Texans at Titans

The Titans looked legit against the Bills and proved that they weren’t a one-year wonder last season. They will once again be ready to compete for a Super Bowl. The Texans were able to get a win, but it wasn’t very impressive given who they were playing. Houston will probably go down as the biggest disappointment of the season and has no chance of becoming a competitive team this season. This game could be somewhat close given that it’s a divisional game and the Titans are playing on a very short week, but Tennessee should still end up coming away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Titans 34, Texans 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Titans 33, Texans 25

Ravens at Eagles

Carson Wentz started to look somewhat like the Carson Wentz of old last week against a great Steelers defense and gave the Eagles a real shot to pull off a massive upset and will now look to build on that momentum heading into this game. The Ravens haven’t looked as dominant as they were last season so far this year, but they have still been one of the best teams in the league. It will be very hard for the Eagles to pull this off and would likely take a number of mistakes from the Ravens similar to what happened against the Chiefs or Bengals (difference is the Bengals didn’t capitalize on those mistakes and dropped multiple interceptions). The Ravens have been inconsistent this year, so the Eagles have a shot, but it seems very unlikely that Baltimore ends up losing.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 32, Eagles 26

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 19, Eagles 11

Falcons at Vikings

The Vikings have appeared to step up after starting the season very slow and are now in dire need of a win if they hope to compete for a playoff spot. The Falcons have looked horrible this year and just fired their head coach, which is probably a good move for the long-term but it also means they should be very beatable right now. The Vikings might be without their best player in Dalvin Cook, but Alexander Mattison looked pretty capable of filling in if necessary. The Vikings may start off shaky if Cook is out, but they will eventually get things going and come away with a win over the winless Falcons.

Expert Prediction: Vikings 28, Falcons 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Falcons 23, Vikings 16

Browns at Steelers

Both the Browns have started the season surprisingly well, but neither team has faced a noteworthy opponent up to this point. The Colts had the league’s best defense going into their game against the Browns but they hadn’t played any real offenses. Because of that, this should be a close game. The Steelers will have a hard time taking away all of the Browns’ weapons but will be able to confuse Baker Mayfield and cause him duress all game long. On the other side of the ball, Pittsburgh should be able to move down the field with relative ease, so this game could be more high scoring than many think. At the end of the day, the Steelers are a much more proven team that has always been good with a healthy quarterback, so at this point they seem to be a bigger threat and will come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Steelers 27, Browns 25

Analytics-Based Prediction: Browns 20, Steelers 13

Bengals at Colts

The Bengals, despite getting destroyed by the Ravens, have looked much better than last year and should be able to put up at least close to a .500 record this year. The Colts, however, will be contending for the playoffs and have a really solid team. The Colts defense should be able to contain this Bengals offense and on the other side of the ball the Bengals will struggle to stop the Colts run game. Indianapolis should get a lead early and then run the clock and escape with a win.

Expert Prediction: Colts 24, Bengals 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Colts 37, Bengals 20

Lions at Jaguars

The Lions and the Jaguars have both been incredibly inconsistent this season, so this game will really come down to who plays their best game. Both teams have the talent on their roster to come away with a win, but there is such a wide variety of potential outcomes that it’s really hard to predict. It could be a demolition with either side coming out on top, a really close game in which both teams play well, or a really close game in which both teams play horribly. In games like this, the slight advantage goes to the home team.

Expert Prediction: Jaguars 33, Lions 30

Analytics-Based Prediction: Jaguar 20, Lions 10

Bears at Panthers

Both the Bears and the Panthers have looked good this year. Carolina has looked great on offense even with Christian McCaffrey out and the Bears have looked really good on defense. The Bears are somewhat unpredictable given their quarterback situation, as Nick Foles is at times great and then suddenly takes a massive step back, and the Panthers are similar in the sense that they haven’t beaten a great opponent yet to prove they’re for real. This should be a really good game between two playoff-caliber teams, but the Bears have proven that they can keep up with some of the NFC’s better teams and have a defense talented enough to rattle Teddy Bridgewater, so they get a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Bears 26, Panthers 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Panthers 35, Bears 24

Washington at Giants

Both of these teams are horrible and the funniest part is that they’re both within two games of the division. That’s how bad the NFC East is this year. And given the fact that both teams are so bad, this should be a close game. The Giants have a solid defense, as does Washington, so expect this to be lower scoring, especially given the quarterback situation of these teams. Daniel Jones has not looked good thus far and though Kyle Allen looked solid last week before getting hurt, he’s been very inconsistent throughout his career. Because of that, expect a tight, low-scoring game the the home team ultimately wins.

