Welcome to the 2022 NFL season. Each year there are surprises, disappointments&nbsp;and things that go as expected. The month of August is always an interesting month because this is where majority of the season-long props move. These movements occur due to free agent signings, injuries, trades, and training camp reports. There is a lot that goes into these props and choosing good props to bet on can make for a great January of cashing in season-long tickets. That said, I have identified a prop that I love and want to take advantage.

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JuJu Smith-Schuster over 750.5 Receiving Yards

Props in general are scary because a season is a long time that a player has to avoid injury in order to give your bet the best chance. The way I see it, a season gives them more time to come back from the injury and keep fighting for your bet. If you bet a prop for one game, and your player gets hurt in the first quarter. That prop is likely toast and you lose. With season long props, you have games to make up for missed games, so I view it as still having a fighting chance.

I have given you guys enough background. The market seems to be very low on JuJu Smith-Schuster. His prop has recently moved from o/u 1000.5 yards down to 800.5 yards in most places and even 750.5 in some. That is a 20-25 % drop for a receiver that has pro-bowl upside playing with a quarterback that is arguably the most talented in the NFL. I will dive into this play on multiple levels.

Level 1:&nbsp;Tyreek Hill is out of town. He has taken his talents to South Beach and with his talents, goes his 1200+ yards receiving. Those 1239 yards made up for 25% of Patrick Mahomes yards in the 2021 season. With the acquisition of Smith-Schuster, this makes him the best wide-receiver on the team. His other wide-receivers include Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, two receivers that were barely a third option on their teams for the last several years. There is an unproven rookie, Sky Moore that has the talent to play on the other side of the field as Juju, however I cannot imagine him dominating the targets over a such a great route-runner. Smith-Schuster will bring his pro-bowl caliber arsenal and fresh legs to the Chiefs where Mahomes will be looking to bounce back from his least productive season in 4 years.

Level 2:&nbsp;Smith-Schuster was hurt most of 2021. While he was healthy, he was saddled with an old, broken down, washed Ben Roethlisberger, who had been on a production decline for the past three years. In those three years, Big Ben&rsquo;s yards per attempt where under 6.5 (he had never been below 7.0 in his whole career prior to this). This means shorter throws, leading to less yards, which hampers a receiver&rsquo;s ability to rack up yards. In my opinion (and probably most people&rsquo;s) Mahomes is a superior upgrade.

Level 3:&nbsp;This level is dedicated to the sheer math behind the number. 750 yards is just not a lot of yards. It is a very small number of yards for a number one receiver. It is an even smaller number of yards for a number one receiver playing with an elite quarterback. To put it in context, Mecole Hardman, playing behind Kelce and Hill was able to rack up 683 yards. If Juju stays healthy in 2022, he will have to average 45 yards per game to go over this number. Our guy has played 12 or more games in each season prior to 2021. If Juju misses 5 games, he still only has to achieve 62.5 yards per game to go over this number.

Ultimately, I believe that Skyy Moore has led the public to believe that Juju Smith-Schuster will have a sub-par season. I don&rsquo;t see this to be the case. Tyreek Hill leaving town, coupled with Juju&rsquo;s talent, combined with Mahomes&rsquo; talent gives Juju the opportunity. The math gives him the path to reach the number that we need him to. I am placing my first season-long receiving prop of the year.

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 Welcome to the 2022 NFL season. Each year there are surprises, disappointments&nbsp;and things that go as expected. The month of August is always an interesting month because this is where majority of the season-long props move. These movements occu

2022 NFL Futures | JuJu Smith-Schuster Prop Bet

Jacksonville Jaguars (+13.5) @ Baltimore Ravens (46.5)

As the New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars continue to race to the bottom, the Jaguars seem to have some help coming up Sunday. The Baltimore Ravens are in must-win mode. After that wild game against the Cleveland Browns, they need to parlay that victory into more. Having a home matchup against Jacksonville could be just want the doctor ordered. The Jaguars are very bad defensively. We saw Derrick Henry go through running drills on their defense last week for over 200 yards. They are sixth worse in overall defense, bottom ten in pass rush, and bottom five in coverage. I imagine the Ravens will be able to have their way with them. Lamar Jackson seems to be more willing to run the ball like he did in 2019. He is a dynamic weapon with his legs and causes problems for defenses.

