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| Measuring rod |
| Titans (3-3) coming off an impressive defensive performance behind mastermind Dave Stewart. In fact Chargers GM Eric Linder has been trying to hire Dave as his defensive coordinator. For those who don't know, the Chiefs have vexxed the Chargers defense. Colts (5-1) rebounded after a no-show versus Miami with a big win over the Bills to hold first place in the AFC East. Stroud had his third straight game with a QBR in the mid 70s. Colts are plus 5 on turnovers. Jake Elliot has been perfect on 20 Field Goals. With a big road win here, the Titans would be one game behind. Should be an interesting battle. I think CJ is due for a better game. IND 27 TEN 16 |
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| "The Bills are coming. The Bills are coming" |
| Patriots (2-4) mirred in a 3 game losing streak now sit in last place in the AFC East. Minshew enthusiasts have been riding a roller coaster with more downs than ups. One significant contributor to this losing streak is New England being -12 on turnovers. This must improve to be competitive with Buffalo. Defending Champions Buffalo (4-2) are back at home after falling to Indianapolis. Josh Allen had his worse game of the year with a 75 QBR. James Cook (acquired via trade) keeps producing though he did fumble twice last week. Bills are plus 5 on turnovers. After playing the tough Colt defense, the Bills will find it much easier to roam against the Patriots defense. BUF 34 NE 14 |
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| Giant game for New York |
| Giants (3-3) have a key game against the Cowboys. The reason this is a big game is that in their first matchup, Dallas won 23-13. Kyler Murray had a nice game last week. Giants defense only allowing 3.4 yards per carry. Giants have surrendered 25 QB sacks. Starting CB Marlon Humphrey is out. Dallas (4-2) leads the NFC East after finding their offense last week against the Commanders. Dak threw 4 TD passes and has a 102 QBR rating for the season. Cowboys are -5 on turnovers. A Cowboy win here leaves New York a Giant task of trying to win the division. DAL 24 NY 16 |
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| I fought the Law and the Law won |
| Minnesota (2-4) rallied against San Francisco by scoring 20 unanswered points in the 4th quarter. Vikings defense stuffed two forth and short attempts. Minnesota has won 2 of their last 3 games. Stafford with a rating of 100 and McLaughlin averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Winless Lions tried to rally from 21 points down against the Steelers but came up short falling by 7. On the bright side, Detroit scored their most points in a game this season (17). Dobbs played well in his first start of the year. If Dobbs can replicate his form this week, this could be a mild upset by Detroit. MIN 24 DET 16 |
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| Can this be the week? |
| Ravens are in the club of winless teams with the Lions. Baltimore put up a good fight against the Rams last week. Will Levis played a very good game against a tough Rams defense. Ravens are allowing over 70% of pass completions and are -5 on turnovers. Pittsburgh (4-2) is currently tied for second in the AFC Central. Steelers have a very good front 7 on defense. Kenny Pickett has been playing well. Steelers offense averaging 3.3 yards per carry while the Steelers defense allowing 5.5 yards per carry. In their first meeting, Pittsburgh won 24-21. Keep watching as this could be a Ravens breakthrough. PIT 24 BAL 20 |
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| Rams continue to roll |
| Los Angeles (6-0) continue their march towards the playoffs. Last week the pesky Ravens made the game more interesting than I was expecting. But in the end, the Rams pulled away. Jordan Love has a phenominal QB rating of 120. Rams have almost equal number of yards rushing and passing. They are +8 on turnovers. 49ers (4-2) have to be stinging a bit as they were unable to convert 2 forth and 1 opportunities as they were upset by the Vikings. Hurts lost not 1, not 2, but 3 FUMBLES which put a "Hurt" on San Francisco's chances. To stay with the Rams, the 49ers can not afford turnovers. In their first meeting of the years, Los Angeles dominated them 34-10. LAR 31 SF 16 |
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| That didn't last long |
| Green Bay's (1-5) one game winning streak ended last week as they fell to New York. Jared Goff had a nice game but it wasn't enough. Packers only average 3.1 yards per carry while allowing 5.2 yards per carry. Chicago (1-5) coming off an unbearable home game against Tampa Bay. Bears only managed 71 yards of total offense. The most points Chicago has scored in their last 4 games is 12. While Packers have the better QB, I'm going with Chicago after Bill chewed their butts out. GB 16 CHI 20 |
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| Eagles migrate down south |
