Packers at 49ers

The Packers did not look good last week and have now had two really bad games in three weeks. Packers fans should be getting a little worried about the team going into this week. Green Bay has no run defense and has struggled to move the ball on offense with Aaron Jones out. There is pessimism that Jones will be able to play this week, but if he did, it would be huge for the Packers. Green Bay will also be missing A.J. Dillon and Jamaal Williams for this game, so their backfield could be atrocious. Luckily for the Packers, the 49ers are plagued with injuries once again. George Kittle and Jimmy Garoppolo are both expected to miss several weeks, so the 49ers will not be the same team they were a couple weeks ago. Because of this, the Packers should be able to come away with a win despite their struggles.

Expert Prediction: Packers 26, 49ers 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 30, 49ers 16

Texans at Jaguars

The Texans and the Jaguars have both been really bad this year and will now get the chance to have a rematch of their game from earlier this year. Houston came away with a win then, and they should be expected to do the same this week. The Texans have a much better roster and quarterback than the Jaguars and have looked like a solid team at times. Their issue has been that they’ve lost a lot of close games. The Jaguars will be replacing Gardner Minchew this week with a rookie in Jake Luton, and he shouldn’t be expected to do well. It’s very hard for any rookie quarterback in their first start, but add in the fact that Luton was a sixth round draft pick, and he will struggle. Because of this, expect Houston to come away with a relatively easy win.

Expert Prediction: Texans 34, Jaguars 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Texans 35, Jaguars 29

Giants at Washington

The Giants looked really good last week against the Buccaneers, but they have been very inconsistent all year. If they can build on that performance, however, New York has a chance to compete for the division. Washington also looked good against the Cowboys the last time they played and could potentially build on that momentum to compete. Both teams are still bad, but given the state of the NFC East their seasons are far from over. Both New York and Washingon have good defenses but horrible offenses, so expect this to be a tight, low-scoring, divisional matchup. Ultimately, the Giants looked too good against one of the league’s best teams to pick against them when they’re playing one of the league’s worst, so expect New York to come away with a close win.

Expert Prediction: Giants 21, Washington 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Washington 37, Giants 27

Ravens at Colts

The Ravens were able to compete with the Steelers despite turning it over multiple times and should be able to bounce back this week against the Colts. Both teams have great defenses, but Baltimore has a significantly better offense. The Ravens were able to move the ball against the Steelers, so expect them to put up a decent number of points against the Colts. Indianapolis could struggle to contain Lamar Jackson in the run game, but will probably get a turnover or two. Turnovers will keep this game close, but eventually the Ravens will pull away and end up with a win.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 26, Colts 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 34, Colts 17

Lions at Vikings

The Vikings have looked really good in their last three games with a healthy Dalvin Cook. They came away with two wins and a close loss against the Seahawks in a game in which Cook got hurt. The Lions, on the other hand, seem to have fizzled out. They had an impressive win against the Cardinals and beat two of the league’s worst teams in the Falcons and Jaguars, but other than that haven’t looked good. The Vikings are probably already out of contention for this year, but they should be able to be a good team from here on out. Expect Minnesota to come away with a win by running the ball up and down the field.

Expert Prediction: Vikings 31, Lions 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Lions 35, Vikings 30

Bears at Titans

The Titans are coming off back to back losses, with last week’s performance looking really bad. They will need to rebound in this game if they hope to keep themselves competitive in the AFC. The Bears, on the other hand, looked pretty good last week and nearly beat one of the NFC’s best teams, but they too have lost back to back games. They are now not even in the playoff picture, however, and will need to win this game to keep pace with other NFC playoff teams. This should be a good game between a great Bears defense and an elite Titans run game. The Bears will probably struggle to keep the Titans offense in check because of the physicality of the Tennessee run game, and that should be enough to get the Titans an important win.

Expert Prediction: Titans 24, Bears 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Titans 27, Bears 9

Panthers at Chiefs

The Panthers have dropped off since starting the season off strong and might end up looking as expected coming into the season. They will hope to get Christian McCaffrey back this week, however, and that will completely change the scope of their offense. McCaffrey should take the Panthers to another level and potentially be the savior of their season. With that being said, Carolina will be playing the Chiefs this week, so they should expect a fourth loss in a row. Kansas City is inarguably a top-3 team in the NFL and will be able to win this game with ease. Carolina doesn’t have the defense to slow Mahomes and doesn’t have the offense to keep up with him, even if Christian McCaffrey is back. The Chiefs are beatable, but the Panthers aren’t the team to do it.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 34, Panthers 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 30, Panthers 17

