It’s no secret that in order to have a successful season, teams look to have a fast start and capture early wins. Those teams heading into Week 3 of the 2018 NFL season with a win deficit will already be scrambling to gain traction before they dig themselves into a hole. Though I don’t see many of them on the schedule for that week, let’s look at a few of the more interesting games.
NFL Week 3 – Games To Bet On – Season 2018
Matt Ryan will be throwing to a pair of former #Alabama WRs this year. Julio Jones says rookie @CalvinRidley1 "wants to be great." #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/tbvihE5Xtt
— Kyle Burger (@kyle_burger) July 27, 2018
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
It’s going to be Matt Ryan’s time to earn his salt after signing the league’s first-ever $30 million per year contract. The Falcons’ franchise record holder in 20 passing categories will have to come up big from the get-go and their game against New Orleans is just the right opportunity to make his statement. At his call are a strong receiver corps, a solid backfield duo, and a young, dynamic defense.
The question for the Saints is whether or not Atlanta can get all of these things to work together and how they can throw a wrench into their plans. The Saints should be as good as they were last season, even with the absence of Mark Ingram because of a four-game suspension. Drew Brees is as sharp as ever and now he has a strong backfield to take some pressure off of his shoulders. They also signed young blood to the defense who could make some waves from the start. Saints win.
Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks head into the 2018 NFL season with a depleted roster after having lost a lot of its talent during the offseason. Their schedule only makes it more of an uphill struggle. Based on their opponent’s 2017 win percentage, the Seahawks opposition is tied for fifth-toughest. Last season they forced Dallas QB Dak Prescott into turning the ball over thrice apart from winning the game in a Christmas Eve match.
The Cowboys will, however, come into this game with a big chip on their shoulders after their playoffs aspirations went up in smoke because of the Seahawks. Dallas will be out for revenge and with a weakened Seahawks team, I think they’ll end up with a win. Cowboys win.
San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs
After two tough on-the-road games, the Chiefs finally return home to face a 49ers team that might have gotten its bite back. The newly appointed Patrick Mahomes will test his skills against that of Jimmy Garoppolo, who had a lot to do with San Francisco’s recovery late last year.
Who knows what 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has in store with Garoppolo this season, but the Chiefs defense better be wary and come prepared for a fight. I still think the Chiefs have the edge with the home crowd cheering them on and facing arguably weaker opponents than their first two. Chiefs win.
New York Giants at Houston Texans
The Giants’ schedule is somewhat more complicated than what it was prior to the 2017 regular season; nevertheless, the Giants have shored up their defense to minimize mismatches. J.J. Watt is back for the 2018 season and that means he’ll be lining up directly against right tackle Ereck Flowers to create disruptions in the Giants lines.
However, it’s going to be tough to beat the Texans at home and Deshaun Watson may be too good for the Giants to stop. New York tends to go for the blitz and Watson can find the holes or attack the field vertically to tactically exploit the Giants’ preference of using one deep safety. Texans win.
Remaining NFL Week 3 Games
- New York Jets vs Cleveland Browns
- Green Bay Packers vs Washington Redskins
- Indianapolis Colts vs Philadelphia Eagles
- Buffalo Bills vs Minnesota Vikings
- Oakland Raiders vs Miami Dolphins
- Denver Broncos vs Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals vs Carolina Panthers
- LA Chargers vs LA Rams
- Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars
- Chicago Bears vs Arizona Cardinals
- New England Patriots vs Detroit Lions
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
