NFL Preseason 2025 Week 3 Thursday Picks

The 2025 NFL regular season is only a few weeks away, and every team in the league has at least two preseason games in the books. Now we’re in Week 3, when all 32 squads will once again take the field. The schedule kicks off with a pair of games on Thursday, starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers visiting the Carolina Panthers before the New York Giants host the New England Patriots. Here are our best bets for Thursday’s preseason slate:

Confirmed Week 3 Matchups & Scheduling

As confirmed by NFL.com and official coverage:

Thursday, August 21

7:00 p.m. ET — Pittsburgh Steelers @ Carolina Panthers (NFL Network, NFL+)

8:00 p.m. ET — New England Patriots @ New York Giants (Prime Video, NFL+)

Friday, August 22

7:30 p.m. ET — Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Jets (Local TV, NFL+)

8:00 p.m. ET — Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans (CBS, NFL+)

8:00 p.m. ET — Atlanta Falcons @ Dallas Cowboys (NFL Network, NFL+)

8:20 p.m. ET — Chicago Bears @ Kansas City Chiefs (Local TV, NFL+)

Saturday, August 23

12:00 p.m. ET — Baltimore Ravens @ Washington Commanders (Local TV, NFL+)

1:00 p.m. ET — Indianapolis Colts @ Cincinnati Bengals (Local TV, NFL+)

1:00 p.m. ET — Los Angeles Rams @ Cleveland Browns (NFL Network, NFL+)

1:00 p.m. ET — Houston Texans @ Detroit Lions (Local TV, NFL+)

1:00 p.m. ET — Denver Broncos @ New Orleans Saints (Local TV, NFL+)

4:00 p.m. ET — Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers (NFL Network, NFL+)

7:00 p.m. ET — Jacksonville Jaguars @ Miami Dolphins (NFL Network, NFL+)

7:30 p.m. ET — Buffalo Bills @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Local TV, NFL+)

8:30 p.m. ET — Los Angeles Chargers @ San Francisco 49ers (Local TV, NFL+)

10:00 p.m. ET — Las Vegas Raiders @ Arizona Cardinals (NFL Network, NFL+)

NFL Preseason Thursday Predictions:

Pick #1: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Carolina Panthers Under 36.5 (-115) Click Here to Bet

Pick #2: New England Patriots vs. New York Giants Over 38.5 (-105) Click Here to Bet

PICK #1: Steelers vs. Panthers Under 36.5 (-115)

The Panthers played many of their starters in the first two weeks of the preseason, but that will change on Thursday. Head coach Dave Canales confirmed that his top guys are heading to the bench and resting up for the real thing next month. That means we won’t see QB Bryce Young, RB Chuba Hubbard, DT Derrick Brown, CB Jaycee Horn, or any other notable player on Carolina’s roster. Even with some of their offensive starters on the field, the Panthers were largely inept during losses to the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. They scored 10 points against Cleveland and only three against Houston. Backup quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Jack Plummer have combined to throw zero touchdown passes and three interceptions through two contests.

Both teams are coming off low-scoring affairs in Week 2. Carolina fell 20-3 at Houston, while Pittsburgh took a 17-14 home loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers have mostly shelved their starters so far and there is no reason to think that will change for a matchup in which the opposition is playing its backups. Aaron Rodgers certainly won’t be on the field. Last week against Tampa Bay, backup signal-callers Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and Logan Woodside were all picked off. All things considered, 36.5 is too high of a number for a game involving mostly backups.

PICK #2: Patriots vs. Giants Over 38.5 (-105)

The Giants have been absolutely lighting opponents up so far during this preseason. They outscored the Buffalo Bills 34-25 and then blasted the New York Jets 31-12. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, the No. 25 overall pick, completed 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo. He went 14-of-16 for 137 yards and a score at the Jets’ expense. It hasn’t just been Dart, either. Tommy DeVito, Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson combined to go 23-of-32 for 163 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the preseason opener. That trio wasn’t quite as sharp against the Jets, but those three QBs did throw for 270 yards – giving the Giants 398 through the air in total.

New England went crazy in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders, rolling to a 48-18 victory. Like the Giants, the Patriots feature multiple signal-callers who have been effective. Starting QB Drake Maye has played sparingly, but Josh Dobbs and Ben Wooldridge are both looking good. In the first two contests, Dobbs and Wooldridge took turns surpassing the 100-yard mark with one touchdown and zero interceptions. Dobbs has plenty of regular-season starting experience, so he knows what he is doing out there and should do some damage against the Giants’ defense – especially with backups on the field.