The Oakland Press

Picks: Lions edge Bears for first win of Campbell Era

- By Barry Wilner

Time to retire. Put away the crystal ball and enjoy the spoils.

After going 14-2 against the spread last week, Pro Picks is in rare form.

We’ll defy the odds and keep going, starting with Jacksonvil­le, No. 31 in the AP Pro 32, visiting No. 17 Cincinnati.

As in first-place Cincinnati, which is an 8-point favorite according to FanDuel SportsBook.

The Bengals (2-1) are in the difficult AFC North, where they are tied with Baltimore and Cleveland. Stumbling against the 0-3 Jaguars would be a major

step backward for a team that has taken several steps ahead in September, including victories over Minnesota and archrival Pittsburgh.

Jacksonvil­le’s season appears finished before it has played a month worth of games.

Burrow, recruited to Ohio State by now-Jags coach Urban Meyer — Burrow

left for LSU when he couldn’t earn the starting job and won a national title with the Tigers — believes his former coach will get things corrected.

“Nobody likes losing, and Coach Meyer especially doesn’t like losing,” he says. “So, I’m sure he’s going to figure out any way he can to start getting wins.”

Not this week. BENGALS, 28-17 KNOCKOUT POOL: Never had to sweat as the Broncos took care of business vs. the inept Jets. This time, we will go with BUFFALO against the not quite as inept Texans.

No. 30 New York Giants (plus 8) at No. 15 New Orleans

Back in the Big Easy after being displaced by Hurricane Ida, the Saints march.

BEST BET: SAINTS, 3320

No. 7 Baltimore (plus 2) at No. 12 Denver

The Broncos are a nice story thus far, but who have they played? Teams that are 0-9.

UPSET SPECIAL: RAVENS, 22-20

No. 2 Tampa Bay (minus 6) at No. 21 New England

Tom Brady once again proves how much he was responsibl­e for the Patriots dynasty.

BUCCANEERS, 27-16

No. 5 Arizona (plus 6) at

No. 1 Los Angeles Rams

For NFC West supremacy. No team is more exciting than the Cardinals, but ... RAMS, 33-26

No. 28 Houston (plus 17) at No. 3 Buffalo

That is a lot of points to lay even if this is a mismatch.

BILLS, 30-14

No. 16 Tennessee (minus 8) at No. 32 New York Jets

That is not a lot of points to lay in this mismatch. TITANS, 30-10

No. 10 (tie) Kansas City (minus 7) at No. 23 Philadelph­ia

Time for the Chiefs to right the ship, and the Eagles’ banged-up defense is a tonic.

CHIEFS, 33-15

No. 8 Cleveland (minus 2) at No. 19 Minnesota

This should be a shootout in the Twin Cities. Cleveland’s better D will matter just enough.

BROWNS, 30-29

No. 18 Seattle (plus 3) at No. 14 San Francisco

Too many holes in Pete Carroll’s defense now to win against quality teams. 49ERS, 28-23

No. 20 Pittsburgh (plus 7) at No. 6 Green Bay

It’s beginning to look really ugly for Big Ben and the Steelers.

PACKERS, 27-17

No. 25 Indianapol­is (plus 2) at No. 22 Miami

It already is ugly for Frank Reich and the disappoint­ing Colts.

DOLPHINS, 24-21

No. 9 Carolina (plus 5) at No. 13 Dallas

The undefeated run ends for the Panthers in Big D. COWBOYS, 24-13

No. 4 Las Vegas (plus 3 1-2) at No. 10 (tie) Los Angeles Chargers, Monday night

Which team will have more fans at SoFi Stadium? Try the RAIDUHS! RAIDERS, 29-26

No. 29 Detroit (plus 3 1-2) at No. 26 Chicago

Is there a more hard-luck team in the NFL these days than the roar-less Lions? New coach Dan Campbell will finally get his first win with Detroit.

LIONS, 17-15

No. 24 Washington (plus 2) at No. 27 Atlanta

All of a sudden, Washington can’t stop anyone and Atlanta can?

FALCONS, 24-20

2021 RECORD

• Last Week: Straight up: 11-5. Against spread: 14-2.

• Season: Straight up: 2919. Against spread: 30-16-2.

 ?? TONY DING — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, right, listens to the result of a video review in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The AP predicts Campbell will get his first win as Lions coach when they face the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
TONY DING — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, right, listens to the result of a video review in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The AP predicts Campbell will get his first win as Lions coach when they face the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

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