Season: 67-40
MIN (5-1) @ LAR (2-4)
Thursday, October 24 | 8:15 PM ET | Prime Video
Rumors have swirled about the Rams and trade interest around the league in Cooper Kupp, but a win tonight would have Los Angeles right in the thick of the NFC West race—and it now sounds like Puka Nacua (knee) could surprisingly return this week in addition to Kupp. If so, Matthew Stafford will have more answers for the blitzes sent by an aggressive Minnesota defense, and Kyren Williams knows how to find a crease if faced with penetration. The concern is LA’s offensive line simply not being able to hold up because of their injuries, so it’s important for Sean McVay to maintain balance by not getting too caught up in having Kupp and Nacua back in the lineup. Defensively, the Rams could have a very difficult time containing Justin Jefferson with Tre’Davious White being a healthy scratch over the past two games, and the Vikings could be getting their own star pass-catcher back with T.J. Hockenson (knee) hopefully making his season debut. Also, Aaron Jones showed his value last week with 116 total yards and a touchdown versus a tough Detroit defense, and Sam Darnold has continued to play well in the best situation of his career. He needs to take care of the ball, but I like Darnold to get a huge win to silence any unfounded rumors about Minnesota potentially trading for Stafford ahead of the deadline.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings
BAL (5-2) @ CLE (1-6)
Sunday, October 27 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
Contenders around the league should be kicking themselves for not making a push to sign Derrick Henry this offseason, and it’s a scary thought that he’s enjoying the best start of his career—already up to 935 total yards and 10 total touchdowns—without the cold weather kicking in yet. The presence of King Henry has allowed Lamar Jackson to take his game to another level as well, and a balanced group of pass-catchers led by Zay Flowers with contributions from perfect role players like Nelson Agholor hasn’t gotten enough recognition. Cleveland is a completely different story with a directionless offense outside of Nick Chubb and David Njoku, as Amari Cooper is now gone, and Jerry Jeudy has been a major disappointment with one reception in each of the past three games after signing a three-year, $52.5-million extension—not to mention the cost of two Day 3 draft picks for a franchise that will need all the draft capital it can get in order to improve the roster. Jameis Winston should at least provide some excitement for the Browns in place of Deshaun Watson (Achilles), but it’s sad to have Chubb return for a last-place team, and Njoku could soon be playing elsewhere (Denver comes to mind).
Winner: Baltimore Ravens
TEN (1-5) @ DET (5-1)
Sunday, October 27 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
Since the loss to Tampa Bay in Week 2 when the Lions threw it 55 times, the offense has been nearly perfect with extreme balance—leading to perhaps the best stretch of Jared Goff’s career by completing 83.5% of his passes for 271.5 yards per game and a 9:1 touchdown-interception ratio over the past four games. The two-game suspension of Jameson Williams beginning this week would take a key piece off the board for Ben Johnson, but the NFL’s best offensive coordinator has shown an ability to adapt, so look for Sam LaPorta to be more involved in the passing game with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs softening a Tennessee defense that showed some cracks last week in Buffalo as all three of James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson found the end zone. It’s possible the Titans completely fall apart as a team that has become a seller before Halloween despite many expecting them to contend, and Detroit doesn’t have the mentality to view anything as an “easy” game, which makes a total blowout much more likely than an upset.
