Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
The 9-4 Packers all but lost their chances to win the NFC North by losing to Detroit last week. They look to further put a stranglehold on locking down an NFC Wild Card Spot with a win in Seattle. RB Josh Jacobs has led the way and will need 100 yards to have a chance here. The 8-5 Seahawks have won four straight and stand atop the NFC West. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been on fire and has proven worthy of being a first-round pick in 2023. Plus, the Seattle defense has been playing much better, and I think they make a play.
Score Prediction: Seahawks 26 – Packers 20
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers
The 5-8 Cowboys watched their dwindling playoff hopes all but ended after giving up a touchdown late to the Cincinnati Bengals. This week, they should be able to move the ball with better efficiency, as they should get the running game going with RB Rick Dowdle. Their chances of winning will depend on whether QB Cooper Rush can be more efficient, especially on third down. The 3-10 Panthers lost another close game as they have been extremely competitive, losing three straight to playoff teams by less than one score. RB Chuba Hubbard has been the bell cow and should have a solid game here. I like what I have been seeing from the Panthers, and I expect WR Adam Thielen to come up with some big plays to make a difference in this one.
Score Prediction: Panthers 24 – Cowboys 20
Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles
The 10-3 Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns by two scores even though they only had 260 yards of total offense. RB Najee Harris is going to have a big game on the ground as the passing game will be without WR George Pickens again. The 11-2 Eagles snuck past the Carolina Panthers 22-16 as Panther’s WR Xavier Legette dropped a touchdown in the waning seconds. Rumors are that WR A.J. Brown and QB Jalen Hurts are not getting along but I think they put it together this week. I think getting all the issues out in the open may help this team going forward. The Steelers do not match up well here.
Score Prediction: Eagles 30 – Steelers 13
Washington Commanders at New Orleans Saints
The 8-5 Commanders, led by QB Jayden Daniels, are coming off their bye. A win here, and they could distance themselves by two games for the final NFC playoff spot. The 5-8 Saints snuck by the Giants last week but may have lost QB Derek Carr with a broken non-throwing hand. The Saints will need a big game from RB Alvin Kamara to have any chance in this one. I think Washington will be just too much and the lack of Saint playmakers outside of Kamara will limit the Saints severely.
Score Prediction: Commanders 24 – Saints 13
Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants
The 8-5 Ravens are coming off their bye after losing at home to the Philadelphia Eagles in week 13. They should bounce back as QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry have their way against a bad Giants defense. The 2-11 Giants have lost eight in a row and are looking to end the season. They turn to QB Tommy DeVito to try to ignite an abysmal offense. Expect Lamar and Henry to do whatever they want.
Score Prediction: Ravens 34 – Giants 13
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
At least the 4-9 Bears didn’t lose another heartbreaker as they were pounded by the San Francisco 49ers last week. This week, I think they can get their passing game back on track, as the Vikings pass defense gives up a ton of yards. the 11-2 Vikings have won six straight and continue to fight for the NFC North. They are getting spectacular play from Sam Darnold, as he threw for 5 touchdowns a week ago against the Atlanta Falcons. These two teams met a few weeks ago, and Chicago needed late-game heroics to force overtime. This week. I like the Vikings fast defense to swallow up a porous Chicago offensive line at home.
Score Prediction: Vikings 31 – Bears 17
Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders
The 6-7 Falcons have lost four straight games, and they must win out just to have an outside chance to make the playoffs. QB Kirk Cousins has been awful, throwing 6 interceptions over his last 2 games. Maybe the Falcons should just feed the ball to RB Bijan Robinson over and over again. Defensively, their secondary looked lost, trying to cover both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. They will be put to the test vs. WR Jakobi Meyers and TE Brock Bowers. The 2-11 Raiders fell behind by 14 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and could not catch up despite trailing by only 4 at the half. They did lose QB Aiden O’Connell in that game, and he is questionable this week. I like the Raiders’ chances more with him than backup Desmond Ridder. Regardless of who starts, Jakobi Meyers and Bowers will need big games to pull it out. I think the Raiders fall short.
Score Prediction: Atlanta 31 – Raiders 24
New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals
The 3-10 Patriots are coming off their bye after losing three straight games. The wins and losses don’t matter, as the main goal is to see continued improvement from rookie QB Drake Maye. The 6-7 Cardinals have dropped three straight games and are clinging onto playoff hopes. QB Kyler Murray has been inconsistent, as he has thrown 4 interceptions in his last two games. I think we see a heavy dose of RB James Conner and TE Treya McBride as they make the difference.
Score Prediction: Cardinals 27 – Patriots 24
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions
The 10-3 Bills are coming off a shoot-out loss to the Los Angeles Rams 44-42. Josh Allen had a spectacular game but was let down by the defense. Look for him to put up solid numbers against a weak Lion’s secondary. The 12-1 Lions are coming off a home Thursday Night win vs. the Green Bay Packers. They will need to run the ball effectively with both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, as the Bills defense isn’t very good vs. the run. The Lions defense is still a bit banged up, and I think Allen bounces back.
Score Prediction: Bills 27 – Lions 24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Chargers
The 7-6 Buccaneers came out strong and easily disposed of the Las Vegas Raiders. This week will be a much tougher test for QB Baker Mayfield and company vs. a Charger team that doesn’t have many weaknesses. The 8-5 Chargers fell short to the Kansas City Chiefs as they lost on a late second field goal. They were without WR Ladd McConkey and will get a boost if he is back in the lineup. For me, the Buccaneers give up too many yards through the air, and I think QB Justin Herbert and carve them up.
Score Prediction: Chargers 27 – Buccaneers 20