BUF 42 VS CAR 28 –
These two play styles clash a bit, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. JT loves to send pressure and this season Beast has been letting the rock fly down field to his new favorite weapon Anthony Schwartz. If Beast and the Bills can pick up the blitz, they should have no issues putting up 40 points. On the other side the Panthers love to run the ball and beast loves to run a ton of man so that will be a matchup to watch. In the end I trust the Bills offense to put up points and their defense to limit the rush attack from the Panthers.
DET 45 VS WAS 35 –
This one could get ugly if you were to just look at records and stats. Miles and the commanders find ways to hang in some games passing late and I think they hang around in this one even though the game might not feel that way. It would not surprise me to see Detroit win by three scores though especially on the heels of one of the best single game defensive outputs in pml history. Lots of offense here, with Detroit forcing the Commanders into a few turnovers and that is how they pull off the win.
LV 17 VS BAL 28 –
I called this game correctly as an upset last season, though this season may not seem like an upset. Mike is in the middle of his worst ( that i have seen ) pml cycle and this season has been rough. On the flip side the Ravens had a brutal first two seasons but have bounced back in season three and look to maintain floating around the 500 mark for another week. The Ravens are missing about 6 starters, but they still have Sauce, Travis, and one of the most blitz-happy defensive coordinators in the league. This doesn’t bode well for young quarterback Jayden Daniels who already has 19 ints this season. I expect him to throw 2-3 more this week and hurt his team while Baltimore leaves victorious.
ATL 27 VS NE 31 –
Two defensive minded coaches who find ways to put up offensive numbers with or without injuries. Both coming off losses and looking for a quick rebound. Neither team currently has a top QB healthy for this game and I think we see that show up in the game. I expect a lot of defensive stops and some untimely missed throws to really throw off these offenses. I have the Falcons taking the lead late with ( checks notes ) Matt Corral leading the way for the Patriots late on a big drive for the win.
GB 42 VS CHI 38 –
I have this NFC North heavyweight fight going down to the wire. These coaches know each other well and know what to expect. The Packers have not looked as dominant as they did previously without Jukebox Aaron Jones but they always remain one of the top threats in the league. Jefe offense rides and dies on the health of Breece Hall. I think Breece goes off for 170 yards from scrimmage but unfortunately Justin Fields gives the ball away 2-3 times and the Packers take advantage and seal the game away.
PIT 24 VS NYJ 27 –
This could be one of the best games this week given that both teams are coming off of big wins, and both teams have records over .500. The Jets are on a three-game winning streak and Caleb is back. The issue with this is that the Steelers have the number one pass defense in the league. Can Caleb best this defense? I’m not sure that he will need to after the breakout game of Abanikanda last week. He rushed for over 250 yards and that doesn’t bode well for a defense that is giving up almost 173 rushing yards per game. Both defenses are actually top in the league in some categories so I feel that this will be a relatively low scoring game, that the Jets will win by running the ball and eating up the clock.
IND 17 VS MIA 35 –
I don’t think this game will be close at all. We have a game between two teams that have bad records, but the last few games have been incredibly different. The Dolphins just almost upset the only remaining undefeated team last week while the Colts lost by two scores after being blown out the previous week. Both teams don’t really have a shot at the playoffs unless they go on a miraculous streak, however, who knows this could be that week. The Dolphins seem to be the better team so they have the better odds at doing this. Either way, they will win the game and move out of that top 5 pick range.
SF 24 VS ARI 30 –
The 3-4 49ers versus the 2-6 Cardinals… Who would have thought at the start of the cycle that I would be writing that statement. Both of these user cycles haven’t been what was expected when this division was put together but as of this moment, neither team is out of the playoff race. If the Cardinals lose this game they will be almost just out of the playoff race with half of the season left to play. If this happens those tank rumors will be a thing of the past. I actually don’t think Que tanked, but I feel he just isn’t in this season as the last. Even with saying that, no way does he let CEO knock him out of the playoff race this early in the season. I think this is a close game that comes down to the end.
