Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans (-3.5) – 1.25am, Friday
NFL RATINGS ARE down 11% in prime time this season and a large part of the reason is that there are quite a few poor teams in the league.
However, every team has to play at least one prime time game and that’s why we end up with the Jags (2-4) on the road to the Titans (3-4) on Thursday night football.
Somebody has to win the worst division in football and while this game won’t decide the AFC South, it will probably go a long way towards determining which of these two sides won’t claim the title with an 8-8 record.
Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles is 2-14 all-time on the road and has a hitch in his delivery that gives opposition defences a greater chance of making a play on the ball than most quarterbacks.
The Titans are also struggling at the quarterback position with Marcus Mariota consistently stuttering at midfield where his completion percentage drops to below 52% (compared to 61% overall).
Verdict: Divisional game, Thursday Night Football, basically anything can happen. However, I still think the Titans can be the team to emerge from the AFC South. Tennessee by 5.
Washington @ Cincinnati Bengals (-3) – 1.30pm Sunday
Poor London. Three games this year and, barring a miracle this Sunday, all three will be absolutely awful.
Washington (4-3) had bounced back from a poor start but showed their flaws on offence again last weekend as they lost to the Lions.
The Bengals have probably been the surprise bad ‘good team’ this year with their three wins coming against teams with a combined record of five wins and 16 losses and, even with AJ Green, their 14 offensive touchdowns ranks them in the bottom third in the NFL.
Verdict: Neither team is winning the Super Bowl but both need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Washington by 3.
New England Patriots (-6) @ Buffalo Bills - 5pm Sunday
This is probably the place to remind you that, because of daylight savings, you’ll need to set your NFL line-up an hour early for one weekend only.
The Bills handed the Patriots their only defeat of the 2016 season so far when they waltzed into Foxborough and held New England scoreless.
Both teams struggled a bit last week but the Patriots eventually overcame a Roethlisberger-less Steelers team while Rex Ryan’s good run came to an end against a resurgent Dolphins.
Verdict: Bill Belichick will be out for revenge for this season’s earlier defeat. Plus he has the small matter of #12 to call on. New England by 7.
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons (-3) – 8.25pm Sunday
Because there are six teams on a bye this week, there are only two late afternoon games which would be a problem if both were not potentially the two best games of the weekend.
The Packers didn’t really fix their Aaron Rodgers problem against a hapless Bears team last week and it will be interesting to see — minus any running backs — if they can live with the Falcons.
Last week’s loss to the Chargers is a bad one for Atlanta and it’s difficult to shake the fear that Dan Quinn’s side are flattering to deceive once more even though the NFC South is there for the taking for them.
Verdict: It’s an interesting line in this game, but I still believe in the Falcons. Atlanta by 5.
And the rest (picks against the spread in bold)
Oakland Raiders @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1.5)
Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) @ Indianapolis Colts
Seattle Seahawks (-2.5) @ New Orleans Saints
Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers (-3)
Detroit Lions @ Houston Texans (-2.5)
New York Jets (-3) @ Cleveland Browns
San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos (-5)
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys (-4.5)
Minnesota Vikings (-4.5) @ Chicago Bears