Expert Prediction: Giants 13, Washington 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Giants 17, Washington 9

Broncos at Patriots

The Patriots have looked great this season despite starting 2-2, with their only losses coming to the undefeated Seahawks and the defending Super Bowl champions in a game that they played without Cam Newton. Not to mention that they flew down on the same day as the game. Everyone can agree that the Patriots could have at least made the Chiefs game very close had Cam played. Here’s an interesting stat: the last three times the Patriots have started off 2-2 they’ve made the Super Bowl. Obviously that was with Tom Brady, but that still shows that the fact that they’re 2-2 doesn’t mean they aren’t the same old Patriots. Now they get to play the Broncos, one of the league’s most injured teams. Denver will in all likelihood get Drew Lock back, but this Patriots defense should still be able to contain the Broncos. They can confuse Lock and force him into a couple of turnovers. On the other side of the ball, Denver will have a very hard time stopping the Patriots ground game with Cam Newton back in the fold, so expect the Patriots to get an early lead and proceed to run the clock.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 30, Broncos 13

Analytics-Based Prediction: Patriots 44, Broncos 21

Jets at Dolphins

The Jets have been awful this year and just cut their best skill position player while the Dolphins have been really good this year. Miami may be 2-3, but their three losses are to the Patriots, Bills, and Seahawks, all of whom are Super Bowl contenders. Brian Flores has done a great job in Miami and Ryan Fitzpatrick has looked great recently. The Dolphins should win this game with ease like pretty much every team that plays the Jets, so expect this one to be over by halftime.

Expert Prediction: Dolphins 34, Jets 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Dolphins 23, Jets 3

Packers at Buccaneers

This should be a really good game. The Packers have looked great so far this year and the Buccaneers might be a lot healthier with Chris Godwin potentially coming back. That’ll make this game a classic shootout between two of the best quarterbacks of all time. Rodgers hoas, however, looked significantly better than Brady so far this year and a large portion of that has been without Davante Adams, who should be back for this game. The Buccaneers have the run defense to stop Aaron Jones, but they won’t be able to stop Rodgers through the air, and given the recent trend of this year, Brady will likely make a mistake sometime in the game. Because of that, expect the Packers to come away with a win, though there is a good chance for an upset.

Expert Prediction: Packers 38, Buccaneers 35

Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 30, Buccaneers 23

Rams at 49ers

The 49ers might be getting some of their starters back on the field, but they aren’t fully healthy and it shows. This team simply won’t be the same as it was last year given the injuries it has sustained. They looked horrendous against the Dolphins last week and nothing that we’ve seen this year suggests that that’ll change anytime soon. The Rams have looked good this year, although all four of their wins have come against NFC East opponents. Ultimately, the Rams have been a better team this year and they should be expected to come away with a win given the current state of the 49ers.

Expert Prediction: Rams 28, 49ers 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Rams 21, 49ers 9

Chiefs at Bills

The Chiefs and Bills are both coming off of embarrassing losses where they got flat out outplayed. Everyone knows the Chiefs will rebound, but the big question is the Bills. Nobody knows if they will show up in this game and prove that last week was a fluke or if they’ll just fall over and die now that things have gotten tough. This type of loss never happened to the Bills last year, so they are in uncharted territory. The Chiefs, on the other hand, surprisingly tend to play pretty poorly right after a loss. The Chiefs have lost back to back games in each of the last two seasons, so there is a legitimate chance that the Bills end up coming away with a win here if they return to form. Ultimately, the Chiefs have looked vulnerable (at least by their standards) so far this year and the Bills have looked great in all but one game, but Buffalo is too unpredictable to pick right now.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 34, Bills 32

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 30, Bills 23

Cardinals at Cowboys

The Cowboys might have come away with a win last week, but they lost the heart of their team in Dak Prescott, and that will not only hurt them on the field but off the field. He was the leader of the team and it will be very hard for the players to shift over to having Andy Dalton lead the way. The Cardinals started off the season well but have since fallen off and will be looking to rebound against a team other than the Jets. The Cowboys weren’t a great team with Dak on the field, so it’s hard to imagine what they’ll look like without him. And though Arizona has been inconsistent, they have still proven much more than this Cowboys team. So expect them to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Cardinals 36, Cowboys 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cardinals 45, Cowboys 34