Vikings at Saints

The Saints have lost two games in a row, but they looked like a Super Bowl caliber team last week with Drew Brees back in the lineup. New Orleans is highly unlikely to drop a third game in a row, and doing so would severely hurt their chances at making a run to the Super Bowl. The Vikings have dropped off since going on a hot streak midway through the season and now seem unlikely to make the playoffs. With this in mind, the Saints are both a better team and have more to play for, so expect them to win with relative ease.

Expert Prediction: Saints 32, Vikings 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 30, Vikings 17

Buccaneers at Lions

The Buccaneers were able to mount an impressive comeback last week and will look to continue building momentum after the slump they hit midway through the season. The Lions looked atrocious last week in their loss to the Titans, but that wasn’t much of a surprise given how poorly they’ve played this year. The Buccaneers should be able to move the ball up and down the field with ease, and on the other side of the ball, the Lions simply don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up. Tampa Bay should win this game pretty easily.

Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 34, Lions 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Lions 9

49ers at Cardinals

The Cardinals have seemingly re-gained a bit of momentum after hitting a really bad slump mid-season and will now look to continue to win games as they hope to make a playoff push. The 49ers, on the other hand, are on a three game losing streak and have looked really bad since their win over the Rams. With the 49ers now out of contention, they really have nothing to play for. Given that the Cardinals will want to win more and are also a significantly better team, there’s no reason to expect the 49ers to win. This game could be closer than it should, however, since it’s a divisional matchup.

Expert Prediction: Cardinals 28, 49ers 23

Analytics-Based Prediction: 49ers 27, Cardinals 26

Dolphins at Raiders

The Dolphins looked good last week against the Patriots and now seem to be in a good position to potentially make the playoffs. The Raiders are right behind them, but they are in the midst of a 1-3 stretch in which their only win was a game that they almost lost to a winless team. Las Vegas has seriously dropped off and has been playing like one of the worst teams in the league recently. With that in mind, the Raiders have no chance at winning this game unless they are somehow able to return to midseason form. And even if they do return to form, they would very possibly still lose, so the Dolphins seem much more likely to get the win.

Expert Prediction: Dolphins 30, Raiders 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Dolphins 28, Raiders 25

Giants at Ravens

The Giants have now lost two games in a row after going on an impressive win streak midway through the season, but they still have a chance to potentially win the division. The Ravens, on the other hand, are on an impressive three game win streak and will look to continue to build momentum in order to gain a playoff spot. The Giants will struggle to stop a Ravens offense that has looked incredible recently, and on the other side of the ball, Daniel Jones simply isn’t capable of keeping up. Expect an easy win for the Ravens.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 31, Giants 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 34, Giants 16

Falcons at Chiefs

The Chiefs have looked like the best team in the league week in and week out this year, and nothing has indicated that that will change any time soon. The Falcons lost a game in true Falcons fashion last week after blowing a massive lead once again. Atlanta has simply not looked very good this year despite having a really talented roster. The Falcons have been dramatically inconsistent, however, so if they end up playing their best game, this matchup might be closer than many expect. Either way, the Chiefs will win, though, it’s just a matter of how interesting the game ends up being.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 38, Falcons 25

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 41, Falcons 31

Browns at Jets

The Jets are coming off a shocking win that was actually the worst thing that could have possibly happened to them, as they no longer have the top pick in the draft. That was definitely a fluke, however, and there is reason to think they will be able to win another game this year. The Browns have played great against bad teams throughout the season, so they will almost definitely be able to take care of business. The Jets will struggle to stop a very good Browns offense and will probably turn the ball over multiple times, so expect this one to be over by halftime.

Expert Prediction: Browns 34, Jets 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Browns 38, Jets 10

Bears at Jaguars

The Bears have been really inconsistent recently, making it very hard to predict the outcome of their games. The Jaguars, on the other hand, have been consistently bad this year and nothing has indicated that that will change. Now that the Jets have won a game, Jacksonville is in line for the first pick in the draft, meaning that they shouldn’t even want to win. If the Bears play as bad as they possibly can, this will be a very close game, and the Jaguars have shown that they lose pretty much every close game they play. If the Bears play any better than their worst, however, they will be able to win with relative ease.

Expert Prediction: Bears 30, Jaguars 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bears 28, Jaguars 27

Bengals at Texans

The Bengals had a shocking win last week, but that seemed to be more of a divisional fluke than anything else. The Texans, on the other hand, have now had three bad losses in a row after looking solid midway through the season. Given how bad both of these teams are, this game should be pretty close. Ultimately, however, the Texans have a much better quarterback than the Bengals and are much more capable of winning a close matchup, so expect Houston to get a win.

