NFL MATCHUPS
Last week’s record: 8-7
Overall record: 49-29
Bye weeks: Bills, Bears, Colts, Raiders
PANTHERS AT BUCCANEERS
7:30 a.m. on NFL Network
Line: Panthers -2 Total: 47.5
The Panthers (3-2) have Christian McCaffrey, a running back on a pace to shatter the NFL record for yards from scrimmage in a season. With the Buccaneers (2-3) essentially losing home-field advantage by way of this game being played at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Carolina should win.
Pick: Panthers -2
TEXANS AT CHIEFS
11 a.m. on CBS
Line: Chiefs -4.5 Total: 54
For the first time, the Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was held to fewer than 25 points, going out fairly meekly in a 19-13 loss to Indianapolis, thanks in part to an injured ankle.
The question now is how Mahomes responds to his first flirtation with mediocrity. It is hard to believe that the sky-high confidence of the NFL’s most gifted quarterback will waver, and he’s playing at home against the Texans (3-2), who give up nearly 300 yards of passing a game. If his ankle is even close to right, Mahomes should be able to start another 25-point streak.
Pick: Chiefs -4.5
EAGLES AT VIKINGS
11 a.m. on Fox
Line: Vikings -3 Total: 44
Philadelphia’s defense is not as good as it appeared in last week’s annihilation of the Jets, in which it produced 10 sacks and two interceptions. The Vikings (3-2) are tough at home but most likely can’t withstand Philadelphia’s strong pass-rush.
Pick: Eagles +3
TITANS AT BRONCOS
2:25 p.m. on CBS
Line: Broncos -2.5 Total: 39.5
The version of the Broncos (1-4) that showed up in last week’s win over the Chargers could not have looked different from the product Denver put on the field in its first four games. Coach Vic Fangio had everything go right: His defense produced three turnovers — two inside Denver’s 5-yard line — and his offense got a huge boost from the first 100-yard rushing game of the season for Phillip Lindsay. The Broncos’ defense may continue to thrive, but their offense will find the Titans (2-3) to be more difficult than the Chargers.
Pick: Titans +2.5
STEELERS AT CHARGERS
6:20 p.m. on NBC
Line: Chargers -7 Total: 41.5
Devlin Hodges, an undrafted free-agent rookie out of Samford, will start at quarterback for the Steelers (1-4). Hodges’ last start came against East Tennessee State, so the Chargers (2-3) should present quite a challenge.
Pick: Chargers -7
LIONS AT PACKERS
6:15 p.m. Monday on ESPN
Line: Packers -4 Total: 47
When we last saw the Lions (2-1-1), on Sept. 29, they were giving Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs quite a fight in a 34-30 loss. But this NFC North showdown against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (4-1) seems to be something beyond Detroit’s depth.
Pick: Packers -4
SAINTS AT JAGUARS
11 a.m.
Line: Jaguars -1 Total: 44
A pair of inconsistent teams that have gotten surprisingly great production out of backup quarterbacks face off in Jacksonville, and there isn’t a harder game to predict. Averaged out over several games, these teams are similar, but on a game-by-game basis this could be a blowout in either direction.
Pick: Jaguars -1
REDSKINS AT DOLPHINS
11 a.m.
Line: Redskins -3.5 Total: 41
The lack of quality on the two rosters makes this matchup fascinating, as it will offer a sense of which team is the NFL’s worst (or at least narrow that search to the loser of this game and Cincinnati).
Pick: Redskins -3.5
SEAHAWKS AT BROWNS
11 a.m.
Line: Seahawks -1.5 Total: 47
A lot of the criticism of Baker Mayfield and the Browns (2-3) has been warranted. The Seahawks (4-1) still have Bobby Wagner making plays all over the field, but their defense is otherwise weakened from previous seasons. That could give Mayfield some openings to take shots downfield to Odell Beckham Jr., but Seattle’s offense is strong enough to keep up with him, even on the road.
Pick: Seahawks -1.5
BENGALS AT RAVENS
11 a.m.
Line: Ravens -12 Total: 48
Lamar Jackson prefers throwing to running, but the threat of his taking off on any play powers the Baltimore offense. A 12-point spread is greedy when you consider Jackson has won a game by that many points only three times in 12 career starts (once this season).
Pick: Bengals +12
49ERS AT RAMS
2:05 p.m.
Line: Rams -3.5 Total: 50.5
It is reasonable to be skeptical about the 49ers’ 4-0 start. San Francisco’s unblemished record has come against teams that have combined to go 5-15, and its winning streak barely survived a Week 3 encounter with Pittsburgh in which the 49ers turned the ball over five times.
After the Rams’ 24 regular-season wins and one Super Bowl appearance in the first two seasons under coach Sean McVay, most people ceded the West to them this season and talked about the 49ers as a dark horse contender for a wild card. A win for San Francisco would change that math considerably.
Pick: 49ers +3.5
FALCONS AT CARDINALS
2:05 p.m.
Line: Falcons -2.5 Total: 51.5
There is at least a mild chance that the Cardinals (1-3-1) follow up last week’s win over Cincinnati with another against the Falcons (1-4), as Kyler Murray is sure to find some room to work against Atlanta’s vulnerable defense.
Pick: Falcons -2.5
COWBOYS AT JETS
2:25 p.m.
Line: Cowboys -7 Total: 43
The Luke Falk era is over. Asking the Jets (0-4) to suddenly snap into some form of relevance is too much, but with Sam Darnold, the team’s promising second-year quarterback back from a bout with mononucleosis, they should at least rise above embarrassing. This week could still be a tough one, as the Cowboys (3-2) are reeling from consecutive losses and may be looking to prove a point about their offensive relevance against a lesser opponent.
Pick: Cowboys -7