Bears at Lions

The Bears didn’t look good last week. Any team that loses to the Ravens without Lamar Jackson is seriously struggling. Justin Fields did get hurt, but it’s not like Andy Dalton is unstartable. Chicago will hope Fields is ready for this game, but either way, they will struggle. The Lions have been able to keep up with good teams all year, they’ve just never closed the deal. Expect this one to be close, but the Lions will probably find another way to choke a win away.

Expert Prediction: Bears 21, Lions 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bears 23, Lions 20

Raiders at Cowboys

Both the Raiders and the Cowboys have been struggling recently. Dallas is now 1-2 in its last three games, with both of their losses being by double-digit points. The Raiders have been playing poorly ever since the Henry Ruggs situation, which is understandable, especially when considering that Vegas also lost its head coach in the middle of the season. Given how poorly the Raiders have been playing, Dallas has the edge.

Expert Prediction: Cowboys 34, Raiders 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cowboys 35, Raiders 20

Bills at Saints

The Bills looked awful last week and are now 1-2 in their last three games. Their only win in that stretch was against the Jets. The truth of the matter is that Buffalo hasn’t beaten anybody truly good yet this year. The Saints have looked bad without Jameis Winston, but they’ve had some respectable performances. This game will be closer than many expect, but the Bills are still the better team across the board and should be able to win this one.

Expert Prediction: Bills 28, Saints 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 26, Bills 23

Steelers at Bengals

The Steelers had a great day offensively against the Chargers, but they still ended up losing. Pittsburgh has now had back to back bad games and is losing traction in the AFC playoff picture. The Bengals looked like they did earlier this year against the Raiders. Cincinnati looked like the type of team that could compete for a playoff spot. This game will be close, especially when considering that it’s a divisional matchup, but the Bengals have been playing better, so they have a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Bengals 30, Steelers 28

Analytics-Based Prediction: Steelers 27, Bengals 24

Panthers at Dolphins

The Dolphins are now on a two-game winning streak including a very impressive win over the Ravens. Miami isn’t likely to make the playoffs unless they win every game left on their schedule, and that starts with the Panthers this week. Carolina didn’t look good in their loss to Washington last week, but Washington also just beat the Buccaneers. Perhaps Washington is actually a good team, although that seems unlikely. Both of these teams have been mediocre all year, so this game will be close, but Miami is hotter and playing at home, so expect them to win this one.

Expert Prediction: Dolphins 27, Panthers 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Panthers 21, Dolphins 20

Eagles at Giants

The Giants looked pretty good for a portion of Monday’s game against the Buccaneers, but they quickly fell back down to earth. On the bright side for New York, Saquon Barkley is back. He’s going to take a little bit of time to get re-acclimated to playing, but that’s a huge boost for their offense. The Eagles had a very impressive win over the Saints in which they put up 40 points on a defense that many considered to be a top-10 unit. The issue with Philadelphia is that they have been inconsistent all year. This game should be close, especially since it’s a divisional matchup. The Eagles have been better for most of the year, though, so expect them to eventually win.

Expert Prediction: Eagles 30, Giants 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Eagles 40, Giants 20

Titans at Patriots

The Titans looked bad last week, and given how they’ve performed without Derrick Henry, that trend is likely to continue. The Titans have played three games without Henry. One was that horrible loss to the Texans, one was a close win over a Saints team that has looked atrocious recently, and one was an impressive win over the Rams. That Rams game seemed to be more about Los Angeles playing poorly than Tennessee playing well, however, especially when considering the fact that the Rams were destroyed by the 49ers the following week. The Titans don’t have an elite defense and their offense is decimated with injuries. Derrick Henry, Julio Jones, and A.J. Brown are all out for this game. The Titans simply won’t be able to move the ball against this elite Patriots defense. On the other side of the ball, New England should be able to score enough to win this game.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 24, Titans 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Titans 20, Patriots 17

Falcons at Jaguars

The Falcons are coming off two bad losses, but both were against potentially Super Bowl-caliber teams. The Jaguars haven’t looked horrible these past couple of weeks, but they are still one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Falcons should hopefully get Cordarrelle Patterson back, which would be huge, but they’d probably be fine without him. The Falcons seem highly unlikely to drop a third game in a row, especially to a team like the Jaguars, so they should expect to win this one.

