Week 3 of the 2025 NFL Season is already upon us. Let's unveil our latest picks and score predictions for the week ahead. It's actually insane that Week 3 is here, but the NFL season always seems to go by too quickly.
There are definitely going to be some blowouts this year, but there will surely also be some extremely close games, as there always are in the NFL. Slowly but surely, as the weeks go on, the playoff picture will come into view.
The good and the bad teams will begin to separate themselves, and we'll get a clearer picture of how things shake out when it's the end of the season. Let's get into our NFL picks and score predictions for Week 3 of the 2025 NFL Season.
NFL picks and score predictions for Week 3 games
Thursday, September 18th
Miami @ Buffalo, 8:15 PM
Oh boy. Could this be when things truly go off the rails for the Miami Dolphins? Now 0-2 on the season, the Dolphins are heading toward a very interesting NFL trade deadline, and you figure that if the team can get on the winning track beginning in Week 3, things could really get bad.
The Buffalo Bills have owned the AFC East for years, and this is going to be more of the same. Josh Allen wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire in Week 2, and Tua Tagovailoa was actually quite sharp for the Dolphins, but this is going to be a huge Bills’ win and move them to 3-0 on the season.
Bills win 34-7
Sunday, September 21st
Green Bay @ Cleveland, 1:00 PM
The Green Bay Packers are going to start 3-0 on the season and will beat the Cleveland Browns, but the Browns do have the roster talent to hang around for a little bit. This is going to be the name of the game for Cleveland this year.
Furthermore, the Packers appear to be a juggernaut and QB Jordan Love has played quite well thus far. I would be shocked if the Browns notched the upset here. Green Bay wins by double-digits and keeps their foot on the gas through three games in 2025.
Packers win 27-13
Sunday, September 21st
Indianapolis @ Tennessee, 1:00 PM
Don’t look now, but the Indianapolis Colts have a legitimate chance to start 3-0 on the season, which is not something many of us saw coming. Perhaps Daniel Jones is simply better than most of us thought he would be?
Perhaps the New York Giants franchise brought him down for years? To be fair to the Colts; this team does have a ton of talent on offense - there truly isn’t a notable weakness, especially with the addition of rookie tight end Tyler Warren.
To an extent, all Jones has to do is not mess up, and thus far, he hasn’t done that. On the other hand, the Tennessee Titans are trying to rebuild with Cam Ward, and it’s gotten off to a rocky start, which is expected.
The Colts are ahead of the Titans in every way and are going to earn their third-straight win to begin the season. Slowly but surely, Indianapolis might be heading toward an AFC South title if they can keep this up.
Colts win 23-16
Sunday, September 21st
Cincinnati @ Minnesota, 1:00 PM
All of a sudden, this game got a lot more interesting, as Joe Burrow is set to miss extended time with a toe injury, so backup QB Jake Browning is going to get the starts in the meantime. If you ask me, the Bengals should pick up the phone and trade for Kirk Cousins, but that doesn’t feel likely.
JJ McCarthy had a disastrous game in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, but the Bengals’ defense still feels quite awful, so I would be shocked if the Bengals won this game, actually. Minnesota is going to get back on track and earn a huge win in Week 3 to get back over .500.
Vikings win 26-20
Sunday, September 21st
Pittsburgh @ New England, 1:00 PM
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots had polar-opposite games in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL Season. The Steelers’ offense sputtered, and they lost their home opener to Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks, an average team.
On the other hand, Drake Maye and the Patriots won a high-scoring affair against the Miami Dolphins. I do worry a bit with the Pats’ defense, as they have not been sharp thus far. Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense might be able to move the ball at will.
On the other hand, the Steelers’ defense hasn’t been great, either, so this could be a high-scoring affair. I do trust Rodgers and the Steelers more to get this thing done and close it out in the end, so give me the Steelers in Week 3 to improve to 2-1.
