NFL Preseason Week 3 predictions, odds & best bets: featuring Patriots vs Commanders

Following a long and eventful offseason, the 2024 NFL campaign is just around the corner. Training camp has already produced a myriad of storylines across the league, and the preseason has started in earnest after last week’s full slate of games. This week, all 32 teams will take to the field once again for the final game of the preseason, as each team looks to ease back into game shape while giving some run to its younger players and those looking to compete for a roster spot.

With Week 3 of the preseason kicking off on Thursday and rolling into the weekend, let’s take a look at the NFL odds, plus my NFL picks and NFL best bets for the third week of NFL preseason action. 

New England Patriots vs Washington Commanders under 34.5 (-110)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.

Much like what I’ve said in previous columns about games involving the Patriots this preseason, 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. 

Rookie Patriots quarterback Drake Maye made a major impression in last week’s game against the Eagles, as he led the New England offense down the field for his first ever NFL touchdown drive. While that game might’ve been enough to sell Patriots fans on the rookie QB, head coach Jerod Mayo has indicated that Maye will indeed play in the preseason finale, but it’s expected that he’ll only be on the field for a couple of drives. The problem for New England occurs as soon as Maye leaves the field, as 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, and I wouldn’t expect anything different in this one. 

On the other side, I don’t expect that the Washington Commanders will give Jayden Daniels much time at quarterback on Sunday, especially after seeing his promise in the first couple of preseason games. If that projection comes to fruition, it’s hard to imagine Washington scoring much with either Jeff Driskel or Trace McSorley getting the majority of the snaps at quarterback, so let’s target the under 34.5 for our best bet in this contest.

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Minnesota Vikings vs Philadelphia Eagles under 34 (-110)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. 

For our second and final NFL preseason Week 3 best bet, let’s take another under, this time in this NFC matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles. If you’ve been following along with what the Vikings have dealt with during training camp, then you’ll know it’s been a difficult last couple of weeks for Minnesota. Not only has the team has seen a number of key players go down with serious injury on both sides of the ball, but the Vikings have also lost rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy for the season due to a torn meniscus. It’s an unfortunate situation for a roster that had real potential to make noise in the NFC North this season, Therefore, given that this is the final preseason game before Week 1, the Vikings’ main goal for this contest could be to rest the majority of their starters and get out of the game unscathed. I’m expecting to see plenty of Jaren Hall and Matt Corral under center in this contest, which bodes well for an under ticket.  

The Eagles have not traditionally played well in the preseason in recent years, but Philadelphia is 2-0 in preseason games this month. It also just so happens that both games Philadelphia played in this preseason went under the closing total, finishing with 27 and 29 total points respectively. We know that 34 is a fairly key number in totals and both of these teams should be measured and careful with how they approach this exhibition game, so I’d expect a run-heavy game script and a low-scoring contest as a result. Let’s go back to the well with one last preseason under.

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