Week 3 of the NFL and Week 4 of College Football kicks off on Thursday night with a non-conference college matchup and a NFC contest.

Liberty at Coastal Carolina — 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Line: Liberty -2½; total 50; moneyline Liberty -134, Coastal +112. FanDuel odds

 Their most recent meeting was the 2020 Cure Bowl, which Liberty won 37–34 in overtime. Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell now faces the Coastal Carolina program he previously led.  

Records: Liberty (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS, 1-2 O/U), CCU (1-2 SU, 2-1 ATS, 0-2 O/U)

Last games: Sept 19: Liberty (-14.5) crushed Ball State 51-15 at home. On the same date, CCU (+5.5) fell at Delaware 22-14. 

Quarterbacks: Liberty’s Deshawn Purdie has 563 passing yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions through three games. Coastal’s Deuce Bailey has 826 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions.   

Game analysis: Liberty broke through for a 51–15 win over Ball State last Saturday, while Coastal lost 22–14 at Delaware. The key test is whether Liberty can carry that offensive improvement on the road. Coastal averages 277.3 passing yards per game, but Liberty has allowed just 132.3. 

Key Trends: LU is: 7-1 Under last 8 non-conf. games and 4-0 ATS last 4 vs. Sun Belt. CCU is: 4-1 ATS last 5 home games and 4-1 ATS last 5 vs. CUSA. 

Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers — 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Line: Green Bay -5½; total 43½; moneyline Packers -240, Falcons +210. FanDuel odds

Records: ATL: 0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS, 0-2 O/U GB: 1-1 SU, 0-2 ATS, 1-1 O/U.

Last games: Atlanta has scored just 16 total points in losses at Pittsburgh (20-13) and last week to Carolina (34-3). Green Bay’s defense fell apart in the opener, falling at Minnesotaw 39-22. Last week, they edged the NJ Jets 20-17 in overtime as a 3.5-point favorite.

Atlanta won their most recent meeting 25–24 in 2023. Green Bay has won the last four regular-season meetings played at Lambeau Field.

Quarterbacks: Jordan Love went 16-for-29 for 145 yards and two touchdowns as Green Bay rallied to beat the Jets 20–17 in overtime last Sunday. Michael Penix Jr. will make his first start of 2026 after returning from a knee injury. Tua Tagovailova (oblique) also returns as the backup with Cooper Rush, who started the first two games, is the thrid string. Atlanta has not reached the red zone in its first two games, so how quickly Penix restores its downfield passing game is the central question.  Rush was awful in the first two games, throwing for 229 yards with one TDs, five INTs and completing just 56.4% of his passes. Pennix Jr. should allow Bijan Robinson (155 yds, 4.2ypc) to be more productive against teams that are not just stacking the box. The 26-year old Pennix threw for 1,982 yards iwth nine TDs and three picks last season (60.1%) in nine games. He’s not a major threat to run the ball.

The Packers have the better quarterback in Love, but they have injury issues on offense with receiver Jayden Reed (neck) and RT Zach Bako-Bewele (knee) out. Defensively, with no Micah Parsons (knee), the defense lacks a playmaker. They also rank 29th in the NFL with just 3.3 yards per carry. Chris Brooks (40 yds) and Marshawn Lloyd (57 yds) have been ineffective and the injuries on the offensive line haven’t helped.

Game analysis: Green Bay has the steadier quarterback situation, but its protection and receiving depth are concerns on a short week. Green Bay defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is questionable. Atlanta  needs to establish its running game to keep Penix out of obvious passing downs. Falcons defensive end Samson Ebukam is out.  

Key Trends:

Atlanta is 5-0 ATS last 5 after a DD loss at home. GB is 4-0 Under last 4 after an ATS loss.