TODAY’S PICKS
VIKINGS AT WASHINGTON Kickoff: 10 a.m., FOX Outlook: Washington nearly blew it last week in a narrow, but important victory over Seattle, and this week, it’s in desperate need of another statement-making victory, if it hopes to keep an NFC wild-card spot within reach. Problem is, even at home, the Vikings are just about the worst possible matchup. Washington’s offensive line has been atrocious in recent weeks; Kirk Cousins has been sacked 14 times over his past three games. There’s a chance the team returns two of its usual starters up front, but Defensive Player of the Year candidate Everson Griffen may make that a moot point. Washington will need to throw downfield to win, but Minnesota may not give Cousins enough time to do that. Line: Vikings by 1.5
Pick: Vikings, 24-20 PACKERS AT BEARS Kickoff: 10 a.m.
Outlook: Quietly, the Bears haven’t looked all that terrible in recent weeks. The defense remains underrated, at the very least, and with a flailing Packers offense coming to Soldier Field, they shouldn’t have much trouble this week. Judging by how poorly the Packers defense also played a week ago, the Bears offense may actually have a chance to find its rhythm. Rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky hasn’t been asked to do much since he took the starting job. No team has run the ball more in that span than the Bears. But sooner or later, the Bears will need to loosen the reins. Could it be this week? Line: Bears by 5.5
Pick: Bears, 27-17 STEELERS AT COLTS Kickoff: 10 a.m.
Outlook: The Colts are an objective mess. The Steelers, meanwhile, look like they’re just finding their stride. Turns out handing the ball to Le’Veon Bell was the answer all along. Who could’ve guessed that? But the real advantage here for the Steelers is on the defensive end, where they’ve held their past three opponents to 15 points or fewer. Jacoby Brissett isn’t going to change that. In ruling out Andrew Luck for the rest of the season and cutting their former top cornerback Vontae Davis, it’s pretty clear the Colts have given up. With the Steelers still in the thick of the Super Bowl race, they can’t afford to let up down the stretch. Expect an old fashioned thrashing in this one. Line: Steelers by 10 Pick: Steelers, 31-15 CHARGERS AT JAGUARS Kickoff: 10 a.m., CBS
Outlook: You might not have circled this game on your calendars at the beginning of the NFL season, but here we are, with plenty of playoff implications hanging in the balance. The Chargers entered the bye week with three wins in their past four games, and it’s imperative they keep up that momentum over the next month, if they have any chance of nabbing one of the AFC’s two wild-card spots. It’s going to be tough sledding this week, though, against a Jaguars defense that continues to suffocate opposing offenses with a dominant pass rush and shutdown secondary. Opposing passers have had a ton of trouble against Jacksonville, and Philip Rivers hasn’t exactly set the NFL ablaze this season. The Chargers will assuredly lean on Melvin Gordon, just like the Jaguars will lean on Leonard Fournette.
Player to watch: Jalen Ramsey, CB. Ramsey has been one of the best cover corners in the NFL this season, but it wasn’t until his scuffle with A.J. Green last week that the world started to notice. Ramsey followed up by calling Green “soft.” He’s proved
one thing: He’s fearless. And against a quarterback who throws his share of picks, he could cash in this week. Line: Jaguars by 5
Pick: Chargers, 17-16 JETS AT BUCCANEERS Kickoff: 10 a.m.
Outlook: Maybe it’s for the best that Jameis Winston sits this one — and maybe a few more — out. Bizarre sideline speeches aside, the thirdyear quarterback has been simply bad all season, and there’s no way Ryan Fitzpatrick can be much worse. The Jets know Fitzpatrick well; in fact, they replaced him with a better version named Josh McCown. McCown has been so good that the Jets have already discussed re-signing him for next year. But sooner or later, the train is going to go off the tracks with McCown and Co. A hunch says it’s this week. The Bucs are in desperate need of a morale-boosting victory, and if they can lean on Doug Martin and control the clock early, they should have enough talent to beat the Jets. (That’s a sentence no one expected to write before the season.) Line: Jets by 2.5
Pick: Bucs, 27-24 BENGALS AT TITANS Kickoff: 10 a.m.
Outlook: There’s some momentum building in Tennessee right now, and with the AFC South more competitive than expected, the Titans need to get their act together sooner rather than later. That starts with Marcus Mariota, who hasn’t yet made the leap we expected him to in his third season. The Titans offense has been at its best at home, where they’ve scored on an NFL-high 53.5 percent of their possessions, and welcoming the Bengals to town should only help that mark. Cincinnati has been a mess since its bye week, with only a narrow win over Indianapolis to hang its hat on. Its best hope this week is to finally get its league-worst run game going.
