Would you look at that, it’s Thursday again. That means it’s time to pick 14 more games! I went 9-5 last week, bringing my season total to 39-19-1. Again, not too shabby. Let’s get into this week’s predictions.
Eagles 27-20 Giants 
Ah yes, the classic NFC East primetime matchup that nobody wants to watch. Contrary to what most people are thinking, I’m actually excited to watch this game. It’s an imperative matchup in the race for the NFC East title. If some things fall into place for the Giants, they could find themselves in first place. But they need to win this game first. New York has been playing much better football in the last 3 weeks, but I’m not entirely sure if this young, inexperienced team is ready to win a big game yet. The Eagles have had a couple of tough losses in their last 2 games, and I think they’re ready to finally get back in the win column and get back into first place. QB Carson Wentz has played cleaner football recently, and if he can limit the turnovers against a good Giants defense, then Philly should take this one.
Falcons 38-34 Lions 
Expect a lot of points on Sunday in Atlanta. Both of these teams are coming off nice wins against some bad teams, setting the stage for a pretty interesting matchup. The game is honestly a tossup for me, as I can easily see either team coming out with a win. I think the Falcons offense will be the difference maker in this game, as they have been on fire so many times this season. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Lions defense stepped up and had a nice game like last Sunday in Jacksonville, but they are facing a much better offense this week. Falcons WR Julio Jones is finally getting back in form, and it is making a huge difference for Atlanta. If there’s anything I can say with confidence about this game, it would be to take the over.
Browns 22-18 Bengals 
It really took everything in my power to not pick the Bengals in this matchup. Cincy played Cleveland very closely in their first matchup in Week 2, and came very close to pulling off a comeback. The Browns laid another dud last week in Pittsburgh, and that concerns me very much. But, I typically see that teams bounce back in a big way after getting embarrassed on a big stage. I will recognize that the Browns are good enough to do that, but it will not be easy. Bengals QB Joe Burrow has done nothing but fight and put his team in positions to win games, and he will not go down quietly this week. It’ll be a tough, physical game, but I trust the superior talent of the Browns to pull it out in a very close one. However, do not be surprised at all if the Bengals pull off the upset at home.
Titans 24-23 Steelers 
Whew. This one should be a blast. This is easily the game of the week, and I can’t wait to see it. Two unbeaten teams who are so well-rounded and so well-coached. Both teams are coming off huge wins against division rivals and must be fired up to finally play each other after this game was postponed a few weeks ago. It’s going to be a game defined by defense, and while I do believe that the Steelers defense is the best unit in this game, I trust Tennessee to win based on precedent. This is a team that has proven time and time again that they will not back down from a challenge. From last year’s immaculate playoff run to this season’s 5-0 start, the Titans might be the best big game team in the NFL not named the Kansas City Chiefs. All they do is win, and I like them to pull it out in a very close on on Sunday.
Saints 28-24 Panthers 
Somehow, some way, the Saints will likely still be without WR Michael Thomas for Sunday’s contest against Carolina. I’m not sure why I continue to get my hopes up about him playing, but here I am again, disappointed but not surprised. New Orleans will still be fine though, as they pulled out back to back nice wins before heading into their bye last week. The offense has found its rhythm, and RB Alvin Kamara continues to put up huge numbers. In Thomas’ stead, WR Trequan Smith has stepped up and emerged as a very nice option for QB Drew Brees. Plus, it’ll be a homecoming for Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater, who I’m sure Saints HC Sean Payton will draw up a tough gameplan for. The Panthers might linger around for a while in this game, but it should be a comfortable win for New Orleans.
Bills 31-10 Jets 
The New York Jets will lose this game. We can wash, rinse, and repeat this for the next 10 weeks. Buffalo is a significantly better team that has already wiped the floor with the Jets this season. They’ve struggled for the last 2 games, but there is no better team to play to get back on track than the Jets. It’ll be ugly, and it won’t be close.
Cowboys 20-17 Washington 
The once-best rivalry in football will be renewed for the first time in the Washington Football Team era on Sunday in Landover, and it will not be very fun to watch for fans of both teams. I’m sure everyone is just salivating at the prospect of an Andy Dalton-Kyle Allen QB matchup. This will be a very unattractive, low-scoring game at FedEx Field, as Dallas’ once-potent offense is now stuck in place with Dalton at QB. Moreover, despite 5 consecutive losses, the Washington defense is still a nice unit, led by their stellar defensive line and CB Kendall Fuller, who leads the NFL with 4 interceptions, all of which coming in the last 3 games. Washington is still completely handicapped on offense with Allen at QB, so don’t expect them to do much there. Dallas’ superior offensive talent will push them to a late victory, likely with a last-second FG or touchdown. Most years, I’d be very upset with a loss to Dallas. This year, I am simply accepting fate.
