Dolphins at Jaguars

The Dolphins showed the ability to play well at times last week against a pretty good team in the Bills, but they didn’t end up having a chance to win at the end. The Jaguars, on the other hand, have looked great this year. Gardner Minshew has been massively impressive and is making his case for why the Jaguars don’t need to replace him with a high draft pick. The Jaguars have looked much better than the Dolphins this year, albeit against worse opponents, so they seem more likely to get the win.

Expert Prediction: Jaguars 34, Dolphins 28

Analytics-Based Prediction: Jaguars 36, Dolphins 20

49ers at Giants

The 49ers may appear to be able to destroy the Giants at first glance, but when you remember that this is arguably the most injured team we have ever seen through two weeks, you’ll recognize that the 49ers probably aren’t going to be nearly as good this year. The Giants, at the same time, just lost their best player for the season in Saquon Barkley. Daniel Jones will be really tested in this game, but he has a chance to pull off a win in a game that originally seemed to be chalked up as a loss. Despite that, the 49ers looked good against the Jets even with their injuries, so they have a slight advantage.

Expert Prediction: 49ers 17, Giants 13

Analytics-Based Prediction: Giants 31, 49ers 20

Washington at Browns

The Browns looked solid last week, though they were playing the Bengals. Baker Mayfield was accurate and looked like he did as a rookie while the Browns were able to run it incredibly effectively. Washington has looked better than expected this year as well, as they have been able to beat the Eagles and weren’t completely horrible against the Cardinals, a team that seems likely to be very good this year. The Browns match up well against Washington in this game because they should be able to simply run the ball down the throats of Washington. That’ll enable them to control the clock and win the game.

Expert Prediction: Browns 27, Washington 17

Analytics-Based Prediction:Browns 23, Washington 6

Bengals at Eagles

The Bengals looked great last week with Joe Burrow at quarterback and the Eagles continued to underwhelm, getting destroyed by the Rams. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Bengals have looked much better than the Eagles. The thing is, the chances of the Eagles, who were previously considered playoff contenders, start the season with three losses in a row seems very unlikely. Despite that, the Eagles have shown no reason to expect them to win this game, so the Bengals get the slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Bengals 30, Eagles 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Eagles 37, Bengals 18

Raiders at Patriots

The Patriots might have lost last week, but they looked like legit Super Bowl contenders. They were a play away from beating a team that many considered to be the best in the NFC on the road. Once Cam has the full playbook down and the defense figures itself out (which it always does under Belichick even when they start slow), watch out. They could beat any team in the league. The Raiders looked good last week against the Saints, but New Orleans was without their best player and Drew Brees has looked his age recently. The Patriots should be able to move the ball well against the Raiders and their defense should have a rebound performance now that they’re not going up against the hottest quarterback in the NFL. New England has the advantage.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 31, Raiders 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Raiders 21, Patriots 14

Bears at Falcons

The Bears have looked solid this year but they played two bad teams to start the season. The Falcons looked bad against the Seahawks, but that probably says more about Seattle than Atlanta, and was good against the Cowboys despite blowing a big lead at the end. Atlanta’s offense has been taken to another level with the emergence of Calvin Ridley. Defenses can no longer dedicate all of their attention to Julio Jones and expect nobody else of the Falcons to contribute. Because of that, the Bears will have a very hard time beating the Falcons and seem likely to end up with a loss.

Expert Prediction: Falcons 28, Bears 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Falcons 22, Bears 13

Rams at Bears

The Bills have looked solid this year, but they played the Jets (arguably the worst team in football) and the Dolphins (who they struggled to beat). The Rams will be a real test for a Bills team that has seemed to get tons of hype despite not having many impressive games against good teams. Even last year everyone was talking about the Bills being real contenders, but they had the easiest schedule in the NFL. If Buffalo can beat the Rams or make it a good game, they’re legit. But if not, they have just been benefiting from an easy schedule. The Rams have looked too good, however, to bet against them in this game.