Line: Titans by 4.5
Pick: Titans, 23-17 SAINTS AT BILLS Kickoff: 10 a.m.
Outlook: The once-tanking Bills shocked the league with their 5-2 start, but the past month has begun to make that start look hollow. A twoscore loss to the Jets sounded the alarm last week, and with the red-hot Saints coming to town, it’s hard to feel good about the Bills’ chances this week. Still, in a terrible wild-card race, they’re playoff contenders, nonetheless. If not for the Rams, the Saints’ turnaround might be the talk of the league. The defense is nightand-day different. The offense is still strong, too, even as Drew Brees’ usually explosive numbers have been down a tick. He’ll have an opportunity to establish that high-flying aerial attack this week, given the Bills’ recent struggles against the pass. Josh McCown tore them up a week ago. Line: Saints by 3
Pick: Saints, 30-21 BROWNS AT LIONS Kickoff: 10 a.m.
Outlook: The Lions made it clear last week in a drubbing of the Packers that they’re going to push for the NFC North down the stretch. To do that, they’re going to need Matthew Stafford to keep playing at the elite level he showcased in Green Bay. He’s certainly capable, especially this week against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. The Browns have actually done an admirable job against the run, but their weakness against the pass — and complete and utter lack of offensive production — have been their demise. Don’t expect them to suddenly figure it out this week. The Lions defense has looked
good the past two weeks, since being torched by the Saints.
Line: Lions by 11
Pick: Lions, 30-16 TEXANS AT RAMS Kickoff: 1:05 p.m.
Outlook: When Deshaun Watson was still healthy, the Texans looked like the NFL’s most-explosive offense. As soon as he went down and Tom Savage took over, those fireworks burned out, and the crown of the best offense in the NFL has been passed to the Rams. Jared Goff leads the league in yards per completion (13.8), and Todd Gurley is consistently tearing up opposing defenses. Ignore the Rams’ loss to the Seahawks in early October, in which they scored just 10, and Sean McVay’s offense is putting up 37.4 points per game since the start of October. That’s insane. Consider how bad the Texans pass defense has been, and there’s no reason to think that kind of production won’t continue in the Rams’ first home game in a month.
Line: Rams by 11
Pick: Rams, 33-14 COWBOYS AT FALCONS Kickoff: 1:25 p.m.
Outlook: Ezekiel Elliott is now officially suspended … at least for the time being. And while most of the focus will be on who replaces him, the true test of the Cowboys offense over the next six weeks will be how Dak Prescott responds. Prescott has quietly had a very good season, and the Cowboys will assuredly lean on him in the weeks to come. Atlanta got a lucky break with Elliott out, but Prescott is more than capable of outdueling Matt Ryan, who hasn’t been able to find his 2016 MVP form without Kyle Shanahan, now the 49ers coach. Falcons coordinator Steve Sarkisian is under a lot of pressure to deliver in this one. Line: Falcons by 3 Pick: Cowboys, 28-24 GIANTS AT 49ERS Kickoff: 1:25 p.m., FOX
Outlook: Ben McAdoo might not be fired until the end of the season, but he’s a dead man walking now, even with the Giants’ easiest game on tap this week. The 49ers haven’t won yet this season, but a hunch says they change that this week. Carlos Hyde should be able to run wild against a Giants front that bizarrely went from one of the league’s best against the run, to one of the worst. If C.J. Beathard doesn’t turn the ball over in what’s likely to be his final start, the 49ers have a real shot here. Line: Giants by 2.5
Pick: 49ers, 20-19 PATRIOTS AT BRONCOS Kickoff: 5:30 p.m., NBC
Outlook: Not long ago this matchup meant Brady vs. Manning. Now, it’s Brady vs. Osweiler. Yikes. While Brady continues to play at the top of his game, Osweiler is just as bad as we expected he would be. If he’s going to get anything going this season, it’ll be this week against New England’s leaky secondary. Still, this is Brock Osweiler we’re talking about. The Patriots defense could use an Osweiler confidence boost. Honestly, so could the Broncos after a 51-point drubbing by Carson Wentz and the Eagles last week. Is Denver’s defense in real trouble? Judging by its four straight losses, it’s possible.
Line: Patriots by 7.5
Pick: Patriots, 33-20
Last week against the spread: 7-5-1 Season record: 61-65-3 Teams on bye: Ravens, Chiefs, Raiders, Eagles