NFL.com Editors Pick Bills, Chiefs Among 16 Week 3 Winners

Q: Which desperate, winless AFC South squad will salvage their 2026 season in a high-stakes clash before facing total collapse?

The Texans are the likelier AFC South team to rescue their season in Sunday’s 0-2 showdown at Indianapolis. That is the direct read from NFL.com’s Week 3 picks: Gennaro Filice chose Houston over the Colts in what was framed as a high-stakes meeting between two winless division rivals. The broader coverage supports that lean. Houston still has C.J. Stroud, a roster built to contend, and a defense that was elite last season even if it has started this year below its usual standard. The Texans’ path is clearer because there is evidence they can recover from an early hole. ESPN’s analysis noted Houston already pulled off a rare turnaround after an 0-3 start in 2025, finishing 12-2 the rest of the way and reaching the playoffs. Their Week 3 game is being treated as a pivot point before the math and history become brutal: teams that fall to 0-3 almost never recover. Indianapolis, meanwhile, enters with major concerns on both sides. Outside coverage highlighted a struggling Colts defense and offensive uncertainty, including injury issues around receiver Alec Pierce. Houston has its own flaws, especially along the offensive line, but the Texans are still viewed as the more complete team and the one with the higher ceiling if Stroud settles the offense. So if one desperate AFC South club is expected to avoid total collapse, it is Houston. A Texans win would not fix everything, but it would keep their season alive; a loss would deepen the sense that a contender is unraveling fast.

3 articles · Updated · NFL.com · Sep 25

Five NFL.com editors issued Week 3 predictions for all 16 games, with the consensus panel entering the slate 11-4 straight up but just 2-3 against the spread.
Buffalo and Kansas City headline the strongest calls: the Bills are favored to reach 3-0 behind Josh Allen’s 9 total touchdowns, while the Chiefs are backed to cover a 10.5-point gap against rebuilding Miami.
Several early games hinge on injuries and shaky starts, including Houston at Indianapolis in a matchup of 0-2 teams, Seattle facing Washington without Jayden Daniels, and Philadelphia potentially drawing 38-year-old Case Keenum if Chicago’s quarterbacks remain out.
Other spotlight picks include Detroit over the Jets, Cincinnati over Pittsburgh, New Orleans over unbeaten Las Vegas, Dallas over Baltimore in Brazil, and the Rams over Denver on Sunday night.
The projections span Sunday through Monday and use FanDuel lines locked at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 24, blending straight-up picks with score and spread context for the full Week 3 schedule.