Expert Prediction: Texans 33, Bengals 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bengals 34, Texans 32

Colts at Steelers

The Steelers looked awful last week and are now at risk of potentially giving the division away to the Browns. Pittsburgh has proven everyone right by showing that the only reason they looked good at the start of the year was because they had the world’s easiest schedule. Now that they hit even a remote rough patch, they can’t win a game. In reality, the Steelers are a mediocre team that probably wouldn’t have even been in the playoff conversation at this point in the year if they had a different schedule. The Colts have been a good team all year and are in a very good position to make the playoffs at this point. They have shown the ability to win against good teams, unlike the Steelers, and have been playing much better recently. Expect the Colts to end up with a win to give the Steelers their fourth loss in a row.

Expert Prediction: Colts 28, Steelers 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Steelers 26, Colts 23

Panthers at Washington

The Panthers have seriously dropped off and now look like one of the league’s worst teams. Washington didn’t win last week, but Alex Smith has a chance of returning for this game, and if he does, Washington will look like the team that went on a winning streak before the Seahawks game. Even without Smith, however, Washington played well and were almost able to beat a playoff caliber team in the Seahawks. Expect Washington to win with or without Smith, but if Dwayne Haskins needs to start, the game will be much closer.

Expert Prediction: Washington 24, Panthers 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Washington 20, Panthers 12

Broncos at Chargers

The Chargers have been able to actually win their close games since getting destroyed by the Patriots a couple weeks ago. The Broncos, on the other hand, have looked awful in all of their recent games except the one against the Panthers, one of the worst teams in the league. The Chargers almost never destroy their opponents, so even though they are a much better team, this game will probably be a nail-biter, especially since it’s a divisional matchup. Ultimately, the Chargers have proven recently that they are capable of winning close games, and given that they are a much better team than the Broncos, they should be able to pull off a win.

Expert Prediction: Chargers 34, Broncos 31

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chargers 35, Broncos 33

Eagles at Cowboys

Jalen Hurts looked great last week, and if he continues to play like this he will probably be the Eagles starting quarterback next season. Despite losing last week, the Eagles have looked like a completely different team with Hurts on the field and are fully capable of winning some more games. The Cowboys have been awful this season and would probably lose to the Eagles even if Carson Wentz was starting, so with Hurts in the lineup, this game shouldn’t be very close. The Cowboys might start off strong because this is a divisional matchup, but they will ultimately fade and the Eagles will end up with an easy win.

Expert Prediction: Eagles 35, Cowboys 18

Analytics-Based Prediction: Eagles 29, Cowboys 20

Rams at Seahawks

Last week the Rams actually did the impossible: they lost to the Jets. After looking incredible against the Patriots, Los Angeles looked like the worst team in the league last week. What probably happened was that the Rams thought they were guaranteed to win, so they didn’t put much effort into preparing for the Jets and ended up being caught off guard. Don’t expect them to make the same mistake this week. The Rams will be back with a vengeance, and the Seahawks are their unlucky opponents. This game may just determine the winner of the NFC West, so expect it to be a close matchup. This game will come down to the wire, and ultimately, the Rams won’t let themselves lose again after last week’s embarrassment.

Expert Prediction: Rams 33, Seahawks 30

Analytics-Based Prediction: Seahawks 32, Rams 28

Titans at Packers

Derrick Henry looks like he did down the stretch last season and will be virtually impossible for any opponent to stop. The Packers have an atrocious run defense, however, so they are completely screwed. Henry could very possibly go for over 200 yards on the ground, enabling the Titans to move up and down the field with ease and control the clock. On the other side of the ball, the Packers will be able to put points on the board, but it may not be enough. This game will be very close, but ultimately, the Packers will be exhausted on the defensive side of the ball, enabling Derrick Henry to finish the game off.

Expert Prediction: Titans 38, Packers 34

Analytics-Based Prediction: Titans 40, Packers 37

Bills at Patriots

With the Patriots officially out of contention, look for the Patriots to just treat this matchup like a preseason game in which Bill Belichick can try out new play concepts and personnel groupings against an actual opponent in preparation for next year. The result is that the Patriots won’t play well and will probably end up being destroyed. The Bills are looking to secure the 2nd seed, so they still have a lot to play for. Expect this one to be over by halftime.

Expert Prediction: Bills 35, Patriots 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bills 33, Patriots 23