Only two weeks of the 2022 NFL season are in the books, and it’s already been a wild ride. We’ve witnessed a number of crazy comebacks, baffling upsets, and embarrassing blowouts. There’s more to come in Week 3, and with it, we’re serving up a fresh batch of NFL picks.
As will be the case every week this season, we’ve got you covered with the Week 3 edition of NFL picks and score predictions. Obviously, I’ll never claim to know what the future holds. Realistically, odds are high that at least a few of my NFL picks will be completely wrong on a weekly basis. I will, however, make my selections based on research, experience, and careful consideration.
It wasn’t a huge improvement, but I’ll take anything I can get at this point in the season. When all was said and done in Week 2, my NFL picks had tallied up to a 10-6 record. That moves me to 19-12-1 on the year, which is neither great nor terrible.
This is football — if there were a crystal ball that told the future, it wouldn’t be worth watching.
Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, here are my NFL picks and score predictions for Week 3. Keep in mind that I assume no responsibility if you choose to place wagers based on my picks — that’s your decision, not mine.
NFL picks and predictions for Week 3
Week 3 Byes: None
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)
Thursday, September 22, 8:20PM ET
Through two weeks, my hopes aren’t high for either of these teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers got more credit than they deserved after Week 1, and the Cleveland Browns are going to be erratic, even when Deshaun Watson returns. There’s just no telling with these two AFC North clubs.
In this case, I’m giving the edge to the Browns. They’ve got home-field advantage against a divisional rival, and have looked like the more balanced team thus far. If it wasn’t for some poor clock management at the end of its Week 2 game, Cleveland would be sitting at 2-0.
All they need to do in this one is run the ball and wear down the clock. As long as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are touching the pigskin on a regular basis, they’ll be golden. The Pittsburgh defense is hobbled and can’t stand up against the talent the Browns’ ground game carries. Expect to see at least three rushing touchdowns on the day for Cleveland.
Mitchell Trubisky has a rough go of things, as the Browns unleash their pass rushers on him and force him into making difficult throws. After a key turnover late in the game, Cleveland takes possession and smartly runs out the clock to seal the victory.
Prediction: Browns win 27-24