Packers 42-24 Texans 
The poor, poor Houston Texans. Last week in Nashville, they came 4 seconds away from handing their rival Titans their first loss. Their consolation prize this week? Facing a pissed off Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The Green Bay signal caller has always responded to a blowout with a stellar performance, and he has historically owned the Texans in the few games that he has played against them. Last week’s embarrassment in Tampa has to have this Packers squad fired up in a big way. They want to show the league that they aren’t the “September Heisman” of NFL teams. I expect Green Bay to win this game big, and I fully expect Rodgers to put up massive numbers.
Buccaneers 31-28 Raiders 
This game was flexed out of Sunday Night Football just a matter of hours ago, which is somewhat unfortunate, since I was very much looking forward to seeing this game in primetime. Regardless, this should still be a great game. The Raiders, who are coming off of a huge win against the Chiefs and a week off, are looking to carry their momentum into this huge matchup against Tom Brady and the Bucs. Tampa has some momentum of their own following their blowout of the previously undefeated Packers last Sunday. Both of these teams match up very well with each other, but the key matchup will be the Raiders offense vs. the Bucs defense. Both of those units are very solid and have looked pretty good consistently this season. I like Tampa’s defense to do its job just enough for Tom Brady to pull some heroics and help the Bucs pull out a close, tough victory in Vegas. It’ll be a very tight game that can easily go both ways, but I’ll trust the team with Brady at the helm to win it.
Chiefs 27-13 Broncos 
This could be our first snow game of 2020, which would be quite the sight here in late October. Even if it’s in the 70s in many places on the east coast, I can still appreciate a good snow game. In any case, this should be an easy one for the Chiefs. The Broncos, despite coming off of a big win in New England last Sunday, have an offensive unit that is not very good, and the Chiefs defense will keep them in check. And although Denver’s defense gave the Patriots fits last week, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense is a completely different beast. Even in the conditions, the Chiefs will still win games as they have so many times this season: relying on Mahomes to get the job done with his arm while they grind out the opposing defense on the ground and make plays on the other side of the ball.
Patriots 21-17 49ers 
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo is finally coming home to Foxboro to take on the team that gave him 2 rings and a career as a starting QB to begin with. I can only imagine what Patriots HC Bill Belichick has in store for him on the defensive side of the ball. Nobody in the world is better at gameplanning to shut down opposing QBs. The Patriots offense is still an issue, and the San Francisco defense is not an easy unit to pick apart. However, I still think they’re vulnerable, and I think the Patriots are too good to lose 3 games in a row. I expect their defense to rattle the Niners offense just enough for Cam Newton and company to do what they need to do to secure a bounce back victory for the Patriots to get back to .500.
Chargers 30-26 Jaguars 
If the Los Angeles Chargers care about winning at all, then they will win this game. There is no reason that this team, which should honestly be 5-0 right now, should not dispose of Jacksonville with ease. However, I am still predicting the Jags to stick around in this game because that is simply what the Chargers always do. Even after a bye week, there will be some aspect of this team that makes this game much closer than it should be. I fully expect QB Justin Herbert to have another huge game against a lackluster Jaguars defense and walk out of this game with his first career win. If the Chargers find some way to mess this up again, then I will certainly be disappointed, but not surprised.
Seahawks 35-27 Cardinals 
This newly-anointed primetime game features one of the more exciting QB matchups of the 2020 season thus far: Russell Wilson of the Seahawks vs. Kyler Murray of the Cardinals. Two guys who used to play baseball who have been entrusted to lead their franchises to glory. Russ obviously has already done that, and it looks like Kyler is on the right track. Both of these teams have looked pretty good this season, with Seattle being one of 3 unbeaten teams in the NFL, and with the Cards coming off of 2 blowout wins. It should be a very fun game in the desert, as it is seemingly every time these division rivals match up with each other. I like the Seahawks in a close one, simply because Russell Wilson has pulled complete magic every time he has been asked to lead his team to victory. He has done it week after week, and he’ll likely do it again on Sunday night. I wouldn’t sleep on Kyler and the Cards, however, as their offense has looked great this season, and their defense is really starting to come into their own. It should be a great matchup.
Bears 23-21 Rams 
The Chicago Bears, who are perhaps the most shocking team in football this year, are getting another chance to prove their worth on primetime. They take on a Rams team that is coming off a primetime game of their own, but one in which they were taken care of quite handily by San Francisco. I like to stand by my philosophy of teams bouncing back in a big way after a bad loss, especially on primetime, but I believe in the Bears defense too much to stand by it this week. The Rams struggled to move the ball against a Niners D that was missing several key pieces. This Bears defense has been playing elite football all year long, and will likely put the Rams offense in a bind once again. The biggest question mark for me with Chicago is the offense, like it has been all year. But, they have proven week in and week out that they are more than capable of getting the job done. It’ll be very close and very tough, but I think the Bears come out of SoFi Stadium with another huge win and an improbable 6-1 record.
All stats taken from ESPN.
Raza Talks Sports 