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NFL Predictions Week 3: Best Picks Against the Spread (ATS)

By Dan Salem

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The first two weeks of the NFL season brought frustration, so keep it simple. Winners keep winning and points rule. These are your NFL predictions for the best picks Against the Spread (ATS) for Week 3. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

This isn’t getting any easier. Ten, count em, ten favorites lost outright during Week 2 of the NFL season. While teams are still trying to find themselves, the same goes for betting lines.

Carolina Panthers -3 vs. New Orleans Saints
Cincinnati Bengals +3 at Baltimore Ravens

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Taking Carolina at home over New Orleans is a no-brainer at this point. Carolina is playing well enough to win, and the Saints are playing bad enough to lose. It’s as simple as that. New Orleans has yet to put together a good game of football on either side of the ball. That continues for another week as Drew Brees reminisces about the good ole days.

I’m going to continue to ride the Cincinnati Bengals in my second game. The offense looks good, but the defense has been the strength. Before the season, it seemed clear that this defense had a chance to be good if everyone returned (and stayed) healthy. That has been the case so far, although it’s still in the early going of the season.

This line indicates that Vegas considers Baltimore and Cincinnati even, with the Ravens getting a three-point home bump. On what planet have these two teams appeared even through the first eighth of the season?

Not only are the Bengals 2-0 while the Ravens are 0-2, but the latter has had two pretty poor losses in close contests.

Oct 26, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end

Wallace Gilberry

(95) against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

Excellent picks for week 3. I like how both the Panthers and Bengals have been playing, but hate the Saints’ and Ravens’ performances even more. That’s solid betting logic.

For my NFL week 3 picks, I’d like to keep taking the points. It served me very well in week 2, but I’m changing course as the favorites separate themselves from the pack.

Cleveland Browns -3.5 vs. Oakland Raiders
Buffalo Bills +3 at Miami Dolphins

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The Browns looked downright dominant last week, with Johnny Manziel getting a full week of practice as the starting quarterback. Their loss to the Jets in week one looks less humiliating after New York handled the Colts, and Oakland has yet to show it can win football games this season.

Cleveland is likely to win at home, and it will be by at least a touchdown. This line might even grow, because the Raiders are easily a class below the Browns. Give the points and take Cleveland to the bank.

As for the AFC East matchup down in Miami, I would have been hesitant to pick this game just a week ago. But the Bills pushed around Indianapolis, and then went touchdown for touchdown against the Patriots. If it were not for all those turnovers, Buffalo would be undefeated right now.

The Dolphins, on the other hand, shocked me by losing to Jacksonville. It’s not that the Jaguars are a bad team, they are just not a playoff team in my opinion. I thought Miami was, but no longer. Buffalo gets three points in this game and should win outright. Take the Bills, because Miami has its head in the sand.

Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.

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