NFL Preseason Week 3: Picks, Predictions and Odds

The first couple weeks of the NFL preseason are in the books and the regular season is just around the corner.

In less than two weeks' time, we’ll see the Baltimore Ravens take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game to open the 2024 campaign. 

But before the games count for real, the league will take to the field for the final of three preseason weeks, as each team looks to finish off training camp on a high note heading into the long season ahead.

With the final week of preseason football kicking off on Thursday and continuing throughout the weekend, let’s take a look at the odds for each matchup, plus our betting picks and predictions for Week 3 of the NFL preseason. 

NFL Preseason Week 3 betting picks and predictions

Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Under 34.5 (-110)

To start off our NFL preseason Week 3 predictions, let’s take the under in this NFC matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles. 

For those that have been tuned in with the Vikings during training camp, it’s been a tumultuous last couple of weeks for Minnesota, as the team has seen a number of key players go down with serious injury, including losing rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy for the season due to a torn meniscus. 

Minnesota has played fairly well in this year’s preseason, which is a change from previous seasons under head coach Kevin O’Connell. 

However, given the injuries suffered in recent weeks and that this is the final preseason game before Week 1, it could well be that the Vikings’ main goal for this contest will be to rest the majority of their starters and get out of the game unscathed. We should see a lot of Jaren Hall and Matt Corral in this contest, which bodes well for the opposing defense. 

In that same vein, the Eagles are 2-0 in this preseason, which makes them just 4-7 straight up in the preseason under head coach Nick Sirianni. More importantly, both games Philadelphia played in this preseason went under the closing total, finishing with 27 and 29 total points respectively. 

Given the fact that 34 is a fairly key number in preseason totals and both of these teams should be very cautious with how they approach this game, a run-heavy game script and a low-scoring contest can be expected. Let’s back the under 34.5 with our Vikings vs. Eagles predictions.    

New England Patriots vs. Washington Commanders: Under 34.0 (-110)

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Much like the previous game, this is another spot where it makes sense for both teams involved to adhere to a conservative game script and focus on ironing out some kinks before the season gets underway in just over two weeks time. 

Rookie Patriots quarterback Drake Maye appeared to breathe life into an offense that was completely dead in the first preseason game, as he led the unit down the field for his first ever NFL touchdown drive. Head coach Jerod Mayo indicated that Maye would indeed play in the preseason finale, but it’s expected that he’ll only be on the field for a couple of drives. 

As soon as Maye leaves the field, the Patriots offense gets a lot more stagnant with Jacoby Brissett or Bailey Zappe under center. It’s no coincidence that both New England games during this preseason have finished with a total of 20 and 27 points respectively. 

On the other side, the Washington Commanders are unlikely to give Jayden Daniels much time at quarterback in this one, especially after seeing his promise in the first couple of preseason games. 

It’s hard to imagine Washington scoring much with Jeff Driskel or Trace McSorley getting the majority of the snaps at quarterback, so let’s target the under 34 for our best bet in this Commanders vs. Patriots matchup.

Read more betting picks and predictions for the NFL on site.

NFL Preseason Week 3 odds

Date	Home	Away	Spread
Aug 22	CIN Bengals	IND Colts	IND -2.5
Aug 22	KC Chiefs	CHI Bears	CHI -2.5
Aug 23	ATL Falcons	JAX Jaguars	JAX -4.5
Aug 23	TB Buccaneers	MIA Dolphins	MIA -1.5
Aug 23	LV Raiders	SF 49ers	LV -1.5
Aug 24	BUF Bills	CAR Panthers	BUF -4.5
Aug 24	HOU Texans	LA Rams	HOU -6.5
Aug 24	GB Packers	BAL Ravens	BAL -1.5
Aug 24	DET Lions	PIT Steelers	PIT -3.5
Aug 24	PHI Eagles	MIN Vikings	PHI -1.5
Aug 24	DAL Cowboys	LA Chargers	DAL -3.5
Aug 24	NY Jets	NY Giants	NYG -1.5
Aug 24	SEA Seahawks	CLE Browns	SEA -1.5
Aug 25	NO Saints	TEN Titans	TEN -3.5
Aug 25	DEN Broncos	AZ Cardinals	DEN -3.5
Aug 25	WAS Commanders	NE Patriots	WAS -1.5

Read the latest NFL news on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.