Abe’s (43- 23) Predictions:
Jets vs Patriots:
The Jets will be without all-pro receiver Garret Wilson. While this should be a big loss, the Jets pass game has been abysmal. QB Justin Fields has not been able to connect consistently with Wilson or any pass catcher. Head Coach Aaron Glenn has seemed more upset with the New York media than he is with his team’s play on the field. After trading two of their best players at the deadline, and stocking up on picks for the next two drafts, it is clear the Jets are tanking but trying to be competitive.
The Patriots are supposed to be in year two of a rebuild, but Mike Vrabel is not a rebuilding coach he is a winning coach. Why he was not a coach last season in the NFL is beyond me, after one off-season he has the Patriots at the two seed in the playoff picture. Second-year QB Drake Maye has put himself in MVP talks and has elevated the talent on the Patriots offense to new levels. Having a great offense is one thing, but when you also have a stout defense you can cause problems for every team. If the Jets still had Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams this game could have been a trap, but without the two I do not see how it can be competitive.
Prediction: Patriots 34-9
Commanders vs Dolphins:
Commanders have a chance to make NFL history and be the first team to lose by 20+ in five straight games. Dan Quinn will try his best to avoid that. This week he said he will be taking defensive play-calling duties over for defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.. This season has become a wash for the Commanders who need to reevaluate their roster and bolster up for next season.
The Dolphins look like a completely new team since the firing of their General Manager, and the firing seems to have lit a fire in Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins roster. Tua Tagovailoa has not played up to his contract but he has been getting the ball out of his hands and into the playmakers. RB Devon Achane has become the focal point of the offense and looks like a dark horse for Offensive Player of the Year award.
Prediction: Commanders 23-17
Packers vs Giants:
The Packers are confusing. One game they look amazing, the next they look like a team competing for a top five pick. While their defense is coming off a dominant showing against the Eagles where Saquon Barkley was held to 60 rushing yards, the Packer offense was not able to establish a run or pass game. Jordan Love has struggled with consistency all throughout his career. Since the departure of Davante Adams a few seasons ago, the Packers have been running a receiver by committee offense which has not worked. Love needs a go-to No.1 wide-out not a bunch of No.2&3 receivers.
Brian Daboll was fired on Nov. 11, the Giants are 0-4 when leading by 10 points and after last week’s disappointing loss it was no surprise he was out at Head Coach. Was the choice to fire Daboll smart? No. Daboll is a hell of a coach and creative offensively, I also hate when teams draft rookie QBs high and then fire their head coach one to two years into their careers. Developing QBs is a lost art in the NFL, and is why QBs like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones are peaking right now. The Giants are not playing for more than momentum into next season,and injuries have killed their season on offense. Losing Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, QB Jaxon Dart has been left hanging and tasked with carrying the offense.
Prediction: Packers 24-16
Texans vs Titans:
The No.1 scoring defense versus the No.32 offense in almost every statistical category. The Titans are coming out of their bye week hoping to have made changes and adjustments that will help their offense find their footing. Cam Ward has struggled all season with turnovers and accuracy, and watching it feels as if he is trying to compensate for the lack of talent around him. The Titans need to find a way to run the football and use Ward’s play-action passing accuracy to lead to points.
The Texans are still somehow in the race for the AFC South after coming back from a 29-10 deficit against the Jaguars. CJ Stroud was out with an injury last week and could miss more time, so Davis Mills stepped up and played clutch when the Texans needed him to and the run game led by Woody Marks contributed heavily to the team’s success. The Texans are sitting at the nine seed currently only two games back from the last wild card spot. If they can string along some wins they can be right there battling with the Chiefs, Jaguars and Ravens.
Prediction: Texans 27 – 10
Panthers vs Falcons:
The Panthers for the first time in over five years are not a joke. Before, you could consider playing the Panthers to be a bye week almost, now they sit at 5-5 and are the ninth seed in the NFC playoff picture. The Bryce Young benching last season has made him become a whole new player. Although he still is not playing up to the No.1 pick he was drafted at, he has wildly improved this season. Rico Dowdle has come to life rushing for 788 yards in the NFL ranking third.It seems every good team this season has a dedication to the run game. The Panthers figured out they have quite the pairing at RB after Chuba Hubbard was hurt and Dowdle had to step up by running for over 200 yards.
