Another slate of exciting games means another round of picks to make. Be sure yours are on the right side this week.
Top Picks of the Week:
Miami Dolphins (1-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5)
The Miami Dolphins are in a tailspin, losers of their last four games. Quarterback (QB) Tua Tagovailoa is making progress to make his first appearance since week two, but he has not shown that he is any good. Their defense has been gashed by every team that has stepped in front of them, allowing 34 points a game in their losses.
Despite the abysmal record, the Jaguars have some good things going for them. James Robison has found his legs and been a weapon out of the backfield. Trevor Lawrence is also starting to adjust to life in the NFL.
This game is taking place in London, which usually means a neutral field. The Jaguars, however, have built a nice little following out east as they regularly make the trip to play out there. With a young offense starting to turn the wheels and the Dolphins falling apart, this could be the week the Jaguars get off the schneid.
Pick: Jaguars +3
Green Bay Packers (4-1) at Chicago Bears (3-2)
The Packers escaped a roller coaster game in Cincinnati with their fourth win in a row. The Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams connection was reignited with Adams breaking the receiver's personal best in receiving yards in a game with 206 yards, also making it the first 200-yard receiving game this year. Aaron Jones opened up the ground game as well against a solid Bengals run defense.
The Bears are coming off back-to-back victories and are eyeing the Packer’s first-place spot in the division. The Chicago defense went into Las Vegas and shut down the Raider offense, holding them to only nine points on the day.
While it appears the Bears have righted the ship, don’t get too high on them. Even withholding the Raider offense in check, the Bears offense was very pedestrian; averaging just above four yards per play. A red-hot Packers team will look to expose their arch-rivals and pull away in the division race.
Pick: Packers -5
Los Angeles Rams (4-1) at New York Giants (1-4)
The Rams recovered from their loss to the Cardinals on Thursday Night with an impressive victory in front of the 12th man in Seattle. It was the Robert Woods show as he broke out of his slump with a 12 catch, 150-yard performance. The Rams proved they are still one of the teams to fear in the NFC.
The Giants were pounded in every way against the Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard ran roughshod against a putrid New York defense that had no answer for the combo. Things got worse for the Giants as star running back Saquon Barkley went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter.
Being without Barkley for this game and QB Daniel Jones still going through concussion protocol, the Giants offense looks to be in flux. With the defense not showing signs of being formidable, look for this explosive Rams offense to torch Big Blue.
Pick: Rams -9.5
Arizona Cardinals (5-0) at Cleveland Browns (3-2)
There is only one undefeated team in the league, and they play in Arizona. After disposing of Trey Lance and the 49ers, the Cardinals showed their versatility. To this point of the season, they used their star-studded offense to bombard teams, but this week was the defense. They held the San Francisco offense to only 10 points despite being outgained in yardage.
The Browns dropped an absolute barn burner in SoFi, losing 42-47. The Cleveland signature run game showed out, with the two-headed backfield of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combining for over 250 yards and three touchdowns. Usually that kind of output results in a win, but the defense allowing 26 fourth-quarter points did them in.
In what should be a marquee matchup of the week, this game could go either way. The Browns' defense has been solid all year, and with their offense coming out of their shell they have the tools to hand Arizona their first loss. Star pass rusher Chandler Jones being in COVID-19 protocol leaves a gap in that defense that may be too big for Arizona to handle.
Pick: Browns -3
Dallas Cowboys (4-1) at New England Patriots (2-3)
The Cowboys spent Sunday running up and down the field against the Giants behind the backfield of Elliot and Pollard. Dak Prescott also joined in on the fun, finding CeeDee Lamb for a 49-yard touchdown pass, his first of three on the day. That makes it four straight wins for Dallas, who has averaged 35 points in those contests.
The Patriots fell behind early against Houston, finding themselves in a 13 point hole. Mac Jones was able to get the Pats back into it, connecting with Hunter Henry for a touchdown followed by a late fourth-quarter drive. Nick Folk kicked in his fourth field goal of the game with 15 seconds left, improving Bill Belicheck to 23-6 against rookie QBs.
Prescott is no rookie QB and is looking to keep his offense rolling in Foxborough. If the Cowboys can move the ball down the field against the New England defense, it has yet to be proven if Jones can keep up with a high-powered offense.
Pick: Cowboys -3.5
Certified Stay Away Game of the Week:
Minnesota Vikings (2-3) at Carolina Panthers (3-2)
The Vikings escaped with a victory against the Detroit Lions by the skin of their teeth. A 10 point lead with a bit over two minutes left quickly evaporated as the Lions planted a late rally. Minnesota relied on Kirk Cousins and Adam Thielen making a late drive for a game-winning field goal to push them to 3-2.
The Panthers find themselves at 3-2 as well, under different circumstances. A hot 3-0 start has fizzled out with back-to-back losses, the latest being a loss at home to the Eagles. Sam Darnold has looked like the Darnold of old in the back-to-back losses, throwing five interceptions and being sacked eight times.
With both teams’ star running backs’, Davlin Cook and Christian McCaffrey, statuses still up in the air, it’s hard to know what we will see from both teams. The Panthers are 3-0 in games with McCaffrey, but 0-2 without him. With both their plans being probable game-time decisions, don’t look to put money into this game until it is revealed who is suiting up.
Rest of the Week:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) - Buccaneers -7
Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) at Detroit Lions (0-5)- Bengals -3.5
Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) at Washington Football Team (2-3) - Chiefs -6.5
Houston Texans (1-4) at Indianapolis Colts (1-4) - Colts -10
Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) at Denver Broncos (3-2)- Raiders +3.5
Los Angeles Chargers (4-1) at Baltimore Ravens (4-1) - Chargers +3
Seattle Seahawks (2-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3)
Buffalo Bills (4-1) at Tennessee Titans (3-2) - Bills -5.5
Picks of the Week Record: 4-6
Total Record: 19-11
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