Week 3 of the 2023-24 NFL season is upon us, and we’re starting to get a little more of a feel of how the league’s 32 teams stack up against each other.

In Week 3, matchups like Los Angeles Chargers-Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints-Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia Eagles-Tampa Bay Buccaneers will help us further discern the good teams from the bad teams.

How will the Week 1 play out? Read on for my 2023-24 NFL Week 3 Picks, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any predictions, join the conversation with @SakSports on Twitter.

Pardon any brevity, lack of pictures, etc. as I wrote these picks on my phone on a Utah-Colorado vacation.

Picks Record

Will be updated

Thursday Night Football

New York Giants (1-1) at San Francisco 49ers (2-0): If the New York Giants could play like they did in the second half of their comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, they would stand a chance on Thursday Night Football. But the San Francisco 49ers defense is leagues better, and the Giants will be without star running back Saquon Barkley. 49ers win 38-17

Sunday Games

Atlanta Falcons (2-0) at Detroit Lions (1-1): This one kind of feels like a toss-up, but there’s no way I would have seen the Atlanta Falcons starting 3-0 heading in to this season. I’ll give this hungry Detroit Lions team a narrow win at home. Lions win 27-26

Los Angeles Chargers (0-2) at Minnesota Vikings (0-2): Two teams that love to run up the score as well as lose close games: this one should be fun, with plenty of back-and-forth scoring in the fourth quarter between Justin Herbert and Kirk Cousins. Vikings win 38-35

New Orleans Saints (2-0) at Green Bay Packers (1-1): It’s still too early to know what to make of this season’s Green Bay Packers, as last week’s narrow loss to the Falcons erased the feel-good vibes of Week 1’s blowout win. The New Orleans Saints won’t be flashy in doing so, but I think they improve to 3-0 in the Derek Carr era with a win here. Saints win 23-20

Houston Texans (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1): After an efficient Week 1 win, Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars sputtered with a 17-9 loss to the Chiefs last week. C.J. Stroud has been impressive in his rookie season, but Jacksonville’s offense should get back on track against Houston’s defense. Jaguars win 30-16

Denver Broncos (0-2) at Miami Dolphins (2-0): While Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos offense look marginally better this season, Vance Joseph’s defense was atrocious last week. This could get ugly, with a hyper-talented Miami Dolphins offense on the other side. Dolphins win 42-20

Tennessee Titans (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1): This one is kind of tough to predict, with each team turning in mixed results through two weeks. With running back Nick Chubb out for the season, I think the Browns offense will need a little time to adjust. Titans win 23-17

Buffalo Bills (1-1) at Washington Commanders (2-0): If Sam Howell and the Washington Commanders can stay hot, they could put the Buffalo Bills on upset watch. But while the Commanders are 2-0, Buffalo is a different beast than Arizona and Denver. Bills win 33-23

Indianapolis Colts (1-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-0): Through two weeks, Florida QB Anthony Richardson has exceeded expectations, but the Indianapolis Colts are still pretty much who we thought they were, and Richardson is out for Week 3. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have a much higher ceiling. Ravens win 33-13

New England Patriots (0-2) at New York Jets (1-1): While this rivalry has been lop-sided in favor of New England for most of the 21st century, times are different in 2023. Even down starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets have more than a chance to win this game. Jets win 23-20

Carolina Panthers (0-2) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1): The Carolina Panthers have a ways to go before they can compete with Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks, a playoff team from last season. But don’t be surprised if Andy Dalton performs better than Bryce Young did through two weeks. Seahawks win 27-20

Dallas Cowboys (2-0) at Arizona Cardinals (0-2): After dominating the New York Giants and Jets in back-to-back weeks, the Dallas Cowboys get the Arizona Cardinals: who actually have been putting up a fight. Still, this could be a lopsided one. Cowboys win 38-17

Chicago Bears (0-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-1): The 2023 Kansas City Chiefs aren’t firing on all cylinders yet, but the Chicago Bears grow more dysfunctional by the day. Maybe Justin Fields can “accidentally” get on the wrong team bus after the game. Chiefs win 33-13

Sunday Night Football

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Las Vegas Raiders (1-1): We don’t really know who the Jimmy Garoppolo Las Vegas Raiders are yet. It’s fair to say we don’t know how good the Pittsburgh Steelers are yet as well, but last week’s win was impressive enough for me to give them another one. Steelers win 24-23

Monday Night Football

Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0): In the only battle of 2-0 teams in Week 3, the defending Super Bowl champions take on Baker Mayfield and the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa is better than we gave them credit for, but the Eagles should be able to push to 3-0. Eagles win 27-24

Los Angeles Rams (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-2): I would love for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals to break out of their funk in this Super Bowl 56 rematch, but these are predictions, not fantasies. The 2023 Bengals are off, and the 2023 Rams are bouncing back from last seasons disappointment. Rams win 30-20

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