| Raiders |
over |
Chargers |
The Chargers matched the Falcons' sloppiness at home and were fortunate to escape with a last-minute win. The Raiders were awful defensively at home against the Colts to the point of Gruden firing Guenther. Vegas will run the ball well with Jacobs and have a more mistake-free passing game with Carr to keep their distance from Herbert and Ekeler. |
| Bills |
over |
Broncos |
Battle of the ungulates! The Bills are red-hot, Allen locked into Diggs and his other receivers and are running ball effectively enough in good situations. Allen will have time to pick apart Fangio's defense with some balance to take pressure off him. Lock is coming off his best game as a Bronco, but there won't be as many receivers running free and Buffalo will force them out of the running game. |
| Packers |
over |
Panthers |
The Panthers' schedule keeps taking Teddy through his former foes in the NFC North. Carolina should get Moore back to help their passing, but he still will be lacking the ideal weapon to attack the Packers defense without CMC. Expect Teddy to see a lot of second-half blitzes once Rodgers, Adams and Jones have passed, caught and ran Green Bay to a lead. |
| Buccaneers |
over |
Falcons |
The Bucs' run D looked mortal, but their pass rush coverage tightened. Brady gave them good complementary football, even while leaving some big pass plays on the table. If Minnesota had a kicking game, things would've been different. The Falcons look like an absolute offensive mess. They also have stopped running the ball and can't handle a versatile, deep receiving corps. Tampa will get the road win, even with vanilla playing. |
| 49ers |
over |
Cowboys |
Coin flip on this one. The 49ers' D keeps grinding even though the offense makes more mistakes than big plays. They can go back to effectively running the ball at a high level with Mostert while they contain a slumping Zeke. Mullens can pick apart the Cowboys with the short, quick passing game in the middle of the field. Dalton will get stuck seeing plenty of heat behind his shaky O-line. |
| Titans |
over |
Lions |
The Lions have a terrible run D and that destroys their chances of success against Henry. Tannehill will use him to keep making the typical big pass plays off play-action. Detroit has limited receiving firepower and there's a chance that Stafford, with his battered ribs may miss the game. |
| Colts |
over |
Texans |
Speaking of horrible run D, the Texans have that too. The Colts are back to being a dominant running team with Taylor and a little bit of Hines. Rivers is in a groove having locked into Hilton as his big-play guy. Watson has seen his skill players crumble around him for different reasons. |
| Dolphins |
over |
Patriots |
Tua is playing great so far, giving us a very close game against the reigning champs. I could see a possible upset with Belichick knowing Miami so well. I think it comes down to the young talent Tua has shown that will overshadow Cam and this struggling New England offense. |
| Vikings |
over |
Bears |
This is a pseudo wild-card elimination game for both 6-7 teams behind Arizona. The Vikings will have success running the ball with Cook in the home rematch and Jefferson will continue to be a matchup nightmare in the downfield passing game. Trubisky has provided a nice offensive spark for the Bears but here the zone scheming causes problems for him on the road. |
| Seahawks |
over |
Washington |
This could be a better matchup than we thought, the way Washington has been playing recently. Seattle took advantage of their get-well game against the Jets and went back to running the ball at a high level and maximizing the limited passing attempts of Wilson with calculated downfield shots. That will pound away on Washington's front seven to ease the pressure. |
| Ravens |
over |
Jaguars |
The Jags are turning their offense back to Minshew in their constant search for another win. The Ravens are coming off two strong offensive performances with Jackson and its running game. Minshew will be pressured into mistakes outweighing the spark he provides. Jacksonville has zero answers for Baltimore on the ground. |
| Rams |
over |
Jets |
Darnold and Gase aren't the future of the Jets. Their offense is inept and the defense still stinks without Williams. The Rams are the anti-Jets with the superior offensive-minded coaching of McVay backed by Staley getting everything out of Donald, Ramsey and the entire defense. |
| Cardinals |
over |
Eagles |
Another bird battle with two mobile QBs. Hurts gets another start on the opposite side of the QB he replaced at Oklahoma, Murray. The Eagles' D comes in hurting while Murray is back fully healthy. Both former Sooners will be motivated to put on a show in the desert. The Cardinals have the more reliable playmakers around their QB, and that makes the slightest difference. |
| Chiefs |
over |
Saints |
Game of the week here with a possible Super Bowl matchup. It's unclear if Brees will be back this week, which I think is the deciding factor here. NOLA's run D is still best in the league and will contain the rush, forcing Mahomes to the passing game, where he's very comfortable. It'll come down to if the Saints' secondary can match up well against Kelce, Hill, and Watkins. Both teams are 36-9 since 2018, so this should be a great game in the Dome. |
| Browns |
over |
Giants |
The Browns are coming off a grueling, physical emotional game against the Ravens. The Giants showed no offensive life with a still hurting Jones. They will fare better making plays in a surprise SNF game, fueled by the defense and Jones' running. |
| Steelers |
over |
Bengals |
The Steelers' offense is in a slump. The Bengals' defense is playing better than expected. Pittsburgh will get well in this game, but it's hard to expect this to be a great offensive showing for Big Ben and the running game. The Bengals have shown fight without Burrow and they will keep from being totally embarrassed at home. |