Week 3 NFL Capsules - NFL News And Picks

Week 3 NFL Capsules
By Chris Cluff
Posted: 3:00 am PDT 2006-09-24

Jets (1-1) at Bills (1-1), 1 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Bills -5.5 (34.5)
Storyline: This is the first division meeting between first-year coaches Eric Mangini (Jets) and Dick Jauron (Bills). The Jets' Chad Pennington is one of the league's hottest quarterbacks, having thrown for 300 yards in each of the first two games. He leads a somewhat banged-up offense (i.e., LG Pete Kendall and WR Laveranues Coles) against a Buffalo defense that expects to have LB Takeo Spikes, who missed last week with a hamstring injury. The Bills are coming off a win in Miami in which J.P. Losman once again played a mistake-free game.
Best Bet: The Bills appear a lot healthier than the Jets, who won't get any better on the road.
Buffalo, 20-13.

Packers (0-2) at Lions (0-2), 1 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Lions -7 (39)
Storyline: In another divisional matchup between new coaches, Mike McCarthy's Packers visit Rod Marinelli's Lions. Each team has been blown out by the Chicago Bears in the first two weeks, the Packers losing 26-0 in Week 1 and the Lions losing 34-7 last week.
Best Bet: The Packers have won nine of the past 11 in the series, but the Lions have a tough defense under Marinelli.
Detroit, 24-13.

Redskins (0-2) at Texans (0-2), 1 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Redskins -4 (37.5)
Storyline: RB Clinton Portis (shoulder) will play after missing Washington's loss to Dallas in Week 2 as the Redskins try to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2001. Washington CB Shawn Springs (abdomen) has not played yet this season and won't again this week. Houston's David Carr is the No. 2-rated quarterback in the league despite being sacked nine times already. His protection won't get any better with LT Charles Spencer (broken leg) out for the season.
Best Bet: The Texans are 2-8 against NFC teams, and Houston's defense might be just what Washington's offense needs.
Washington, 21-13.

Jaguars (2-0) at Colts (2-0), 1 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Colts -7 (42.5)
Storyline: Coming off a 9-0 shutout of Pittsburgh, the Jags will try to shut down Peyton Manning and the Colts' high-powered offense in a big AFC South rivalry game. The Colts swept the series last season and have won eight of 10 meetings. But the last five games have been decided by seven points or less, and the Jaguars have won two.
Best Bet: The Jags are bound to get more than nine points this week; but their banged-up defense, as well as it is playing, probably can't keep up with the Colts' offense.
Indianapolis, 24-17.

Titans (0-2) at Dolphins (0-2), 1 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Dolphins -10.5 (35.5)
Storyline: This game features two dysfunctional offenses. The Titans are starting Kerry Collins at quarterback, even though he arrived just before the season and has completed just 40.4 percent of his passes, with four interceptions. The Titans traded Billy Volek to San Diego this week, although that was not a big move at this point because Tennessee had already made rookie Vince Young the backup to Collins. The Dolphins were supposed to be a contender in the AFC East after obtaining Daunte Culpepper, but their new quarterback has had trouble getting in sync. He has one touchdown pass and three interceptions while being sacked 10 times. Part of the problem is that the offensive line has already lost four right guards and the running game has been inconsistent.
Best Bet: The Dolphins won 24-10 in December and still have a good defense. But 11 points might be too big of a spread for this game.
Miami, 20-10.

Bears (2-0) at Vikings (2-0), 1 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Bears -3.5 (35)
Storyline: Everyone knows about the Bears' defense, but now Chicago appears to have an offense -- led by Rex Grossman, the NFL's top-rated quarterback. New coach Brad Childress has the Vikings off to a hot start thanks to a tough new Cover 2 defense, which is the same scheme run by the Bears. But the Vikings' D suffered a blow last week when DE Erasmus James (knee) was lost for the season.
Best Bet: The home team has won the last eight meetings, but the Bears finally have an offense.
Chicago, 23-17.

Bengals (2-0) at Steelers (1-1), 1 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Steelers -2 (43)
Storyline: Carson Palmer has looked good in his first two games coming off ACL surgery, and the quarterback has his Bengals poised to take early command of the AFC North if they can beat the Steelers. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger, however, did not look so good in his first game on Monday, throwing two interceptions in a 9-0 loss to Jacksonville. This is a revenge game of sorts for Palmer, who suffered the torn ACL on the first play of a playoff game against the Steelers in January. Both teams come in with injury concerns.
Best Bet: The Bengals won 38-31 in Pittsburgh in December and have won eight of their past 10 on the road.
Cincinnati, 24-14.