Expert Prediction: Falcons 21, Jaguars 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Jaguars 17, Falcons 14

Buccaneers at Colts

The Buccaneers have continued to look worse than last year’s Super Bowl team, and even with Monday’s win over the Giants that holds true. Last year’s Buccaneers would have annihilated the Giants, but this game was actually within reach for New York until around the fourth quarter. The Colts have been red-hot recently, and last week’s win over the Bills proved that. The Buccaneers match up well with the Colts, however, as Tampa Bay’s run defense is arguably the best in the league. The Colts primarily move the ball on the ground, so it’ll be hard for them to score. On the other side of the ball, Tom Brady should be able to do enough to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Buccaneers 27, Colts 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Colts 31, Buccaneers 30

Jets at Texans

Both the Jets and the Texans are horrible, but each team has pulled off massive upsets this year. Zach Wilson should be back for the Jets, not that that means much. This game will be close by virtue of the fact that both teams are really bad. Games like these are typically very hard to pick because neither team is good enough to give confidence, so the advantage usually goes to the home team.

Expert Prediction: Texans 28, Jets 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Jets 24, Texans 23

Chargers at Broncos

The Chargers looked great on offense last week, but their defense really struggled. That should be concerning because the Steelers aren’t an offensive powerhouse by any means. The Broncos looked horrible in their loss to the Eagles two weeks ago, and they’re now in a situation where they desperately need to win. The Chargers have been a better team all year, however, and Los Angeles really needs a win as well, so they should be able to win pretty easily.

Expert Prediction: Chargers 30, Broncos 20

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chargers 34, Broncos 31

Vikings at 49ers

Both the 49ers and the Vikings have looked impressive over the last couple of weeks, and each team is desperate to win if they want to stay alive in the playoff picture. Both teams will likely attempt to run the ball and gain control of the game. This should be a close game, so the winner will likely be the 49ers because the Vikings don’t typically win close games and San Francisco is at home.

Expert Prediction: 49ers 28, Vikings 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Vikings 27, 49ers 26

Rams at Packers

The Rams are about as close as you can get to a super team, but they have looked awful the last couple of weeks. Los Angeles’s bye came at a great time, so they’ll look to regroup. The issue with this Rams team seems to be that they don’t have a lot of chemistry because they have so many new faces. The Packers also struggled last week, but that was only one game. This should be a close matchup between two of the best teams in the league. Ultimately, it seems unlikely that the Rams lose a third game in a row, especially coming off a bye, so they have the edge.

Expert Prediction: Rams 30, Packers 28

Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 30, Rams 21

Browns at Ravens

The Ravens got lucky last week in their win because they were playing without Lamar Jackson. Baltimore will need to keep winning to maintain their current seeding close to the top of the AFC. The Browns didn’t look very good against the Lions, but that has happened to many good teams this year, so it’s not worth reading too far into. This should be a close, divisional matchup, but the Browns need to win this game if they want to make the playoffs. The Ravens have also struggled recently, so the Browns have a slight advantage.

Expert Prediction: Browns 24, Ravens 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 35, Browns 33

Seahawks at Washington

The Seahawks have been horrible this year, even with Russell Wilson on the field. Losing by double-digit points to the Colt McCoy-led Cardinals is simply unacceptable. Seattle should now be considered a bottom-10 team in the NFL. Washington has looked surprisingly good over the last two weeks, with wins over the Buccaneers and the Panthers. They might be able to keep winning and take that momentum into next season. This game might be close because neither team is great, but Washington has been better this year, so they should come away with the win.

Expert Prediction: Washington 25, Seahawks 23

Analytics-Based Prediction: Seahawks 21, Washington 18