders after Baltimore blew a lead in a game they were favored to win by two scores. They open as mere 1-point favorites against a Dallas Cowboys team that looked good in Week 1 and then bombed against the Saints in Week 2.
Elsewhere in the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals are also 0-2, but that record doesn’t speak to how much better Joe Burrow and company looked in a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs that went down to the wire. The Chiefs were favored by 6.5 points and barely escaped, 26-25. Burrow seems to be healthy for real this time, and the AFC should shudder at the thought of what this team could look like when Tee Higgins is back. The Bengals are one of the two biggest favorites heading into Week 3, with a 7.5-point spread against the Washington Commanders for Monday Night.
The other biggest favorites are the 49ers against the Los Angeles Rams, despite losing 23-17 to a blitz-crazy Vikings defense. But the Rams are much worse than the Vikings, so these odds seem on point for this Niners team, even without Christian McCaffrey.
Speaking of injuries affecting the odds, the Miami Dolphins are 6-point underdogs to the Seattle Seahawks as their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, is questionable after a scary concussion against the Bills.
The Ravens vs. Cowboys game has the closest point spread early this week, but other close games by the odds include the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts (yikes) and, as mentioned, the Houston Texans vs. Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles.
The Buffalo Bills are 5.5-point favorites over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Half of the Jags’ plays went for zero or negative yardage against the Browns. Should this spread be bigger?
Read on for the odds for every game, plus schedule details and how to watch.
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NFL Week 3 odds
Odds are updated live and are from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Find them here. For information on streaming, click here.
Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts (CBS)
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints (FOX)
Los Angeles Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers (CBS)
Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings (CBS)
Denver Broncos at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (FOX)
Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys (FOX)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills (Monday, ESPN)
Washington Commanders at Cincinnati Bengals (Monday, ABC)
(Photo of Derek Carr: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
