Welcome to the first double digit week of 2020. Teams are starting the second half of their campaigns, either heading towards a top 10 pick, striving for a playoff spot, or still going strong in pursuit of a Super Bowl berth. This week has some pivotal games for teams in all those categories. I went 9-5 in Week 9, bringing my total record in 2020 to 66-33-1. It has been a pretty good year for predictions, but we can still do better. Let’s get into this week’s picks.
Titans 23-20 Colts 
This is going to be a good one on Thursday night. It’ll be low scoring, but that will be because both of these teams will be playing hard knowing what’s at stake. The winner of this game will be in first place in the AFC South, and in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth and a home playoff game. In a big game like this, I have to take the team with the superior coaching. It’s hard to make that pick in this case, but I’ll have to go with the Titans and HC Mike Vrabel. The Colts are also a very well-coached bunch, but they have yet to prove themselves in a big spot like the Titans have in 2020. Tennessee has been a bit questionable in the last few weeks since their 5-0 start, but they’re bound for another signature win. I think they get that against Indy.
Browns 31-20 Texans 
Expect to see a lot of points on Sunday in Cleveland. The Browns should take this game quite easily, seeing as though they’re very well rested off of their bye week, they’re getting star RB Nick Chubb back from injury, and the Texans are awful. But, the Browns do tend to give up a lot of points, so don’t be surprised if Houston sticks around for a while. The Texans have been struggling all year long to find a groove and haven’t beaten anyone not named the Jaguars, and could definitely use a win here. Unfortunately for them, it’s not happening.
Lions 24-20 Washington 
Well this is going to be a snoozer. Both of these teams have done nothing but struggle in 2020, but someone’s gotta win this one! These teams actually match up pretty well with one another, just as they did last year when the game came down to the final play. The only reason I like the Lions in this game is because of the level of uncertainty with Washington QB Alex Smith. He had a productive outing on Sunday and now gets a full week of practice with the starters ahead of his first start in almost 2 years, but I just don’t know how he’ll perform. Ever since the injury, I’ve had my questions with Alex, but I am 100% rooting for him and I’m hoping for the best for him. Washington is probably the better team in this game, but I never feel comfortable picking them. I probably would if Dwayne Haskins was starting under center. Oh well.
Packers 37-14 Jaguars 
There’s not much to say about this one. It is a complete and utter mismatch. Green Bay is one of the best teams in football and they are playing red hot football offensively right now. Jacksonville has been struggling for the last 2 months with no solutions in sight. I don’t even know who’ll be starting at QB for the Jags on Sunday, but it will not matter. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have absolutely feasted on bad teams this season, and this win will be a fine addition to their collection. Expect another huge game from Rodgers and his star WR Davante Adams.
Giants 23-21 Eagles 
Most of you will see this as an upset pick, but I beg to differ. As I’ve said time and time again, the Giants are competitive in every game and certainly deserve to have more than just 2 wins. They certainly deserved to get a win in their first matchup with the Eagles 3 weeks ago. New York also must realize that if they lose this game, their season is over. With a win, they’d be right back in the mix for the division title (somehow). I feel like that motivation will push them over the hump to get a win at home on Sunday. Yes, the Eagles are coming off of a bye, and I typically favor teams who get extra rest, but I have a sneaky feeling about the Giants this week. I’m probably wrong about it, but I’m going to stick with it.
Buccaneers 28-17 Panthers 
Tampa Bay has to be the most pissed off team in football right now. After getting absolutely embarrassed in front of the entire country on Sunday night, it’s hard to see this team not coming out inspired and ready to show people how good they truly are. Luckily for them, they’re facing a reeling Panthers team that has lost 4 in a row and are once again without RB Christian McCaffrey. It should be a fairly easy win for the Bucs, but Carolina has been in many of their games this season, and never make it easy. They might linger around for a while, but I fully expect Tampa to close it out emphatically.
Raiders 26-24 Broncos 
This one has a lot of potential to be a great game. It all hinges on the performance of the Las Vegas defense. The Raiders D hasn’t exactly shown up yet in 2020, and they always let teams hang around with them. Their offense has been good enough to make up for that and win games, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. I don’t think the Broncos pose much of a threat in any way, shape, or form, but they definitely have the capacity to make it close at the end, as they have for the last couple of weeks. The Raiders offense should be good enough to take care of business against a struggling Denver defense, but don’t be surprised if another game for these two teams comes down to the wire.
