The lines are from Vegas and the home teams in CAPs.
New Orleans -1.5 over ATLANTA
That was a pretty good Thursday nighter – when you look past the glut of injuries and Matt Ryan’s absolutely terrible picks. Other than that, it was a great watch.
CINCINNATI -6.5 over Chicago
Mitchell Trubisky might be good down the road, but he’s not up to it this season. Chicago’s offence can’t move the ball and coach John Fox is as good as gone come Black Monday – or sooner.
BUFFALO (nl) vs. Indianapolis
If Nathan Peterman gets another start, there’s no way it could be worse than his first. The Colts have little to play for and should have their hands full with LeSean McCoy and the Bills running game.
San Francisco +3 over HOUSTON
The Niners look like they’re setup pretty well with Jimmy Garoppolo leading the way. San Fran is by no means a good team, but there’s potential, while the Texans look like toast with Tom Savage.
Green Bay -3 over CLEVELAND
The Packers absolutely NEED this win with a potential return by Aaron Rodgers just around the corner. Brett Hundley could have some trouble against the surprising Browns defence, but the Pack should feast on DeShone Kizer, who might be the league’s worst starting QB.
Minnesota -2.5 over CAROLINA
The Vikings have proven that they can do it on the road and that Case Keenum is capable of leading the offence. Carolina will be desperate, but we’ve seen how a frustrated Cam Newton can snowball downhill pretty quick when things get tough, which should happen this Sunday.
TAMPA BAY (nl) vs. Detroit
If Matt Stafford can’t play, that’s terrible news for the Lions. There might not be a worse backup QB situation in the league than Detroit’s, with Jake Rudock the man behind Stafford.
Oakland +4 over KANSAS CITY
In a game with two teams that slumping pretty badly, we’ll take the points. Of course, the Chiefs could explode on offence again while the Raiders haven’t looked good at all this season, but don’t you just feel this will be a struggle that comes down to a field goal?
NEW YORK GIANTS +4 over Dallas
If you don’t think the Giants will be fired up for this one, with despised head coach Ben McAdoo gone and Eli Manning, as mediocre as he may be, starting again, you’re crazy. Dallas looked great against Washington last week, but we’ll remain dubious of the Cowboys offence as long as Ezekiel Elliott is out.
New York Jets -1 over DENVER
The Broncos are a tire fire heading for an off-season teardown. The team isn’t playing for lameduck coach Vance Joseph and you can’t trust Trevor Siemian in the slightest.
L.A. CHARGERS -6 over Washington
Washington gets more injured by the week. The Chargers beat Cleveland last week, but didn’t exactly impress while doing so. We can see them bouncing back and having a great performance against these banged-up visitors.
ARIZONA +3 over Tennessee
The Titans may have a good record, but they’re pretty overrated. The ‘exotic smashmouth’ brand isn’t working so well this season and there are certainly concerns over Marcus Mariota’s development. Tennessee also only covered last week thanks to a long, meaningless last-minute score that probably shouldn’t have happened. And, you know what, Blaine Gabbert isn’t the worst QB starting this weekend.
Seattle +2.5 over JACKSONVILLE
Don’t expect much offence in this one, with two of the league’s top defences squaring off. When it comes down to it, though, it’s much safer to bet on Russell Wilson than it is to give a couple of points with Blake Bortles.
LOS ANGELES RAMS -2 over Philadelphia
The Rams defence isn’t as good as the Seahawks, which was able to contain the Eagles last week, but they’re no slouches. Staying out on the West Coast will help Philly a bit, but we could be seeing the beginning of a late-season slump with the tough matchups adding up.
Baltimore +5.5 over PITTSBURGH
After how beat up the Steelers were on Monday night, getting a short week to play another grueling rivalry game won’t help. The Ravens loss of Jimmy Smith hurts their outstanding defence, but we’ll take the points.
MIAMI +11.5 over New England
I don’t doubt the Pats will be ready for this one, but a bigger matchup with Pittsburgh looms and they’ll only have a short week to prepare for it. New England will certainly look to control this game on the ground and should grind it out rather than put up a big score.