With two weeks in the books, we flip the page and shift our attention to Week 3 of the NFL season. As per usual, the league continues to provide incredible surprises like the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those are two of the teams featured in the must-watch games of Week 3.
New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
Line: Atlanta -3.5
The Saints were staring down the barrel of another 0-2 start – their fifth in a row – when Drew Brees and the offense saved them in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns. Although, the Browns offered plenty of help with missed field goals and turnovers. Now Brees and company will head on the road for a first-place NFC South showdown with Matt Ryan and the Falcons. Atlanta bounced back from an ugly season-opening loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles by beating the Carolina Panthers 31-24 at home on Sunday. Can Atlanta double down against another division rival or will the Saints build on the momentum they finished last game with and make it two wins in a row? This game will have major implications in the NFC South division race.
San Francisco 49ers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Line: Kansas City -6
All eyes will be on Patrick Mahomes after he did something no other quarterback had done in NFL history, throwing for 10 touchdown passes in the first two games of the season. He has to be the early front-runner for league MVP right now. He’ll match up against another young starter in Jimmy Garoppolo when the 49ers visit this week.
Indianapolis Colts @ Philadelphia Eagles
Line: Philadelphia -6
Philadelphia followed up an unconvincing Week 1 win over Atlanta by laying an egg in a 27-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now they get their franchise passer back with the hope that Carson Wentz can reinvigorate an offense that has looked stagnant in each of the first two weeks.
New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions
Line: New England -7
The Matt Patricia era in Detroit is off to a rough start with losses to the New York Jets and San Francisco to open the season. Now the Lions have to line up against a pissed-off Patriots side that is coming off an ugly 31-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. The Lions were already embarrassed once on national television and they’ll be in a tough spot to avoid another ugly loss when Sunday Night Football kicks off.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Line: Pittsburgh -2
The final matchup of Week 3 should also be one of the most entertaining with two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL going head-to-head. Nobody would have thought the Buccaneers would be referred to as an explosive offense with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center but he has thrown for 819 yards and nine touchdowns in the first two weeks of the season. Meanwhile, the Steelers are 0-1-1 following a high-scoring loss to the Chiefs and now they have to go on the road to face a red-hot Bucs team with no sign of Le’Veon Bell returning in the near future. Pittsburgh’s issues run much deeper than Bell right now – especially on the defensive side of the ball. Their desperation and the Bucs’ early-season performances make this week’s Monday Night Football a must-see.