NFL Week 3 Survivor Pool Picks (Buccaneers, AFC West Squad Highlight Top Predictions)

The SI Betting team breaks down who they're picking in Survivor for Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield are major favorites in Week 3. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Two weeks are down in NFL Survivor Pool contests, and the SI Betting team is riding high after a pair of thrilling wins in Week 2.

Iain MacMillan and Peter Dewey went a little off the board in Week 2, as MacMillan backed the Mac Jones-led San Francisco 49ers and Dewey took the Dallas Cowboys, but thanks to Brandon Aubrey’s leg, the team went 2-0.

So, now we’re on to a huge Week 3 where the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and others are set as major favorites. Is there a perfect team to back to stay alive in Survivor this week?

We have a pair of picks to make, but first, let’s recap Week 2. 

NFL Week 2 Survivor Picks Recap

• Iain MacMillan: San Francisco 49ers (W)
• Peter Dewey: Dallas Cowboys (W)

Credit to MacMillan for sticking with the 49ers since he made this pick before Brock Purdy was ruled out. The 49ers held on to beat the New Orleans Saints, a team that MacMillan has already faded twice in the 2025 season.

Meanwhile, Dewey’s pick needed some magic, as a game-tying and a game-winning field goal from Brandon Aubrey helped the Cowboys avoid a huge upset loss against the New York Giants. 

Now, let’s get into Week 3.  

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

NFL Week 3 Survivor Pool Picks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

The perfect survivor pick is a significant favorite that's playing at home against a non-divisional opponent that also won't be the most popular pick of the week. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are 6.5-point favorites at home to the New York Jets in Week 3, check every box we have. 

They're the home team facing a team from outside their division, but they're also likely to not be the most popular pick of the week. 

In fact, they might only be the third most popular pick with the Bills (-13.5) against the Dolphins and the Seahawks (-7) against the Saints likely both being popular picks. 

Instead of taking either of those two teams, let's back the Bucs and hope either the Dolphins or Saints can pull off the unlikely upset to eliminate a significant chunk of entrants.

The Jets showed last week that their offensive explosion in Week 1 may have been an anomaly performance. An offense that's as one-dimensional as they are is going to struggle to keep pace with the Buccaneers' explosiveness. I envision the Bucs running away with the win in this one. – Iain MacMillan

Kansas City Chiefs

This may seem crazy with the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes sitting at 0-2, but I’m buying them to win on Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants.

New York allowed 37 points to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, and as bad as the Chiefs have been on offense, they’ve actually played well enough defensively to stay in games – especially in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

I expect this to be a bounce-back spot for Kansas City, as I can’t see the team falling to 0-3 in the 2025 season.

Plus, there aren’t many spots to back the Chiefs in Survivor this season, especially with how they've started. The AFC West is a gauntlet, the only other reasonable chances to bet on the Chiefs will be against Dallas, Jacksonville and Tennessee. 

I don’t mind going off the beaten path to back Mahomes and Andy Reid on Sunday night. – Peter Dewey

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