NFL Odds: Week 3 picks against the spread
By Nick Villano
Cincinnati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers (-3)
This is a very intriguing matchup. The Cincinnati Bengals, one of the final undefeated teams, go on the road to face a Panthers team coming off a loss to the Falcons. This could be a high-profile matchup for the ages. Cam Newton and Andy Dalton are both polarizing quarterbacks for completely different reasons. They’ve both showed signs of greatness, but faltered when it matters. One obviously more than the other.
The Panthers just didn’t have enough weapons last weekend. Losing Greg Olsen takes away the team’s biggest target, and forces them to ask Christian McCaffrey and Devin Funchess to do too much. Luke Kuechly had a rough game against the Falcons, missing four tackles. The Panthers just need a little bit more up and down the lineup.
Meanwhile, the Bengals could be without Joe Mixon. That would be a huge loss, and force the Bengals to rely more on Giovanni Bernard. That’s a drop off, but not as big as other teams would deal with. This is a hard matchup to pin, so you gotta go with your gut. My gut is telling me to go with the Bengals, so that’s what were doing. It should be close either way, so if you want to find easy money, stay away from this one.
Carolina 21, Cincinnati 20
New York Giants @ Houston Texans (-6)
I am not betting on Eli Manning again. I don’t care if this line is too high for a matchup between winless teams. I don’t care if Bill O’Brien now has the hottest seat in the NFL. This Texans team has Swiss cheese for an O-line, but the Giants unit isn’t much better.
The Texans are desperate in a way the Giants aren’t. Pat Shurmur has time to make this work in New York. O’Brien is running out of time. Deshaun Watson is starting to get his groove back after his torn ACL. Things are starting to go the Texans way.
The Giants have Odell Beckham Jr. That’s about it. Saquon Barkley has not been the game changer we’ve been waiting for. The defense has stars, but also got torched by Tavon Austin. That’s so bad that I was trying to figure out when Miles Austin came back, and I went to West Virginia University.
Don’t bet on the Giants. It’s not fun. It’s just frustrating. Go for the Texans. At least you get to root for Watson.
Houston 21, New York (G) 13