The Los Angeles Times’ NFL writer, Sam Farmer, examines this week’s matchups. Lines according to Pregame.com (O/U = over/under). Last week’s record 11-4 (.733); season 130-61-1 (.681).
Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, the record against the spread would have been 10-5 (.667); season 103-84-5 (.551).
Times are Pacific:
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Broncos (4-8) at Panthers (4-8)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Off the board. O/U: Off.
Denver is putting the pieces in place to be a high-powered offense … just not this season. The Panthers, who have lost a bunch of close games, are rested after a week off and still are well coached.
Prediction: Panthers 28, Broncos 21
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Texans (4-8) at Bears (5-7)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Texans by 1. O/U: 45.
The Bears are bad. They blow a 10-point lead at home to the banged-up Lions? Looks like it’s time for a total reboot. The Texans are coming off a close loss to the Colts but are the better team.
Prediction: Texans 23, Bears 21
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Titans (8-4) at Jaguars (1-11)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Titans by 7 1/2. O/U: 52 1/2.
After losing a shootout to Cleveland, the Titans bounce back with a familiar recipe: giving the ball to Derrick Henry. Jacksonville has a way of hanging around, though, and can keep it close.
Prediction: Titans 31, Jaguars 24
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Chiefs (11-1) at Dolphins (8-4)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Chiefs by 7 1/2. O/U: 50 1/2.
The mighty Chiefs have struggled to score a little bit this season, and they’re going against a really tough Dolphins defense. Miami is so vanilla on offense with Tua Tagovailoa, so K.C. pulls away.
Prediction: Chiefs 28, Dolphins 20
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Cowboys (3-9) at Bengals (2-9-1)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Cowboys by 3 1/2. O/U: 42 1/2.
The Cowboys should win pretty handily. The Bengals can do a decent job of moving the ball at times, and they’re going against a bad Dallas defense, but the Cowboys offense should have a big day.
Prediction: Cowboys 30, Bengals 20
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Cardinals (6-6) at Giants (5-7)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Cardinals by 2 1/2. O/U: 45.
The Cardinals don’t play well on the East Coast, and this is a tough matchup for them. Seattle put a blueprint for blitzing Kyler Murray on tape a few weeks ago, and the Patriots and Rams followed suit.
Prediction: Giants 21, Cardinals 16
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Vikings (6-6) at Buccaneers (7-5)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Buccaneers by 6 1/2. O/U: 52 1/2.
After a week off, the Buccaneers have had a chance to self-scout and recalibrate. They’ll make Ronald Jones a bigger part of the game plan and get job done against the increasingly solid Vikings.
Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Vikings 24
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Colts (8-4) at Raiders (7-5)
Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
Line: Colts by 2 1/2. O/U: 51.
When healthy, the Raiders are so-so on defense at best — and they’re not healthy. Philip Rivers should pick them apart. What’s more, the Colts have a rock-solid defense that should control this.
Prediction: Colts 34, Raiders 20
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Jets (0-12) at Seahawks (8-4)
Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
Line: Seahawks by 13 1/2. O/U: 47.
Seattle’s a better team, but not by as much as some people think. This game could be interesting for a while, although the Jets are still the Jets. Firing Gregg Williams probably doesn’t matter much.
Prediction: Seahawks 28, Jets 20
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Packers (9-3) at Lions (5-7)
Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
Line: Packers by 7 1/2. O/U: 55.
The Packers have won four of five, and are putting up at least 30 points on a routine basis. They should be able to do that easily against the Lions, who were handed a 42-21 loss to Green Bay in Week 2.
Prediction: Packers 38, Lions 24
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Falcons (4-8) at Chargers (3-9)
Sunday, 1:25 p.m.
Line: Falcons by 2 1/2. O/U: 49 1/2.
The Chargers were humiliated against New England and are playing for pride. They do have pride, and a bunch of good players. That should be enough against an Atlanta team with a flimsy defense.
Prediction: Chargers 28, Falcons 27
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Saints (10-2) at Eagles (3-8-1)
Sunday, 1:25 p.m.
Line: Saints by 7. O/U: 43.
Jalen Hurts replaces Carson Wentz, which should make this interesting, yet the Eagles’ problems don’t start and end with Wentz. The increasingly comfortable Taysom Hill keeps it rolling.
Prediction: Saints 31, Eagles 23
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Washington Football Team (5-7) at 49ers (5-7)
Sunday, 1:25 p.m.
Line: 49ers by 3. O/U: 43.
Bruising matchup. Alex Smith returns to San Francisco fresh off a stunning upset of Pittsburgh and playing really well. The 49ers aren’t out of it, though, and have enough to hang on at home.
Prediction: 49ers 24, Washington 20
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Steelers (11-1) at Bills (9-3)
Sunday, 5:20 p.m.
Line: Bills by 2. O/U: 48.
The Steelers finally lost but they had teetered at various times this season. Pittsburgh is a really good team that still needs to prove it’s a great one. Josh Allen is playing at an MVP level for Buffalo.
Prediction: Bills 30, Steelers 24
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Ravens (7-5) at Browns (9-3)
Monday, 5:15 p.m.
Line: Ravens by 2. O/U: 47 1/2.
The Ravens blew out the Browns in Week 1, 38-6, but these teams are markedly different now. Cleveland strikes back in this one. Ravens have to take advantage of Browns’ pass defense, but can they?
Prediction: Browns 28, Ravens 24
