Ravens at Dolphins

The Ravens haven’t looked incredible in recent weeks, but they are looking like the best team in the AFC at this point in the season. The Dolphins have been awful all year, with their only wins coming in week 1 against the Patriots (which is looking like a fluke) and last week against the Texans. Baltimore should be able to run the ball down Miami’s throat and get off to an early lead. From there, the Ravens will drain the clock and come away with an easy win.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 31, Dolphins 13

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 34, Dolphins 24

Saints at Titans

Both the Saints and the Titans have been hurt by injuries recently. The Saints lost Jameis Winston and the Titans lost Derrick Henry. The Saints looked awful without Winston last week, but that might have been some simple growing pains. New Orleans also has Taysom Hill healthy, so he might be able to start. Jameis Winston wasn’t so good that his injury should completely derail New Orleans’s season. The Titans looked great last week, but that game seemed like more of a fluke than anything. Tennessee benefited from some turnovers that were mistakes by the Rams, not good plays by the Titans. This game should be close, but the Titans have shown more life recently, so they have an edge.

Expert Prediction: Titans 27, Saints 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 28, Titans 25

Bills at Jets

This game looks like it should be a blowout at first, but when you look closer, this game could end up being this week’s major upset. The Bills just had a horrible loss to the Jaguars, who are arguably worse than the Jets. Because of that, we know that Buffalo is capable of losing to horrendous teams. The Jets have two wins this year, and both were against playoff-caliber teams in the Bengals and Titans. Clearly, when the Jets play well, they’re somehow capable of beating anybody. The Bills are still most likely going to win this game, and it’ll probably be a decimation, but don’t be completely shocked if the Jets somehow pull out a win.

Expert Prediction: Bills 35, Jets 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bills 30, Jets 13

Lions at Steelers

The Steelers didn’t look great last week, as they were a taunting penalty away from potentially losing to the Bears. Nonetheless, Pittsburgh is on a winning streak and is a solid team. The Lions have seemingly gotten worse as the season has gone by, and they are still without a win. Detroit has shown the ability to keep games close, even against very good teams, so don’t be surprised if Pittsburgh struggles, especially with Big Ben out. Ben isn't the reason the Steelers have been successful this year, however, so Pittsburgh should be fine without him. Ultimately, the Steelers will win, regardless of whether or not it’s close or a blowout.

Expert Prediction: Steelers 28, Lions 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Steelers 28, Lions 10

Jaguars at Colts

The Jaguars looked great on defense in their stunning defeat of the Bills, but that game was surely a fluke and Jacksonville won in large part because the Bills had a really bad game. The Jaguars are unlikely to continue winning, and they have their next game against a solid Colts team. The Colts are going to be able to run the ball incredibly well and should get off to an early lead. From there, they’ll rely on Jonathan Taylor to run the clock out.

Expert Prediction: Colts 30, Jaguars 16

Analytics-Based Prediction: Jaguars 27, Colts 26

Buccaneers at Washington

The Buccaneers didn’t look great the last time we saw them play, but now they’ve had a bye to work out their problems. Tom Brady-led teams always seem to hit their stride and peak after the bye, which is exactly what happened to the Buccaneers last year. Washington has been bad all year and hasn’t shown any sort of capability of beating good teams, so the Buccaneers should win this one easily.

Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 38, Washington 18

Analytics-Based Prediction: Buccaneers 44, Washington 14

Browns at Patriots

The Patriots are arguably the hottest team in the NFL coming into this game and are now knocking on the Bills’ door at the top of the AFC East. New England needs to keep winning to keep itself alive for the playoffs. The Browns looked good last week, but they have otherwise been relatively underwhelming this year. Cleveland also had a major Covid outbreak and might be missing many pieces for this game, most notably Nick Chubb. If Chubb is gone, this offense will massively struggle to move the ball against this elite Patriots defense. Even with Chubb, the Browns would struggle. Either way, expect New England to win this game and stay hot.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 27, Browns 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Browns 24, Patriots 14

Falcons at Cowboys

The Cowboys had easily their worst game of the season last week when they got annihilated by the Broncos. The Falcons looked good against the Saints and have now quietly played their way into playoff contention. Dallas looked elite before this game, so odds are, it was just a bad day for them. The Cowboys should return to form this week, so no matter how well Atlanta has played, the Falcons likely won’t be able to win this game.

Expert Prediction: Cowboys 34, Falcons 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cowboys 28, Falcons 24

Panthers at Cardinals

The Cardinals looked incredible despite being without Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins last week. Arizona is hoping that both will be available for this game, but even if they can’t play, the Cardinals seem like they’ll be fine. The Panthers didn’t look good against the Patriots and seem to have practically no offense. The Cardinals have a strong defense that should shut Carolina down. If Kyler and Hopkins play, this game will be a demolition. If not, the Cardinals should still sneak away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Cardinals 28, Panthers 13

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cardinals 33, Panthers 20

Vikings at Chargers

Despite their loss last week, the Vikings looked really good and were almost able to beat the Ravens. The Chargers seem to have gotten things together since their loss to the Patriots, and with the Raiders’ loss on Sunday, Los Angeles is back on track. This should be a very close game because the Vikings have played most of their opponents, including top teams, well, but ultimately the Chargers are a better team that’s more capable of winning close games.

Expert Prediction: Chargers 35, Vikings 34

Analytics-Based Prediction: Vikings 30, Chargers 28

Seahawks at Packers

The Seahawks and the Packers both look like they’re getting their quarterbacks back for this game, so it should be the matchup we were all hoping for at the beginning of the season. The Seahawks aren’t quite out of the playoff picture, although they seem unlikely to make the postseason, and the Packers need to get a win after last week’s loss to the Chiefs. Despite having Russell Wilson back, the Seahawks are going to struggle. They weren’t good at the beginning of the year when Wilson was healthy, so not much will have changed since then. The Packers, on the other hand, are one of the best teams in the NFL when Aaron Rodgers plays. Because of this, the Packers should win relatively easily.

Expert Prediction: Packers 30, Seahawks 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 35, Seahawks 24

Eagles at Broncos

The Broncos looked shockingly good against the Cowboys, but that game seemed like more of a fluke than anything else. Denver is still trending downwards and has been a below-average team all year. The Eagles have been very inconsistent all year, but they looked good last week against the Chargers. Despite losing, Philadelphia was able to keep up with one of the AFC’s better teams. This game should be close, but ultimately, the Broncos seem primed to come back down to earth after last week’s performance, so the Eagles have a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Eagles 28, Broncos 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Broncos 25, Eagles 24

Chiefs at Raiders

The Chiefs looked really bad last week despite winning. They struggled to beat the Packers without Arron Rodgers and only managed to put up 13 points on a mediocre defense. The Raiders looked bad as well, as they lost to the Giants. New York has been able to pull off some impressive upsets throughout the season, but that loss was still inexcusable for the Raiders. This game should be a close, divisional matchup, but the Raiders have been better all year and are playing at home, so they have a slight advantage.

Expert Prediction: Raiders 31, Chiefs 30

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 38, Raiders 35

Rams at 49ers

The Rams and the 49ers both had horrible games last week, but the Rams’ loss seemed to have been a fluke on a bad day for Los Angeles. The 49ers, on the other hand, have struggled all year and just got killed by the Cardinals without Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins. That’s pretty embarrassing. The Rams will need to get back on track if they want to stay in the running for the division lead, and the 49ers are seemingly already out of the playoffs. Because of that, expect the Rams to win this game easily.

Expert Prediction: Rams 35, 49ers 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Rams 31, 49ers 10