Broncos at Jets

Both the Broncos and the Jets have been terrible this year. The Jets have been arguably the worst team in football and the Broncos looked good at first before losing their starting quarterback to injury. This won’t be a very good game because both teams are bad, but it should be somewhat close. At the end of the day, Denver has a more talented roster and coaching staff while the Jets have a better quarterback, so the Broncos have much more going for them and should be able to win this game.

Expert Prediction: Broncos 24, Jets 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Jets 37, Broncos 27

Saints at Lions

The Saints appeared to return to form last week after getting beaten by the Raiders. The Lions got a very surprising win over the Cardinals, but it was still a close game no matter how many mistakes the Cardinals made. That game was more about the Cardinals losing than the Lions winning. The Saints come in with the hottest running back in the NFL in Alvin Kamara, and he should be able to take this game over. The Saints are a much better team at the end of the day, so this game shouldn’t even be close.

Expert Prediction: Saints 35, Lions 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 30, Lions 24

Chargers at Buccaneers

The Chargers looked great against the Chiefs but appeared to come back down to earth last week when they lost to the Panthers. The Buccaneers have looked better since their week one loss, but they’ve played some very easy teams. Tampa Bay should be able to continue its winning streak this week, as the Chargers haven’t been a very good team this year with the exception of their game against the Chiefs, and they likely played better since it was a divisional game. It might be tough to move the ball against this Chargers defense but the Buccaneers should be able to score enough points to ultimately get a win.

Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 24, Chargers 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Buccaneers 23, Chargers 7

Jaguars at Bengals

The Jaguars looked like they were expected to look going into the season last week against the Dolphins. Almost everything seemed to be going wrong as they got destroyed by a mediocre team. The Bengals looked good last week and should be able to be at least decent this year. Joe Burrow has looked great for a rookie and as he develops he seems primed to become one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. It will be very hard for this Jaguars defense to stop Burrow and the Bengals, and while they could potentially move the ball, it probably won’t be enough.

Expert Prediction: Bengals 34, Jaguars 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bengals 31, Jaguars 24

Vikings at Texans

The Texans are a solid team but they have had one of the hardest possible three game stretches to open a season. They might not be the perennial playoff team they always have been with DeAndre Hopkins now gone, but they will by no means be one of the NFL’s worst teams like their record currently shows. The Vikings have gone through something similar but far less extreme. Neither one of these teams is horrible, but the Texans have had a much harder path to 0-3 and looked good against the Steelers, so they seem more likely to get a win.

Expert Prediction: Texans 28, Vikings 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Texans 34, Vikings 20

Seahawks at Dolphins

The Dolphins looked good last week but are now going up against the hottest quarterback in the NFL and arguably the best team in the NFC. Russell Wilson is on track to have the greatest season ever by a quarterback and has looked like the clear-cut MVP through three games. The Dolphins have no chance of slowing Wilson and this Seahawks offense down even with the injuries they have suffered. Miami could move the ball somewhat effectively against this banged-up Seahawks defense, but it won’t be even close to enough to win.

Expert Prediction: Seahawks 35, Dolphins 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Seahawks 38, Dolphins 17

Browns at Cowboys

The Browns have been solid this year after getting destroyed by the Ravens in week

one but they haven’t played anyone incredibly good. The Cowboys have looked great since they came back in their game against the Falcons, nearly beating the Seahawks in a close game. If Dallas can build on their past performances they could end up being legitimate contenders in the NFC. Dallas’s offense will be too much for the Browns to handle. The Browns love to run the ball, and run defense is one of the Cowboys’ strengths. Dallas seems likely to win this game.

Expert Prediction: Cowboys 34, Browns 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cowboys 39, Brown 21

Cardinals at Panthers

The Cardinals looked horrible last week after starting the season very well, and now they will look to rebound. Given that they have a relatively new team and didn’t get a preseason, struggles were expected, so the Cardinals should be able to improve in this game. The Panthers have been inconsistent this year, but they have had some tough matchups and could end up being pretty good. This might be a close game, but the Cardinals don’t seem likely to have two bad performances in a row, so expect them to end up with a win.

