NFL picks against the spread, Week 3: Will the Ravens beat the Chiefs?

Our takes on this week's slate of NFL games.

It’s Week 3 of the NFL season, which kicks off on Thursday with the Tennessee Titans facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, so it’s time for our weekly look at the point spreads in order to help you win some money.

Last week, our Charles Curtis went 9-7 in Week 2 picks (17-15 overall) and Steven Ruiz went 10-6 (20-12 overall). We now go to each of them for comments before their picks.

Charles: Hey look at that! Two above-.500 weeks for both of — aw, man Steven’s wiping the floor with me again. Why am I not surprised?

Steven: That’s just Charles’ attempt at jinxing me. If I tank this week, blame him. I know I will.

(All odds courtesy of BetMGM)

NOTE: The Panthers-Cardinals game was off the board as of Thursday morning.

Titans at Jaguars (+1.5)

Charles: Titans

I soooo badly want to bet on GARDNER MINSHEW!! … but the Titans seem good enough to win this game that’s basically a pick ’em. They kept things close against a very good Colts squad last week.

Steven: Jaguars

This is going to be a close, low-scoring game that the better quarterback ends up winning late. So, yeah, I’m picking the Jaguars.

Falcons at Colts (-2.5)

Charles: Colts

I don’t like this Falcons team, which seems one-dimensional. I like the Colts a lot more and they’re at home.

Steven: Colts

The Falcons haven’t looked good at all through two weeks. I’ll lay the points and take the more complete team, which just so happens to be playing at home.

Ravens at Chiefs (-6.5)

Charles: Ravens

LAMAR JACKSON VS. PATRICK MAHOMES! GIVE ME THE OVER I DON’T CARE HOW BIG IT IS. Sorry. Also the Chiefs defense will allow Jackson to keep up, so take the points.

Steven: Ravens

I actually think this one ends up being more low scoring than you might think. Baltimore’s tremendous secondary will keep this one close, though the Chiefs will end up squeaking out a close win.

Bengals at Bills (-5.5)

Charles: Bills

Hey, the Bills are a good football team. There’s a chance here for an Andy Dalton garbage time backdoor cover, but Buffalo’s defense is good enough to keep Dalton and the run game bottled up.

Steven: Bills

We saw the Bengals true stripes (sorry) last week when they were blown out at home in Week 2. The Bills have one of the better defenses in the league the offense should be able to scrounge up enough points to outscore Andy Dalton by at least a touchdown.

Broncos at Packers (-7.5)

Charles: Packers

New trend: Green Bay’s defense is good. Couple that with zero faith in Joe Flacco and Denver’s offense and I think it’s a 24-10 win at Lambeau.

Steven: Packers

Have you seen Joe Flacco attempt to complete a pass this season? It’s been a struggle.

Lions at Eagles (-6.5)

Charles: Lions

The Eagles’ injuries concern me enough to want to take the points here.

Steven: Lions

Have you seen the Eagles injury report? Pretty much everybody is on it. YOU might even be on it. The Lions are a good team and they’ll keep this one close.

Dolphins at Cowboys (-21.5)

Charles: Cowboys

Do you really need me to explain why?

Steven: Dolphins

I already know this is a dumb pick; but, for some reason, this game screams “backdoor cover” at me.

Jets at Patriots (-22.5)

Charles: Patriots

Do you really need me to explain why, part two?

Steven: Patriots

This is the best Patriots team I’ve ever seen. And, yes, I’m including 2007 in there. I don’t even know who the Jets are starting at quarterback, so …

Raiders at Vikings (-7.5)

Charles: Vikings

The pendulum has swung to far the other way on the Vikings, at least with this spread. Yes, Kirk Cousins looks bad. The defense might not be as elite as we thought. So this is a week to shut the critics up and throw it like crazy against the NFL’s worst pass defense.

Steven: Raiders

That’s too many points for a struggling Kirk Cousins to cover against a defense that has played well in seven of eight quarters this season.

Giants at Buccaneers (-6.5)

Charles: Buccaneers

Can Daniel Jones play cornerback? Because that’s really what the Giants need. The Bucs are going to throw downfield all day while also stacking the box against Saquon Barkley.

Steven: Buccaneers

The Bucs offense should break out any week now and Todd Bowles has the defense playing at a high level. This is the week Tampa Bay takes off.

Texans at Chargers (-3.5)

Charles: Texans

I’ve whiffed twice on the Chargers, thinking they would be the dark-horse Super Bowl pick I thought they’d be. But they barely beat the Colts in OT and lost to the Lions. So I’ve got to take the points.

Steven: Chargers

I’m just not that convinced the Texans are any good, and the Chargers’ loss in Detroit will look a lot better by season’s end. The Lions are a solid team, so that loss doesn’t really concern me. Chargers cover a small spread at home.

Saints at Seahawks (-4.5)

Charles: Saints

Teddy Bridgewater will be better, the Seahawks will probably win, but not by that margin.

Steven: Saints

The Seahawks struggled to take care of the Bengals at home. A Sean Payton-coached team should be able to keep it close as well. I don’t know if New Orleans wins, but it’ll keep it within a touchdown.

Steelers at 49ers (-6.5)

Charles: Steelers

I’ll keep saying it: I think Mason Rudolph will be better than people think. Not Pro Bowl-level stuff, but with the weapons around him, he’ll keep this game to within a touchdown.

Steven: 49ers

I’ll keep saying it: I think Mason Rudolph will be worse than Charles thinks. I wrote about why that is here. The Steelers offense isn’t all that good, and no coach is better than Kyle Shanahan at exploiting a disjointed defense.

Rams at Browns (+3.5)

Charles: Rams

A 3.5-point home dog is super enticing. But how much faith do we really have in a Browns team that got shellacked by the Titans and beat a terrible Jets team that had to play its third QB?

Steven: Rams

Baker Mayfield is struggling, and I don’t trust Steve Wilks to formulate a plan to stop Sean McVay’s offense. Los Angeles is a markedly better team.

Bears at Redskins (+3.5)

Charles: Redskins

I mentioned last week that the Bengals might be the Good Enough Team to Cover Spreads. But it turns out that might be the Skins.

Steven: Redskins

I don’t think we give Jay Gruden enough credit. He’ll craft a good offensive gameplan and Mitch Trubisky will be Mitch Trubisky. Washington not only covers; it wins outright.