Winner: Detroit Lions
IND (4-3) @ HOU (5-2)
Sunday, October 27 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
The Colts have rebounded from an 0-2 start to win four of the past five games and set up a battle for first place in the AFC South this weekend—and I’d expect the intensity to be high between two confident squads with some bad blood between them built over the past two seasons. Indianapolis getting their best player back in Jonathan Taylor (ankle) would obviously be massive news, and it’d take the pressure off Anthony Richardson while setting up some the shot plays that he connected on a couple of times in the opener (a 29-27 Houston win). Overall, the ceiling for the Colts hinges on the growth of Richardson, and featuring him as a runner like we saw last week with 14 carries is the best path for him to develop into a difference-maker. On the other side of the ball, Nico Collins (hamstring) being out has sapped some of the star power from C.J. Stroud, but Joe Mixon has looked as good as ever since his return from a high-ankle sprain and rushed 30 times for 159 yards and a touchdown against Indy in the opener—so Gus Bradley’s defense needs to be prevent him from routinely getting into the second level. If they can and Taylor is indeed back, I like the Colts to get the win with Richardson making just enough plays both as a passer and runner.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts
GB (5-2) @ JAX (2-5)
Sunday, October 27 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
The Packers have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, but chemistry often goes overlooked and seems to be the part of team building that franchises struggle to get right—so hilarious postgame comments by standout safety Xavier McKinney regarding the beef between Jaire Alexander and Stefon Diggs is as good of a sign as anything we’ve seen on the field from Green Bay. Even with some early draft picks not quite living up to their potential on defense, the unit has taken a major step forward under Jeff Hafley with everyone around Alexander and McKinney playing well, and the addition of former Jets head coach Robert Saleh in a “fluid” role (mainly assisting the offense so far) can only be a positive for the Packers. Jacksonville is still seeking their identity, but we saw some physicality last week with 17 consecutive runs in a needed win over the Patriots. However, I don’t think we can suddenly have faith in them after one game versus perhaps the worst team in football—and it’s tough to grasp the thinking behind Josh Hines-Allen playing inside more as one of the NFL’s best edge defenders and coming off 17.5 sacks in 2024.
Winner: Green Bay Packers
ARI (3-4) @ MIA (2-4)
Sunday, October 27 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) will be back under center for the Dolphins following a four-game absence, and I’m expecting immediate fireworks with De’Von Achane, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle being bottled up with zero touchdowns between them since Tua went down. Arizona wants to limit big plays under Jonathan Gannon, but they might not have the talent on defense to prevent Miami’s offense from exploding—so keeping them off the field by feeding James Conner is the best way to get to .500. If forced into a back-and-forth shootout, Kyler Murray will need to make plays with his legs versus a defense that quietly ranks No. 1 in the league against the pass heading into the final weekend of October, and Marvin Harrison Jr. might have a difficult time breaking out if facing shadow coverage from Jalen Ramsey. Assuming there isn’t too much rust to knock off for Tagovailoa, the Dolphins could prove to have too much firepower and get back on the winning track before a rematch versus the Bills in Week 9.
Winner: Miami Dolphins
NYJ (2-5) @ NE (1-6)
Sunday, October 27 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
The Jets have more major storylines (three: Robert Saleh’s firing, the trade for Davante Adams, and the end of Haason Reddick’s holdout) over the past couple of weeks than they do wins (two)—but the five-day stretch beginning Sunday through Halloween (v HOU) presents an opportunity to turn the season around, especially with the playoff race looking wide open behind the top four or five teams in the AFC. New York’s best showing of the year came in the Week 3 win over New England as Aaron Rodgers was an efficient 27-of-35 for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and a few of the incompletions were near misses to Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams; now, the connection between Rodgers and Adams should be fully unlocked after a week to get back into the swing of things, and the duo should be dominant in scoring territory if their history together is any indication. For the Patriots, I’m very interested to see how they respond to being labeled “soft” by Jerod Mayo following last week’s loss, and the vibes have not been good at all—including current and former players both questioning the coaching staff. Maybe firing the greatest defensive mind in NFL history has something to do with the defense going from 3.3 yards per carry allowed in 2023 to 4.6 yards per carry allowed this year.
Winner: New York Jets
ATL (4-3) @ TB (4-3)
Sunday, October 27 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
The first meeting between the Falcons and Buccaneers was a thriller won by Atlanta in overtime as Kirk Cousins threw for 509 yards and four touchdowns—but the rematch feels like it could be a lower-scoring game after injuries for Tampa Bay that likely knocked out Chris Godwin (ankle) for the season and will keep Mike Evans (hamstring) out for the next month. On the bright side, the Bucs finally getting their ground game going with the trio of Rachaad White, Bucky Irving, and Sean Tucker will have them better equipped to overcome the missed star power at wide receiver, and I’d love for Irving to get more work as a pass-catcher to pair with what we know White can do; perhaps we’ll even see them on the field together more this week and beyond. Defensively, the problem for Tampa Bay is the lack of options at cornerback to slow down Cousins, and I wonder if the team could make a trade—though the championship hopes might have been dashed when Godwin went down on Monday night.
