Saints at Falcons

The Falcons looked great last week, but they got killed by the Saints just two weeks ago. We saw that even without Drew Brees, the Falcons simply weren’t a match for the Saints. There is no reason to think that so much has changed in the last two weeks that the Falcons will suddenly be able to win this game. It could be close, as it’s a divisional matchup and the Falcons will be at home this time, but there doesn’t seem to be much of a chance that the Saints end up losing. If this is the case, expect the Falcons to start strong before fizzling out by the fourth quarter.

Expert Prediction: Saints 28, Falcons 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 27, Falcons 13

Browns at Titans

Despite winning last week, the Browns looked absolutely atrocious in a near loss to one of the league’s worst teams. The Titans, on the other hand, looked great. Derrick Henry is starting to play like he did down the stretch last year, and that makes the Titans incredibly hard to stop. The Browns have been able to win quite a few games, but they have rarely faced a good opponent and when they have, they haven’t played well at all. There’s no reason to expect this game to be any different, so the Titans should be able to win with relative ease. They’ll get out to an early lead and proceed to run the clock out with Henry.

Expert Prediction: Titans 34, Browns 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Titans 38, Browns 24

Lions at Bears

The Lions recently fired Matt Patricia after a horrendous showing on Thanksgiving, so they will struggle like most teams do when they switch head coaches in the middle of the year. The Bears looked bad as well last week, but they were at least going up against a good opponent. The Lions will play especially poorly out of the gate as they try to adjust to the new system that will likely be in place, and the Bears should capitalize. Expect Chicago to get out to an early lead and by the time the Lions are fully acclimated to their new coach, it’ll be too late.

Expert Prediction: Bears 30, Lions 18

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bears 27, Lions 24

Bengals at Dolphins

The Dolphins returned to form last week after a bad loss to the Broncos and will now look to continue to build on that momentum against another bad team. The Bengals weren’t as bad as expected last week, but they still ended up losing to a pretty bad team that lost its quarterback in the middle of the game. They won’t have nearly as good of a chance this week. Without Joe Burrow, the Bengals lack any kind of spark on offense and will likely be stagnant in this game. The Dolphins won’t need to score many points to come away with a win, and they should be able to get a few turnovers that the offense capitalizes, It seems very unlikely that the Dolphins end up losing.

Expert Prediction: Dolphins 27, Bengals 13

Analytics-Based Prediction: Dolphins 24, Bengals 17

Jaguars at Vikings

The Vikings were able to rebound in a close win last week and should now look more like the team we saw start to peak in the middle of the year. The Jaguars, though they looked impressive last week, have had close games but never seem to be able to actually win. The Vikings aren’t a top tier team, so this very well could be a close game, but there doesn’t seem to be a way in which the Jaguars win. Even though it could be close, however, expect this game to be more of a blowout. The Vikings are simply a much better team and that will show on Sunday.

Expert Prediction: Vikings 35, Jaguars 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Vikings 28, Jaguars 25

Colts at Texans

The Texans have looked much improved in the last two weeks, but now that they are going to be playing a legitimate playoff-contender, things will probably be different. Despite getting shredded by Derrick Henry last week, the Colts have a great defense. Their inability to stop a running back of Henry’s caliber doesn’t change that, and luckily for them, the Texans don’t have anyone like that on their offense. Indianapolis should be able to slow Deshaun Watson in this game, and on the other side of the ball, Houston has a horrendous run defense, so the Colts should be able to move the ball well. Their offensive strength lines up perfectly with the Texan’s defensive weakness, so this game will likely be a Colts win.

Expert Prediction: Colts 28, Texans 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Texans 28, Colts 27

Raiders at Jets

The Raiders looked really bad last week and will want to rebound in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Luckily for them, they play the Jets this week. It would be mind-blowing at this point to see the Jets win a game. They are 100% already looking forward to next year and hoping to get the first pick in the draft. There’s simply no other reason that Adam Gase would be employed. Expect Vegas to get out to an early lead and then take their foot off the gas to run the clock out. This one should be over by halftime.

