Panthers vs Buccaneers

This is a matchup of two teams that have changed the media's perspective on themselves. Let's start with the Panthers, going into the season all the talk was about Cam Newton's "new throwing motion". Now Cam Newton isn't even their starting quarterback. Kyle Allen has taken the reigns of this offense, for now, and is undefeated as a starter. While Kyle Allen hasn't necessarily showed a ton of game changing potential, you can't deny that he is a winner. Now let's talk about the Buccaneers, I think they're definitely a lot better than expected. Jameis Winston is finally starting to click and I think it because of Bruce Arians. Bruce Arians helps his offense perform to the maximum and he's showing to be a great hire so far. Now let's talk about my predictions for this game. I think the Panthers rely on explosive plays from Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore. The Buccaneers are going to try their best to neutralize Christian McCaffrey so it's important that other players step up. I still think McCaffrey is going to get in the endzone, but I don't expect him to be as productive as he was last week. For the Buccaneers offense, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are going to need to have a big game. Panthers CB, Donte Jackson is playing his first game since injuring his groin, so I expect the Bruce Arians to go after him early and often. Evans is going to need to have a big game especially after having ZERO receptions last week. Now let's talk about the defensive side of the ball, it's all about two breakout pass rushers, Shaq Barrett and Brian Burns. These are two of the best sack artists this season and they are both going to need to get busy in London. I think this ends up as a close game, but the Panthers running attack will be able to close out as the Panthers win 24-20.

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Dolphins vs Redskins

Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to witness a legendary toilet bowl! A game filled with fumbles, drops, interceptions, and anything that you can imagine. In all seriousness, this game is going to be sloppy. I think we are going to see both teams get in the end zone a couple of times, but there are going to be a lot of turnovers. The one player that I think we are going to see ball out is Scary Terry. Terry McLaurin is the best offensive player in this game and it's not even close. I can see him finishing the game with two touchdowns and getting a couple more highlights for his offensive rookie of the year campaign. I also believe this will be a game where Adrian Peterson helps himself on the all time leaderboard. He is super close to a bunch of different all time records, so I expect him to carry the load. For Miami, I'm watching Josh Rosen. I feel like he's made a lot of plays so far this season, but passes were either dropped or something weird would happen where the play would comeback. From a normal fan's perspective, this won't be a fun game to watch, but if you just want a good laugh- this is the game for you! Final score: Redskins win 17-13.

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Saints vs Jaguars

This is a battle of the two best backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Teddy Bridgewater has Saints fans drooling right now, while Gardner Minshew has every single human in the state of florida growing mustaches and cutting their jeans into jorts. Both of these fanbases are riding with these second string quarterbacks and I think it has to be especially invigorating for Jaguars fans. I expect this to be a low scoring, run heavy game. This Jaguars team has a lot of New Orleans connections from Leonard Fournette to DJ Chark, so I expect them to be playing with a little extra motivation. The Minshew-Chark connection has been somewhat special, but I can't see Marshon Lattimore allowing Chark to get hot this game. Lattimore locked up Mike Evans last week and Chark isn't nearly as good as Evans. I think this is more of a Leonard Fournette game for Jacksonville and an Alvin Kamara game for New Orleans. McCaffrey just completely obliterated the Jags defense last week, so now it's Kamara's turn. Kamara is going to get busy vs this struggling Jaguars run defense. I expect each quarterback to have a couple of turnovers while the game finishes with a Saints win 20-17.

