NFL Football Picks

Week 14 was a good week for the Bengals. Okay, yes, I know they lost but they went into the game against the LA Chargers as nearly 17 point underdogs. The final ended with the Chargers squeaking out a 26-21 win in a game that was actually much closer than the final score. With that said, was the Bengals close game against a much better team on paper a result of a team that is coming together and playing for each other, or was it the result of a Chargers team that took them too lightly? The Bengals are 3 point favorites hosing the Raiders.

The Patriots are coming off their disastrous final play loss to the Dolphins. The entire game was a myriad of mistakes even before the ending, including constant defensive lapses that resulted in big plays, a missed field goal and extra point by Stephen Gostowski (sound familiar?) and another blown chance at field goal to end the first half. But this is a new week and Sportsbooks have New England at -1.

The Dolphins have looked a bit better since getting Ryan Tannehill back at quarterback. He’s been playing well and some people forget with all the time he’s missed with injuries, but he was a force on the rise before missing an extended period. Running back Frank Gore is a wonder, still very productive at his age. With Danny Amendola, Kenny Stills, Kenyan Drake, and others, he has some weapons. But does Miami have enough weapons to win by more than a TD? LL has your NFL pick.

New Orleans started off the year on fire. They scored 40 or more points and gained more than 400 yards in 6 of their first 10 games. They eclipsed 500 yards in 3 of those games. But in their last 3 games, Sean Payton’s squad has come back down to earth. They have averaged only 23 points and 270 yards in those contests. Although one of those games was against the stiff defense of the Cowboys, the other 2 were against the much softer Bucs and Falcons. Drew Brees is averaging only 157 passing yards in those games, and they have turned the ball over 4 times. Points have been harder to come by in the last two games. Online sportsbooks have the line set at 6.5 despite the rough offensive stretch. Can they be expected to win by a TD?

The Packers were successful in their first game without former coach Mike McCarthy and while they didn’t look remarkably different, there were noticeable changes with Joe Philbin calling the shots. Green Bay is 10th in passing and they continued to utilize that strength early against Atlanta but the play-calling featured many more quick-hitting patterns that got the ball out of Aaron Rodgers’ hands right away. That was no accident considering how long Rodgers prefers to hold on to the ball, a fact that has, in part, led to Green Bay allowing 41 sacks so far. Can Green Bay continue to make successful changes and stay within 6 points for a win against the spread?

Detroit’s week 14 run defense was stout. The Lions had been at or near the bottom third of the league in defending the run for much of the season but they held Arizona to 61 yards on 21 attempts, including keeping running back David Johnson to 49 yards on 15 carries. Detroit will need that defensive effort again to beat the bookie’s line of -2.5. RW has the NFL pick and analysis.

Houston brought the NFL’s third-ranked ground game into Indianapolis Sunday with an average of 140 yards per outing (146 per during their 9-game winning streak) but got stuffed to the tune of 89 total yards. Deshaun Watson led all rushers with 35 yards on 5 carries, which of course means the running backs were a nonfactor. Can the Texans get the wheels turning again on Saturday? Rick has your NFL prediction.

The Indianapolis Colts kept their playoff hopes alive last week with an impressive 24-21 road victory over the Houston Texans. The Colts offense overcame a stout Texans defense behind the arm of Andrew Luck, who threw for 399 yards with 2 touchdowns and a pick. WR T.Y Hilton shined in the performance with 9 grabs for 199 yards as the Colts snapped Houston’s 9 game winning streak. It will take a similar effort vs the Cowboys. Jay Horne has the NFL Prediction!

When you talk about bad offenses in the 2018 NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals come to mind…quickly. These guys suck! Arizona is averaging just 158 yards passing per game and another 84 on the ground. That is an average of just 242 TOTAL YARDS PER GAME. Now, the Falcons have had some issues on defense but even so, it will be a tough task for Arizona to move the ball. Is the enough of an angle to bet the chalk? The Sportsbooks have the Falcons as 8.5 point favorites.

The Chiefs are 20-2 against the AFC West since the start of 2015. This includes being 4-0 this year and a 10 point opening week victory against these Chargers in the City of Angels. Of course, this year the Chiefs are owning the whole league, currently sitting as the number one seed in the AFC at 11-2, and also owning the best ATS record in the AFC at 8-4-1. Keith Allen looks at what trends matter here in week 15. See the NFL pick!