Pete Prisco’s Week 3 NFL picks: Chargers upend Steelers on road, Vikings top Texans to remain unbeaten |Max Sporty|

It was a solid Week 2 for me — at least against the spread.

You’d think I’d be better off picking the games straight up, but that wasn’t the case last week. I went 7-9 straight for a 17-15 overall record and I was 9-6-1 ATS for a 17-12-3 record. I’ll make my usual claim about the right pick-wrong outcome against the Giants. If they have a kicker, they beat the Commanders and I have another win.

Ah, to hell with it. To this week.

There are four teams playing back-to-back road games this week, which is always a challenge. Keep that in mind when choosing your games.

Some of the supposed powerhouse teams, like the 49ers, Ravens and Cowboys, need to get back on track this week. One of them will be a winner — unless there’s a tie — as the Ravens play at Dallas against the Cowboys in one of the marquee games.

The Ravens are 0-2 and Dallas is 1-1. The loser has serious problems.

Desperation can be key in the NFL. See Atlanta on Monday night as they beat the Eagles on the road like a big dog. The Ravens appear to be the more desperate team against the Cowboys as they are winless. So what is the choice? Read on for all of them.

New England Patriots at New York Jets (-6.5)

Thursday, 8:15 pm ET (Main Video)

This is a game with two 1-1 teams with the Jets playing at home for the first time this season. The Jets offense showed some life in the second half last week against the Titans. That could carry over against a Pats defense that gave up a lot of big plays last week. I’m also looking for a better showing from the Jets defense. Jets take it, but the Pats hang around.

Choose: Jets 20, Taps 16

Bonus: Emory Hunt is also leaning Under 38.5 in this game, and he is 18-5 in picks in Patriots games. check which side he’s taking against the spread at SportsLine.

New York Giants at Cleveland Browns (-6.5)

Sunday, 1 pm ET (Fox, fubo)

The Giants are playing back-to-back road games and they face a good defense with a suspect offense. That’s never a good thing. The Browns won behind that defense last week at Jacksonville and should find a way to limit this Giants offense this week. Browns take it.

Choose: Browns 21, Giants 10

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Most important+)

The Bruins are on the road for a second straight week and they face a desperate 0-2 team. The Colts have been cut in the run game the last few weeks, which could mean a lot of D’Andre Swift. Both Anthony Richardson and Caleb Williams need to play better, but this is a tough spot for Richardson. Even so, I think he plays the better of the two.

Choose: Colts 23, Bears 20

Houston Texans (-2.5) at Minnesota Vikings

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Most important+)

This is a big game between two undefeated teams. The Vikings are a surprise team, while the Texans were expected to be good. The Minnesota defense was really good. They will throw a ton of looks at CJ Stroud. I think that will be the difference in the game. They will force a turnover and get a lot of pressure. The Vikings win a close one.

Choose: Vikings 24, Texans 21

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints (-1.5)

Sunday, 1 pm ET (Fox, fubo)

The Eagles should be rolling at 2-0, but coach Nick Sirianni cost them Monday’s game with the Falcons with a bad decision late. The biggest problem, however, is the defense. They were terrible against the run, while the Saints ran it well. Look for the Saints to go 3-0 behind their run game.

Choose: Saints 27, Eagles 20

Bonus: The SportsLine Projection Model also likes to cover the Saints as part of its best five-team talk for Week 3. See all of the Week 3 NFL model talks at SportsLine.

Los Angeles Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2)

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Most important+)

This is a game with two 2-0 teams, both with physical styles that will show up each and every Sunday. The Steelers have the better defense, but the Chargers are better on offense with Justin Herbert. They play consecutive street games, but it doesn’t matter. They earn it along the way.

Choose: Chargers 21, Steelers 17

Denver Broncos at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6.5)

Sunday, 1 pm ET (Fox, fubo)

The Bucs are riding high, while the Broncos have major offensive issues with Bo Nix. Tampa Bay’s defense is playing well, even undermanned, which will carry over here. Baker Mayfield will also play well. The Bucs keep rolling.

