1. Detroit Lions (10-1)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1)
3. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
4. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)
8. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
10. Houston Texans (7-5)
1. Detroit Lions (9-1)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
3. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
4. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)
7. Minnesota Vikings (8-2)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2)
9. Houston Texans (7-4)
10. Green Bay Packers (7-3)
1. Detroit Lions (8-1)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)
3. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
4. Buffalo Bills (8-2)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (7-2)
7. Washington Commanders (7-3)
8. San Francisco 49ers (5-4)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)
10. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
Cincinatti Bengals (4-6) @ Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
Everything we wanted this game to be and more. How lucky are we that Lamar and Burrow both play in the same division? In two games vs each other this year, they have combined to throw SEVENTEEN touchdown passes and both games have been electric. The Bengals might be the best 4-6 team I have ever seen.
New England Patriots (3-7) @ Chicago Bears (4-5)
Great defense from the Patriots and terrible offense from the Bears led to a lopsided game.
Drake Maye outplayed Caleb Williams, which is great for a Pats fan to see.
Matt Eberflus’s seat is extremely hot and he’s gonna hear the calls for his job unless they turn it around.
I gotta give the Pats credit. Since Mayo called them out, they have won 2 games and almost won a third game. The defense stepped up today and had their best game with 9 sacks.
San Francisco 49ers (5-4) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
Brock Purdy and the Niners showed a lot of grit and poise with a comeback win. They are a sleeping giant if they can just get healthy.
Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-6)
This game was not a surprise. Jalen Hurts is now on pace for over 40 total TDs this year.
The Cowboys have some reflecting to do. Namely, will they keep Mike McCarthy for the rest of the year?
Detroit Lions (8-1) @ Houston Texans (6-4)
The fact that Jared Goff threw for 5 INTs and the Lions were still able to come from behind and beat a good team while on the road is beyond impressive.
The Texans have been reeling and need to get it together for the 2nd half of the season. They are dealing with injuries but need to rely on their depth and talent.
A bright spot was WR John Metchie III had 5 catches for 74 yards and a TD. He has dealt with a ton of adversity in his career so it’s great to see him play well. He is so talented and if he continues to get opportunities, he can help this team win games.
Game/Betting Picks Results
Game: 4-1 (25-13 This Season) (63-29 All-Time)
Spread: 2-3 (22-14-2) (61-28-3)
O/U: 3-2 (19-19) (48-43-1)
New England Patriots (2-7) @ Chicago Bears (4-4)
The Bears have struggled lately, but played well against bad teams. The Patriots are a bad team. I think the Bears win, the Bears cover (-6), and the over (38.5) hits.
San Francisco 49ers (4-4) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
Both teams badly need this to keep their season’s alive. I think the Niners win, cover (-6.5), and the under (50.5) hits.
Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-5)
The Cowboys received the awful news that Dak is done for the year. Their weekend probably won’t get better as the Eagles should win, cover (-7), and the under (43.5) hits.
Detroit Lions (7-1) @ Houston Texans (6-3)
Nico Collins could come back to give the Texans a much needed jolt at wide receiver. I still think the Lions win, cover (-3.5), and the over (49.5) hits.
Cincinatti Bengals (4-5) @ Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
The last time these teams met, the game was electric and this one should be no different. The Bengals need this game, but I think the Ravens win, the Bengals cover (+6), and the over (52.5) hits.
Curly Lambeau and George Halas had unheard of careers in the NFL that will never be replicated. Both of these men were players, coaches, and owners (sometimes all 3 at the same time) for their respective teams. Looking at the modern NFL and seeing how that would be absolutely impossible to do today makes these feats even more incredible.
Lambeau founded the Packers in 1919 in his hometown of Green Bay, WI. He played on the team from 1919-1929 and was named to the 1920s All-Decade NFL Team. The Packers joined the NFL in 1921 and he was a player-coach from 1921-1929, before retiring as a player.
He continued coaching the Packers until 1949, winning 209 games and 6 NFL titles. He is tied for being the longest tenured coach in NFL history with Tom Landry and is tied with George Halas and Bill Belichick for the most NFL championships by a coach.
Lambeau won 226 games total as a coach, was part of the first NFL Hall of Fame class in 1963, and was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. The Packer’s stadium was named Lambeau Field in 1965 and bears the same name to this day.
George Halas co-founded the NFL and took ownership of the Chicago Bears in 1921. The Chicago native played for the Bears from 1920-1928 and was a member of 1920s All-Decade Team.
From 1920-1967, he coached the Bears 4 separate times for a total of 40 years. He was a 2-time AP Coach of the year, won 6 NFL titles as a coach (tied for an NFL record), and 318 games (3rd all-time). He won two additional NFL titles while owning the Bears.
Similar to Lambeau, he was part of the first NFL Hall of Fame class in 1963, and was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is nicknamed “Papa Bear,” due to his everlasting connection with the team and the NFC championship trophy is named after him.
With the regular season approaching, below are some bold predictions I have for this upcoming season:
I have long been a Justin Fields guy and always thought he should’ve been the 2nd QB taken in his draft. Every elite QB who was drafted in the past 10 years has put it together by the end of Year 3. Fields enters Year 3 and I think he puts it all together this season, throws for at least 3,000 yards and 25 TDs, and makes his first Pro Bowl.
Ron Rivera will get fired after this year. He has not posted a winning season in 3 years and won’t this year as the roster isn’t very talented outside of WR and D-Line. With a new ownership group that is even considering changing the team name again, they probably want to clean house and build the team in their vision.
The Packers will finish last in their division for just the 11th time in 103 seasons. That shows how good this franchise has been in its history, but this is a reset year for them.
This will be Bill Belichick’s last season as the Patriots coach. I think another mediocre season leads to Bill and the Pats deciding to part ways. I also think Josh McDaniels gets fired this year and returns to coach the Patriots. The Raiders will be the worst team in their division and will want to rebuild and move in a different direction. With Belichick leaving the Pats, I think they call on McDaniels to be their next coach.
Justyn Ross will have a great season and establish himself as a starter on the Chiefs. Ross has the talent, as he led the 2018 National Champion Clemson Tigers in receiving as a freshman. He made a remarkable comeback in college from a congenital fusion of two vertebrae in his neck and also dealt with a foot injury last year that cost him the season. He had an impressive training camp and preseason and now gets to make a name for himself for a team with the best coach/QB in the league, who also don’t have a clear cut star wide receiver.
Russell Wilson will double his TD passes from last year and come back to form. Wilson is not washed, last year was a fluke. With a great offensive coach in Sean Payton, Wilson is primed to get back on his Hall of Fame trajectory.
Jahan Dotson will have 1,000 yards receiving this year despite the QB uncertainty in Washington. He has tons of talent and will benefit from Terry Mclaurin seeing double teams.
Chase Young will bounce back from injuries to have double digit sacks and play himself into a massive contract. There’s a reason he was a number 2 overall pick and the DROY. He is so talented and will benefit from playing on the best D-line in the league.
Jared Goff will throw 30 TDs this year. He has surpassed expectations as the QB for the Lions and should put up big numbers in a high powered Lions offense.
Kyle Pitts will have another Pro Bowl season, doubling his yardage total from last year. He’s so talented and the best receiving option on the Falcons, so I see him bouncing back.
This is more of a long term prediction, but I think Anthony Richardson will end up being the best QB from the 2023 class. Richardson will be a work in progress right now, but his raw athletic skills remind me of Josh Allen and I think new coach Shane Steichen helps him realize his potential.
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