NFL Football Picks

There is always a chance with the Steelers when they are favorites – especially on the road – that they will lay an egg and outright lose a game they should win. But in this case, they have revenge on their minds. The Jags came into Steel City twice last year and beat the Steelers, including the playoff game that ended the Steeler season. The Jags had no hesitation about trash talking after both of those games, which should still be fresh in the Steelers minds. Is this narrative enough to give your bookie action on the Steelers -6? Keith Allen gives his NFL pick.

Sportsbooks say the Rams are more than a FG better but do the numbers align with this thinking? The key stat that separates these teams and the only statistical blemish for the Rams is red zone efficiency. This is the chink in the Rams armor that may end up holding them back down the stretch. They are only scoring touchdowns on 56% of their trips to the red zone, good for only 16th in the league. The Chiefs are scoring touchdowns at a 71% clip, good enough for 6th in the league. In the Rams game against the Saints 2 weeks ago LA also struggled converting on third down, converting only 37% of third downs and also were 0 for 2 on 4th downs. The Rams fill up the stat sheet and remind us of the Greatest Show on Turf, but they are not converting when they need it most. Keith Allen takes a deeper look at the matchup and gives his prediction.

The Texans have some young and dynamic talent in their ranks, including one of the game’s best receivers DeAndre Hopkins. D-Hopkins has been supreme in 2018 as he already owns seven scores and 894 receiving yards just past the half-way mark of the season. He serves as quarterback Deshaun Watson’s primary target in a passing offense that accrues 248.9 yards per game. But the bread and butter of Houston’s game is their rushing attack which compiles 120.2 yards on the ground per game (11th in the NFL). The sportsbooks have set the line at Texans -3. Will this offense be enough to cover against the spread? Keith Franks has the NFL prediction.

It is clear that this Seahawk team is limited in certain phases but they are still near-elite in others, including leading the league in rushing at 152 yards per game. Pete Carroll will not be shy about deploying that running game against the 22nd ranked rush defense of Green Bay. Is that matchup enough to make Seattle the favorite here? Ted Walker gives his NFL prediction.

The Titans and the Colts have met each other 47 times dating back to 1970 when they were the Houston Oilers and the Baltimore Colts. The Colts have dominated this divisional series as of late, winning 12 of the last 15 matchups going back to 2011. What does that mean? Like the historical numbers at the roulette table… absolutely nothing! Rick Wise breaks down the actual game and offers his free pick.

The Panthers are 3.5 favorites priced at -110 at online sportsbooks. Granted, the last game Carolina played didn’t paint either side of the ball in a good light. Cam Newton has otherwise been pretty solid this season. Aerially, they aren’t that prolific, even with Devin Funchess, rising DJ Moore, still-effective tight end Greg Olsen, and a massively-successful ball catching back in Christian McCaffrey. Against a Detroit pass-defense that can be solid, Carolina might have to rely more on the run. Luckily for them, they are in good hands with McCaffrey and Newton, who has a renewed focus on running the ball. Is the ground game the answer to covering the spread? Loot has your free pick.

Let’s point out that the Rams just had 4 of their last five games on the road. Things could look better as they get the next two at home, followed by a bye-week. They can dig in at home a little bit and shake off some of the road-weariness that started showing at New Orleans last week. Still, maybe they’ve been overrated a bit? They were the preseason darlings of just about everyone and they’ve been awesome at 8-1. But they have started to show some cracks in the armor. Will the Seahawks be able to build a game plan and stay within 10 points? Loot has an NFL pick and prediction.

Week 9 saw the Bears win and the Lions lose. Chicago improved to 5-3 on the season and Detroit goes the opposite way and now sits at 3-5. Chicago and Minnesota are tied for the NFC North division lead with Detroit and Green Bay biting at their heels just a game or so back. It appears that Chicago is the real deal and only seems to get better week after week. As for Detroit, they are just average at best… offense, defense, special teams, they are just…meh. Nonetheless, this weekend is actually a huge game in for the NFC North landscape. It is a tight race and a Detroit win will put THEM back in the hunt.

The Arizona Cardinals come to Arrowhead for a week 10 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s a tale of two teams with opposite trajectories, with the Cardinals in the dumps at 2-6, while the Chiefs are tied for having the best record in the league at 8-1. On Sunday, they beat the Browns on the road 37-21. It was also the eighth time they covered the spread in nine games this season. But is that a trend that matters here in week 10 as bettors face a 16.5 hole before kick-off? LL gives his take on laying the big number.

Tampa Bay comes off a 42-28 loss that was grislier than the score indicates. The Panthers put the Bucs away early in the first half when they went up 35-7 and then they called the dogs off. Carolina had a short week ahead of itself with a road game at Pittsburgh on Thursday night. They could not afford to expose their starters any more once the affair was out of reach. Be that as it may, Tampa Bay looks lost and clueless at this point in the season. Keith Franks look at the bookmaker’s 2.5 spread and what to expect from TB in week 10.