The trade deadline passed us on Tuesday.
There's plenty to be made about who won and lost each trade, and this will be the first chance we get to see most of the same faces in new places. 8 weeks into the season as well, marking the halfway point of the NFL season. Who makes a push to the postseason, and who fades away towards draft positioning.
Teams on the "bye" this week are The 49ers, Browns, Cowboys, Broncos, Giants, and Steelers
Thursday Night Football: Eagles at Texans
Hmm....The best team in the league versus the worst. Hard to see this one being close. WINNER: Eagles
Chargers at Falcons
The Division Leading Falcons host the Chargers who are treading water in their division. They haven't faded yet, but they aren't making up much ground. Herbert has thrown the ball well, but will be without Keenan Allen again, who was poised for a great year until a nagging injury has derailed it. Can the Chargers stay relevant in the AFC? The Falcons have played...great? good? Hard to describe their recent run. Lets call it passable? They lead the NFC South, something no one outside of Dekalb County saw happening this year. They put themselves in good position to win week in and week out. A good challenge this week. WINNER: Chargers
Dolphins at Bears
Tua Tagovailoa is 5-0 in games where he doesn't die on the field. Their 3 losses come when he was concussed and out, but since coming back from injury, the Fins have started to fight back to become one of the better teams in the AFC. The Bears looked much better last week against Dallas, but the polish is not there. Now that the trade deadline has passed, and the Bears have traded their two best defensive players away, I expect the Dolphins by a touchdown this week. The Bears are a multi year project until they can compete, and it starts at the draft in April. WINNER: Dolphins
Panthers at Bengals
Carolina played with Karma last week. They were blessed on a last second touchdown to tie the game against Atlanta. However, receiver DJ Moore took off his helmet on the field, and was penalized, pushing his kicker out of range, to where he missed the game winning kick. Twice. The Falcons won and Moore has egg on his face. Now they travel to Cincinnati, where Joe Burrow and Co. were blasted by the Browns on Halloween. What was scarier? The costumes, or Cincinnati's Offensive Line? The Bengals are favored by 7.5 and i think that's about right. WINNER: Bengals
Packers at Lions
Someone want to get the Packer's front office on the phone for me? Your biggest struggle this year has been at receiver, yet you don't address the issue at the trade deadline? You deserve all the pain your offense provides. Detroit, what happened? You were so exciting at the beginning of the year. You need a few wins here to save Dan Campbell's job. Turns out entertaining, gripping reality tv doesn't make for good coaching. Aaron Rodgers has history of taming the Lions. The Packers have lost 3 games in a row, and I would love nothing more to see Detroit make it 4, but I can't bet against Rodger's history. WINNER: Packers
Colts at Patriots
Ahh, remember the battles between Brady and Manning? AFC Championships? Good times. This one will not be close to the level of those classics. Sam Ellingher has taken the reigns from Matt Ryan in Indy, and Mac Jones may lose his job to Bailey Zappe. Defense will decide the day, but I do like the Patriots at home to win this one. WINNER: Patriots
Bills at Jets
Buffalo continues to roll, but did show a bit of weakness on Sunday Night against Green Bay. The Jets had an off game against New England last week, a game we expected to see from New York at the start of the year. Im taking Buffalo all week and all year, but IF the Jets pull this one out, barring any strange circumstances, It could flip the AFC on it's head. WINNER: Bills
Vikings at Commanders
Minnesota rolls on to 6-1 this season with a clumsy win over Arizona. Washington pulled one out of their rear versus Indy via a last minute TD run from Taylor Heineke. They are 4-4 and getting their best defensive player back. Could they do it? Could they prove the Vikings are not what their record shows? Id argue they have a decent chance, but i'll air on the side of caution. WINNER: Vikings
Raiders at Jaguars
Vegas, Cmon man. You cannot be serious here? You got skunked by New Orleans. You traded for the BEST receiver in football last year. Josh Jacobs had been en fuego with the ball in his hands. You didn't run a play on the other side of the 50 yard line until the last 3 minutes OF THE GAME. The McDaniels era is off to an awful start. You're favored by 1.5 over a bad team in Jacksonville, and you should beat them. I can't trust you to cover that. Win this week and prove me wrong. Jacksonville out of principle. WINNER: Jaguars
Seahawks at Cardinals
Geno Smith looks like a winner, after constantly being looked over in his career. He has one of the best completion percentages. Kyler Murray looked fine last week, but i'm waiting for the full Call of Duty curse to kick in. It's about this week every year his performance fades away. Seattle currently leads the NFC West, and Arizona sits in last place for that division. I think if Arizona loses this week, the season could be over for them and we'll see a new coach next year. They have good pieces to work with, but they don't fit. It's like trying to make a steak dinner with lamb, cucumbers, and potatoes. Separately, they can be used to create a great meal, but if one of the main ingredients doesn't fit, you might have to start over. WINNER: Seahawks
Rams at Bucs
Boy, the last two NFC Champions meeting in a playoff rematch. You would think they would have better records. Brady finalized his divorce this past week with Giselle, and similarly, The Rams are divorced from reality. Tampa can at least run the ball well, but struggle in the redzone. Los Angeles's only offensive weapon is Cooper Kupp, but he may have injured his ankle in garbage time in, yet another, losing effort to the 49ers. IF Kupp plays, it'll stay a close game. If not, look for Tampa to exact some revenge. WINNER: Bucs
Sunday Night Football: Titans at Chiefs
Despite starting QB Ryan Tannehill mising last week to illness, Derrick Henry took the ball and ran for over 200 yards over a lowly Texans team. We are all witness to the greatness that is King Henry, and we all beg for mercy when he starts to run downhill. Yet, the King goes to war this week against the Red Kingdom and the juggernaut Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes looks like his usual, talented self. He has started to connect with his new recieving corps and that should mark danger for all who cross their path. Quoting Wikipedia here "The Titans play a key role in an important part of Greek mythos, the succession myth" Consider this The Chiefs overthrowing of the Titans on an NFL level WINNER: Chiefs
Monday Night Football: Ravens at Saints
The Ravens added Roquan Smith, a powerful linebacker from Chicago, for 2 picks in next years draft. A solid addition, but puzzling considering they need offensive firepower not names Lamar Jackson. The Saints were rumored to be trading their star running back Alvin Kamara, but after the 24-0 drubbing of the Raiders last week, a game in which Kamara scored thrice, they ultimately held steady on the star. N'awlins is a tough city to play in, and I expect the (insert whatever sponsor the building has these days) Superdome to be raucous Monday. I like the Saints in an upset.
WINNER: Saints