Expert Prediction: Raiders 35, Jets 13

Analytics-Based Prediction: Raiders 40, Jets 10

Giants at Seahawks

The Giants are looking like they could end up winning the NFC East after going on a two game win streak. Unfortunately for them, Daniel Jones is hurt and he may miss this game. That’s a massive blow for the Giants because they are playing a playoff-caliber team in the Seahawks. Seattle might not be the Super Bowl caliber team they were once thought to be, but they are still fully capable of beating mediocre teams, as evidenced by last week’s game against the Eagles. The Seahawks should win regardless of if Jones plays, but if he is able to suit up this could be a potential upset. If he is out, however, the Giants will almost definitely lose.

Expert Prediction: Seahawks 26, Giants 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Seahawks 24, Giants 21

Rams at Cardinals

The Cardinals have now lost three of their last four games and were a hail mary away from four straight. Arizona is clearly no longer the team it was in the middle of the year. The Rams had a surprising loss last week, but given that that was a divisional game it isn’t the biggest deal. They lost control of the division, however, so Los Angeles will need to win most of their remaining games to avoid a Wild Card spot. The Rams have looked much better than the Cardinals recently and there’s no reason to think that’ll be different this week. Arizona’s offense has fizzled out and their defense hasn’t looked great. This game will be close, but the Rams should ultimately win.

Expert Prediction: Rams 32, Cardinals 25

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cardinals 30, Rams 28

Patriots at Chargers

The Patriots might be the weirdest team in football this year. They always play to their opponent’s level. If their opponent is good, they look like a playoff-caliber team, but if their opponent is bad, they look like a bottom 5 team in the league. The Chargers are tricky, because they have played well all year but can never seem to win. Because of that, this should be a close game and both teams will look pretty good. Neither team has been great in close games this year, but the Patriots have still been able to win at least a few close games, whereas the Chargers haven’t. Because of that, expect the Patriots to win.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 24, Chargers 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chargers 27, Patriots 24

Eagles at Packers

The Eagles have been absolutely atrocious this year and they now look like they could be the worst team in the NFC East. The Packers looked great last week, but the BEars have been horrible recently, so it doesn’t say much. Carson Wentz has not played like a starting caliber quarterback this year, so the Packers should be able to hold this Eagles offense. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles won’t be able to stop Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, and Aaron Jones. Green Bay should move the ball up and down the field with ease, so expect this game to be a blowout.

Expert Prediction: Packers 37, Eagles 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 33, Eagles 17

Broncos at Chiefs

The Broncos looked bad last week, but who wouldn’t with a receiver starting at quarterback. It’s honestly surprising that they were able to get 3 points. It looks like they will very possibly be getting a quarterback back this week, so they won’t be nearly as bad. That being said, they are playing the Chiefs. Kansas City didn’t look great towards the end of their last game, but they were still able to come away with a win. The Chiefs haven’t looked great in divisional matchups this year, so the Broncos might be able to keep this game close for a little bit. Ultimately, however, Denver has no chance of winning this game.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 35, Broncos 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 44, Broncos 24

Washington at Steelers

Washington has looked much improved recently and will look to get a massive upset to possibly take control of the NFC East. The Steelers have had an insanely easy schedule this year, but they are undefeated nonetheless. Washington doesn’t seem like they’re capable of winning a game against the Steelers. They will struggle mightily on the offensive side of the ball and will probably have a few turnovers. On the other side of the ball, the Washington defense is probably better than the Pittsburgh offense, but that won’t be enough considering how outmatched they are on offense.

Expert Prediction: Steelers 21, Washington 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Steelers 24, Washington 14

Bills at 49ers

The 49ers were able to get a surprising win last week, but that was in all likelihood a fluke divisional win. The Bills rebounded nicely against the Chargers and will now look to continue to build momentum this week. Buffalo has fizzled out a little bit since their schedule started getting tougher, but they have proved that they are easily a playoff-caliber team. If the 49ers play like they did last week, this should be a good game, but that seems unlikely. If the 49ers return to form, expect the Bills to end up winning with relative ease.

Expert Prediction: Bills 30, 49ers 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bills 34, 49ers 28

Cowboys at Ravens

The Ravens will have a massive distraction this week with Covid. There is no way of knowing for sure which players they will get back, if any, for this game. The last time we saw the Ravens at full strength, they didn’t look very good, but they were still fully capable of beating the Cowboys. This game is hard to predict given the uncertainty surrounding Covid, but even if they have many players out they have a chance to beat the Cowboys. And if they are back to somewhat full strength, it’ll be a demolition. So for now, Baltimore seems more likely than not to win.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 24, Cowboys 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 28, Cowboys 14