Colts at Texans – Colts. Indianapolis lost to Miami, but that was with Brian Hoyer throwing three interceptions (Brissett should be back for week 12). The Colts have one of the best offensive minds in Frank Reich, a top running attack with that offensive line, and one of the league’s better run defenses. Houston’s Deshaun Watson is a better QB than Brissett, but he will be held back by the Texans middling offensive line and Bill O’Brien’s stuck-in-the-past play-calling. The presence of Watson, Hopkins, and Stills means the Texans should never really be “out” of this game, but I buy on the strength of the Colts defense and the discipline of the offense to beat Houston in Houston.
Broncos at Bills – Bills. These are two very good defenses. Josh Allen is more reliable than Denver’s Brandon Allen, and Buffalo is running the ball better than Denver. The 7-3 Bills are one of the AFC’s biggest surprises, their strong defense and grinding running style have been successful for them this season.
Giants at Bears – Bears. I want to believe in Barkley and that young receiving corps. Darius Slayton and Golden Tate looked terrific in week 10. Chicago’s defense is still executing at a high level despite their offense not doing them much favors. Chase Daniels will give the offense as much chance to win as Trubisky, if not more. The path to victory for the Giants would be Daniel Jones repeatedly gashing Chicago running with the ball in his hands and Eddy Pineiro missing on three key field goals resulting in a New York win. I don’t believe Jones will be able to pass against Chicago’s secondary, and Jones is turnover prone which this defense thrives on.
Steelers at Bengals – Steelers. Pittsburgh’s defense has seen T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick really steal the show this season. I think the only game Cincinnati has a realistic chance of being favored to win this season is week 17 if Cleveland has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and chooses to rest their starters. Ryan Finley will be quarterbacking for the foreseeable future.
Dolphins at Browns – Browns. Miami has shown competitive spirit winning two of their last three games (Jets, Colts). Cleveland needs only to run the ball against the league’s second worst run defense and they should command the outcome of the game. Kitchens and Baker will be able to call the plays they want as Miami has limited offensive capability. Should be a confidence booster for Cleveland and Baker.
Buccaneers at Falcons – Falcons. Atlanta seems to be a new team under Jeff Ulbrich’s (and Raheem Morrsis’s) defensive play-calling. Recent wins over New Orleans and Carolina speak to the success of their defensive changes. I will continue to pick Atlanta until I am proven wrong (Atlanta has allowed 12 points TOTAL in the last 2 games). Jameis is guaranteed to throw a couple interceptions in this game. Matt Ryan is still a great quarterback and still has Jones, Ridley and Hooper to throw to against an AWFUL defense in Tampa.
Panthers at Saints – Saints. Kyle Allen will struggle against a surprisingly talented Saints defense. The Panthers have their own group of talent on defense (Mario Addison, Luke Kuechly, Gerald McCoy), but Sean Payton and Drew Brees have an elite quick pass game to play against that group well.
Seahawks at Eagles – Seahawks. This should be a good game. Both these head coaches have been there, done that. Both QBs are elite QBs. The Eagles have been really banged up. The Seahawks have a slight edge with Chris Carson very quietly dominating, Russell having the best season of any QB, Jadeveon Clowney coming on as of late.
Lions at Redskins – Lions. Detroit’s been a nice surprise with Jeff Driskel accounting for three touchdowns against Dallas (2 air, 1 ground). Haskins showed signs of life against the Jets but will have a tough time against Patricia leading that defense.
Raiders at Jets – Raiders. The Jets are actually quite sturdy against the run (#1 run defense in the league), making this a winnable game for New York. While the Raiders like to run with Josh Jacobs, though Derek Carr is having one of his best years in recent memory throwing to Darren Waller, Tyrell Williams, and now Hunter Renfrow. The strength of the Raiders offensive line and the Raiders success on the quick passing game should give Oakland another ugly win.
Jaguars at Titans – Titans. I like Nick Foles better than Ryan Tannehill as a quarterback. The Titans defense is outperforming the Jaguars defense this season. Tennessee is using Tannehill well, the offense hasn’t turned the ball over or been any worse than when Mariota was starting.
Cowboys at Patriots – Patriots. The Cowboys could actually win this game. They are not a consistent team. But when they go off they are tough to defend. Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup are a top five wide receiver duo and Elliot is still a top running back. The Patriots still have the league’s best scoring defense, even after being thrashed by Baltimore. They dominate the turnover battle. This should be a fun game to watch.
Packers at 49ers – 49ers. I don’t want to pick this game. Green Bay’s performed well against a tougher schedule than San Francisco’s faced. I am buying Rodgers holding on to the ball long enough for San Francisco’s front four to repeatedly force bad throws or sack the veteran QB. The 49ers secondary should more than be able to handle Green Bay’s receiving corps.
Ravens at Rams – Ravens. The highest scoring offense in the league gave up a mid round pick for the best version of Marcus Peters. Baltimore’s average time of possession is 34:35 per game. GEEZ. The Rams offensive line and defensive core are not what they were in 2018. The Ravens just dismantled a respectable Texans team and beat up on the SuperBowl winning Patriots the week before.
Gridiron Seasonal 