Cardinals at Seahawks
The Seahawks’ atrocious defense has finally caused problems for the Seahawks and they are now third in their division. Even when Russell Wilson plays well it will be hard for this team to win because they have statistically the worst defense in the NFL. And when Wilson plays like he did last week, Seattle has no chance of winning. The Cardinals are coming into this game on a hot streak and proved earlier this year that they can handle the Seahawks. Seattle will not be able to stop Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, and co. and Wilson struggled the last time these two teams met. It will be hard for the Cardinals to sweep a team of the Seahawks’ caliber, but it’s looking like they probably will.
Expert Prediction: Cardinals 37, Seahawks 30
Analytics-Based Prediction: Cardinals 30, Seahawks 23
Steelers at Jaguars
The Jaguars came shockingly close to beating the Packers last week, but that seemed like more of a fluke than an indication that Jacksonville is going to be a decent team for the rest of the year. The Steelers have definitely looked beatable this year, but they are still undefeated and should be considered a top-3 team in the league. The Jaguars will not be able to move the ball against this elite Steelers defense and Pittsburgh should be able to move the ball through the air with ease against this horrible Jaguars passing defense. The Steelers should be able to pull away by halftime and proceed to run out the clock for the rest of the game.
Expert Prediction: Steelers 28, Jaguars 10
Analytics-Based Prediction: Steelers 22, Jaguars 19
Lions at Panthers
The Panthers have now lost five games in a row and are no longer looking even remotely as good as they had earlier in the season. The Lions have looked like they usually do this year, beating horrible teams but not really doing anything else. This game should be pretty close because both teams are relatively evenly matched. The Panthers will be missing Christian McCaffrey once again and will need to rely on Teddy Bridgewater and Mike Davis to come away with a win. Despite their losing streak, the Panthers haven’t looked completely helpless and are due to get a win. They will be able to move the ball relatively well against this Lions defense even without McCaffrey on the field and Detroit might struggle. Expect Carolina to come away with a close win.
Expert Prediction: Panthers 33, Lions 28
Analytics-Based Prediction: Lions 35, Panthers 29
Patriots at Texans
The Patriots were able to come away with a shockingly impressive win over the Ravens and will now look to build on that momentum to start a potential run to the playoffs. New England needs to win almost every game remaining on its schedule if it wants a chance at the postseason, and that starts with the Texans. Houston has not looked good whatsoever this year and will inevitably struggle in this game. The Texans have always had a hard time against the Patriots, even when the teams were very similar. The Patriots will be able to shut down the Texans offense with their elite secondary, especially if Stephon Gilmore comes back. On the other side of the ball, the Texans have a horrible defense and will struggle to stop the Patriots run game. Expect New England to pull away by the fourth quarter and secure its third straight win.
Expert Prediction: Patriots 27, Texans 14
Analytics-Based Prediction: Patriots 35, Texans 27
Titans at Ravens
The Ravens are now desperate for a win, as their chances at winning the division have gotten very slim and if they lose this game they could be at risk for missing the playoffs. Baltimore struggled mightily against the Patriots run game, and if they aren’t able to get healthier in the front seven, they will not be able to stop Derrick Henry. On the other side of the ball, the Ravens should be able to move the ball down the field better than they did last week. The Titans don’t have a defense nearly as good as the Patriots and the weather is supposed to be significantly better on Sunday. Expect this to be a run-heavy, high scoring game that ends up coming down to the wire. Ultimately, however, the Ravens are desperate and playing at home, so they get the slight advantage.
Expert Prediction: Ravens 31, Titans 28
Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 20, Titans 7
Eagles at Browns
The Browns might have gotten a win last week, but they didn’t look very good. Cleveland had a very close game against one of the league’s worst teams and has only reaffirmed the notion that they have only been able to beat bad teams. The Eagles are bad, but they will still have a solid chance to win this game. Philadelphia lost to the Giants, but New York had been on a hot streak in which they were competitive against some of the league’s best teams. The Browns will try to take this game over on the ground and then win the turnover battle, and that should work. The Eagles don’t have a good run defense and have been prone to turnovers all year. If the Eagles load the box to stop the run and force Baker Mayfield to pass the ball however, they will have a chance. Mayfield is incredibly inconsistent and could end up turning the ball over multiple times. If the Eagles can capitalize on those turnovers, they will win. This game will ultimately come down to which side will win in the trenches, and the Browns have seemed stronger in that phase of the game so they get the advantage.
Expert Prediction: Browns 27, Eagles 21
Analytics-Based Prediction: Eagles 25, Browns 20
Falcons at Saints
This game would have been a Saints demolition, but now that Drew Brees is out it could be a close game. Jameis Winston didn’t look bad last week, but his past shows that he could play much differently on Sunday. The Saints will need to rely on Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray on the ground and have Winston do simple passes. If they need Winston to do more than that, he will have multiple turnovers and the Falcons could end up with a win. On the other side of the ball, the Falcons should be getting Calvin Ridley back and will be able to move the ball. The Saints should be able to generate some turnovers, however. This game will probably be close, but the Saints seem like they should be able to come away with a win, as Alvin Kamara is certainly capable of carrying this team and the Falcons almost never win close games.