Expert Prediction: Cardinals 31, Panthers 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Panthers 38, Cardinals 20

Colts at Bears

The Bears have surprisingly gone undefeated thus far, but they haven’t played anyone good. Nick Foles should be an upgrade over Mitchell Trubisky, but that might not be enough to make Chicago a very competitive team. The Colts have looked great since losing to the Jaguars in week one, coming into this matchup with the league’s top ranked defense. Indianapolis has also looked good running the ball with Jonathan Taylor taking over as the lead back, so they will be able to control the clock in this game. The Bears, despite being undefeated, don’t seem likely to win this game.

Expert Prediction: Colts 24, Bears 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bears 31, Colts 20

Ravens at Washington

The Ravens looked horrible last week, but given that it’s early in the season and there was not even a preseason, it isn’t the biggest deal. They should return to form. Washington has been better than expected this year, but they are still not good enough to beat the Ravens. Baltimore still has one of the best running games in the league and Lamar Jackson will be hungry to be more accurate next week. Washington will have a very hard time moving the ball on this Ravens defense, resulting in a blowout.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 36, Washington 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 17, Washington 10

Giants at Rams

The Giants have been very underwhelming this year, and now that Saquon Barkley is gone they have taken an even bigger step back. New York will likely be one of the worst teams in the league this year. The Rams were able to mount a serious comeback just to choke at the end of the game by allowing Buffalo to score after a controversial pass-interference call went in the Bills’ favor (probably well-deserved for the Rams). They will once again put on a great performance and should annihilate this horrible Giants team.

Expert Prediction: Rams 31, Giants 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Giants 42, Rams 21

Patriots at Chiefs

This game was looking like it could be very interesting, but now that Cam Newton is out with Covis-19, this game will be an easy Chiefs win unless it ends up being rescheduled. The Patriots will try to run the ball pretty much the whole game since the Chiefs struggle against the run, but since New England will not be able to throw the ball whatsoever Kansas City will completely sell out to stop the ground game. The Patriots defense could slow the Chiefs offense a little, but that won’t be enough for them to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 28, Patriots 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 31, Patriots 20

Bills at Raiders

The Bills looked great for most of last week and proved that they are a legitimate threat in the AFC. The Raiders got exposed against the Patriots, but in all fairness, they were playing a great team. This could be a close game with Oakland looking to rebound and reestablish itself as a threat in the AFC. The Bills will be trying to pull away from the Patriots as it races to win its first AFC East championship in forever. Oakland will be able to run the ball against this Bills defense, but they will have a very hard time throwing. The Bills might struggle to pass the ball against this Raiders defense, as Oakland’s main weakness is against the run, so this game will come down to how well the Bills can run the ball. At the end of the day, Buffalo has looked a lot better than the Raiders, so they seem likely to take the win.

Expert Prediction: Bills 27, Raiders 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Raiders 36, Bills 27

Eagles at 49ers

Even with all of their injuries the 49ers have found ways to get wins, and though they’ve been playing bad opponents, they’ve been destroying those teams. The Eagles have looked absolutely awful this year, and if they don’t do something soon they could end up looking like one of the worst teams in football. The 49ers might struggle, as the Eagles are the best team they will face since having all of their injuries. At the same time, the Eagles have lost to teams that look worse than the 49ers. This game is filled with uncertainty, but the 49ers have been playing better so they seem more likely to get a win.

Expert Prediction: 49ers 24, Eagles 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: 49ers 32, Eagles 21

Falcons at Packers

The Falcons have been horrible this year, blowing massive leads seemingly every week. The Packers have looked really good and seem to be one of the better teams in the NFC. This should be a very high scoring contest with two dynamic offenses going up against defenses they are much better than. This game could be close at first because the Falcons are always really good through the first two to three quarters of the game, but eventually the Packers will pull away and Atlanta will end up with no chance of winning by the end of the game.

Expert Prediction: Packers 41, Falcons 31

Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 51, Falcons 31