Steelers win 28-27
Sunday, September 21st
Los Angeles (N) @ Philadelphia, 1:00 PM
In a rematch of the NFC Divisional Round in 2024, the Los Angeles Rams hope to get a little bit of revenge against the Philadelphia Eagles. If you ask me, the Rams are going to be better than they were last year, and I do expect a Super Bowl regression from Philly at some point.
Jalen Hurts just hasn’t been that good, and the Eagles are a team that sometimes relies too much on their talent. With an elite team and elite coaching staff coming to town, Philly will have to be at their best.
I would give the QB and coaching advantage to LA in this one, believe it or not. Sure, this game is in Philadelphia, so that is going to keep things close, but the Rams are going to scrape by here in Week 3 and improve to 3-0 on the season. Philly loses their first game of 2025 and first game in quite some time.
Rams win 24-21
Sunday, September 21st
New York (A) @ Tampa Bay, 1:00 PM
After a brutal loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, the New York Jets head to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers. Tampa is one of two Monday Night Football games here in Week 2, and regardless of how that game ends, the Bucs are going to take it to the New York Jets.
Many people had wondered if the Jets could be something after their shootout loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that seems to be more of a Week 1 mirage than anything. Justin Fields is a bad quarterback, and this coaching staff is in year one, so this franchise is going to struggle for a majority of the 2025 NFL Season.
The Bucs win, as they should.
Buccaneers win 24-16
Sunday, September 21st
Las Vegas @ Washington, 1:00 PM
The Washington Commanders lost in Week 2 and dropped to 1-1 on the season, and the Las Vegas Raiders play in one of the two Monday Night Football games after their solid win over the New England Patriots in Week 1. I would take the Commanders here, but I see how the Raiders can hang around.
If nothing else, Geno Smith can throw the heck out of the football when needed, but it’s important to remember that the Seahawks traded him for a third-round pick for a reason. All in all, Washington is the better team and should be able to come out of Week 3 with a victory.
But on a broader scale, can the Washington Commanders keep climbing and perhaps take the NFC East division in 2025? Games like this are ones that the team absolutely has to win if they hope to earn a top-4 seed and a home playoff game in the 2025 NFL Season.
However, Jayden Daniel's knee injury could keep him out of the lineup in Week 3...
Commanders win 24-20
Sunday, September 21st
Atlanta @ Carolina, 1:00 PM
The Atlanta Falcons got back on track with a huge win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, and now they get the chance to beat up on the lowly Carolina Panthers. Carolina did nearly mount a huge comeback in the fourth quarter of their Week 2 tilt against the Arizona Cardinals, but they fell short.
The Falcons already seem to have the better QB in Michael Penix, Jr, and the Panthers’ defense has been a liability for years now. Furthermore, the Falcons simply outmatch Carolina wherever you look, so this should be a rock-solid win for the Falcons, a team that hopes to see a big jump from Penix in year two.
Unless something crazy happens, the Falcons should win this game and get to 2-1 on the 2025 season. Can Atlanta hand around in the NFC South?
Falcons win 20-17
Sunday, September 21st
Houston @ Jacksonville, 1:00 PM
This is definitely a game I am going to keep an eye on, as I am not sure the Houston Texans are going to be quite as good as we thought. Their offensive line seems to be a huge concern, and their Monday Night Football tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could really tell us what’s going on with this team.
The Jaguars beat the Panthers in Week 1 and narrowly lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, so this could be a sneaky-good team in 2025.
I am going to take the Jaguars in a close AFC South battle, and this is only going to muddy things in the division. With a predicted Colts’ win, things are beginning to get very interesting.
Did we just see the two-year run of the Houston Texans come to an abrupt end early in the 2025 NFL Season?
Jaguars win 27-20
Sunday, September 21st
Denver @ Los Angeles (A), 4:05 PM
The Denver Broncos struggled against the Indianapolis Colts and lost in a heartbreaking fashion. Denver shot themselves in the foot one too many times and just could not overcome their errors. The LA Chargers are a well-coached team and will have played the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.