| Philadelphia (3-3) is battling for the NFC East lead. Brock Purdy continues to play excellently with 106 QBR. Eagles are converting 48% of third downs and are +3 on turnovers. Philadelphia only allowing 33% on third down conversions. Tampa Bay (5-1) sits atop the NFC Central coming off playing a near complete game against Chicago. Derek Carr had his best game of the year. Buccaneer defense didn't allow a point. Don Merlenbach says "the Eagles are tough". PHI 28 TB 27 |
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| Panthers stalking a win |
| Miami (4-2) has bounced back after opening the season 0-2. Dolphins are just 1 game behind divisional leading Colts. Tua's QBR is 105. Miami is converting 54% on third down. Miami has been scoring lots of points. Carolina (2-4) gave Seattle a battle coming up 7 points short. Christian McCaffrey averaging 100 yards per game but had a tough game against the Seahawk defense. Mac Jones has played two good games in a row. In the end, I'll take the team that has shown a propensity to score well. MIA 31 CAR 13 |
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| Chiefs on war path |
| Da Raiders (2-4) were spanked by the Jaguars last week 37-13 who were coached by Doug Crandall. Several Raiders players commented how Bryce Young suddenly looked taller and was tremendously improved in his passing. It was then reported that Doug had tied Bryce Young up in the locker room and had slipped a Jacksonville uniform on him. Stay tuned for a league investigation is underway. Chiefs (4-2) were defeated by the Titans as Mahomes tossed not 1, not 2, not 3, but believe it or not 4 Interceptions. Chiefs have matched their record for most losses in a season and will need to win out to not set a new record. Chiefs won their first matchup 31-24. I'm expecting Mahomes to rebound in a big way. KC 31 LV 16 |
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| Seahawks like feasting on the NFC Central |
| Seattle (4-2) sits in second place in the NFC West. They have already defeated Tampa Bay and Carolina from the NFC Central. Their next victim is the Saints. Burrow has not been playing to his former level. Still Seahawks have been converting 47% on third down and are +5 on turnovers. Since an opening season win, these Saints (1-5) have been marching on a 5 game losing streak. New Orleans' offense is struggling to score. Saints offense is unable to protect Trevor Lawrence (has absorbed 27 sacks). Saints converting 33% on third down and are -5 on turnovers. I predict the Seahawks will continue to feast on the NFC Central. SEA 27 NO 13 |
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| Even a swap of Mahomes for Bryce won't help |
| Jacksonville (1-5) coached by Doug Crandall last week played a complete game and defeated da Raiders (though there was a scandal which was covered in the Chiefs prediction above). Jacksonville really struggles on third down converting 25%. As I've mentioned a few times, Jason took over a train-wreck and is slowing rebuilding Jacksonville. While it may seem that progress is slow, there are definite signs that the Jaguars will be better for years to come. Cleveland (4-2) coming off a convincing win against the Texans. In both of the Browns last two games, their opponents have scored 3 points. Even though the Browns have started a bit slowly, they are a formidable squad. Lets keep the streak of allowing only 3 points per game alive. CLE 38 JAX 3 |
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| They say everthing is bigger and better in Texas |
Houston (4-2) still remains in a tie atop the AFC West behind some magnificent coaching by Rudy. Last week the Texans struggled against the powerful Browns team. This week they again play an AFC Central foe the undefeated Bengals. One can use the Baker Barometer to see what it takes for Houston to win. In their 4 wins, Baker Mayfield's QBR is 109 or higher. In the Texans 2 losses, Baker's QBR is below 60. Even I can figure that out  . Cincinnati (6-0) continued on the prowl winning a tough road game against the Chargers. Bengals start LT Trent Williams is doubtful. Lamar Jackson playing at an MVP level with a QBR of 118. This is a tough matchup for the Texans. Inspite of Rudy's fine coaching, the saying goes, "It's not the Xs and Os, but the Jimmies and Joes". HOU 6 CIN 31 |
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| Looking for a spark or in search of Andy |
| Chargers (3-3) lost a very tight game against the Bengals, falling by the score of 14-9. Eric even benched Justin Herbert with the game on the line in favor of C.J. Beathard. Justin was sacked 5 times. Maybe Eric benched him to avoid injury. Maybe Eric benched him due to poor play. Only Mr. Linder knows. Coach Linder must visit Vegas frequently as the Chargers have gone for it 14 times on forth down, converting 6. The Commanders (2-4) had an early lead and tried their best to matchup with the Cowboys behind sub coach Calvin. But Dak was too good. Sam Howell has played well for 3 weeks in a row. Still as long as Justin's confidence was not shaken last week, I believe the Chargers will get back to winning. LAC 31 WAS 17 |
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