Falcons at Panthers

The Falcons have somehow managed to find every possible way of blowing a lead, with Todd Gurley’s accidental touchdown last week being the latest in what has been the debacle of what seems to be a talented team on paper. The Panthers have looked like a very solid team this year, on the other hand, and should be able to compete for a Wild Card spot. The Falcons don’t have the defense to stop what has been a really good Panthers offense this year. Christian McCaffrey will be missing another week, but Mike Davis has been great in his absence and should be able to fill his role for the short period in which he isn't healthy. The Falcons should muster up some offense, but it won’t be enough to win, even with McCaffrey missing another game.

Expert Prediction: Panthers 35, Falcons 30

Analytics-Based Prediction: Panthers 30, Falcons 10

Vikings at Packers

The Packers returned to form last week after a bad showing against the Buccaneers and once again look like a top-3 team in the NFC. Davante Adams’s return has taken this offense to another level. He is beginning to establish himself as arguably the best receiver in the game. The Vikings have been far from great this year, at times looking competitive against good teams before losing and at other times looking outright terrible. Dalvin Cook should be coming back from an injury that kept him out of the last game, but that can only make so much of a difference. The Packers beat the Vikings earlier this year, and expect this game to have a similar outcome.

Expert Prediction: Packers 31, Vikings 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Vikings 27, Packers 20

Titans at Bengals

The Bengals continuously play well and keep games close but always find a way to lose. This is a pretty new team, and while there is no denying they have a very bright future, they are going to lose almost all of their games again. The Titans came close to an incredible comeback against the Steelers and will now look to bounce back in a very winnable game. Joe Burrow has looked great and will be able to put some points on the board, but the Bengals have no chance of stopping Derrick Henry and this Titans run game. Cincinnati may be able to keep it close at first, but eventually the Titans will pull ahead and come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Titans 34, Bengals 25

Analytics-Based Prediction: Titans 31, Bengals 10

Jets at Chiefs

The Chiefs have once again looked like arguably the best team in the AFC this year and will be expected to win every game from here on out, while the only thing the Jets have to look forward to is the NFL Draft. New York has played historically bad through these first seven games and is now looking at the possibility of losing every game this year. This game will be over before it even starts. The Jets have no chance of slowing down this Chiefs offense and won’t be able to do anything on offense, as per usual. This game isn’t going to be worth watching unless you’re a Chiefs fan.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 37, Jets 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 37, Jets 20

Colts at Lions

The Colts and the Lions have both outperformed expectations thus far, but Indianapolis is still a significantly better team. The Colts have a great defense that has been capable of completely shutting down virtually every offense it has faced this year. The Lions have been able to win a few games against bad teams, but they haven’t really showed that they’re capable of doing anything against a somewhat competent opponent with the exception of their fluke game against the Cardinals where Arizona looked horrible. The Colts should come away with the win with relative ease because the Lions will have a very hard time moving the ball.

Expert Prediction: Colts 24, Lions 13

Analytics-Based Prediction: Lions 38, Colts 29

Steelers at Ravens

This should be a great game. The Steelers have looked like arguably the best team in the NFL so far this year. They have an elite defense capable of stopping any run game and a very good offense. The Ravens have looked great on defense so far, but the offense has been somewhat underwhelming at times. Even with that being the case, Baltimore has looked great and should once again be a Super Bowl contender. The key matchup in this game will be the Ravens running game against the Steelers front seven. Pittsburgh has looked dominant against the run so far this year, but they haven’t faced a run game like the Ravens which heavily features a dynamic quarterback running the football. Lamar Jackson might be too hard to defend for the Steelers and win the Ravens the game. On the other hand, the Steelers could prove to be too good against the run for the Ravens and completely shut down the Baltimore offense. On the other side of the ball, the Ravens defense is capable of keeping the Steelers offense in check, but Pittsburgh will still be able to put some points on the board. This will be a very close game, but it seems like the Steelers could struggle to stop Lamar Jackson, and because of that, the Ravens get a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 26, Steelers 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 38, Steelers 30

Rams at Dolphins

The Rams were finally able to get a win against a good team and have now established themselves as a playoff-caliber team. The Dolphins have looked impressive since starting the season with a tough schedule and seem to be a viable contender for a Wild Card spot. The Dolphins have shown that they can compete with good teams, so this should be a pretty close game, but there is no way of knowing how prepared Tua Tagovailoa is for this game. It’s pretty telling that he was able to beat out Fitzpatrick, so Dolphins fans should have confidence, but rookie quarterbacks are always an unknown to some extent. At the end of the day, the Rams have looked great and are playing a rookie quarterback in his first start, so expect them to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Rams 33, Dolphins 28

Analytics-Based Prediction: Rams 30, Dolphins 10

Patriots at Bills

The Patriots looked awful last week and there’s no other way to see it. This team has run out of excuses. The simple fact is that the Patriots aren’t a good team this year and the first few games must have been a fluke. The Bills have looked like a very good team this year and should be able to win this game. It is a divisional matchup and the Patriots typically play well against Buffalo, so this could be a closer game than it may seem at first, but ultimately the Bills should be able to win. The Patriots have next to no offense and have been constantly turning the ball over. The defense has been very inconsistent, at times looking like a top-3 unit but at other times looking below-average. The Bills should be able to move the ball with Josh Allen’s legs (defending quarterback runs is a massive weakness of the Patriots). Because of this, expect Buffalo to win.

Expert Prediction: Bills 27, Patriots 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bills 28, Patriots 14

Raiders at Browns

The Raiders have shown the ability to keep up with some of the best teams in the league and could make a legitimate Super Bowl run if they are able to get a Wild Card spot. The Browns might have a good record, but they haven’t played a single good team and haven’t looked very impressive for a 5-2 team. The Raiders should be able to pass the ball very well against a Browns defense that just got carved up by the Bengals, but on the other side of the ball Cleveland should be able to run the ball well against a weak Vegas run defense. The Browns should be able to keep this game close at first on the back of their ground game, but eventually the Raiders will find a way to slow the run and pull away.

Expert Prediction: Raiders 28, Browns 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Raiders 37, Browns 28

Chargers at Broncos

The Chargers have been significantly better than their record indicates this year. They have been in pretty much every game and were a few plays away from being considered one of the league’s best teams. Justin Herbert has been one of the greatest rookie quarterbacks we have ever seen up to this point and seems destined to become one of the NFL’s brightest stars very early in his career. The Broncos, on the other hand, haven’t looked good this year since suffering a ton of injuries. Their only wins are against the winless Jets and a Patriots team that is no longer any good. The Chargers typically play down to their opponents to an extent, so this game could be close for a while, but Los Angeles should ultimately win.

Expert Prediction: Chargers 35, Broncos 28

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chargers 30, Broncos 14

Saints at Bears

The Bears, despite losing last week, have been great this year. They have been able to beat some of the best teams in the league on the backs of their defense, but their offense might be too much of a liability for them to continue to compete at the level they have. The Saints started the year slow but have continued to build momentum without Michael Thomas. Thomas will miss yet another game this week, but even without him this will be a good game. The Saints have been great on defense this year, so they completely outmatch the Bears' mediocre offense. On the other side of the ball, the Saints can rely on Alvin Kamara and the ground game to score enough points to come away with a win with yet another win without Michael Thomas.

Expert Prediction: Saints 20, Bears 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 28, Bears 21

49ers at Seahawks

The 49ers looked like they returned to Super Bowl form last week and should now be a threat in the NFC. Though the Seahawks lost, they are still one of the league’s best teams. Seattle always looks bad against the Cardinals so it doesn’t make sense to read too much into that game. The 49ers should be able to move the ball well against the Seahawks defense, as they are arguably the worst in the league. On the other side of the ball, the 49ers defense looked great last week, but they are now going up against one of the NFl’s best offenses. This game should be pretty high scoring. Like all Seahawks games, this one should be really close, and Russell Wilson is much more reliable than Jimmy Garoppolo late in a game so the Seahawks get a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Seahawks 35, 49ers 34

Analytics-Based Prediction: Seahawks 32, 49ers 23

Cowboys at Eagles

The Cowboys have looked horrendous since losing Dak Prescott and things have gotten worse because of Andy Dalton’s injury. With or without Dalton, however, the Cowboys should lose this game. A third string quarterback starting for Dallas would be horrible, but Dalton hasn’t looked very good either way. The offense has completely stalled out without Dak to lead them and the defense is one of the league’s worst. The Eagles have looked like the NFC East’s best team so far this year and will be able to move the ball against Dallas like pretty much all teams. The Cowboys will struggle because of their quarterback situation, so expect the Eagles to win with ease whether Andy Dalton plays or not.

Expert Prediction: Eagles 36, Cowboys 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Eagles 34, Cowboys 10

Buccaneers at Giants

The Buccaneers have looked fantastic thus far, and once Antonio Brown comes in this team seems like a Super Bowl lock. The Giants, on the other hand, are not good. They have lost to some bad teams this year and have next to no offense since losing Saquon Barkley. Their defense is solid, but it’s not enough to slow this Buccaneers offense even with Chris Godwin out. Gronk has started to look at least somewhat like his old self and the run game has started to come alive. On the other side of the ball, the Buccaneers have a top 5 defense and should be able to completely halt the Giants offense. Expect this game to be over by halftime.

Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Giants 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Buccaneers 35, Giants 14