NFL Predictions: Picking Week 3 against the spread

Game: Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals (-6.5)

Pick: Bengals (-6.5)

My new rule of thumb: if the Bengals or Seahawks are favored by fewer than 10 points at home, I’m laying the points. The Bengals, much like the Seahawks, are purely dominant at home. In their last 10 games at Paul Brown Stadium, they’re a perfect 10-0 and have the same record against the spread. Against a Tennessee team that lost by 16 at home last week to Dallas, 6.5 points isn’t that many for Cincy to swallow.

Game: Baltimore Ravens (-2) at Cleveland Browns

Pick: Ravens (-2)

Rather than let the Ray Rice situation derail them, Raven players seem to be using it as a source of motivation and as a reason to rally around one another. Or at least that’s what their 20-point drubbing of the Steelers last Thursday told me. On the other side, the Browns look surprisingly good: they almost rallied back from 24 points down to beat the Steelers in Week 1 and did beat the Saints last week. But, with a spread this close, I’m siding with the team that has the better quarterback and the better coach. And that team is the Ravens.