Seattle Seahawks (-5.5) @ Washington Football Team (44.5)

The Washington Football Team appeared on their way to fight for the division. Their defense was playing great football and their offense was doing enough to keep them alive. Unfortunately, Alex Smith will miss this very important game. Dwayne Haskins will replace him. Haskins is the absolute worst quarterback in the league according to Pro Football Focus. The Seattle Seahawks have the third best rushing defense in the NFL. With Antonio Gibson doubtful to play, this is a bad combination of events for Washington to face on Sunday. The Seahawks want to secure the division so they will need to continue to win. Russell Wilson will look for his offensive line to keep Chase Young from invading his personal space.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5.5) @ Atlanta Falcons (50.5)

This game might be the Atlanta Falcons&rsquo; Super Bowl. Their season is effectively over, and they may have the toughest three game stretch of any team in the league coming up. Julio Jones have been ruled out. In games that he misses, Matt Ryan has not been good. That is what happens when you lose the seventh rated receiver in the league. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been inconsistent this year, but their potential is great. They should be one of the best teams in the NFL, but instead, they are competing for a wildcard spot and are a long shot to win their division. They have two matchups with the Falcons in their last three games, so they will look to capitalize on that. 

Houston Texans (7.5) @ Indianapolis Colts (50.5)

The Houston Texans will attempt to&nbsp;lick their wounds and travel to Indianapolis to take on a Colts team that is fighting for a division title and a playoff berth. The Colts seem to have rounded into better form as of late. I think a lot of this is due to the reappearance of T.Y. Hilton. Hilton has looked like the Hilton of old, and when you combine that with the coach actually consistently feeding Johnathon Taylor the ball, it makes for an efficient offense. The Colts also have a top eight defense. Although these teams are offensively even, Houston&rsquo;s 30th ranked defense is the root of their problems. I eluded to them being lucky last season and as I predicted, the regression has come big time. Trading Deandre Hopkins added to their lack of success. Houston will have to play for the name on their Jerseys in order to take down this Colts team that have a lot to play for. 

Detroit Lions (+10.5) @ Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee look like they are in December form. Derrick Henry is in the mood to run over people and when needed, Ryan Tanehill is ready to find his talented receiving duo for chunk plays. As good as Henry&rsquo;s matchup was last week, amazingly he gets an even better one today. The Detroit Lions have been beaten up and injury riddled all season. I am sure they are not looking forward to tackling Henry for 60 minutes. This is the time of the season that players make a decision to either play for pride or get through their last games before the lengthy off-season. The Titans have the same record as their division foes, the Indianapolis Colts so they will try to pull away in the win column. 

New England Patriots (+2) @ Miami Dolphins (41.5)

This game should be very competitive. These teams are both fighting for playoff spots. The Miami Dolphins are trying to catch the Buffalo Bills for the division title. They are also competing to secure a wildcard spot in case they can&rsquo;t secure the division. The New England Patriots, with help and winning out can be in line to secure a wildcard spot themselves. This would be incredible considering how bad they have looked in most of their outings. They play a grind it out style and they seem to be getting better at it. Devante Parker is the 27th rated receiver in the league. He is questionable, so if he were to miss, it would likely put a slight damper on the effectiveness or Miami&rsquo;s offense. One of these teams will take a necessary step to make it to the playoffs. They will have to go through each other to do it. 

San Francisco 49ers (-3.5) @ Dallas Cowboys (45.5)

The San Francisco 49ers have to be disappointed in themselves after losing a must-win game against Washington. Chase Young and that defense wreaked havoc on their offense and Nick Mullens would not stop turning the ball over. As sad as it is to say, the Dallas Cowboys are still alive for the division title. The Washington Football Team will be starting Dwayne Haskins against a great Seattle team, and the Eagles and Giants only have one more victory than Dallas. Dallas have not looked good at any point in the season. I think that the 49ers are a prideful team, so I don&rsquo;t think they will let Dallas off the hook easily. 

New York Jets (+16.5) @ Los Angeles Rams (44.5)

The Jets continue to lead the race for first&hellip;. pick. The Rams continue to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Sean McVay seems to have figured out the Cam Akers is his best running back and have been feeding him this month. The Rams are top ten offensively and top two defensively. As long as they come to play like they should, they should be in good shape to secure the division title. There is not much to say about this game. The Jets have the worst coverage unit in the NFL and the worst offense. I would like to think that the Jets&rsquo; players will continue to play hard to get their first victory, but I am not sure if their hard will be enough to make it happen. 