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Bengals vs Ravens

From a birds eye view, this game seems very uneven, but I think their are two big advantages for Cincinnati. First of all it's a division game so it should be closer than people think, second of all the Ravens are especially susceptible 11 personnel and Zac Taylor comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree. Taylor runs 11 personnel more than another team in the NFL, so I could see this Bengals offense having a lot of big plays this week. While this is all encouraging for Bengals fans, I still think the Ravens are going to dominate this game. The Ravens are a lot better than the Steelers, and the Steelers put the smack down on the Bengals. Lamar Jackson is going to finally have an other breakout game, especially with Carlos Dunlap out and so will Mark Ingram. I'm expecting Ingram to be running angry and end up in the end zone three times on Sunday. I think this would be a big confidence game for Earl Thomas and the Ravens defense. If they can completely shut down the Bengals offense, they will have a new confidence going forward where they still have to play the Patriots, Seahawks, Rams, Texans, and 49ers this season. They need to show that they're capable of stopping the pass and the run. I see this being a big Tyler Boyd game, but I still see domination by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense. I see the final score being Ravens 34 Bengals 17.

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Seahawks vs Browns

The Browns are in desperate need of a rebound game while the Seahawks are super hot right now. So far this season, Baker looks flustered when his first read isn't there and Bobby Wagner will look to capitalize on Mayfield's flaws. If the Browns can start mixing some heavier personnel packages and get their running game going, they have a legitimate shot in this game. They can't let Russell Wilson get warm, and the best way to do that is if he is on the sideline. Chris Carson has been on the verge of breaking out the past few games, and after seeing what Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman did to this defense last week, I see Chris Carson having his best career game as a pro. The biggest matchup to keep your eye on is the Seahawks offensive line versus the Browns defensive line. If Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon start getting a little antsy and go all in for the sack, Russell Wilson is capable of getting out of the pocket and throwing the ball down field. The Browns are going to need interior push and outside discipline. This is also a big injury report game. Both of the Browns two starting corners, Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams, have been living on the sideline due to hamstring injuries. This would be a very nice time for them to come back and play man overage on Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. In college DK only caught three passes for 37 yards against Greedy Williams and LSU. This is his time to get revenge and Greedy's time to show him that wasn't a fluke. My keys to the Seahawks winning this game is all about turnovers. If the Seahawks play turnover free football and consistently put Mayfield under pressure they will win this game by double digits. My keys to the Browns winning this game is Nick Chubb. FEED THIS MAN!!! I'm serious, when the Browns gave Chubb the rock 20+ times against Baltimore, they dominated. Last season when the Browns looked like the real deal they were running a lot out of 11 personnel and throwing it in heavier packages like 12 and 21. This season, the Browns have gotten out of this strategy and if they go back to playing this type of football they have a legit shot at winning this game. Final Score: Seahawks 26 Browns 20.

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Eagles vs Vikings

For most people, the Eagles look like the easy favorites, but I think it's closer than people think. Let's first start at the quarterback, Kirk Cousins home-away splits are insane. This means that their is a jurassic difference from when Kirk Cousins plays home games vs away games. The past two VIkings games were both away and now the game is finally in Minnesota. Philadelphia's game plan forces Kirk Cousins to throw the football and that Eagles defensive line is coming off of a ten sack performance. If I'm a Vikings fan, I'm worried. Worried that Cousins can't win you the game with his arm, but I think he will have an opportunity to exploit this secondary. Ander Sendejo isn't a great safety and no one knows him better than Mike Zimmer. This is one of the few weaknesses of this Philadelphia team and the Vikings are going to need to capitalize on this opportunity. On the offensive side of the ball for Philadelphia, it's time to get Nelson Agholor going. I don't see Alshon Jeffrey doing much against Xavier Rhodes, so someone else is going to need to step up. The Vikings and Eagles each have two of the best run defenses in the league, so the receivers need to step up this week. My keys to victory for Minnesota is to get two players rolling, Danielle Hunter and Adam Thielen. If Hunter can constantly be breathing down Went'z neck, he will start to rush his decisions. In the games that Adam Thielen has over 100 receiving yards there is a constant in the outcome on the score board. Minnesota will win this game if Thielen has a similar game to the one he had last week. The key to an Eagles win starts with catching the football. The Eagles have been upset twice this year and it is due to drops. The Eagles need to secure the ball and can't shoot themselves in the foot. I think this game is a lot closer than people think, but I still see Philadelphia winning. Final Score: Eagles 23 Vikings 16.