TEN 20 VS JAX 35 –
The Titans are contending for the top pick in the draft while the Jaguars are competing for the division and a potential playoff spot. When the Titans have faced a team at .500 or better this season, not only have they lost, but it was by multiple scores. This doesn’t bode well for them in this game. The Jaguars need to win this game, and the Titans will try to play spoiler but I just need the Titan defense doing anything against Lawrence and company. The Jags will win by two touchdowns.
CLE 50 VS CIN 28 –
After a 2-3 start to his first cycle in PML, the Bengals have won three straight and are looking like the advertised player that some assumed him to be. Joe Burrow is leading the league in passing yards; however, he is second in the league in interceptions with 25. If you are having trouble throwing with Burrow now, imagine next season when he doesn’t have abilities anymore. It’s not going to be fun times in Cincy with a non-ability Burrow making a ton of money. Regardless, the Browns just came out of a close game to the Dolphins so could we see the same here? The Spread is listed at 33.5 points, but I don’t think the game will be that far apart. I do believe the Browns will win by three scores but not by 33.5 points. If Burrow can limit the interceptions but keep the passing yards high, then this could be the upset of the year. That’s a big if, I might add.
KC 35 VS DEN 21 –
In season 1, Kansas City swept the Broncos taking a 2-0 lead, but in season 2, the teams split in the regular season, but met again for a third time in the playoffs. Kansas City ended up winning that matchup, and heading into season 3, Kansas City leads the series 4-1 but this season feels different. The Denver Broncos are having their best season of the cycle sitting at 6-1 and ranking in the top five on offense scoring an average of 40 points per game, and they rank #4 in rushing yards per game, and rank 2nd for total yards per game (485). Kansas City is coming off a loss to the Patriots and a bye week, so they should be well prepared, especially because they have the best rushing defense in the league and a top 10 defense in the majority of the important categories, oh and they have perennial superstar Patrick Mahomes at the helm.
LAR 20 VS SEA 14 –
Seattle went 0-2 to start the season, one of those losses came at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams. However, since that unfortunate start, they have won their last 6 games and have one of the longest winning streaks in the league. Carolina gave them a run for their money this week and Seattle narrowly won, but a win is a win. Seattle has the drive and talent to defeat the running Super Bowl champions, but Seattle doesn’t match up consistently against teams that like to run the ball. Los Angeles has the 8th best rushing offense and it’s going to be a problem for Seattle. This game will be closer than the last, but the Rams smashmouth approach will prove to gas out the defense of the Seahawks this week.
HOU 14 VS LAC 28 –
The Chargers are 6-2, but roster wise, they are a shell of the team that started the cycle. Derwin James was traded this week, but Los Angeles made out on that deal and they welcome safety Nick Cross. He’s a speedy and rangy safety that can play in the box and on the outside. Justin Herbert was having a career year until this week where he didn’t throw for any touchdowns and instead threw two interceptions and was benched in the third quarter. There’s no cause for concern with the Chargers though. But, we saw he they didn’t match up well against the Lions this week because of the prowess on defense. Detroit has a top ten ranked defense, but Houston has the top ranked defense in points allowed per game (22) and total yards allowed per game (350). Houston is also on a 6 game winning streak, but those wins have come against .500 or lower rated teams. Most of their wins are against opponents with a losing record. I think Herbert gains his confidence back this week and throws for four touchdowns.
MIN 35 VS PHI 13 –
Jaylen Hurts went out with a season ending injury and Philadelphia went out to trade valuable draft capital for Desmond Ridder. Ridder is on the last year of his deal and will need to be re-signed, but since trading for him, the Eagles have benched him. Devin Leary was inserted into the offense this week against Tampa Bay and almost led the team to a victory. However, Philly fans have criticized team management this cycle because of their poor decisions managing the team’s roster. Bone headed moves have made the roster worse off and the team hasn’t shown much success in terms of winning seasons, but will Philly ever turn it around? Not this week. They are up against a red hot Minnesota Vikings team that is led by Bucky Irving, who is 90 yards shy of hitting 1,000 yards on the season. Minnesota’s offensive line is remarkable at opening running lanes this season and Philly’s bottom half ranked defense is going to have a long day trying to guard this dynamic back.
