NFL Week 3 Sunday: Ravens-Cowboys in Rio, Rams-Broncos SNF, and the Biggest Games to Watch

Week 3 of the NFL season rolls out a Sunday slate that doubles as measuring-stick weekend, with four of the games pitting a 2-0 team against an 0-2 opponent. But the real draw this week is the spectacle factor: the league is taking its show to South America for the first time, a Sunday Night showdown in the Rockies is drawing praise as the best game on the board, and two AFC heavyweights get an early gut check. Here’s what to watch.

Ravens and Cowboys Bring the NFL to Rio

The Ravens and Cowboys are swapping their usual home stadiums for the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, marking the first time either franchise has played in Brazil and the latest stop on the NFL’s international expansion tour. Kickoff is set for 4:25pm ET on CBS, and the oddsmakers see it as a track meet: the total has climbed from an opening line near 50.5 all the way up to the 52.5-53.5 range, the highest number on this week’s board. Baltimore is favored by 3 to 3.5 points after opening at just -2.5, a sign the market likes what Lamar Jackson has shown early — he ranks fifth in the NFL in passing yards through two games and leads the league at 10 yards per attempt.

Both teams enter at 1-1 and both have banged-up secondaries. Dallas is dealing with safety Malik Hooker (forearm) and cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring) trending toward out, while Baltimore is monitoring receiver Zay Flowers (hamstring) and left tackle Ronnie Stanley (toe) on the injury report. Jackson has won his last two career starts against Dallas and Baltimore has taken six of the last seven meetings between the two franchises, but with this many banged-up defensive backs on the field and a neutral-site stage raising the entertainment stakes, don’t be shocked if this one turns into exactly the shootout the total is pricing in.

Rams and Broncos Headline Sunday Night in the Thin Air

Multiple national outlets have tabbed Rams-Broncos as the week’s most compelling matchup, and NBC gave it the Sunday Night Football slot to prove it. Both teams sit at 1-1, and Denver gets the benefit of Empower Field at Mile High and a pass rush that’s been a problem for opposing offensive lines all season. The Rams have been installed as road favorites, with the line hovering between -2.5 and -3 and the total sitting in the mid-40s — modest by this week’s standards, which tracks with two teams built around defense and situational football rather than pure scoreboard-watching.

ESPN’s analytics model gives Los Angeles a substantial edge in win probability, and prediction models across the board lean Rams, but the same models and several outlets have flagged Denver as a live home-dog candidate given the altitude factor and a defensive front that has given quarterbacks trouble in the first two weeks. This is the kind of primetime game that rewards patience — a low-scoring, field-position battle that could come down to the fourth quarter.

Chiefs Look to Stay Unbeaten in South Beach

Kansas City rolls into Hard Rock Stadium at 2-0 and fresh off a Patrick Mahomes explosion — 382 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2 — while Miami is reeling at 0-2 and searching for answers on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs have opened as double-digit favorites, with lines ranging from -7.5 up to -11.5 depending on the book, and the total sits around 45.5-46. It’s rare to see a spread this large for a Week 3 game between two teams that made the playoffs recently, but Miami’s defense has already been shredded twice this season and Mahomes is playing some of his best football of the year.

The Dolphins will need Tua Tagovailoa and the passing game to keep pace in a way they haven’t shown yet, and Travis Kelce remains a matchup nightmare underneath against a Miami secondary that’s already given up chunk plays through the air in each of the first two weeks. Vegas clearly expects this one to get out of hand, and with Kansas City’s offense humming, there’s little in the data to argue otherwise.

Bills and Chargers Collide in an AFC Measuring-Stick Game

Buffalo enters Sunday at 2-0 off a 41-31 demolition of Detroit, while the Chargers stumbled to 0-2 after a turnover-plagued loss to the Raiders that included six fumbles and two interceptions. Josh Allen has been electric to start the year, posting 9.7 yards per attempt with one of the highest EPA-per-play marks in the league, while Justin Herbert has struggled to find rhythm and ranks near the bottom of the league in that same efficiency metric. The line has bounced between -2.5 and -7 in Buffalo’s favor over the week, with the total sitting in the 49.5-50.5 range — several handicappers see this as a game that goes over regardless of who wins, given how shaky both defenses have looked early.

For the Chargers, this is close to a must-not-lose spot before the schedule gets even tougher; for the Bills, it’s a chance to make an early statement as a legitimate AFC contender. Highmark Stadium will be loud, and Los Angeles hasn’t shown the poise on the road to match that environment yet this season.

This Week’s Best Bets

Across the marquee matchups, the value trends toward points on the board rather than picking straight-up favorites blind. Here’s how it shakes out:

• Ravens vs. Cowboys: Take the Over — two banged-up secondaries and the league’s highest total of the week in a spectacle setting
• Rams at Broncos: Rams to cover the road number, but expect a tighter, lower-scoring script than the other featured games
• Chiefs at Dolphins: Chiefs to cover the double-digit spread behind a red-hot Mahomes and a struggling Miami defense
• Bills vs. Chargers: Lean Bills, but the Over has real juice given how both defenses have played through two weeks

With a first-ever trip to Brazil, a primetime showdown in the mountains, and two teams trying to validate hot starts, this is one of the more entertaining Sundays the schedule has offered all season.