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Texans vs Chiefs

This is my game of the week. I'm really hoping this is a shootout and the beginning of the next great rivalry. I want this to be the second coming of the Brady-Manning rivalry. This is Watson vs Mahomes. Let's do a breakdown of every position. At quarterback I'm going to say this is an even tie just because of Patrick Mahomes' health. He wasn't 100% this whole week and looked terrible once his ankle got rolled up vs the Colts. Deshaun Watson is also coming off of arguably the best game of his career. Watson's hot and Mahomes is the MVP. This is a tie for me. At running back we've got an other tie. Both below average cores with breakaway potential. I like the Chiefs running backs slightly better, but not enough to give them the pure advantage. At wide receiver, I've got an other tie. Two of the strongest position groups in the NFL and they get to go head to head! Hill, Watkins, Hardman, and Robinson vs Hopkins, Fuller, Stills, and Coutee. This is going to be a show! The only position group with a clear advantage is the tight ends. Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends in the NFL and is my big X-factor in this game. The Chiefs win this category almost 100% of the time. This is the biggest surprise, I say there's a tie when it comes to the offensive line. The Texans have undoubtedly the worst offensive line in the NFL, but two of the Chiefs starters are out. Watson is also coming off maybe his only game of his career without being sacked. This is probably the first time the Texans haven't lost in this category. Surprise surprise! We have another tie at the defensive line. With Chris Jones out in this game, each team really only has one dominant player in their front four. Frank Clark vs JJ Watt. Someone is going to need to step up besides these players, if it's DJ Reader or Emmanuel Ogbah, someone needs to make a play. These are two position groups that are a lot weaker than years prior. The Texans have a clear advantage at Linebacker with Whitney Mercilus, Benardrick McKinney, and Zach Cunningham. I say the Texans have a slight advantage in the secondary. Considering that they held Julio Jones to 42 yards last week and DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel to a combined 72 yards two weeks ago, you have to take that into account. Based off of a pure roster outlook, it looks like a tie, but this Texans secondary is hot. Finally,  I think the Chiefs have a better special teams unit. I think this is a high scoring shoot out that finishes with a Chiefs win 31-27.

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Falcons vs Cardinals

This is a battle of two, high scoring offensive one win teams. It's in Arizona and for some reason when ever teams play IN Arizona, they score a lot of points. I don't know if it's because of the dome or just bad defense, but this is going to be a high scoring game. I'm not just talking about the offensive side of the ball, I see a special teams touchdown happening at some point in this game and maybe even a defensive score. I think the biggest position contrast is the Falcons receivers vs the Cardinals secondary. One of the best position groups in the NFL vs one of the worst position groups. This means that Arizona's pass rush needs to step up. Chandler Jones needs to stress Matt Ryan out and make him throw into zones that aren't there. This is my key to the game for Arizona. GET AFTER MATT RYAN! It's very possible with number 55 coming off the edge. My key to Atlanta winning this game is FEED THE BEAST! Give Julio the ball early and often. He's one of the most dominant players in the NFL and you can control the narrative of this game if you give him the ball. On the offensive side of the ball, I see this being a Fitz game. The Falcons have actually done a solid job with stopping the run the past couple of weeks, but have been killed by both AJ Brown and Will Fuller. For the Falcons defense I see a big game from Deion Jones. Kyler Murray is going to try get loose after seeing what he did last week and that's Deion Jones' job to stop. I see this being a high scoring game with the Falcons winning 30-24.

