If you did any NFL betting last week, the odds are decent that you targeted some NFL underdogs. I personally had a batch of four plays I liked, with two of them hitting.

As it turns out, betting against the Buffalo Bills in any regard is a bad idea. Who would have thought? I thought the New York Jets could have a shot at keeping things competitive, but consider that a lesson learned.

Elsewhere, I liked the New Orleans Saints to beat the spread against the San Francisco 49ers, and they missed it by one point. For my other two NFL upset picks, the underdog either won straight up or at least found a way to beat the spread.

The NFL is volatile and we should embrace variance. We still need some logic toward backing underdogs, but the value is there for the taking. At some point the road to the Super Bowl will get a lot clearer, and we need to take advantage of the haziness while we still can.

Without further haste, here are my top Week 3 NFL picks concerning underdogs.

NFL Week 3 Underdog Picks

Team	Spread	Moneyline
Cleveland Browns	+7 (-110)	+335
Houston Texans	+2 (-110)	+110
New England Patriots	+2 (-110)	+110
Denver Broncos	+3 (-115)	+135

These are my top week 3 NFL underdog picks. I will admit that the prices are not out of control, so if you’re looking for some huge +400 moneyline, I hate to disappoint you.

You could go after the Cleveland Browns in that regard if you choose, but that is a pick against the spread for me. I think there’s enough there to think they can at least make a game of it, while these other teams look like discounts going into week three.

I do have some thoughts on each of these team’s respective games and why I am picking them to either beat the spread or upset their opponent. Let’s dive deeper with a closer look at each week 3 underdog bet.

Of course, I am just one voice here at Scores and Stats. We have a bunch of terrific NFL betting experts, as well as elite offerings. You can test it all out for free via our sports handicapping service.

NFL Underdog Picks For Week 3

Check out our best NFL underdog picks of the week:

Green Bay Packers (-450) vs. Cleveland Browns (+330)

First off, I am a Green Bay Packers fan, so this hurts to type. Secondly, I do still think the green and gold will prevail and get to 3-0.

That said, the Cleveland Browns are touchdown underdogs at home in an inter-conference game. These types of showdowns can often be unpredictable, as these teams don’t face each other all that often.

Let’s also not forget that Cleveland looked plenty good in week one, when they narrowly fell to the rival Cincinnati Bengals, 17-16. They got housed by the Baltimore Ravens last week, but they are probably closer to something in the middle of those two performances.

Additionally, Green Bay is severely banged up at wide receiver and their offensive line is missing some bodies. Their defense has looked fantastic, but the offense has had its struggles – particularly on the ground. That may not be ideal against the Browns, who have done a terrific job bottling up opposing running backs through two weeks.

Need more reasoning to back the Browns to beat the spread? How about the debut of former Ohio State Buckeyes star rusher Quinshon Judkins? He popped off for 61 rushing yards on six totes last week, and figures to be even more involved in week three.

None of this really has me liking the Browns to fully stage the upset, but collectively it is enough to make me think they can keep this one closer than the top online sportsbooks seem to suggest.

Houston Texans (+110) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (-130)

I also am digging the Houston Texans this week. Naturally, it’s awfully difficult to trust this team, as they only mustered nine points in a week one loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and choked away a week two loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, too.

Of course, Houston is now pretty desperate at 0-2, and coming out of week three at 0-3 simply isn’t something they are about to accept. This has been a playoff team the last two years, while they have an incredibly stingy defense. They also know Trevor Lawrence and this Jacksonville Jaguars team quite well, so I expect them to be ready for this one.

Getting a win against another AFC South team on the road is never easy, but the Jaguars did not look very good defensively last week, and that could allow a currently dormant Texans offense to take flight.

The combination of strong defense, positive matchup, and urgency has me really liking Houston straight up. I think they score a big win within the division to keep themselves alive early in the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-130) vs. New England Patriots (+110)

I am not one to frequently bet against Aaron Rodgers, but I’ll be doing exactly that in week three. Rodgers played lights out for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a win two weeks ago, but he came crashing back down to earth in a week two loss.

Rodgers wasn’t even the main reason for Pittsburgh’s immediate step down, but his supporting cast has already proven to be a bit too inconsistent to trust. On top of that, a formerly elite Steelers defense has been downright putrid through two weeks.

Pittsburgh has allowed 31+ points in both games, and they’ll be without a strong defensive player in Alex Highsmith this week due to injury.

Can an aging Rodgers hang enough points on a porous New England Patriots defense to get the win? It is possible, but this is the same story he faced on a weekly basis last week. Trusting a 41-year old passer to elevate his team and survive a weak defense just isn’t good for betting.

Bank on the Pats to beat Rodgers for the third time in the past two years.

Denver Broncos (+135) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (-160)

Lastly, I am going to continue following the obvious value, as the Denver Broncos are a rock solid team and starting 1-2 is undeniably not in their plans. The AFC West does appear to be wide open, and a win this week would allow Sean Payton and co. to control their destiny.

Denver’s defense remains strong, while we know Bo Nix and company are not always consistent, but forever dynamic. That gives them a combination good enough to possibly take down the rival Los Angeles Chargers, who are likely the better team at home, but still not one I can fully trust yet.

There’s no doubt about it; in terms of sheer talent and coaching, the Bolts have quickly become one of the more exciting NFL teams out there. However, if you know anything about the Chargers, it’s that they are elite at being a gigantic tease and caving the second you start to believe in them.

Justin Herbert has looked good and this team’s defense can be nasty, but they haven’t proven they can run the football at all. The NFL odds for this game indicate the Chargers are a gimme pick on their home field, but this is a divisional showdown with an opponent that is roughly their equal.

I expect a very close game and think Denver can come out on top to get both teams to 2-1.

NFL Underdog Parlay

• Cleveland Browns +7 (-110)
• Houston Texans (+100)
• New England Patriots (+110)
• Denver Broncos (+135)

I say it every single week, but I’ll say it again; chasing NFL underdogs has merit, but stacking them together in a parlay is pretty risky. It’s still fun and there’s obvious upside to it, but my suggestion for actually making money consistently is to break these bets up.

That said, this is easily my favorite week for betting on NFL underdogs so far in 2025, as I feel very strongly about all four of my picks. If you do want to string them together in a parlay, though, I would use the Cleveland spread and then target the ML wagers for the other three teams.

Doing that still provides a handsome return if it delivers, with every $100 risked bringing back a cool $1,972. The actual odds and return will vary depending on which online betting sites you call home, but the point still stands.

If you’re feeling extra ambitious with your Week 3 NFL parlays, I suppose you could change the Browns pick to the ML. If you did that and it hit, you’re looking at $4,408 on top of your original bet. That looks great, but I’ll reiterate that I prefer the safer route.

Best NFL Underdog Picks For Week 3

If I had to leave an NFL upset pick off of the aforementioned parlay, it’d definitely be the Browns pick. It is still the Cleveland Browns, after all, and not even the best handicappers in the world can say they fully trust that team,

Need just one bet to turn to this week? Hammer the Texans’ moneyline. Houston has run into two really tough teams s