Week 3 is filled with some wacky matchups, but ends with some games that should be fantastic to watch. Here’s what I think the outcome of each of this week’s games will be.
Jaguars 21-20 Dolphins 
Thursday, 8:20 EST, NFL Network
Thursday night’s affair between Jacksonville and Miami might look ugly on paper, but I think this has the potential to be a good game. I’m excited to see if Jags QB Gardner Minshew II can continue his good play in 2020 against a Miami defense dealing with some injuries. If I’m being completely honest, the uni enthusiast in me is most excited to see the Jaguars’ all-teal uniforms for the first time. I think it’ll be tight throughout, but I like the Jaguars to get the job done at home, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dolphins pulled some Fitz-magic.
Falcons 31-24 Bears 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
The Falcons should win this game very comfortably, but we all know they can’t do that even if they wanted to. Atlanta will control this game from start to finish, but don’t be surprised if the Bears make it a game down the stretch due to Atlanta’s lackluster defense and late-game coaching. I expect another big day for Matt Ryan and his receivers as they look to get their first win of 2020.
Rams 23-21 Bills 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
It’s never easy for a west coast team to travel all the way east, play a game at 1pm EST (10 o’clock body time), and win. It’ll be even harder for the Rams as they play one of the league’s best teams in the Bills. LA should be thankful that they’re playing this game in September and not December. I think this will be a great back-and-forth game, and I think the Rams will prevail late due to more experienced coaching and QB play. But it wouldn’t shock me at all if Josh Allen continues his great play and carries his team to victory once again.
Browns 31-17 Washington 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
I don’t think this game will be very close if I’m being quite honest. Cleveland has no reason to not blow the Washington Football Team out of the water if their offense plays like they did last Thursday night. It’ll be tough for them to run the ball against Washington’s great front 7, but if Baker Mayfield can pick up where he left off against Cincinnati, then he should have no trouble picking apart the Washington secondary. Washington is getting a big boost in that unit with CB Kendall Fuller returning from injury, but I don’t think it will be enough. Cleveland’s excellent pass rush will make QB Dwayne Haskins’ life a living hell for 60 minutes and Cleveland will win this game easily.
Titans 20-17 Vikings 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
It wouldn’t be overstating it to say that this game is a must-win for QB Kirk Cousins and his Minnesota Vikings. The Vikes cannot afford to drop to 0-3 if they want to keep up in the gauntlet that is the NFC. However, I think they will. They haven’t shown me anything that inspires confidence on either side of the football, except for some garbage time numbers in Week 1 against Green Bay. These are two fairly complete teams, but I trust Mike Vrabel’s squad over Mike Zimmer’s because through 2 weeks, they have looked like a team. Minnesota has not.
Patriots 27-24 Raiders 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
This is certainly of the matchups of the week, and one that was hard for me to pick. I think the Raiders have a good chance to win, but I trust Bill Belichick’s coaching every week to beat almost anyone in the league. Also, as I said earlier with the Rams, it’s hard for a team to come all the way out east and win an early game. I think the Raiders will be in this game from start to finish, and I certainly think they’ll cover the spread (NE -5.5), but I think Cam and co. will emerge victorious.
49ers 20-10 Giants 
Sunday, 1:00, FOX
This game should be dubbed the “Injured Bowl”. Both of these teams suffered some devastating injuries last week to some of their best players, and will be rolling out either hobbled starters or eager backups on Sunday. This game will likely be an eye sore to watch with mistakes all over the place. It’ll be low scoring, but the better team will will prevail: San Francisco. Hopefully the MetLife Stadium turf will be kinder to them this week.
Eagles 30-20 Bengals 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
This is certainly a must-win game for Philadelphia if they want to shut people up. QB Carson Wentz and HC Doug Pederson have been taking extreme heat from fans and media alike, and that will amplify exponentially if they lose to one of the league’s worst teams in Cincinnati. There’s no excuse for the Eagles to not win this game, and I think they will. Joe Burrow will keep his team in it, as he always does, but it won’t be enough against a simply more talented Philly team.
