Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season started off great Thursday night as the Buffalo Bills beat the Miami Dolphins, 31-21. The excitement continues as Sunday’s game slate is sure to feed your football needs. Read on to find out more about key week 3 NFL matchups.
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Houston, we have a problem. C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ offensive struggles continue to undermine their great defense. Meanwhile, Jacksonville has slowly brought the pieces together despite losing to a Burrow-less Bengals team last week. This pivotal AFC South matchup is sure to have late season implications.
Predication: Houston finally gets their first win of the season while Travis Hunter has the breakout performance we had all been waiting for. Houston over Jacksonville, 17-14.
Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings
The Bengals have lost Joe Burrow to injury, again. Out for at least 3 months following toe surgery, Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning gets the start this week. On the other side, the Vikings are without their 2nd year rookie J.J. McCarthy due to a high ankle sprain. Former MVP frontrunner Carson Wentz gets the start but will be without running back Aaron Jones who was placed on injured reserve this week.
Prediction: Expect Brian Flores and the Minnesota defense to pressure Browning all day long. Carson Wentz will flashback to 2017 with an MVP caliber level performance. Minnesota over Cincinnati, 27-13.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward has been impressive to start the season. Leading a young Titans team, Ward channeled his inner Brett Favre to complete a cross-field pass last week for a touchdown. It’s going to take another Herculean effort to take down the AFC South leading Colts at home. Oh, and Daniels Jones apparently can throw the ball. He just didn’t want to do it in New York for some reason.
Prediction: The Colts offense is on a roll. The trend continues today as the defense keeps Cam Ward and Calvin Ridley in check. Indianapolis steam rolls Tennessee, 32-10.
Las Vegas Raiders at Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels is out for the Commanders due to injury. Backup quarterback and fellow Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota gets the start for Washington. Meanwhile, Geno Smith and the Raiders are looking to get back on track after being embarrassed by the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. Commanders will need Terry McLaurin to show up this week, otherwise they might have to ask for some of that money back.
Prediction: The Raiders can’t afford to fall back in the race for the AFC West. Maxx Crosby and the Raiders’ defense take advantage of a Jayden Daniels-less Commanders squad. Valient effort by Mariota, but it’s not enough. Las Vegas defeats Washington, 20-13.
Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles
The last time these 2 teams met, it was fireworks. Eagles got the win over the Rams last season in the divisional round of the playoffs. That game was in Philadelphia, just like this one. The weather is better but Jalen Hurts is on fire. Expect Hurts and A.J. Brown to respond to the chatter about the Philly pass game this week.
Prediction: Eagles took the win last time these teams met up. Philly gets the job done today by airmail. Expect the same result today. Philadelphia over Los Angeles, 27-17.
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers
Another division matchup this week, the Falcons are fighting to keep up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the moment, the Bucs appears lightyears ahead of Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans. Seriously, late last season Bryce Young needs to show up to keep the Panthers from getting pounded in their home opener.
Prediction: Panthers give an inspired performance for their home opener but it’s not enough. Bijan Robinson and company run wild in Carolina. Atlanta beats Carolina, 21-7.
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
The Pittsburgh Steelers have the highest paid defense in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers also have the worst defense in the NFL. T.J. Watt and friends have an opportunity to right the ship against (overrated) Drake Maye and the Pats this week. We love Mike Vrable, but this team is terrible.
Prediction: Steelers defense gets a touchdown this week but Aaron Rodgers takes the credit and the win. Pittsburgh over New England, 24-14.
Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns
For some reason, the Cleveland Browns started Joe Flacco for the season and thought things would go well. After being thrashed by his former team last week, Flacco, once again, get the start against the Packers. Calls for Shedeur Sanders to start are getting louder and louder but to Kevin Stefanski and the Browns organization, that’s just noise. Noise loud enough that there are rumors the team is looking to move Sanders before the trade deadline. Expect Green Bay to take advantage of the chaos going on the Cleveland sidelines today.
Prediction: Green Bay puts on a show. Micah Parsons hunt down Flacco 4 times in the win. Green Bay beats Cleveland, 30-17.
New York Jets at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tyrod Taylor gets the start for the New York Jets this week while Justin Fields is in concussion protocol. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs continue to impress, having won their last two games on the last play. The Jets’ defense needs to come alive this week if they hope to get this thing turned around. Unfortunately, the Bucs are really good and show no signs of slowing down.
Prediction: Bucky Irving and the Bucs run wild today as the Jets’ defensive struggles continue. Coach Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay get the win over his former team. Tampa Bay over New York, 23-17.
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers
2 of the best NFL defenses will have an opportunity to showcase their talents today in this exciting matchup. The Chargers destroyed Las Vegas on Monday night while the Broncos suffered defeat on a last second field goal by the Colts last week. Both teams have a chance to dethrone the reigning division champ Kansas City Chiefs. A win today will put either team in prime position to do just that.
Prediction: Denver suffers the same fate two weeks in a row. Chargers take the win with a late field goal and sit in first place of the division. Los Angeles over Denver, 19-16.
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
The Saints look bad. Spencer Rattler is not that guy. Alvin Kamara is not enough. On the other side, Sam Darnold and the Seahawks have been impressive through two weeks. Expect Kenneth Walker III to have a breakout game today.
Prediction: Saints fall hard in their first road contest of the year. Walker and Charbonnet look like a WWE tag team. Seattle over New Orleans, 24-13.
Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears
Dak Prescott has been great for the Cowboys to start the season. He just needs his defense to get on the same page. Maybe newly signed edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney can help out a bit? One thing is for sure; Caleb Williams will put up a fight. It just won’t be enough.
Prediction: Dak throws for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams have a heated exchange on the sideline. Jerry Jones reminds us of his genius move to bring Clowney in. Dallas over Chicago, 35-17.
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers
Mac Jones looked good in his start for the 49ers last week at New Orleans. In for an injured Brock Purdy, Jones now has to face a real NFL defense this week. At least it’s at home. Meanwhile, Murray is reminding everyone just how dangerous his arm (and legs) are.
Prediction: 49ers look good but will miss George Kittle for another week. Murray and Marvin connect for 2 touchdowns and spoil Mac Jones’ home debut. Arizona over San Francisco, 23-20.
Kansas City Chiefs at New York Giants
Everyone will be paying close attention to the Kansas City Chiefs in this game. If Patrick Mahomes is looking to return to the playoffs, he and his fellow Chiefs will have to bring the fight to New York’s scrappy defense. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson will have to mirror his amazing performance from last week to keep Daboll from pulling Jaxson Dart out the stable.
Prediction: New York suffers another heart-breaking loss on a last minute field goal. Chiefs stay alive, for now. Kansas City over New York, 20-17.
Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens
Jared Goff and the Lions returned to form last week against former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Bears last week, winning 52-21. This week, they face a tough Ravens defense that doesn’t allow much room to run the ball. Dan Campbell and company will have to find a way to get the job done through the air. Oh yeah, they also have to figure out how to slow down Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, too.
Prediction: Expect a high scoring affair here. Absolutely going to be the game of the week. Ravens take the dub at home. Baltimore defeats Detroit, 38-31.
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