The Falcons lost 30-0 last time they played the Panthers and are coming off a bad loss to the Colts. Will they bounce back? I do not know. Michael Penix Jr. is one of the hardest QBs to understand, he has games where he looks like a top 10 QB and others where he looks like a bottom 10 one. Luckily for the Falcons, they have three elite offensive weapons in Bijan Robins, Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr.. The Falcons need to take the ball out of Penix’s hands and let Robinson receive more carries; he is currently tied for 15th in touches when he should be top three. If they want to win, give Robinson 25 touches and use the play-action pass off the rushing attack.
Prediction: Falcons 25-19
Bears vs Vikings:
These are two confusing teams, while the Bears are loaded all over their roster they have not been able to play a complete football game. When their offense is on fire their defense is getting burnt and vice versa. Caleb Williams has yet to have a great diversified passing game. An offense featuring Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, D’Andre Swift and Luther Burden should not struggle as much as they do.
JJ McCarthy has shown flashes of being a quality QB but also flashes of being mediocre. At Michigan, McCarthy had a run game to rely on which made defenses have to stack the box and be vulnerable in the pass game. However, when you have Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson, you should be able to throw the ball all over the field. With a weak Bears secondary the Vikings should be able to exploit them.
Prediction: Bears 24-21
Chargers vs Jaguars:
Justin Hebert, since he was drafted, has been talked about as if he is a top five QB but has not shown the talent consistently. To start this season the Chargers were rolling at 3-0 but since losing the first and second string RBs ,Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris, they have struggled. Herbert has not looked the same and he is not playing as free as he was. In a tight AFC race he will need to improve his play and elevate those around him.
The Jaguars choked a 29-10 lead to Davis Mills, a career backup, after scoring 16 points more than the Texans defense allowed per game they could not finish. Trevor Lawrence has found a connection with receiver Parker Washington but they are missing their top two outside playmakers in Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Thomas Jr. should be back in a week or so but Hunter is out for the year after getting surgery. Lawrence will have to show why he was awarded a $250 million contract. Will he be able to? No.
Prediction: Chargers 33-17
Seahawks vs Rams:
The Seahawks are the best team in the NFL and the Rams are the second best, this heavy-weight matchup is like Tyson Fury vs Muhammed Ali. This game could be game of the year, and the NFL should have flexed it into Sunday Night Football but they did not. McVay vs. Macdonald are both geniuses on different sides of the ball and have their QBs playing like MVP’s.
The Seahawks have the best defense overall in the NFL and have blown out their last two opponents by a combined 40 points. A good measure for if a team is serious is how they win against inferior teams. Every time the Seahawks have played a bad team they dominate,while they have not been truly tested, all the signs for an elite team are there. Against the No.1 ranked ppg defense they scored 27 and made many mistakes, and against the Steelers they won by 14+. In three of the next five weeks the Seahawks play the Rams two times and the Colts, so we are going to see how serious they truly are.
In last week’s game the Seahawk’s defense was amazing. Tyrice Knight and Demaruc Lawrence made identical plays resulting in strip sacks and two defensive touchdowns. On the first offensive drive Sam Darnold hit Jaxson Smith-Njigba for a deep-ball touchdown over two defenders. That is not all though, as the Seahawks run game has been an issue all season but they rushed for over 150 yards against the Cardinals. The scariest part of the Seahawks is they have yet to play a full game healthy,and the starting defense has played four snaps together.
The Rams are a model of what you want your franchise to be, as in draft well and develop your talent. McVay has done a wonderful job with his scheme and making the wide-out pairing of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams work. Some doubters believed Adams was washed, but fast forward 11 weeks into the season and he leads the league in touchdown receptions.The Rams defense has been a sneaky top 10 defense. While the front seven is very good, their secondary is prone to big plays which plays into the Seahawks hands with JSN, Rashid Shaheed and former Ram Cooper Kupp.
Prediction: Seahawks 31-23
Conner’s (41-26) Predictions:
Buccaneers vs Bills:
Despite the strong start both of these teams had, both have fallen off a bit. The Buccaneers (6-3) started out 5-1, but have been blasted with injuries. For the Bills, they have not been playing complementary football and have been inconsistent all season.