Steelers 24-21 Texans 
Sunday, 1:00, CBS
I see this game for Pittsburgh going exactly like last week’s contest vs. Denver (hopefully without the opposing QB getting hurt). Get off to a hot start, hold a double digit lead for a while, but struggle to close it out. You already know Deshaun Watson will fight to the end for a win for his squad, but I don’t think it will be enough. The Steelers defense is just too good and their offense is good enough to get the job done against a lackluster Houston defense.
Colts 31-10 Jets 
Sunday, 4:05 EST, CBS
The Jets will lose this game big. I’m not sure what else I can say. I could actually get that typed out for every Jets game this year. Indianapolis is too disciplined on offense and too good on defense for this game to be even remotely close. If the Jets are in this game late, it’ll be a testament to the fight in their QB, Sam Darnold. If they win… the Colts better be ready to get eviscerated in the press.
Chargers 31-14 Panthers 
Sunday, 4:05 EST, CBS
Justin Herbert will officially be making his second career start at QB for the Chargers, and his first in which he actually knows he’ll start. The reeling Carolina Panthers will be rolling into town, notably without RB Christian McCaffrey. The Chargers really should win this game handily, especially if Herbert can play like he did last week against Kansas City. But, you never know what you’re going to get with a rookie QB. I think he’ll do just fine, and I think the Chargers win big.
Buccaneers 28-13 Broncos 
Sunday, 4:25 EST, FOX
Tom Brady will be rolling into the building where he has historically struggled, especially down the stretch of his time in New England. However, the Broncos don’t have a Peyton Manning or a good enough defense to rattle the GOAT like they’ve been able to do before. The Bucs will win this game very easily against a Denver team starting a backup QB in Jeff Driskel. I expect their offense to look even better than it did last week, and they’ll look good doing it as well as they debut their new pewter uniforms.
Cardinals 38-17 Lions 
Sunday, 4:25 EST, FOX
A very bad Detroit team is flying out west to take on a very good Arizona team. Put 2 and 2 together, and you get what you expect: a blowout. With Darius Slay gone, I expect another huge game from Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins. QB Kyler Murray will be running circles around the Lions all game long, the Cardinals will improve to 3-0, and the talks of Kyler for MVP will grow even louder.
Seahawks 28-26 Cowboys 
Sunday, 4:25 EST, FOX
This is another one of the games of the week on paper, and it will certainly deliver. The Cowboys have looked somewhat unconvincing for most of their games this season, but I think they’ll play up to their competition when they travel to Seattle on Sunday. The Seahawks have struggled mightily on defense in their first 2 games, and this is a Cowboys offense that, when firing on all cylinders, is one of the best in football. I think this game will come down to the wire, and who would you rather have in a close game than Russell Wilson? The Seahawks will eek out a close one with a late score, and Russ will increase his lead in the MVP race.
Packers 34-30 Saints 
Sunday, 8:20 EST, NBC
Sunday night’s affair between Green Bay and New Orleans is going to be a delight to watch. Two of the league’s most high-powered offenses led by two of the greatest QBs of all time going at one another at the Superdome. I’m taking the Packers to come out with a W simply because they’ve looked like the better, more-complete team through the first 2 weeks of the year. Additionally, if Saints star WR Michael Thomas can’t play due to his ankle injury, the Saints offense will be very hobbled, as we saw last Monday night in Las Vegas. Regardless of Thomas’ availability, I trust Green Bay’s defense to do its job and hold on for a tight win in a great game.
Ravens 24-23 Chiefs 
Monday, 8:15 EST, ESPN
Week 3’s final game is easily the Game of the Year on paper. When the NFL schedule was released 4 months ago, everyone circled this game. How can you not be excited? All the storylines: Mahomes vs. Lamar Part III, the defending champs vs the current Super Bowl favorites, arguably the two best teams in football duking it out for 60 minutes in primetime, the list goes on and on. In a game like this, I’d typically lean towards the home team, but that only means so much these days. Therefore, I’ll take the team that I think is better, and that’s Baltimore. The Ravens, as I said in yesterday’s Power Rankings, are easily the best and most complete team in football. I do believe that Patrick Mahomes is better than Lamar Jackson (they’re both incredible, you can’t go wrong with picking either), but the Ravens stellar defense will step up to stop the potent Kansas City offense, which looked very human last week in Inglewood. I cannot wait to see this football game.
Raza Talks Sports 