PATRIOTS THIS WEEK
Patriots (2-5) at Dolphins (5-2) 1 p.m. Sunday
Spread: Dolphins by 9 1/2
Outlook: After many years with Miami being the dog on Bill Belichick’s leash, the Dolphins now lead the division while Belichick looks everywhere for his misplaced mojo. Tua Tagovailoa is 5-0 in his young career vs. the Patriots, though the Week 2 win in Foxborough was a less than dominant 24-17. Miami is out to get past its loss in Philly, and if there was any chance they’d take the Pats lightly (there wasn’t), that evaporated when New England stunned the Bills last week. The mistake-prone Pats have an upset shot if Mac Jones has a clean sheet, but I like Miami.
Prediction: Dolphins, 31-17
GAME OF THE WEEK
Bengals (3-3) at 49ers (5-2), 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Spread: 49ers by 3
Outlook: Niners QB Brock Purdy cleared concussion protocol and will play, but WR Deebo Samuel is out and OT Trent Williams iffy. Even with the injury doubts, give me the 49ers here with Christian McCaffrey and a great defense to carry the day.
Prediction: 49ers, 24-20
UPSET OF WEEK
Falcons (4-3) at Titans (2-4), 1 p.m. (CBS)
Spread: Falcons by 2 1/2
Outlook: QB Ryan Tannehill (ankle) may be out for the Titans, and rookie Will Levis may get the call over Malik Willis. Little matter. The Titans will pound the ball with a rested Derrick Henry in what should be a very low-scoring game. Tennessee has lost five of seven at home but pivot on that trend in a ground-borne defensive scrum.
Prediction: Titans, 17-16
OTHER GAMES
@Cowboys (4-2, -6) over Rams (3-4), 24-20: Dallas is coming off a bye and on a 10-game home winning streak. The Rams losing RB Kyren Williams to injury is big, but Matthew Stafford has weapons in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, leading me to lean L.A. with the generous points.
Vikings (3-4, -1 1/2) over @Packers (2-4), 23-17: Minnesota is coming off a huge Monday night upset of San Francisco but unlikely to let down. Temps in 30s could be an edge for the Pack, but Kirk Cousins is still doing big numbers even without Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Love has slid into a funk.
@Colts (3-4, even) over Saints (3-4), 23-21: Indy is coming off a wild 39-38 loss to Cleveland. How will it respond? The Colts are 3-0 when winning on turnovers (0-4 otherwise), so a clean(ish) game from Gardner Minshew is the big key. Jonathan Taylor and a healthy Zack Moss will help there.
Jets (3-3, -3) over @Giants (2-5), 19-17: Don’t overthink it. The Jets, coming off bye, have saddled up their defense to rally to life with two straight wins, including a stunning upset of Philly. The Giants’ offense is 32nd in scoring, but if Saquon Barkley plays as he says he will, I give the Giants an XXL-size upset shot.
@Steelers (4-2, +2 1/2) over Jaguars (5-2), 23-19: The Steelers cannot hang with Trevor Lawrence if the scoring gets high, but have the defense to see it doesn’t. Lawrence will play with a knee brace in what could be wet conditions. Mike Tomlin’s guys on an 8-2 run dating to last season and have won five of the last seven against the Jags.
Eagles (6-1, -7) over @Commanders (3-4), 31-13: Philly escaped with a 34-31 OT win over Washington just a month ago, but the Commanders are 1-4 since a 2-0 start. Jalen Hurts-to-A.J. Brown is an en fuego combo, while Washington has lost 21 of its last 28 as a home dog.
Texans (3-3, -3) over @Panthers (0-6), 27-18: It’s the first pro career meeting between the top-two picks in this year’s draft – Bryce Young of winless Carolina and C.J. Stroud of Houston. Stroud has been better so far by a mile, and that should continue here.
@Seahawks (4-2, -4) over Browns (4-2), 20-17: P.J. Walker starts again at QB for Cleveland as all that money the Browns gave Deshaun Watson looks dumber and dumber from a football/injury prism. Geno Smith gets DK Metcalf back healthy, and Seattle’s defense has toughened lately, but the Browns will still cover.
Chiefs (6-1, -7) over @Broncos (2-5), 24-16: Denver has lost 16 times in a row to the Chiefs. The Broncos held KC to a 19-8 win earlier this month, though, and this could be close(ish) again as two tough defenses butt heads.
Ravens (5-2, -9 1/2) @Cardinals (1-6), 37-10: Baltimore will ride in on Lamar Jackson, who last week finally displayed the dual-threat punch his fantasy teams have been waiting for, while Arizona rides a 1-10-1 skid as a home dog. This is the NFL where anything but predictability is possible, but I see no shot for the Cardinals here.
@Chargers (2-4, -8 1/2) over Bears (2-5), 28-24: Chicago is without QB Justin Fields again because of a thumb injury, which means a second career start for undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent. As Justin Herbert continues to play through a finger injury, two bad defenses should run the points up and give the Bears some big chances to cover a big line.
@Lions (5-2, -8) over Raiders (3-4), 30-20: Both teams are coming off blowout losses; I’ll take only one for the big rebound. Vegas will have Jimmy Garoppolo back, but he’ll have a tough time outscoring Jared Goff and that Detroit attack. The Raiders (minus-10 in turnovers) invent ways to lose.
Last week: 7-6 overall, 6-7 vs. spread
Season: 62-44, 51-53-2
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.