Expert Prediction: Rams 27, Bills 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bills 42, Rams 24

Texans at Steelers

The Texans have started the season off poorly but they played arguably the two best teams in the league. The Steelers have looked good, but they didn’t play anyone very good. The Texans have lost two in a row, and with Deshaun Watson under center, it’s very unlikely that they lose three. The Steelers struggled to defend a backup quarterback last week, so Deshaun should have a good game. On the other side of the ball Houston may have some problems defending all of the Steelers’ weapons, but they should ultimately be able to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Texans 28, Steelers 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Texans 17, Steelers 10

Titans at Vikings

The Titans and the Vikings have both been underwhelming this year, but the Vikings have been more so. Minnesota has been annihilated in their first two games of the season. The first game was reasonable, but then they lost to a Colts team that had previously lost to a Jaguars team that many considered to be tanking coming into the year. The Titans have started off with two wins, but they’ve struggled to beat mediocre teams. At the end of the day, however, the Vikings have been significantly worse than the Titans and should be in line for a third demolition in a row unless they figure something out.

Expert Prediction: Titans 35, Vikings 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Vikings 30, Titans 27

Panthers at Chargers

The Chargers looked good last week, almost beating a Chiefs team that is considered the best in football with a rookie quarterback. The Panthers, on the other hand, just lost their best player in Christian McCaffrey and won’t be nearly as productive on offense. If Justin Herbert can build on his performance from last week, the Chargers will be very good. With McCaffrey gone and the Chargers appearing to be on the rise, it’s hard to imagine the Panthers finding a way to win this game.

Expert Prediction: Chargers 27, Panthers 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chargers 34, Panthers 21

Jets at Colts

The Jets are the worst team in football and the Colts looked really good last week. Jonathan Taylor should be the driving force of their offense as the shift to a very run-heavy approach. The Jets will probably have no way of stopping it considering how poorly they played against the 49ers run game. Expect the Colts to get off to an early lead running the ball and proceed by draining the clock, ultimately getting an easy win.

Expert Prediction: Colts 27, Jets 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Colts 41, Jets 24

Cowboys at Seahawks

The Cowboys have one of the most talented rosters in the league and have looked pretty good through the first two weeks of the year. They’ve had some really close games while going against some good opponents. Seattle will be the best team the Cowboys face, however. This should be a massive shootout between two of the best passing offenses in the league. Expect Dak and Wilson to both have big days. Ultimately, the Seahawks are at home and have looked like arguably the best team in the NFC through two games, so they have an advantage.

Expert Prediction: Seahawks 38, Cowboys 31

Analytics-Based Prediction: Seahawks 28, Cowboys 23

Lions at Cardinals

The Cardinals have looked great through two games and the Lions have looked like, well, the Lions. Lions fans are some of the most loyal fans in the NFL because it seems like their team is always completely and utterly horrible. Matt Patricia’s arrival only made matters worse for the Lions. Arizona should be able to walk away from this game with a very easy win.

Expert Prediction: Cardinals 35, Lions 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cardinals 24, Lions 10

Buccaneers at Broncos

The Buccaneers have been a disappointment this year but they should still be a decent team. The Broncos will be without their starting quarterback going into this matchup, so they could struggle. Most teams with a backup quarterback starting will rely on the run, but the Buccaneers have an elite run defense so the Broncos won’t really be able to do that. The Buccaneers have a bad secondary, however, so if the Broncos starter (either Blake Bortles or Jeff Driskel) can step up, they might have a chance. Don’t bet on that, however.

Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 24, Broncos 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Buccaneers 32, Broncos 24

Packers at Saints

The Saints looked bad last week against the Raiders, as Drew Brees looked his age without Michael Thomas on the field. They will be able to rely on Alvin Kamara to move the ball, but he can only do so much. The Packers have looked good, but they’ve played the underwhelming Vikings and the Lions, so there isn’t much to actually go on. This should be a pretty close game, but Green Bay should end up with the win since the Saints don’t have Michael Thomas.

Expert Prediction: Packers 26, Saints 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 34, Packers 26

Chiefs at Ravens

This will be a great team. Arguably the two best teams in the NFL will be going up against each other. The Chiefs will struggle to stop the run against Baltimore, as the Chargers appeared to expose that area as a major weakness on defense and the Ravens have one of the top two run games in the league with Lamar Jackson under center. On the other side of the ball, the Chargers might have shown how to slow down this Chiefs offense and the Ravens can try their best to replicate that, but everyone knows even if you execute perfectly, the Chiefs are scoring a respectable amount. They’re that good. This will be a very close game, and while the Chiefs have gotten the best of the Ravens in the past, Baltimore matches up well against this Chiefs teams and has a good chance of walking away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 35, Chiefs 31

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 37, Chiefs 28