Typically, divisional games are tight, and Denver played LA tight in both matchups in 2024, but they got swept. I will add, though, that the Broncos had a double-digit lead against LA in So-Fi in 2024, so that might be worth something
In 2024, the Broncos broke out and turned it on in Week 3, so maybe it’s going to be the same here? The Broncos might do just enough to earn a close win and improve to 2-1 on the season in what might be a huge turning point for the franchise in 2025.
Broncos win 23-20
Sunday, September 21st
New Orleans @ Seattle, 4:05 PM
The New Orleans Saints are 0-2 on the season and are predictably off to a bad start. Arguably having the worst roster and worst QB situation in the NFL, there aren't going to be many wins for the Saints in the 2025 NFL Season, and this game against the Seattle Seahawks is shaping up to be another tough loss, but this could be more of the blowout variety, unfortunately.
Spencer Rattler did toss three touchdowns against zero interceptions in Week 2, so that was absolutely a good sign, but the Seattle defense typically plays quite well at home and should take it to the Saints in Week 3.
First-year head coach Kellen Moore is going to have to wait another week for his first win with the Saints, and he may have to wait even longer for substantive success.
Seahawks win 30-16
Sunday, September 21st
Dallas @ Chicago, 4:25 PM
Wow. It was a tale of two games for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears in Week 2. The Cowboys got into a shootout with the New York Giants and won in overtime. Dak Prescott was flat-out excellent when it mattered the most, and Dallas is now 1-1 on the season.
However, the Bears got blown out by the NFC North rival Detroit Lions in the Ben Johnson homecoming game. The Bears now have way more questions than answers, and the Johnson era is off to a horrid start.
Shockingly, though, the Dallas Cowboys, despite all of their dysfunction, should be in a strong position to start the 2025 NFL Season off 2-1 with a win over the Bears, but the NFL is a crazy thing, and Chicago is definitely talented enough to beat Dallas at the line of scrimmage and eek out a win here.
I am actually going to take the Bears in a high-scoring game.
Bears win 30-28
Sunday, September 21st
Arizona @ San Francisco, 4:25 PM
The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers are both 2-0 on the season, and the Cardinals are trending toward being a frisky team this year. I do have reservations about the 49ers, as Brock Purdy is out for a few weeks, but Mac Jones is a capable backup and might still be a starting-caliber player.
Given that the Cardinals are a bit healthier, I am actually going to pick them, but in the same breath, I’m fully prepared to be wrong. The Niners’ defense is going to be aggressive. Robert Saleh is back as the DC, and his defenses are always in attack mode.
However, Arizona does enough to win a flat-out massive NFC West division title. Cardinals move to 3-0 on the season. On a side note, it is a bit wild that one of these teams are going to be 3-0 after Week 3 ends.
Cardinals win 21-17
Sunday, September 21st
Kansas City @ New York (N), 8:20 PM
Folks, do the Kansas City Chiefs have a major problem on their hands? This team is now 0-2 for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era and simply do not have much going for them on either side of the ball.
The overall talent isn’t close to what it was, and the offense can’t get anything going. I would absolutely hit the panic button, but some might think I am overreacting a bit. The Chiefs are playing the New York Giants and their loaded defensive line.
The Giants’ DL is going to have Patrick Mahomes running for his life, and that might be enough to contain this offense. On the other side of the ball, Russell Wilson just threw for 450 passing yards and three touchdowns, so that side of the ball seems to be in a decent spot.
I am going to make a very bold prediction here and say that the Giants defeat the Chiefs and get to 1-2 on the season, but will send the Chiefs to an unprecedented 0-3 start.
Giants win 20-18
Monday, September 22nd
Detroit @ Baltimore, 8:15 PM
The final game of Week 3 promises to be a great one, as the Detroit Lions face the Baltimore Ravens in a massive treat for the NFL world. Both teams are 1-1 on the season and got back on track with blowout wins. On paper, Detroit and Baltimore are pretty evenly-matched, but the Ravens may have the advantage given they’re at home.
There has also been more change that has hit the Lions franchise this offseason with the departures of Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson. While Detroit can absolutely win this game, I would end up giving the nod to the Ravens. They’ve got the advantage at QB and with their coaching staff.