Scully's NFL Week 3 picks: Titans will remain perfect against Vikings

Last week in the NFL featured high-scoring affairs, as 16 teams put up at least 30 points. I plan to improve upon a disappointing 1-2 record against the spread with these three picks for Week 3 of the NFL season.

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen has thrown for a combined 729 yards and six touchdowns through the first two weeks, and Buffalo has been a top offensive team. Stefon Diggs (16 catches and 239 receiving yards) takes the Bills to another level, and they have room for improvement.

The Bills to clean up some defensive lapses, however, after they allowed Miami to stay in the game with 15 fourth-quarter points last week, and we can expect an improved effort against Los Angeles.

A letdown seems inevitable for the Rams, who will be playing the second of back-to-back road games against playoff teams from last season. The Rams feels good about themselves two wins as underdogs, but those came against suspect NFC East competition. They held down Dallas with a more than 11-minute edge in time of possession and pushed around the declining Eagles last week.

The competition gets much steeper Sunday, and the Rams will be forced to regroup after they take their lumps in Buffalo.

Pick: Bills -2.5

Tennessee Titans at Minnesota Vikings

These are teams heading different directions.

Tennessee hasn’t put it all together yet, but it is 2-0 and building toward an optimal performance.

Minnesota is a mess. The loss of Diggs, who was traded away for draft picks, has left a hangover effect upon a punchless offense. The young Vikings defense has no identity and will miss four-time Pro Bowler Anthony Barr, who helped set the tone before he tore a pectoral muscle last week.

Derrick Henry should have a big afternoon, after he was limited to 84 rushing yards against Jacksonville. I liked the offensive balance from the Titans last week, as Ryan Tannehill accounted for four touchdowns, and Tennessee is averaging 30 points per game over the last 10 regular-season contests.

Kirk Cousins has not played with confidence, and Minnesota won’t be able to match points with Tennessee.

Pick: Titans -2.5

Washington Football Team at Cleveland Browns

This is too many points to lay in a projected close game. Cleveland had its way against Cincinnati’s porous defense last week, but expect a different story against Washington. The Football Team is nasty up front, and Washington will cause problems for the mistake-prone Browns.

Washington was down 17- 0 and rallied to win its opener by 10 points. The team recorded eight sacks and three takeaways against Philadelphia. It forced Kyler Murray into three sacks last week, but fell into a 27-3 hole against Arizona and scored a couple quick touchdowns to reduce the lead to 12 with 6:38 remaining.

I’m no fan of Dwayne Haskins’ first-half performances so far, but the second-year quarterback has shown some moxie in second halves. He can get things going sooner against Cleveland, which put up little resistance against Baltimore and gave up 30 points to Cincinnati last week.

Cleveland’s offensive line was no match for Baltimore’s defense, and Washington will bring the same disruptive presence.

Pick: Washington +7.5

James Scully's 2020 NFL record ATS on BetAmerica heading into Week 3: 3-3