Both Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield have played well, but they have taken a step back. At the beginning of the season, both looked like MVP candidates. However, recently, both have not played the best, or at least like they did at the beginning of the season, and are now starting to lose games.
This game should be relatively close, especially as both teams have comparable offenses and defenses. Both defenses are allowing under 23 points a game, and putting up over 24. However, the Bills desperately need the win after now being two games behind the Patriots (8-2) in the standings. The Buccaneers have a long injury report list as well, and the return of Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving does not have a timetable (source).
The one thing going for the Bucs is that they have a good rush defense, allowing just 100.8 rushing yards a game (source). And the Bills are just 1-3 when Cook III rushes for under 90 yards. The Bucs also are going up against one of the worst rushing defenses. However, they have only rushed for 82.5 yards on average for their last four games.
Overall, this game should be close, but I think the Bills pull it out. Allen should have a bounce-back game, and I think the Bucs have fallen back a step after all these injuries.
**Prediction:**Bills 27-17
Bengals vs Steelers:
The last time these two teams met, we witnessed one of the best Thursday Night Football games of this season. The Bengals (3-6) stole a win with a game-winning field goal with under 10 seconds remaining.
However, since that game, the Bengals have lost two games thanks to their defense. They gave the Jets (2-7) their first win, and they allowed the Bears to comeback after being down 14 with under five minutes remaining.
As for the Steelers (5-4), they are 1-2 since that game. To their credit, they beat the Colts (8-2) and have played one of the toughest schedules since that game. However, Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense has been just okay since then.
Both teams need this win badly. The Bengals are looking like they are going to get Joe Burrow back within the next two to three weeks (source). As for the Steelers, they are losing ground to the Ravens, who are on a three-game win streak. Both teams need this win if they are serious about making the playoffs.
However, I think the Bengals will win this one. They have been dominant as an offense, scoring 37.7 points a game since Flacco stepped in. Also, the Steelers’ defense has been giving up points left and right, and their offense has not been able to respond too well when they have given up points. Overall, as long as the Bengals score over 27 points, they should win, and I do not see why they will not.
Prediction: Bengals 37-23
49ers vs Cardinals:
Both of these teams are coming off games where their defenses did not show up for much of the game, especially in the first half. The Niners (6-4) gave up 21 points before they decided to show up. The same thing happened for the Cardinals (3-6), who gave up 35 points before deciding to do anything.
Currently, their defenses are looking one and the same. Both are averaging giving up 339.4 yards a game. The Niners are allowing 23 points a game, the Cardinals are allowing 23.9.
Nonetheless, both teams have not been playing their best ball. The Cardinals are 1-6 since starting 2-0, and the Niners are 3-4 since starting 3-0. This season for the Cardinals all but feels over, especially after losing Kyler Murray and James Conner. However, the Niners still have a lot to play for and need to pick up all the wins they can if they want to make a postseason push.
Last time these teams met, the Niners barely snuck out with a win. I see another similar, gritty win for the Niners. Mac Jones has been on fire, throwing seven touchdowns and two interceptions in his last game. Even if he does not play, and Brock Purdy returns, the Niners should be able to ease Purdy back into the system. Purdy has been mediocre so far this year, but if he plays, he should be able to rely on Christian McCaffrey and possibly Ricky Pearsall if he returns.
Also, the Cardinals rushing defense is nothing special, so they should be able to feed McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr.
However, if the 49ers want to win, they’ll need to play defense. Jacoby Brissett has thrown eight touchdowns and one interceptions in his four starts. But, thankfully for the 49ers, the Cardinals have a depleted running back room.
Overall, it will be close, given that it is a divisional game, but I think the 49ers do enough to skate by, regardless of who starts at quarterback. They have much more to play for, and they only really need to worry about Brissett.
Prediction: 49ers 27-20
Chiefs vs Broncos:
The Chiefs (5-4) have been one of the most inconsistent teams in football this year. On the other hand, the Broncos (8-2) have been one of the more consistent teams — at least when it comes to winning.
What is interesting about the Broncos is they have been able to find ways to win games without playing complimentary football. The majority of the time, this has meant relying heavily on their defense.