Choose: Bucs 26, Broncos 13

Green Bay Packers at Tennessee Titans (-3)

Sunday, 1 pm ET (Fox, fubo)

Will Levis made two bonehead plays in their two games to keep the Titans from winning. He has to be better. For the Packers, this will again likely be Malik Willis at quarterback against his former team. Willis was solid last week, but it was the running game that helped Green Bay beat the Colts. That will be more difficult here against a good Titans defense. Look for a defensive battle won by the titans.

Choose: Titans 21, Packers 17

Carolina Panthers at Las Vegas Raiders (-5.5)

Sunday, 4:05 pm ET (CBS, Most important+)

Andy Dalton is as the starter for the benched Bryce Young for the Panthers. He can’t be worse, but this is a good Raiders defense. Gardner Minshew played well, especially last week. The Raiders will win this one behind the defense and Minshew to get to 2-1.

Choose: Raiders 24, Panthers 10

Bonus: RJ White of SportsLine identified the Seahawks and Texans as good pivots in NFL survivor pools away from consensus favorites who lost in the first two weeks. He stays away from the Raiders, but see which survivor picks he likes at SportsLine.

Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks (-5)

Sunday, 4:05 pm ET (CBS, Most important+)

This is a tough first start for Skylar Thompson in place of Tua Tagovailoa. Seattle is as tough as it gets for a road trip and the Seahawks are playing well. The Seattle offense has looked good in two games that will continue here. Look for a big game from Geno Smith. Seahawks go to 3-0.

Choose: Seahawks 31, Dolphins 16

Detroit Lions (-3) at Arizona Cardinals

Sunday, 4:25 pm ET (Fox, fubo)

The Lions are out on the road for the first time, while the Cardinals are coming off an impressive home win over the Rams. Arizona has been outstanding on offense with Kyler Murray, who will stress the Lions defense. Look for Arizona to win a shootout that could get each team into the 30s.

Choose: Cardinals 31, Lions 29

Baltimore Ravens (-1) at Dallas Cowboys

Sunday, 4:25 pm ET (Fox, fubo)

This game lost some luster with the Ravens at 0-2 and the Cowboys getting blown out last week. Both teams have issues, but the biggest is the Ravens offensive line. After watching what the Saints did to the Dallas defense, they will overcome that and take care of Derrick Henry. The Ravens will get their first win on the road against the Cowboys.

Choose: Ravens 27, Cowboys 24

San Francisco 49ers (-7.5) at Los Angeles Rams

Sunday, 4:25 pm ET (Fox, fubo)

The 49ers are playing a second straight road game after losing to the Vikings, while the Rams are playing their home opener. That’s a tough combination. Both teams are hurting with major stars out of the lineup. The 49ers are deeper and that will show. They take it behind a good game from Brock Purdy.

Choose: 49ers 27, Rams 18

Bonus: SportsLine’s AI PickBot identified A-grade picks on both the spread and total for this game, with its total play the best across the board. See every AI PickBot projection for Week 3 at SportsLine.

Kansas City Chiefs (-4) at Atlanta Falcons

Sunday, 8:20 pm ET (NBC, fubo)

The Falcons are playing on a short week after beating the Eagles with a last-minute touchdown. The Atlanta offense was much improved from Week One, which is a good thing. The Chiefs looked sluggish on offense against the Bengals, but they’ll get it here. Their speed appears on the fast track.

Choose: Chiefs 32, Falcons 23

Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills (-5.5)

Monday, 7:30 pm ET (ESPN, fubo)

The Bills are playing with plenty of rest, while the 0-2 Jaguars are coming off two close losses. That’s a big margin for the Bills, as is a home Monday night game. But the biggest edge is their defense against the Jacksonville offense, which is struggling. The Bills keep rolling.

Choose: Bills 28, Jaguars 17

Bonus: SportsLine’s hottest NFL expert Jason La Canfora has made this game part of his early best bets, every Monday morning on SportsLine. See the rest of his early Week 3 play here.

Washington Commanders at Cincinnati Bengals (-8)

Monday, 8:15 PM ET (ABC, fubo)

The Chiefs won for the first time last week, while the Bengals are still looking for their first. They played well at Kansas City and probably should have won the game. That will continue here as they are playing much better and will get the best of the Commanders with Joe Burrow having a big game.

Choose: Bengal 29, commanders 16