NFL Preseason Week 3 Odds: Last Week of Exhibition Games

The final week of preseason games is upon us and it’s one more time for players to impress coaching staffs. Teams with established starters probably won’t play them much, if at all. While players battling for starting berths will likely see a fair amount of time. The NFL preseason Week 3 odds reflect teams who will have first-string battles and teams who will be sitting their starters.

Week 3 of the preseason begins with the Steelers visiting the Falcons. Pittsburgh is 2-0 in the preseason, while the Falcons are 1-0-1, having tied the Bengals last week. Pittsburgh’s 27-15 win over Buffalo is a little misleading, as it was aided by three Matt Barkley interceptions.

His first came on 2nd-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 10 and his second resulted in a 13-yard touchdown drive for Pittsburgh. His final pick ended with a Pittsburgh field goal. The Bills outgained the Steelers but couldn’t overcome the turnovers.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has said his starters will play some, but didn’t say how much. Only until the coaches were satisfied. Atlanta coach Arthur Smith didn’t commit one way or the other. This could be a game to look to the under.

The NFL preseason Week 3 odds have the Colts favored by 4.5 points in Philadelphia. That really tells you what you need to know about the Eagles playing their starters. Anthony Richardson will start for the Colts, although how long he plays remains to be seen.

The teams have been doing some joint practices together, so it’s a bit surprising to see Indianapolis playing its starters a bit. The Colts are 1-1 this preseason, while the Eagles are 0-1-1 after tying Cleveland last week.

The preseason NFL standings show the Carolina Panthers 0-2, although that hasn’t stopped them from being instilled as 4.5-point favorites over Detroit. The Lions are 1-1. Carolina is expected to play Bryce Young and the starters some in this game. Detroit’s starters haven’t played in the first two games.

It’s unlikely they’ll play here, so it’s no surprise to see a winless team favored by 4.5 points in the NFL point spreads. The game is probably a bit more meaningful for the Panthers and you can’t blame anybody who takes Carolina in this spot.

The Patriots are favored by 2 points on the road in a battle of 1-1 teams. New England could be taking a good look at their third- and fourth-string quarterbacks here, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see plenty of Trace McSorley. The Titans are in a similar situation.

Will Levis is a little banged up, so it’s unknown if he’ll play. The Titans aren’t going to risk injury to Ryan Tannehill, so Malik Willis could play plenty. With a number of backups seeing significant playing time, the under is probably the right side of this one.

Both NFL teams bring 1-1 records into the final game on the schedule for Friday. But the 49ers are huge 7.5-point favorites on news Kyle Shanahan will play San Francisco’s starters some against the Chargers. San Francisco has a decent QB rotation, but the line is still a bit high for a preseason game.

The Chargers looked good in their opener. That wasn’t the case last week, as New Orleans came away with the win. The Chargers could go through the motions in this one, resting their key players.

The Green Bay Packers are favored by 3 over Seattle on Saturday afternoon. The Seahawks have been on the right side of the NFL scores in both preseason games. Seattle is one of just three NFC teams to be 2-0 after the first two weeks of preseason games.

The Packers have gone 1-1. Jordan Love has looked good for the Packers and will some playing time here. Pete Carroll said Drew Lock will play quite a bit for Seattle, so the line makes sense. It’s easier to see the Packers making an effort to win this one than it is for Seattle.

Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell has yet to win a preseason game. The Vikings haven’t won a preseason game since defeating Arizona on Aug. 24, 2019. The Cardinals and Vikings have some joint practices scheduled during the week. So neither team may play its starters much.

And the Vikings play theirs a little less than most teams, which is one reason why Minnesota’s preseason record is so dismal. At some point the Vikings are going to win a preseason game. But it’s hard to bet on it being this week.

The NFL preseason Week 3 odds show Cleveland favored by 3.5 points over Kansas City. Cleveland’s starters will play about 20 to 25 snaps in the game before making way for the second team. The Chiefs haven’t announced anything, but it’s doubtful their starters will play.

The Browns are 1-1-1 after playing in the Hall of Fame game, while Kansas City is 1-1. This game probably means less to Kansas City than it does to Cleveland, so the Browns are probably the side to be on if you have to play this game.

The Bears are favored by 2 over Buffalo in the final Saturday afternoon game of the week. The Bills have a bit of a backup quarterback battle on their hands, so if Josh Allen plays, it won’t be for long. Both Matt Barkley and Kyle Allen had one good game and one bad game in the preseason.

Right now, neither exudes a lot of confidence, so the Bills need somebody to step up and take charge. The Bears sat Justin Fields last week, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he gets in a little work here. Both teams are 1-1 entering their final preseason game.

It’s just a preseason game, but this matchup should get New York sports fans pumped up a little bit. The Jets have already said Aaron Rodgers will play some in this game. Don’t expect to see him on the field for too long. But the Jets don’t want his team debut to be in the regular season opener.

Rodgers hasn’t played a preseason game since 2018, but seemed to welcome the opportunity to play. That said, the Jets have allowed just 34 points in three games. New York should be able to slow down the Giants‘ reserves, so the under is the way to go in this one.

The Commanders put an end to Baltimore’s 24-game winning streak on Monday and now face the Bengals in their final tune-up. Washington has won both its preseason games, while the Bengals are 0-1-1. Cincinnati didn’t look good against Atlanta and the rushing game was especially ugly.

Running backs gained 2.1 yards per carry against the Falcons and that’s not going to cut it in the NFL. The Bengals will get most of their yardage through the air. But you’d still like to see the offensive line doing a better job than that.

The question here is if the Ravens will start another winning streak or just coast now that the winning streak is over. The Buccaneers should have the better quarterbacks playing, with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask battling for the starting job. Both have looked good in limited playing time.

The Bucs won’t announce a starter until after the game, so there’s plenty on the line in this one. Both teams are now 1-1, although this is a tough game to play. The Ravens could use the game to look at borderline players now that the winning streak is over.

The NFL preseason Week 3 odds have Jacksonville -7 in a battle of Florida teams. The Jaguars are 2-0 in the preseason. Miami has split its two games. Jacksonville is a little banged up, but is expected to play its starters in the first half against the Dolphins.

That would explain why the point spread is so high. It’s a bit risky, but coach Doug Pederson believes it’s important for the first team to get in some game situations. The Dolphins haven’t said much regarding their starters, but it will almost certainly be less than the Jags are playing them. Jacksonville is still trying to build a winning culture, even if it is a preseason game, and it’s hard to fault a team for that.

The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to finish the preseason with a 3-0 record when they travel to Dallas on Saturday. The Raiders are favored by 5 and the total is 38.5. The Cowboys haven’t put much emphasis on preseason games lately and are 0-2 on the season.

The Raiders looked good against the Rams, while Dallas went through the motions against Seattle. Don’t be surprised to see the Raiders get the win in this one against an uninterested Dallas team.

The Broncos host the Rams in the last game on Saturday’s schedule. Denver has lost two games by a total of two points, while the Rams have been drilled by 17 points each game. The teams are having a few joint practices and those often tell coaches more than the game that follows.

Aaron Donald won’t play for the Rams, who haven’t appeared to be too concerned with the preseason so far. A win would be nice for the Broncos to enter the regular season with a little positive momentum.

The final preseason game of the 2023 season takes place Sunday night between Houston and New Orleans. The Saints have won both preseason games, while Houston has gone 1-1. The two teams canceled joint practices that were scheduled during the week.

The Saints have looked good and probably are in no rush to play their starts much. It’s tough not to take New Orleans here, but there’s no real incentive for the Saints to come out and try to put on an impressive show.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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