The Chiefs have been the opposite and have not found ways to win. They are 0-4 in one-score games. What is even worse about this is that since the 2022-2023 NFL season, three out of the Chiefs’ four wins against the Broncos have been one-score games.
The Broncos also have arguably the best defense in the NFL. The Chiefs’ defense has been solid, allowing just 17.7 points a game, but even that has been deceiving. They held the Raiders and Commanders, some of the worst offenses in the NFL, to seven combined points.
Mahomes and the Chiefs need this win, but so do the Broncos to keep their division lead and to stay in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Overall, I got the Broncos winning this one. It is a divisional game, so it is going to be close, and the Chiefs have not won close games. The Broncos just need Bo Nix and the offense to put up around 20 points. Points have been hard to come by, but in this big of a matchup, I think they get it done.
Prediction: Broncos 24-21
Ravens vs Browns:
The Ravens (4-5) are on a three-game win streak, while the Browns are 2-7. While this is a divisional matchup, I think the Ravens win.
With the Steelers slowly losing their division lead, the Ravens have had more and more to play for. At the end of this week, the Ravens have a chance to be tied for first in the division. The Ravens’ defense has also improved mightily since the beginning of the season, allowing 11 on average in their last four games.
Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel has not led the Browns to anything productive offensively. They have scored 18 points a game in the five games he has played. Their defense has had to do all the heavy lifting, which has not won them games. Until the Browns figure out their quarterback situation, they are not going anywhere.
Lamar Jackson has also led the Ravens’ offense to 27.5 points on average in his last two starts since coming back from injury. Although he will be going up against a stronger defense, I still think he performs well. Overall, the Ravens should not struggle as long as their defense can get the ball into Jackson’s hands.
Prediction: Ravens 28-13
Lions vs Eagles:
The Lions (6-3) head into this game after a dominant 44-22 win over the Commanders (3-7). In all of their games this season, they have only won when they have scored 24 or more points. I think that favors them in this game.
The Eagles (7-2) only gave up seven points to the Packers (5-3-1), but before that, they had allowed 20 or more points in every game, dating back to Sept. 21. The Eagles’ offense has also been hit or miss as well. They have had three games where they failed to put up over 20 points.
Both Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts have played well. Each has thrown 16 or more touchdowns, and three or fewer interceptions. However, thus far, Jahmyr Gibbs has significantly outplayed Saquon Barkley this season. Also, the Eagles only have one receiver, DeVonta Smith, with over 450 receiving yards. The Lions have three.
The Lions’ defense has also held their own, allowing just 22.2 points and 294 yards a game.
Despite the Eagles’ 7-2 record, I think the Lions will win this game. They have the better team and stats on paper, plus they have played more consistently. As long as their defense can contain Hurts, Smith and Barkley, they should be able to pull this one out.
Prediction: Lions 34-24
Cowboys vs Raiders:
The Raiders (2-7) have been one of the worst teams this season. They have gone 1-7 since winning week one against the Patriots. Their sole win came against the Titans (1-8), the worst team in the NFL. Their offense has been mediocre with Geno Smith under helm, having thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11).
As for the Cowboys (3-5-1), the story of their season has been their terrible defense. They are second-to-last in terms of yards and points allowed per game. They have one of the best offenses in the league in terms of yards and points gained, however.
Although their defense has cost them the past couple weeks, I think they can hold the Raiders off. It is likely that Smith willplay, but even if he does not, Kenny Pickett will be thrown onto the field — either is a win for the Cowboys. The Cowboys are 2-1-1 when they win the turnover battle and 0-4 when they do not. Therefore, they will need to force turnovers, and I think they will be able to against either Smith or Pickett.
Also, I think the Cowboys’ defense will perform better against the Raiders, considering how poorly the Raiders’ offense has played. Even though I do not like their defense, they have stepped up at times throughout the season — they only allowed 22 to the Commanders and 24 to the Eagles. If they can hold those teams to under 25, they can hold the Raiders.
Lastly, the Cowboys need this win if they have any hopes of making it into the playoffs, and they are coming into this game off a bye. They have no excuse not to win.
**Prediction:**Cowboys 27-21