Panthers (0-2) at Bucs (0-2), 1 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Panthers -3 (34)
Storyline: The loser of this battle between 2005 playoff teams could be knocked out of the NFC South race in just the third week. Carolina has struggled on offense without All-Pro WR Steve Smith, scoring just 19 points; but the Bucs have been even worse, scoring a league-low three. Chris Simms has thrown a league-high six interceptions and will merely be trying to hold on to his job. Carolina likely will have Smith (hamstring) back, but the Panthers also have injury concerns on defense.
Best Bet: The Panthers, who have won three straight in Tampa, are not this bad. But the Bucs are. The under appears to be a great bet in this game.
Carolina, 17-10.

Ravens (2-0) at Browns (0-2), 4:05 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Ravens -6.5 (33.5)
Storyline: Led by the league's top-ranked defense, the Ravens are poised to open 3-0 for the first time since they moved from Cleveland in 1995. The Ravens still have not found their offensive stride with new QB Steve McNair, but that could change against Cleveland's depleted secondary. The Cleveland offense, meanwhile, is missing WR Joe Jurevicius (ribs) and could be without RB Reuben Droughns (shoulder). Not a good scenario against a Baltimore defense that has forced nine turnovers.
Best Bet: The Browns have won the past two at home against Baltimore, but this is a much better Ravens team.
Baltimore, 27-10.

Rams (1-1) at Cardinals (1-1), 4:15 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Cardinals -4.5 (44.5)
Storyline: Two struggling offenses try to get on track in this NFC West tilt. Scott Linehan's Rams have scored just one touchdown in the first two weeks, and the Cardinals are coming off a 21-10 loss to Seattle in which QB Kurt Warner was sacked five times. The Rams are playing with a patchwork line after losing C Andy McCollum (knee) in the opener and LT Orlando Pace (concussion) last week. McCollum is out for the season, and Pace is questionable for this week but is expected to play.
Best Bet: The Rams have won six of the past eight in the series, but the Cardinals are now playing in front of a sold-out stadium.
Arizona, 24-14.

Eagles (1-1) at 49ers (1-1), 4:15 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Eagles -6 (41.5)
Storyline: The Eagles will be hungry after blowing a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter at home against the Giants last week. The Eagles take on a 49ers team that got its first win last week thanks to an improving offense that has shown the penchant for big plays and a defense that sacked Rams QB Marc Bulger six times. The Eagles will probably be down two cornerbacks, although on the bright side RB Brian Westbrook (knee) and TE L.J. Smith (shoulder) are both expected to play after being questionable earlier in the week.
Best Bet: The Eagles bounce back from losses well (21-8 since 2000), and while they won't dominate the 49ers like they did last season (42-3), they should take this one. Philadelphia, 24-14.

Giants (1-1) at Seahawks (2-0), 4:15 p.m. ET
WagerWeb.com line: Seahawks -3.5 (43)
Storyline: This is a rematch of a 2005 game in which Jay Feely missed three potential winning field goals for New York, allowing Seattle to escape with a win in overtime. The Giants committed 11 false starts in that game, due largely to the incredible noise at Qwest Field. Someone suspects that noise was artificially created, and the NFL will be listening this week. The Seahawks have won both games this year thanks mainly to a much improved defense. The offense continues to try to find its rhythm, adding WR Deion Branch this week. The Giants are coming off an emotional overtime win in Philadelphia, and they have plenty of weapons to take on the Seattle defense.
Best Bet: The Seahawks will make enough noise to extend their home winning streak to 12 games.
Seattle, 24-20.

Broncos (1-1) at Patriots (2-0), 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
WagerWeb.com line: Patriots -6.5 (38.5)
Storyline: This is a rematch of last season's divisional playoff game in which Denver ended New England's run of 11 straight postseason wins. The Patriots are 2-0 this season despite average performances by QB Tom Brady. They can thank a running game that ranks third in the league. The Broncos have scored just 19 points in the first two games, while QB Jake Plummer has thrown four interceptions and no touchdowns. And WR Rod Smith is recovering from a concussion.
Best Bet: Brady is 1-4 against Denver, but Plummer is struggling more right now.
New England, 24-13.

Falcons (2-0) at Saints (2-0), 8:30 p.m. ET Monday, ESPN
WagerWeb.com line: Falcons -3.5 (43)
Storyline: The NFL makes its much anticipated return to the Superdome, with the Saints hosting their first game there since Hurricane Katrina sent them on the road for all of last season. As if that weren't a big enough story for "Monday Night Football," the Saints host the Falcons in a battle for the NFC South lead. It marks the home debuts of new Saints QB Drew Brees and RB Reggie Bush.
Best Bet: The Falcons lead the league in rushing (279 yards per game), which should be enough for them to extend their dominance of the Saints (16-6 since 1995).
Atlanta, 24-20.

LAST WEEK: 12-4
SEASON: 22-10

NFL Football Betting Line, Upcoming Game Previews & More

Online NFL Football Betting Sites