Dolphins 31-23 Chargers 
We finally made it. Justin Herbert vs. Tua Tagovailoa. The #5 pick vs. the #6 pick. People have been arguing for so long who the better prospect was. In their young careers, they have both stood out. Herbert has obviously gotten more playing time and looked better, but Tua is starting to emerge as a real franchise QB in his limited time as a starter. Both of these teams are fairly talented, but Miami clearly has more talent on the defensive side of the ball, and that will prove to be the difference in this ballgame. The Dolphins defense has shown out lately, scoring touchdowns in back to back games to help them come out with a win. This team is red hot with 4 wins in a row, and unfortunately, I don’t think the Chargers are the team to snap that streak. They’ll score plenty of points and make it close throughout, but you already know they’ll find some way to bottle it. Despite that, it should be a great game.
Cardinals 33-30 Bills 
This game is almost impossible for me to pick. These teams match up so evenly with one another, mainly because both of them score a ton of points behind explosive offenses and tend to give up a lot of points despite having talented defenses. Both QBs in this game are starting to come into their own as top QBs in football and have been slinging it all year long. I think this game is going to have a ton of points, and it’s hard to see which team will score more. I’m taking the Cardinals simply because they’re at home, and they know they cannot afford to continue dropping huge games. The race for NFC playoff spots and the division race is heating up now that we’re in the second half of the season, and Arizona has to get back in the win column consistently if they want to keep up. I think QB Kyler Murray will find a way to pull this one out late, but it would not shock me if the game went the other way. I’m just sticking with my gut on this one.
Seahawks 30-27 Rams 
Speaking of huge games in the NFC playoff race and in the NFC West, Seattle and Los Angeles are facing off for the first time in 2020. This game is massive for both teams, and I’m finding it really hard to pick a winner. The Rams are coming off a much needed bye after a couple of struggles including an embarrassing loss to the Dolphins. Seattle is coming off just their second loss of the season, but their 2nd loss in their last 3 games. Their defense has done nothing but struggle all year long, and it’s finally catching up to them. The Rams offense hasn’t been as prolific recently as it was earlier in the season, but I feel like playing a defense as bad as Seattle’s can rekindle that flame. Even with that being the case, I always find it hard to pick against Russell Wilson. He always finds a way to pull out a W in a close game, and despite the recent losses, I’m still taking the Seahawks. A Rams victory wouldn’t shock me at all, and it’s one that they better hope they get.
Saints 31-14 49ers 
This is one of the easier picks of the week. The Saints are on absolute fire, winning 5 games in a row including their thrashing of the Bucs on Sunday night. The Niners are falling off a cliff due to injuries all over the board, and continue to fall apart by the game. New Orleans should dispatch of this San Francisco C team fairly easily. Unlike the Niners, the Saints are finally starting to get fully healthy, and if Sunday night was any indication of how this team can play at 100%, then the league should definitely be on notice.
Steelers 23-21 Bengals 
There is nothing that the Pittsburgh Steelers love more than playing down to their competition. They have done it time and time again in 2020, most notably last week against the Cowboys. This week is a different story, as they’ll be facing QB Joe Burrow rather than Garrett Gilbert. Burrow has kept Cincinnati in every game this year, and they carried quite a bit of momentum into the bye after getting a huge win against the Titans. I can genuinely see the Bengals winning this game, but it’s just too hard to pick them in a spot as big as this. This is the biggest game of Burrow’s young career, and I have no doubt that he can rise to the occasion. I just have to stick with the Steelers, even though I don’t like them at all right now. They’ll likely find some way to BS their way to another win, but I would advise you to not be shocked if the Bengals hand them their first loss of 2020.
Ravens 24-20 Patriots 
I’m not sure why this game is on primetime in 2020, but it is. And it does not interest me at all. Both of these teams have been struggling to move the ball offensively, especially through the air, all season long. This game will be low scoring and highlighted by defense. The Ravens certainly have a much better defense, and that will be the difference in this game. All they do is force turnovers, and they have scored several defensive touchdowns this year. It’s likely the best defense in the NFL, and that will be too much to overcome for the Patriots and QB Cam Newton, who struggled to beat the Jets last week. It will be close, and perhaps a little entertaining at the end, but that doesn’t make it interesting. In any case, the Ravens will win this game, and will probably win it easily.
Vikings 20-19 Bears 
Once again, I am begging for good Monday Night Football matchups. Nobody outside of the midwest wants to watch this game. I still will, but come on. This is going to be a complete snoozefest. Both of these teams are pretty bad, one of them is just a bit less bad, and that’s the Bears. Despite that, I don’t think they’ll win this game. After starting 5-1, they have played nothing short of garbage football offensively. Their defense is good enough to win them games, but their offense has not been good enough to take advantage of what they’ve been given. Meanwhile, the Vikings are seemingly finding their stride offensively thanks to some massive performances from star RB Dalvin Cook. For that reason, I’ll take them to win this game. Yes, I know, it’s Kirk Cousins on MNF and it’s a tough road game, but whatever. The Vikings have simply been the better team as of late.
All stats taken from ESPN.
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