Expert Prediction: Saints 28, Falcons 24
Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 30, Falcons 20
Bengals at Washington
Washington has started to look better despite continuously losing their games. Alex Smith has looked capable of moving this offense down the field when he needs to and Washington still has a great defense, even if they didn’t play very well last week. The Bengals have been able to keep up with some pretty good teams this year, however, so they are not as bad as their record may indicate. Joe Burrow has looked fantastic thus far and should be able to continue his current performance this week. This will be a close game between two teams that are much better than their records show, but ultimately, the Bengals have looked better this year and have a more reliable quarterback, so they have a slight edge.
Expert Prediction: Bengals 25, Washington 24
Analytics-Based Prediction: Bengals 31, Washington 17
Jets at Chargers
It doesn’t make sense how the Chargers have lost so many games this year. They are a very good team that almost always looks like it’s going to win and then somehow loses at the end of the game. That should change this week, however, as the Chargers are going to play the worst team in football. No matter who the Jets have played this year, that team has looked great, and now that they are going up against a team that has looked great consistently, expect this to be a blowout. The Chargers should be able to move the ball with ease against this Jets defense, and though Los Angeles hasn’t been very consistent on defense, they should be able to stop the league’s worst offense. Expect this game to be over by halftime.
Expert Prediction: Chargers 35, Jets 14
Analytics-Based Prediction: Chargers 17, Jets 9
Dolphins at Broncos
The Dolphins have looked incredible recently and could even be considered a Super Bowl darkhorse at this point in the season. The Broncos have seemingly returned to form and will no longer be able to win many games against good teams. Drew Lock looked awful last week and Denver as a whole hasn’t had a ton to work with since their rash of injuries earlier in the season. Miami might struggle to move the ball on offense, but they should be able to to generate a few turnovers and capitalize on them. Denver will not be able to move the ball effectively against a Dolphins defense that has looked elite in the last few weeks. Expect Miami to win this game with ease.
Expert Prediction: Dolphins 30, Broncos 14
Analytics-Based Prediction: Dolphins 31, Broncos 17
Cowboys at Vikings
The Vikings were able to continue on their win streak last week when they upset the Bears on the road and they should now be considered a threat to beat many good teams moving forward. The Cowboys are not a good team, however, so this game shouldn’t be very close. Dallas wasn’t very competitive when they had Dak Prescott, and now that he’s gone the argument can be made that they are the league’s second worst team in front of only the Jets. Dallas can’t move the ball on offense and has a bottom five defense. They looked decent against the Steelers the last time they played, but that seemed more like a fluke than anything else. The Vikings should be able to run the ball up and down the field, giving them an early lead and allowing them to run out the clock.
Expert Prediction: Vikings 34, Cowboys 13
Analytics-Based Prediction: Vikings 38, Cowboys 17
Packers at Colts
The Colts were able to prove last week that they could keep up in their division, but the Packers are better than the Titans and this will be tough for them to win. Indianapolis has an elite defense, but their offense struggles when it can’t move the ball on the ground. Luckily for them, the Packers have a horrible run defense. Indianapolis should be able to move the ball effectively with their rotation of running backs and should be able to keep up with Green Bay. On the other side of the ball, the Packers have a great offense, but the Colts have a defense that is capable of slowing them down. The Packers will still be able to get points on the board, but it might not be enough. This will be a very close game between two very good teams, but ultimately, Aaron Rodgers is much more reliable with the game on the line than Phillip Rivers at this point in his career, so Green Bay gets a slight edge.
Expert Prediction: Packers 27, Colts 25
Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 20, Colts 13
Chiefs at Raiders
The Raiders were able to beat the Chiefs earlier this year, but the odds of them sweeping the defending champs are very low. The Chiefs have been able to rebound since that game and have looked very hard to beat. Las Vegas has continued to play well since that game, but they haven’t been on the Chief’s level. This will be a close game because it’s a divisional matchup between two very good teams, but the Chiefs aren’t going to lose to the Raiders twice. Patrick Mahomes will be back with a vengeance and should be able to move the Chiefs offense down the field with ease. Expect a high-scoring, tight game that the Chiefs ultimately win.
Expert Prediction: Chiefs 35, Raiders 31
Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 30, Raiders 23
Rams at Buccaneers
The Buccaneers were able to rebound in a big way last week after looking atrocious against the Saints. Now that Drew Brees is out, Tampa Bay has a real chance to win the division and will be playing with that in mind. The Rams have looked good this year as well, as they are coming off of a big win against the Seahawks and will be looking to potentially take control of the NFC West. The Buccaneers offense looked virtually unstoppable on Sunday, but the Rams have quietly had one of the best defenses in the NFL this year and could be able to slow the Bucs down. On the other side of the ball, the Tampa Bay defense has dropped off a little after starting the year off very strong, but they are still good enough to slow the Rams offense. This game might be lower scoring than expected, but ultimately, the Rams won’t be able to contain this Bucs offense for four quarters and Tampa Bay will pull ahead.
Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Rams 24
Analytics-Based Prediction: Buccaneers 31, Rams 20