Jets at Colts

The Jets have now pulled off two huge upsets, but they are still a bad team. The Colts were looking like they would certainly miss the playoffs, but with Derrick Henry’s injury, the door is open. Indianapolis is still unlikely to make the postseason, but they are going to be desperate to get a win. The Colts are clearly the better team, so they should be able to win with ease unless Mike White pulls off another incredible performance.

Expert Prediction: Colts 34, Jets 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Colts 29, Jets 27

Raiders at Giants

The Raiders have been seemingly unaffected by the John Gruden news, so they have continued to look like one of the AFC’s better teams. The Giants have been better than expected considering how bad they were a year ago and the number of injuries they’re dealing with, but they still aren’t a good team. The Raiders need to keep winning to maintain their position in the AFC West, and given the fact that they’re better than the Giants, they should be able to do so.

Expert Prediction: Raiders 30, Giants 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Raiders 33, Giants 23

Falcons at Saints

The Saints looked great last week, but with Trevor Siemian at quarterback, they aren’t going to be as good as they were before. Luckily, the Saints are a defensive team, so losing their quarterback won’t be as detrimental as it would’ve been for an offensive powerhouse. The Falcons have been decent this year, but they are still far from a top team. This game will be somewhat close, but ultimately, the Saints are the better team, so they have an edge.

Expert Prediction: Saints 24, Falcons 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 27, Falcons 14

Bills at Jaguars

The Bills didn’t look very good last week, but they were still able to get the win. Good teams win even on off days, and the Bills proved that they can do that. The Jaguars looked atrocious last week, as they were destroyed by the Seahawks without Russell Wilson. Outside of Jacksonville’s seemingly fluke victory over the Dolphins, the Jaguars look like possibly the worst team in football. The Bills should win in a blowout; don’t be surprised if this one is over by halftime.

Expert Prediction: Bills 38, Jaguars 13

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bills 44, Jaguars 15

Browns at Bengals

Even with Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb coming back, the Browns didn’t look very good last week. At the end of the day, they’ve had too many injuries to be the potentially Super Bowl-contending team they were expected to be at one point this season. The Bengals came down to earth last week with their loss to the Jets, but they’ll have the opportunity to get back into the conversation of being a top team in the AFC if they can beat the Browns. This game will be close, but the Bengals are more healthy and at home, so they should expect to win.

Expert Prediction: Bengals 28, Browns 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Browns 27, Bengals 26

Patriots at Panthers

The Patriots are looking like one of the hottest teams in football after a great win over the Chargers. New England proved last week that it can win close games, and they look like they are finally starting to hit their stride. The Panthers are trending downwards despite last week’s win over the Falcons. New England should be able to run the ball down Carolina’s throat and this Patriots defense should absolutely shut down the Panthers offense. This game won’t be a blowout, but it probably won’t be super close either.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 28, Panthers 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Patriots 31, Panthers 14

Broncos at Cowboys

The Cowboys were able to pull off a very impressive win over the Vikings despite playing without Dak Prescott, but he will be healthy again for this game. Despite their win, the Broncos are on a downward trend and are looking like they’ll end up being a below-average team. With Dallas being a potential Super Bowl contender, the Broncos have next to no chance of winning this game. The Cowboys should get off to an early lead and pull away from there.

Expert Prediction: Cowboys 35, Broncos 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cowboys 40, Broncos 20

Vikings at Ravens

The Vikings looked really bad last week in their loss to the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys. The ground game was ineffective and without that, the Vikings struggled. The Ravens are coming into this game as one of the top teams in the AFC and they’ll need to keep winning if they want to maintain their lead in the AFC North. The Vikings have a chance to keep this game close if they play their best game, but either way, Baltimore should come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 31, Vikings 23

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 32, Vikings 28

Texans at Dolphins

The Texans and the Dolphins have both been awful this year, so this game will probably be pretty close. Miami came into the season expected to be a playoff-contender while Houston was expected to be the worst team in football. Through eight games, it seems like the Texans might be the worst team in football and while Miami has a horrible record, they have looked better than a 1-7 team. Ultimately, the Dolphins are at home and have looked a little better this year, so they have a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Dolphins 24, Texans 23

Analytics-Based Prediction: Texans 21, Dolphins 17

Chargers at Eagles

The Chargers are coming off a brutal loss in which they got beaten badly by the Patriots. New England dominated in almost every facet of the game and even the game was more lopsided than the score would indicate. Los Angeles will look to get back on track, but they’ve now had two bad losses in a row, so they might continue to go downhill. The Eagles looked great against the Lions and made a statement that they aren’t one of the worst teams in the NFL. This game might be closer than many expect, but ultimately, the Chargers have been significantly better this year and they seem unlikely to lose three in a row.

Expert Prediction: Chargers 32, Eagles 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Eagles 28, Chargers 26

Packers at Chiefs

The Packers would, under normal circumstances, be favored to win this game, but Aaron Rodgers is out with Covid. Now Green Bay will be forced to start Jordan Love against the Chiefs. Kansas City has looked bad all year and they further affirmed notions that they aren’t a playoff-caliber team when they almost lost to the Giants at home. This game will be close because Kansas City has struggled against virtually all of their opponents this season, but ultimately, it seems unlikely that Jordan Love will be able to go into Arrowhead and win.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 28, Packers 25

Analytics-Based Prediction: Packers 25, Chiefs 22

Cardinals at 49ers

The 49ers are desperate to win this game as they fight to stay alive in the playoff picture. The Cardinals, on the other hand, will really want to win this game after last week’s heartbreaking loss to the Packers on Thursday night. Given the fact that both teams are going to be very motivated, this game will be close, especially when considering that this will be a divisional matchup. Another storyline to watch is whether or not Kyler Murray plays in this game. Even if he does play, he won’t be 100%, and for that reason, look for the 49ers to win this game regardless of whether or not Kyler suits up.

Expert Prediction: 49ers 27, Cardinals 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cardinals 33, 49ers 30

Titans at Rams

With Derrick Henry out for the foreseeable future, the Titans are no longer a team that scares opponents. Tennessee has no weapons outside of A.J. Brown and a banged-up Julio Jones and their offense is built to run the ball. They brought in Adrian Peterson, but he’s no Derrick Henry at this point in his career. The Rams just brought in Von Miller to add even more to a team that was already in Super Bowl contention. Los Angeles likely would have won this game even if Henry played, but now that he’s out, this one shouldn’t even be close.

Expert Prediction: Rams 37, Titans 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Rams 31, Titans 17

Bears at Steelers

The Steelers were able to pull off a win over the Browns, but Pittsburgh has still failed to show signs of being any more than a mediocre team that’s somehow in contention for a playoff spot. The Steelers seem unlikely to win a fourth game in a row and the Bears aren’t bad enough to lose four games straight. Chicago has a strong supporting cast for Justin Fields and he seems like he’s starting to figure things out on the ground. For those reasons, the Bears have a slight edge.

Expert Prediction: Bears 25, Steelers 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Steelers 27, Bears 24