NFL MATCHUPS
Last week’s record: 11-3-1 Overall record: 49-41-3
Titans at Chargers
7:30 a.m. on CBS In the Philip Rivers era, the Chargers (4-2) have often endured slow starts to the season, but the veteran quarterback always seems to will them back into contention. With the team’s two losses coming against the undefeated Rams and the 5-1 Chiefs, there is every reason to believe there is some “there” there. This game, however, is a more difficult test than it may seem, as traveling to London to face the Titans (3-3) means one of their eight home games will come eight time zones away, against a team that is more than willing to provide a trap for a more talented team.
Pick: Titans +6.5
Patriots at Bears
11 a.m. on CBS
It somehow turned into a story that Patriots coach Bill Belichick, the defensive coordinator of the great Giants teams of the 1980s, is not willing to declare Chicago’s Khalil Mack to be the equal of Lawrence Taylor, the Hall of Fame linebacker whom Belichick helped groom on the way to two Super Bowl titles. He did not say Mack wasn’t sensational. He actually detailed the many ways Mack affects a game as an elite linebacker. But for a coach who typically says nothing to show a modicum of emotion sent people running to their laptops to react, with even L.T. weighing in on Twitter.
Pick: Patriots -3
Panthers at Eagles
11 a.m. on Fox
A big win over the Giants gave the Eagles (3-3) some relief from the endless questions about their Super Bowl hangover, but the team still lacks a viable running game, making them look far less scary than they did last season. The Panthers (3-2) have struggled on the road, and Cam Newton has
endured some turnover problems recently. While this game might be a tossup, Carolina has the tools to record an upset.
Pick: Panthers +4.5
Cowboys at Redskins
2:25 p.m. on CBS
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have saved their season with a win last week. This week’s version of an early-season, make-or-break game is between the Cowboys (3-3) and the Redskins (3-2), two NFC East teams that deserve to be taken seriously but have not provided the consistency of a contender.
According to The Upshot’s Playoff Simulator, this game features the two biggest potential swings related to making the playoffs. Should Dallas win, it would have a 60 percent chance, while a loss would knock it down to 32 percent. The situation is just as dire for Washington, which would have a 59 percent chance with a win and a 31 percent chance with a loss.
Pick: Cowboys +2
Bengals at Chiefs
6:20 p.m. on NBC
Patrick Mahomes has not discouraged the Brett Favre comparisons with four interceptions over his last two games, but just like Favre, the Kansas City quarterback showed no quit last week when the Chiefs (5-1) got behind at New England. Tom Brady may have come out on top, but having a second-year player nearly pull off a huge upset in Foxborough had to at least make the future Hall of Famer wonder how long he has left atop the league. A home game against the Bengals (4-2) is not nearly as difficult a task, but when you factor in Kansas City’s horrific defense and Cincinnati’s aboveaverage offense, one thing is fairly clear: The over in this game almost certainly won’t be high enough.
Pick: Chiefs -6
Texans at Jaguars
11 a.m.
The Jaguars (3-3) were demolished on the road in Dallas last week, with their star-studded defense having absolutely no answer for Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. It was a result that was
fairly predictable based on their struggles with the run, but before you assume that means the team is not worthy of its defensive hype, remember that it largely shut down Patrick Mahomes two weeks ago. The Texans (3-3) do not present nearly as many problems on the ground, and while Deshaun Watson has been sensational at quarterback, Jacksonville is more than up to the task of making him look human.
Pick: Jaguars -5
Vikings at Jets
11 a.m.
Charley Hennigan’s incredible 1961 season for the Houston Oilers has stood the test of time. It took 34 years for a player to top the 1,746 receiving yards he had that season, and his total is still the sixth best in NFL history. Hennigan’s name should be back in the news this week, as another record he set that season — consecutive games with 100 or more receiving yards to start a season — may be matched. Adam Thielen of the Vikings (3-2-1) has gone for 100 or more each week this season, and if he can get there against the Jets (3-3), he will have tied Hennigan’s record of seven straight. As the Jets give up nearly 300 passing yards a game, Thielen should have plenty of opportunity.
Pick: Vikings -3
Saints at Ravens
2:05 p.m.
A team averaging 36 points a game against one allowing 12.8 could make for must-see TV. The Saints (4-1) demolished the Redskins heading into their bye week, with Drew Brees passing Peyton Manning to become the NFL’s career passing yards leader, but it was surprising to see them generate so little movement in the running game despite Mark Ingram’s having rejoined Alvin Kamara in the backfield.
Pick: Ravens -2.5
Rams at 49ers
2:25 p.m.
To maintain a long winning streak in the NFL, you have to get away with close wins every now and again, and the Rams (6-0) escaping Denver with a 3-point
win qualifies. Los Angeles, the last unbeaten team in the NFL, has a chance to match the franchise’s best start since 1985 with a win over the lowly 49ers (1-5). There is no doubt the Rams should be expected to win, but it will be the team’s third consecutive road game, and the 49ers have made most of their opponents work hard to beat them.
Pick: 49ers +9.5
Browns at Buccaneers
11 a.m.
The Browns (2-3-1) got a reality check last week in a loss to the Chargers. Baker Mayfield looked like a rookie quarterback and the team’s defense let Melvin Gordon run all over it. Cleveland is hoping to get back on track against the Buccaneers (2-3), losers of three straight games, but a road game against a team trying desperately to save its season might not provide much relief.
Pick: Buccaneers -3
Lions at Dolphins
11 a.m.
As if passing yards hadn’t been devalued enough in the early part of this season, Brock Osweiler started for the Dolphins (4-2) last week and threw for 380. It was 72 more yards than he’d ever thrown for in a game, and it helped lead to a shocking upset of Chicago. The Lions (2-3) seem like an ideal team to exploit a subpar Miami pass defense, but the Dolphins have done well enough at home that they shouldn’t be written off even if Osweiler was a oneweek wonder.
Pick: Dolphins +3
Bills at Colts
11 a.m.
Derek Anderson’s last win came in December 2014, but the journeyman quarterback, who once emphatically denied finding anything funny, will start for the Bills (2-4) in place of the injured Josh Allen and the terrible Nathan Peterman. That is one of the few formulas that can lead to a team like the Colts (1-5) being favored by more than a touchdown.
Pick: Colts -7.5