Winner: Atlanta Falcons
PHI (4-2) @ CIN (3-4)
Sunday, October 27 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
Eagles-Bengals being flexed out of the late-afternoon window shouldn’t take any appeal from the game, which will be the first battle between Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow as two superstar quarterbacks from the loaded 2020 draft class. Interestingly, both defenses have gotten on track versus the same opponents over the past two games by swapping wins against the Browns and Giants, so this weekend will be the real test for what could be a shootout if the turnarounds have been a mirage. The matchup to keep an eye on is A.J. Brown—who often seems to connect on deep balls down the left sideline—versus the feisty Cam Taylor-Britt, and the Bengals might need to keep their cornerbacks on islands to slow down Saquon Barkley after one of his best career games. Philadelphia will probably be able to play more cushion coverage to help out rookie Quinyon Mitchell when he takes on Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but I think DeVonta Smith (negative-two yards last week) will be determined to have a big performance as the counterpart to Chase from the 2021 draft class, and Nakobe Dean (2.0 sacks last week) being used more as a blitzer is another element that should remain a central part of Philly’s defense.
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
NO (2-5) @ LAC (3-3)
Sunday, October 27 | 4:05 PM ET | FOX
There is no denying that injuries have hit the Saints hard, but they’ve crashed back to earth since a 2-0 start where they had a point differential of +62—losing five consecutive games with progressively worse and worse showings. While I don’t understand starting rookie Spencer Rattler over Jake Haener again at quarterback, Chris Olave (concussion) returning at least gives whoever is under center more to work with, and Taysom Hill (rib) also coming back could lead to him being given a substantial workload as a passer, runner, and receiver until Derek Carr (oblique) is able to suit up. The Chargers had a rough loss last week by settling for five field goals and losing on a short kick by Arizona as time expired, but I mentioned rookie cornerback Cam Hart taking on Marvin Harrison Jr.—and the fifth-rounder again impressed by allowing just one reception to the No. 4 overall pick. In general, the aggression of Los Angeles might be too much for New Orleans based on how they played versus Denver, and I’d expect Jim Harbaugh’s guys to be ready to tackle Alvin Kamara and make Rattler beat them.
Winner: Los Angeles Chargers
BUF (5-2) @ SEA (4-3)
Sunday, October 27 | 4:05 PM ET | FOX
Josh Allen getting almost no credit for having zero interceptions through seven games isn’t entirely surprising because of the annual disrespect aimed towards arguably the best player in football, but it’s another chip on his shoulder—something Geno Smith knows all about. Unfortunately for Smith, he could be without DK Metcalf (knee) in a difficult spot versus Buffalo’s stout pass defense, so Jaxon Smith-Njigba should be featured after mostly quieter outings since his 12-catch, 117-yard effort in Week 2. That said, the Seahawks should lean on Kenneth Walker III versus a defense that has allowed the fourth-most yards per carry in the league (5.1), and the Bills better make sure their assignments and pursuit angles are on point to prevent another game like we saw from Derrick Henry back in Week 4 when he totaled 209 yards and two touchdowns on Sean McDermott’s defense; no one is one the level of King Henry, but Walker has clear takeover potential. Still, the Bills seamlessly worked Amari Cooper into the lineup after a slow start last week, and the core pass-catching group of Cooper, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, and Dalton Kincaid fits well together and will be elevated by Allen.
Winner: Buffalo Bills
CHI (4-2) @ WAS (5-2)
Sunday, October 27 | 4:25 PM ET | CBS
Jayden Daniels (ribs) playing on Sunday would be a surprise, but Marcus Mariota was outstanding in relief of the rookie in the blowout win over Carolina—and as mentioned last week, the between-the-tackles running game is a central part of Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and something that remains without Daniels in the lineup. The Bears know that, too, and with top cornerback Jaylon Johnson being able to match Terry McLaurin, I like how the opportunistic Chicago defense matches up with the Commanders (who could be a sneaky team to add a wide receiver via trade if the complementary options don’t step up this week). On offense, the Bears will want to light it up in Caleb Williams’ homecoming, and they were able to build plenty of momentum with a four-touchdown game from the No. 1 overall pick in London. I don’t think the bye week will cool Williams off, so it’s imperative that Dan Quinn’s defense is able to generate a pass rush to prevent the Washington native from torching an overmatched secondary attempting to contain DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze.