Seahawks at Bills

This should be a very good game. The Bills struggled last week against a decimated Patriots team and looked incapable of stopping the run. Seattle rebounded after a tough loss to the Cardinals and are now looking at potentially getting the top seed in the NFC. This game will be a shootout, as the Bills don’t have a good enough defense to slow down the Seahawks and vice versa. Seattle will be healthier on the defensive side of the ball, but even when healthy they’ve been horrendous this year. This game, in true Seahawks fashion, will be very close, but with the game on the line, Russell Wilson is much more reliable than Josh Allen. Thus, expect the Seahawks to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Seahawks 35, Bills 31

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bills 27, Seahawks 21

Broncos at Falcons

The Broncos and the Falcons are both coming off of impressive wins, so this should be a pretty good game. The Falcons should be able to move the ball on offense, but the question is whether or not they can eliminate their turnovers. On the other side of the ball, the Broncos will hope to move the ball through the air against a horrible Falcons pass defense. This game should be close like all Falcons games, and ultimately, given how poorly the Falcons usually play in close games, expect Denver to come away with a win. If the Falcons are able to win a close game, maybe their new coaching staff is starting to fix what has seemed to be a critical flaw for the Falcons.

Expert Prediction: Broncos 28, Falcons 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Falcons 27, Broncos 26

Raiders at Chargers

The Raiders are looking really good right now and should be considered one of the AFC’s best teams, while the Chargers, despite their record, have also looked good. The Chargers have been in pretty much every game they’ve played but always seem to lose. That’s not too surprising considering that Justin Herbert is a rookie, but it means they will keep this game competitive. And in divisional matchups, weird things always happen, so the Chargers have a legitimate chance of coming away with a win. They should be able to move the ball effectively against a Raiders defense that, despite their good performance last week, hasn’t been very good all year. On the other side of the ball, the Raiders should be able to score quite a lot of points against a defense that just gave up over 30 to the Broncos. Expect this to be a shootout, but the Raiders are a better team and should end up winning.

Expert Prediction: Raiders 35, Chargers 33

Analytics-Based Prediction: Raiders 40, Chargers 32

Dolphins at Cardinals

The Cardinals appear to have returned to form after having a bad stretch in the middle of the year and will now look to potentially steal this division from the Seahawks. The Dolphins, on the other hand, looked great last week and could have a chance to keep up with the Bills in the AFC East. Arizona might struggle to move the ball against a Dolphins defense that looked phenomenal last week, but the same goals for the Dolphins offense, which didn’t look particularly good last week despite the win. They put up 28 points, but two of those touchdowns were off defense or special teams. This game should be lower scoring than many people expect, and at the end of the day, Kyler Murray is much more reliable in that type of game than a rookie quarterback.

Expert Prediction: Cardinals 21, Dolphins 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Dolphins 26, Cardinals 20

Steelers at Cowboys

The Cowboys looked much better last week than they did the week before, but they still ended up losing by double digits to a team with a losing record. Dallas has been arguably the worst team in the league since Dak Prescott went out and they now get to play the undefeated Steelers. Pittsburgh has looked great so far and has the chance to challenge the Chiefs as the best team in the AFC. There is no way the Steelers lose this game. They are going to get multiple turnovers against a horrendous Dallas offense and will be able to move the ball with ease against the Cowboys defense. Expect this one to be over by halftime.

Expert Prediction: Steelers 35, Cowboys 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Steelers 29, Cowboys 8

Saints at Buccaneers

The Buccaneers didn’t look great last week, but they will be adding Antonio Brown and possibly Chris Godwin for this game. The offense will look completely different with those two on the field and the Buccaneers should look like a Super Bowl favorite once again. The Saints looked solid last week and will be hoping to get Michael Thomas back from injury, so this should end up being a very good game. The Saints were able to win the first matchup between these two teams, but that was in week one. Both teams are very different now. This game will be very important for both teams as well, as it could completely swing the outlook of the division. Ultimately, the Buccaneers have too strong of a receiving core to end up losing this game, so expect them to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 31, Saints 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 40, Buccaneers 32

Patriots at Jets

The Patriots and the Jets have both looked horrible this year and are both probably looking ahead to next season given each team’s current situation. Despite New England’s struggles, they are still a much better team than the Jets and should be able to win this game. The Patriots may, however, decide to tank at this point in the year, and if that’s the case, they might end up losing this game. It seems very unlikely that Bill Belichick would decide to tank no matter the circumstances, however, so expect the Patriots to end up winning this game.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 28, Jets 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Patriots 27, Jets 20