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49ers vs Rams

Here we go, this is the media's game of the week, and my second best game of the week. The only reason I say this is because of the amount of injuries. Todd Gurley and Aqib Talib are both out for the Rams while Kyle Juszczyk, Mike McGlinchey, and Joe Staley are all out for the 49ers. I think this is a big defensive game. This is a showdown of two of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Dante Fowler and Aaron Donald vs Nick Bosa, Deforest Buckner, Dee Ford, and Arik Armstead. I think both the pass rush and the passing game will be successful for these two teams. I believe the two breakout receivers in this game will be Brandin Cooks and Deebo Samuel. I think both teams will have turnovers and it's going to be a back and forth game. I see both quarterbacks throwing for over three hundred yards but the game will be determined by the 49ers run game. If Matt Breida has the opportunity to close this game out, I believe he maximizes his chance. For the Rams, I'm looking to see which receiver steps up. We know Jared Goff is going to take some shots, and I think Brandin Cooks is the best receiver at catching the deep ball. He has amazing concentration and I can see him ending in the end zone a couple times this game. My key to the Rams winning this game is Aaron Donald. If he can get hot against this banged up 49ers offensive line, this game is a wrap. The 49ers need to do everything to minimize him from taking advantage of our backups. Dante Fowler also needs to get busy on the outside. He's going up against two inexperienced offensive tackles and I could see him having two strip sacks by the end of this game. My key for the 49ers is Deebo Samuel. He is so versatile and needs to have the ball in his hands. If it's off of a reverse, a screen, or a deep ball; he makes things happen. This is a big game coming up for number 19. Final Score: 49ers 27 Rams 23.

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Titans vs Broncos

What Titans team will we see? That's the narrative for this game. I feel like we see a different team every week, but throughout all of their inconsistencies there has been one constant... Derrick Henry. The Broncos gave up 225 yards to Leonard Fournette two weeks ago and I think Derrick Henry is better than Fournette. There are four quarterbacks that I'd never bet money on to win a game; Marcus Mariota, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, and Kirk Cousins. Two of them are playing in this game. Now it comes to a conversation of who's better, Mariota or Flacco. I think Mariota is one hundred percent. My key to winning this game for both teams is RUN THE BALL! Phillip Lindsay and Derrick Henry are both ballers and who ever gets the ball more will win the game. Both of these players do better the more you feed them. If you get these two playmakers the ball they will capitalize. I wouldn't bet money on this game but I see the Broncos winning in in an upset. Broncos 23 Titans 17.

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Cowboys vs Jets

This is the most lob sided game of the week so I'm going to tell you what both teams need to do if they want to make their fanbases happy. For the Cowboys, it's one word- dominate. The Cowboys have dropped back to back games and are in desperate need of a win. This is a perfect game for them not only to win, but to dominate. I want to see them get Michael Gallup going and pad Zeke's stats. Zeke hasn't had a 200 yard rushing game in a while, this is a time for him to reach that feat. We need to see the Cowboys get their swagger back. I don't think Jets fans necessarily expect to win this game, but the Jets need to provide hope. All I ask is that they get into the end zone a couple of times. I want to see Sam Darnold show why every one was hyping him up this offseason. Prove that you are the real deal. This Jets offense has been lackadaisical the past couple of weeks and Darnold has the chance to be the spark that Jets needed. Realistically, I see this game going one way, and that is the Cowboy's way. Cowboys win 28-10.

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Steelers vs Chargers

This is the exact game that we thought we'd see coming into this season right!? Not exactly. The Steelers need to rally around Devlin Hodges if they want a chance to win this game. If I'm Mike Tomlin, I am feeding James Conner the ball. Take the responsibility out of your rookie quarterback's hands, that's how you're going to win. I just don't see it happening. Phillips Rivers, Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and Melvin Gordon are just too good to lose this ball game. I think both star pass rushers finish with 2 sacks and I also see Austin Ekeler having a big game. This is going to be a rough game for Pittsburgh as it looks to be a rebuilding year. Chargers win 27-6.

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Lions vs Packers

This is my sneaky good game of the week. I think this game starts with a fast Lions start, but we see vintage Rodgers. I have a feeling we see a Jamal Agnew special teams touchdown and potentially a TJ Hockenson end zone appearance. For the Lions defense, I think they are going to try to reduce Aaron Jones after what he did last week. This will allow Rodgers to throw the ball down field and even though Davante Adams won't be active they still have other targets. I see this game ending in the Packers favor with a final score of 27-20 Panthers win.