Winner: Chicago Bears
CAR (1-6) @ DEN (4-3)
Sunday, October 27 | 4:25 PM ET | CBS
The Broncos are rolling with a 4-1 record over the past five weeks, and Bo Nix has continued to show flashes of high-level quarterback play that will only become more consistent with increased experience and an improved supporting cast. For anyone making a huge deal out of a couple of missed throws by Nix last week, he was the most accurate quarterback in college football history last year—and the complexity of Sean Payton’s offense is something that should be taken into consideration with the rookie having a lot on his plate. Right now, Nix has prioritized taking care of the ball (one interception since an 0-2 start) and avoiding negative plays (five sacks taken over the past five games), which is the winning formula that allows Denver to lean on an elite defense. Bryce Young has the ability to be a franchise quarterback in the right situation, but I don’t feel good about his insertion back into the starting lineup in place of Andy Dalton (thumb) for a team without an identity—especially facing a blitz-heavy Vance Joseph defense on the road.
Winner: Denver Broncos
KC (6-0) @ LV (2-5)
Sunday, October 27 | 4:25 PM ET | CBS
The Raiders were forced to sign a quarterback with Aidan O’Connell (thumb) placed on injured reserve, and Desmond Ridder—signed off the Cardinals practice squad—is a signal-caller with experience that I would expect to make starts before long. However, it’s an opportunity to highlight how the organization botched the position in the offseason to halt any momentum built under Antonio Pierce in 2023, and Sam Darnold, Marcus Mariota, and Joe Flacco are just three attainable options that have shown better than Gardner Minshew II or O’Connell this season, and I’ve previously mentioned Jake Fromm, Zach Wilson, and Mac Jones as younger players with untapped potential. Instead, the Raiders sit at 2-5 and don’t seem to have the same mentality as last season when they knocked off the Chiefs. Maybe a flip will be switched for the Silver and Black to pull off another upset against a hated opponent, but if there was a time where a beatable Kansas City squad (despite being undefeated) was going to explode with a blowout victory, it might be this week.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
DAL (3-3) @ SF (3-4)
Sunday, October 27 | 8:20 PM ET | NBC
The Cowboys and 49ers are both treading water as hopeful Super Bowl contenders, and injury issues have struck each side—including Brandon Aiyuk (knee) going down last week for San Francisco. Dallas will at least get all their stars back with Micah Parsons (ankle), DaRon Bland (foot), and Demarcus Lawrence (foot) all set to return at some point (including as early as this week for Parsons and Bland), but they have failed to reach expectations through six games because of sub-par drafting—at least for their standards—over the past two years more than anything else, while the Niners can hang their hats on what looks like a tremendous rookie class headlined by standout defenders Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha (who was hitting anything that moved versus the Chiefs). Last year, Brock Purdy lit up the Cowboys with 252 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-10 win, but I could see Jordan Mason leading the way on Sunday night if Dallas hasn’t improved against the run coming out of the bye. With Parsons not sounding optimistic about his status and San Francisco probably being more desperate to avoid going 3-5, I’m leaning towards them at home.
Winner: San Francisco 49ers
NYG (2-5) @ PIT (5-2)
Monday, October 28 | 8:15 PM ET | ESPN/ABC/ESPN2
New York appeared to have an improved offensive line based on how they played for the most part across the first six games of the season, but Andrew Thomas (foot) being out exposed the group as a house of cards—and the struggles were compounded by Saquon Barkley running wild in his return to MetLife Stadium with more rushing yards (176) than he ever had there as a Giant. I don’t know why Evan Neal won’t get a shot at left tackle or somewhere else, and the entire situation in New York was summed up pretty well by Bill Belichick this week, so it’ll be interesting to see how the team respond on Monday night and for the rest of the season with team owner John Mara saying he “does not anticipate” a regime change after the year. If the Giants are going to prove the organization is heading in the right direction by being more competitive than they were in Week 7, Brian Daboll needs to make sure Malik Nabers is featured with manufactured touches for an offense that might not have time to get the rookie downfield, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. needs the ball early, too. But for all the good things he has shown throughout his career (including unquestioned toughness), Daniel Jones will face intense pressure to perform in a hostile environment, and Pittsburgh proved to be a complete team that can put up plenty of points with Russell Wilson to match a top-tier defense.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers