Our 5 best Week 3 NFL against the spread bets and one total to wager on this weekend

There were two main takeaways from Week 2 of the NFL season: upsets and injuries.

The Buccaneers, Saints and Raiders -- all who were near or larger road touchdown underdogs on Sunday afternoon -- won outright as the trio were easily the largest upsets of the slate.

There were also big time names on the injury front -- including the likes of Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Cooper Kupp, Evan Engram among just a slew of names that missed, left early or came out of Week 2 with an injury designation.

This includes Chiefs' running back and former Rutgers' star Isiah Pacheco, who suffered a fractured fibula and will likely be placed on injured reserve (IR) and will be out approximately 6-to-8 weeks, leaving a huge hole in the backfield for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

As we look ahead to Week 3, it could be a 3-3 week for yours truly if the Eagles will cover 5.5-point favorites tonight in their home opener without superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Here's my current against the spread (ATS) record for 2024 and how I did last season:

2024 record: 4-7

Against the spread: 3-6

Bonus Bets: 1-1

2023 ATS record (regular season and playoffs): 64-56-2

Here are my five best bets against the spread and one over/under to bet on for Week 3:

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Cleveland Browns (-6.5) vs New York Giants

The Giants had a much better day on offense in Week 2 compared to Week 1. Malik Nabers dominated, recording his first touchdown in the NFL and posting 10 receptions for 127 receiving yards. However, the No. 6 overall pick from April's draft had a costly 4th down drop in a tie game right before the two-minute warning deep in Commanders' territory, resulting in what would ultimately be a 21-18 Washington victory.

Now the G-Men head on the road against the Browns without starting kicker Graham Gano, who will miss some time after injuring his hamstring on the opening kickoff and missed the remainder of the game.

In Week 2, Cleveland went into Jacksonville and defeated the Jaguars 18-13 after a 33-17 loss in their home opener against the Cowboys in Week 1.

A Giant(s) Loss: Kick in the head: NY Giants' worst-case scenario comes true yet again in Washington loss

The status of Browns' Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, will be one to monitor throughout the week as he currently has a foot injury but reportedly plans to play through it.

Neither offense has sparked confidence through two weeks and it might be one of the lowest scoring games of the week (38.5 point over/under), but the Browns will do enough to win this one by a touchdown back on their home field against the Giants with a new kicker in one of toughest places to kick in the entire NFL.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6.5) vs Denver Broncos

We go from one near touchdown to a favorite to another one in the Sunshine State.

The Buccaneers are one of only five teams in the NFC that remain undefeated after Week 2.

As mentioned earlier, Tampa Bay won as a near touchdown underdog when they went into Detroit and got revenge from last year's playoff loss in a 20-16 victory over the Lions.

Now, they go back home and face a Broncos' team that has scored only 26 points through two weeks as rookie QB Bo Nix has thrown four interceptions and no touchdowns two starts into his NFL career.

If this game was in Denver, I'm sure the Bucs would be a smaller favorite, however, with the Broncos having to travel cross country with a struggling offense against one of the league's best looking teams so far will cause fits for Sean Payton and his rookie QB in Tampa Bay.

New Orleans Saints (+2) vs Philadelphia Eagles

The first underdog that has to be a lock right now is the Saints as a two-point home underdog here.

New Orleans went into Dallas and dominated the Cowboys in a 44-19 beatdown, where the Saints' scored 35 first-half points.

In their first two games, the Saints have put up 91 points, the most in the NFL since the organization did so in 2009, when they won their lone Super Bowl in franchise history.

Now, they come back home and face an Eagles' team who will be on a short week after playing on Monday night.

New Orleans will no doubt come back to earth at some point, but still being underdogs in this one is too good to pass up in this spot, especially if there's significant line movement in their favor come Tuesday morning.

Dallas Cowboys (+1) vs Baltimore Ravens

Speaking of the Cowboys, they get to stay home and lick their wounds as they try and find any answers when they host the Ravens in Week 3.

The downfall of America's team came in the most crucial part of the field, as the organization went 0-for-3 in the red zone on Sunday afternoon.

That'll change this coming weekend, where they host a Baltimore team that just blew a 23-13 fourth quarter lead in their home opener and ultimately lost 26-23 to the Las Vegas Raiders, who were the biggest underdog last weekend at +8.5 on the road.

It's known that reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is 20-1 as a starter in his career against the NFC.

With the Ravens on the road with a struggling offensive line, I'm all-in on the Cowboys to not only cover, but win this one outright as a small home underdog.

Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The first of two Monday night games starts with an AFC matchup in Buffalo.

The Bills kicked off Week 2 with a 31-10 thrashing of the Dolphins last Thursday night.

Now, Buffalo heads back home with extended rest (11 days) in their first of four primetime games this season and hosts a Jaguars team that has lost to one score games.

Jacksonville has now lost seven straight games with former first overall pick Trevor Lawrence under center with a struggling offense in one of the hardest places to play in the NFL, especially in primetime.

This matchup seems like a complete mismatch to be as the Bills dominate from start to finish in one of the biggest blowouts of Week 3 as the franchise follows this up with three straight contests on the road against the Ravens, Texans and Jets.

Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears UNDER 43 points (-110)

No. 1 overall pick Bears' QB Caleb Williams has struggled through two starts in his rookie season.

He's only thrown for 267 total yards, no touchdowns and has taken nine sacks and thrown two interceptions.

The Colts are not an intimidating defense in the slightest -- especially with the injuries of DeForest Buckner and first round pick Laiatu Latu injured in Week 2 -- who could potentially miss this one and lead to a big day for Williams and Co.

But until they can put together a solid offensive outing, it makes sense to take a wait and see approach in my opinion to bet the under, especially since it's not one of the lowest totals of Week 3.

On the other side, Colts' QB Anthony Richardson has yet to complete 50 percent of passes in two games and throw four interceptions.

Chicago's defense put together a solid performance on the road in primetime against reigning Rookie Offensive Player of the Year in C.J. Stroud and I anticipate them doing the same in this spot, as this game will feature two sluggish offenses that struggle to put up points in Indianapolis.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Our 5 best Week 3 NFL against the spread bets and one total to wager on this weekend