GAME OF THE WEEK – Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) at Detroit Lions (3-3), PIT by 3 – Really hard to know what to expect out of this matchup. The Lions have the capacity of playing any team in the NFL tough. The Steelers do too, but tend to flub things on the road a bit. Regardless, this has the potential to be a crazy game. If the Steelers play like they did against Cincinnati, I’d think they should be able to take home the victory. Steelers 24, Lions 20
THURSDAY NIGHT – Miami Dolphins (4-2) at Baltimore Ravens (3-4), BAL by 3 – Baltimore gets the three point homefield advantage, and they’re playing Miami without Jay Cutler. Not like It’s that big of a dropoff from Cutler to Matt Moore, but it’s a tough prospect for anybody to go on the road on a short week with a backup QB and win a game. Ravens 20, Dolphins 13
Cleveland Browns (0-7) vs. Minnesota Vikings (5-2) in London, MIN by 9.5 – Not much to say here. Browns gonna brown, in London this time. Vikings 23, Browns 6
Chicago Bears (3-4) At New Orleans Saints (4-2), NO by 9 – The Bears shocked the NFL with a win over the Panthers last week, but even if the defense repeats its performance (unlikely in the Superdome), they aren’t going to win another game if Mitch Trubisky only completes four passes. Saints 35, Bears 10
Atlanta Falcons (3-3) at New York Jets (3-4), ATL by 4.5 – One would think this is the kind of game where the Falcons would come in and unload on the Jets to relieve their frustration. But this has been a weird season, and the Falcons have looked nowhere near as potent as they are capable of being. The Jets will keep it tight, but Atlanta will come home with a somewhat unsatisfying win. Falcons 23, Jets 17
Carolina Panthers (4-3) at tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4), TB by 2 – I have no idea what the hell happened to the Panthers against the Bears last week, but they’d better wake up in a hurry if they intend to make the playoffs. I’ll take them in an upset here. UPSET! – Panthers 27, Bucs 20
San Francisco 49ers (0-7) at Philadelphia Eagles (6-1), PHI by 13 – Who foresaw the Eagles being the league’s best team after seven weeks? Certainly not I. They get a nice cakewalk against the 49ers to continue their push for the NFC’s top seed in what is shockingly becoming a possible Carson Wentz MVP campaign season. Eagles 33, 49ers 13
Oakland Raiders (3-4) at Buffalo Bills (4-2), BUF by 2.5 – The Raiders showed a lot of grit in coming back to beat Kansas City this past Thursday. After a mini bye week and with some greater confidence, they are capable of heading into Buffalo and beating a tough Bills team. UPSET! – Raiders 30, Bills 20
Indianapolis Colts (2-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-4), CIN by 10 – How the hell has this Colts team won two games? If I were Andrew Luck, I’d wait until next year to come back. Bengals 34, Colts 10
Los Angeles Chargers (3-4) at New England Patriots (5-2), NE by 7.5 – The Chargers have gone on a surprise winning streak, but the Patriots have started to heat up after a slow start to the year. They’re not going to drop this one at home. Patriots 30, Chargers 24
Houston Texans (3-3) at Seattle Seahawks (4-2), SEA by 5.5 – Interesting matchup here. How will the Seahawks defense fare against the suddenly explosive Texans offense? I’m going to take Seattle at home here, but I think it’ll be a close one. Seattle 23, Houston 20
Dallas Cowboys (3-3) at Washington (3-3), DAL by 2.5 – Huge game here in the NFC East, as most of them tend to be. It’s suddenly looking like the Eagles have the division to themselves, and these two are playing for a shot at a wild card. The Cowboys came out on fire against the 49ers last week, and Washignton proved itself inferior to Philadelphia. I like the momentum Dallas is building. Cowboys 27, Washington 24
Denver Broncos (3-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-2), KC by 7.5 – The Broncos have lost two straight games to teams they are most certainly better than. The Chiefs are also on a two game slide, and need a win to keep strong in the race for a bye in the AFC. Both teams are going to come out with a sense of urgency, but Kansas City is just plain better. Chiefs 30, Broncos 20
BYES: Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