Philadelphia Eagles (+6.5) @ Arizona Cardinals (48.5)

My pick to win the NFC East division will take their new starting quarterback and travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. Jalen Hurts appears to have given this Eagles team new life. They took down one of the best teams in the NFL last week, and will not look to make a hot run into the playoffs by beating Arizona.&nbsp;Kyler Murray has not been as effective this past month since he hasn&rsquo;t been running. The Cardinals were able to go on the road and win an ugly game against the New York Giants. This is an interesting matchup. Both teams are in the bottom half of the league defensively and offensively. This game will likely be won by the team that wants it more. Both teams fighting for playoff berths will make this one of the more interesting matchups on the day. 

Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) @ New Orleans Saints (50.5)&nbsp;

As I would suspect, this is going to be one of the most interesting games for me on Sunday. The New Orleans Saints has a top five defense and they will look to stop the Chiefs&#39; top five offense. The Chiefs are middle of the pack defensively and the Saints are middle of the pack offensively. This truly is an even matchup. The Kansas City Chiefs have been a juggernaut all season. Patrick Mahomes, although a top MVP candidate has had some struggles early in games. As of late, they have not looked their sharpest and have seemingly struggled to pull out victories. The fact remains that they pulled out these victories. I think the ability that they have shown to dig themselves out of performance lapses makes them even scarier than they were last year. This Chiefs team looks nearly unbeatable and they are my favorite to win the Super Bowl again.&nbsp;The New Orleans Saints suffered their first loss since Taysom Hill took over the starting quarterback role. They lost to a scrappy and desperate Eagles team that was starting a new quarterback themselves. I would have to see the Eagles play again to see if that game was a case of the Eagles coming to play or the Saints taking them lightly. I highly doubt the Saints will take the Chiefs likely in what is a possible Superbowl preview. Outside of the Drew Brees injury, both teams are relatively healthy. Quarterback is the most important position on the field, so we will not be seeing this matchup at full strength. UPDATE: Drew Brees is named the starter. However, Michael Thomas has been&nbsp;ruled out. It appears we will be getting the Saints in similar form as early October when Thomas was out several games. 

Cleveland Browns (-4.5) @ New York Giants (45)

The Cleveland Browns played in a highly entertaining game against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. Baker Mayfield really looked like he has arrived. This season has been a good one for the Browns. A lot of people criticize them because some of their wins were against awful teams. They fail to highlight the huge wins against the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, two teams that they are fighting for a playoff spot for. The New York Giants looked flat against the Arizona Cardinals. Although they are still alive to win the division, they do not control their destiny to do such. Both teams have lost star players this season and have had to adjust their strategy around these losses. Daniel Jones and Baker Mayfield are neck and neck in PFF ranking of quarterbacks. Jones is tied for 15th&nbsp;and Mayfield is right next to him at 17th. The Browns have the best run blocking offensive line in football. They will be going against the Giant&#39;s top five rushing defense. I think whoever establishes their line of scrimmage will win this game.&nbsp;December usually breeds a different brand of football than we see in September and October. This is especially true for the outdoor teams up north. The weather gets cold, wet and nasty. More games are won and lost in the trenches and toughness sometimes trumps talent. I am looking forward to the game because both teams need to win.

 Jacksonville Jaguars (+13.5) @ Baltimore Ravens (46.5)As the New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars continue to race to the bottom, the Jaguars seem to have some help coming up Sunday. The Baltimore Ravens are in must-win mode. After that wild g

Darnell's NFL Week 15 Breakdown

Buffalo Bills (-6.5) @ Denver Broncos (50)

