Each week, we break down all the games this weekend and who our predicted winner will be. Through 13 weeks, we are 125-68-2 in this wild season which continues to get crazier each week with this past week having the 2nd tie of the season. This week is the last week of bye weeks for the year and then we’ll be down to the home stretch.
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams
After a sluggish 2-7 start, the Raiders are winners of 3 straight and currently sit at 5-7 which only is 2 games out of the last wild card spot in the AFC. The Rams also off to a sluggish start, but they’re 3-9 and one loss away from being officially eliminated from playoff contention even though they would need a miracle to even come close to making it if they won out. Everything has gone for the Rams and the playoffs are all about who gets hot at the right time. Right now that team is the Raiders who get another win to be one game behind .500. With this win, the Raiders get a big matchup with lots on the line next week against New England.
Winner: Las Vegas Raiders
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
The Jets got the better of the Bills earlier this season. This time around is going to be a much different story. The Bills currently sit atop the AFC and will stay there getting revenge for the upset that the Jets had over them a month ago. The Bills should win comfortably as they face a Jets offense that is struggling.
Winner: Buffalo Bills
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
One of two AFC North battles happening this week is the cross state combo of Cleveland and Cincinnati. The Bengals are coming off a huge win against Kansas City in what was a big statement game. The Bengals are looking to get back to the Super Bowl and are not playing around. If all goes accordingly, they should have sole command of the AFC North this week with a win and Ravens loss. We like the Bengals to continue their momentum as they’re getting hot at the right time.
Winner: Cincinnati Bengals
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys
The showdown in Dallas is not going to really end up being a showdown. The Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans are on the exact opposite side of the spectrum from a talent and level of being put together. The Texans are the worst team in football compared to the Super Bowl contenders in Dallas. We’re liking Dallas covering however high the spread ends up being.
Winner: Dallas Cowboys
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
This NFC North duel will surprisingly be more competitive than people think and what Minnesota fans would be hoping for. The Vikings boast a 10-2 record, but a lot of those games were one score matchups that could have gone either way. The Lions have a 5-7 record with 5 of their losses being decided by one score. This game will be close with both teams boasting offenses that can move the ball downfield and score. We expect this to be another game coming down to the wire and giving the edge to the veteran Kirk Cousins who has more experience in late game drives to take the lead.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
After getting torched by AJ Brown and the Eagles, the Titans fired their general manager. The move to trade Brown on draft night appears to be a mistake as Brown has found an instant connection with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. It was a rough loss for the Titans, but a team that had the worst loss was the Jacksonville Jaguars who got crushed by the Detroit Lions. If the Jaguars won, the AFC South title would have been within striking distance for them. They fell short and it’s a long shot for them to keep dreaming of. After a quick moment we thought things were turning around, they went back to reality being the same old Jacksonville Jaguars we are used to seeing. The Jaguars are going to face another beatdown against the best team in their division who looks to get back on track.
Winner: Tennessee Titans
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
The NFC East surprisingly has been the best division in football with all 4 teams being above .500. Regardless of the outcome in this game, that will still remain the case after this week. The Eagles hold the best record in the NFL and the Giants are coming off a rough patch right now after their hot start. The Giants have Saquon Barkley and an improved defense helped get them to where they are. The Eagles have been doing it all on both sides of the field and Jalen Hurts is putting up a MVP caliber season. The Hurts historic season continues with another big game on the ground as the Eagles blow past yet another team.
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Baltimore Ravens were on their way to taking the AFC North crown and then Lamar Jackson went down. Jackson should be out for a couple games and the Steelers are looking to play spoiler on those hopes. The Ravens barely slugged out a win against the dismal Broncos last week, but on the road against a hated rival without their star quarterback, we’re going with the Steelers at home playing that part in a game where Bengals fans are needing to root for the team they hate the most.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
Crushing losses with late 4th quarter struggles were costly for both of these AFC West foes. The Chiefs faced their kryptonite in Cincinnati and Denver struggled again and couldn’t beat a Baltimore offense that was missing Lamar Jackson. The Broncos now get Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce who are gunning for the top spot in the AFC and are hungry for a win. The Chiefs blow past the Broncos in one more week of Russell Wilson looking like the biggest mistake ever.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers
Heroics is all we can say for both teams last week and their quarterback play. Tom Brady pulled off another comeback in his HOF career to get a touchdown with just seconds remaining to put the Bucs in front. For the 49ers, Mr. Irrelevant came in to play the majority of the game after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a season ending injury. Brock Purdy played well for a late round rookie who has yet to play any significant action yet. His first game playing was against the Miami Dolphins and despite a few sloppy throws, was hitting his passes and outscored the Dolphins high-powered offense. The Niners do have their defense to thank for helping keep Miami’s offense under control, but Purdy held his own. Purdy gets a much tougher matchup against a Tampa Bay defense and in his first career start will face the legend himself in Tom Brady. We continue to believe in miracles and a feel-good story which is why we’re going with Mr.Irrelevant to get his first career win in his first career start against Tom Brady with the defense doing most of the heavy lifting to help him secure that victory.
Winner: San Francisco 49ers
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
The Carolina Panthers released Baker Mayfield earlier this week in a move that the quarterback of the future is uncertain for them. They aren’t fully confident in Sam Darnold, but the offense does better with him under center than Baker so will be riding out Darnold the rest of the way. The Seahawks were put in a similar situation preseason when deciding between Drew Lock and Geno Smith which they ultimately made the right choice and started Smith as they did not see Lock as someone to build around. Smith has done incredible and is the frontrunner for comeback player of the year after leading the Seahawks to their 7-5 record which would have them in the playoffs right now. Smith will get one step closer to reaching that award after the Seahawks take down the Panthers and enter the home stretch with an impressive 8-5 record.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks
Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers
The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers matchup got flexed to prime time and we’re excited for this matchup. It features two quarterbacks drafted right after another from the 2020 class in Tua Tagavoiloa and Justin Herbert. Herbert has had the better career thus far but Tua has been hot this season with the Tyreek and Waddle combo. Both defenses haven’t been great as both are not at full strength with Chargers likely being without Bosa and Dolphins missing their fair share. With the Dolphins likely being down multiple offensive tackles again, we don’t think they can pull it out. Herbert gets a big win at home on Sunday night to prove he’s the better quarterback from the class and significantly help their playoff chances.
Winner: Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals
Who knows what to expect out of this matchup? These two teams have been wildly inconsistent and there has been tension between players and coaching. We don’t know what version of these teams will show up, but one thing that has been consistent is the lack of a rush defense the Cardinals have had. Rhamondre Stevenson is set for a big matchup as the Patriots still don’t have confidence in Mac Jones and Stevenson leads the Pats offense while the Pats defense does the rest of the work to get the job done on Monday night.
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