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The Buffalo Bills seem to have rounded the corner and&nbsp;put themselves in the class of one of the great teams in the NFL. They had a convincing victory against the best defense in football in the Pittsburgh Steelers, which put them in the double-digit win club. That victory put them within striking distance of the Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs for a potential first-round bye. Although they rank in the bottom ten defensively, the Bills have remained a top ten offense. Josh Allen looks like he is finding more chemistry with Stefon Diggs,&nbsp;and the John Brown injury seems&nbsp;not to be affecting them negatively. This is because Diggs and Cole Beasley both rank in the top 15. The Bills typically have no problem moving the ball, but Denver&#39;s third-ranked defense may have something to say about that. Their offense is very bad. It is the second worst in the league. The reason they have been able to win games and stay in games has&nbsp;been because of their stout defense. Jerry Jeudy is a very talented receiver. He is questionable, so if he were to miss that would hinder an already ineffective Drew Lock even more. December is the time of the NFL season that losing teams decide if they are going to want to play for pride, play spoiler, or if they will just&nbsp;fold. If this Broncos defense folds, this Bills offense will create&nbsp;havoc. If this game wasn&#39;t on Saturday, I would have little interest in it. Saturday football is here and I love it!!!!

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Carolina Panthers (+8.5) @ Green Bay Packers (51)

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The Green Bay Packers and their number one ranked offense hosts the Carolina Panthers. Teddy Bridgewater was without one of his top receivers last week. Even without DJ Moore, they found a way to get it done versus a very stout Denver Broncos defense. This season has been a struggle for the Panthers, but that is what happens when you lose your superstar running back for most of the season. They have the fifth worst defense in the NFL, so having a middle of the pack offense typically won&#39;t yield positive results. Mike Davis has certainly shown that he is a capable running back, but there is very little you can do to replace the weapon that is Christian Mccaffery. Davis&#39; efficiency has really made a difference because he is rated better than Mccaffery. They are both top 20 backs, so the difference metrically is not vast. Despite this, I feel like the Panthers miss CMC&#39;s presence and they were unable to sustain the moderate level of success they had earlier in the season. The toughest of tasks awaits this bad defensive team. Facing the number one quarterback and wide receiver duo in the NFL will never be an easy way to improve your defensive rating. Aaron Rodgers and Devante Adams have done whatever they have wanted to do to defenses all year and the Panthers have done little to make me believe that this won&#39;t continue. The Packers will want to keep winning to continue the fight with the New Orleans Saints for the first-round bye. Carolina will hopefully play for pride and make it an interesting contest.

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 Buffalo Bills (-6.5) @ Denver Broncos (50)&nbsp;The Buffalo Bills seem to have rounded the corner and&nbsp;put themselves in the class of one of the great teams in the NFL. They had a convincing victory against the best defense in football in the Pi

Darnell's NFL Week 15 Saturday Breakdown

Los Angeles Chargers (+3.5) @ Las Vegas Raiders (53)

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Justin Herbert will take his Rookie of the Year campaign to his&nbsp;division rivals in Las Vegas. Two teams that have relocated recently will square off in a division battle that will have no bearing on the division winner. Josh Jacobs remains questionable for week 15. If he misses, Devontae booker will take on the lead role again. Booker is the 36th ranked running back accordingly to Pro Football Focus, so it is a drop off from Jacobs&#39; 17th ranking. Running back talent matters more when you have a poor offensive line. Henry Ruggs III is on the Covid-19 reserve list, so his status for this game is in jeopardy. This could spell trouble for the Raider&#39;s offense. &nbsp;Although Ruggs is the 118th ranked receiver, his deep threat ability opens the field up for Darren Waller. Waller is the Raiders best pass catcher in my opinion and having him restricted due to lack of field spacing could be an issue. The Raiders rank bottom five in run blocking, so this drop off means more than it would for other teams. Some of the Chargers&#39; top offensive weapons are listed as questionable. Keenan Allen is a top ten wide receiver and his presence is&nbsp;needed all over the field for the Chargers to have their best chance at success moving the ball. The Los Angeles Chargers will not make the playoffs, but the Raiders will be fighting down the stretch for a wild card berth. After dropping a shootout to the Indianapolis Colts, the Raiders will need to right the ship immediately to keep their hopes alive.

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 Los Angeles Chargers (+3.5) @ Las Vegas Raiders (53)&nbsp;Justin Herbert will take his Rookie of the Year campaign to his&nbsp;division rivals in Las Vegas. Two teams that have relocated recently will square off in a division battle that will have n

Darnell's NFL Week 15 Thursday Night Breakdown

Las Vegas Raiders (-7.5) @ New York Jets (47)

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This matchup shapes up to be a battle of an inept offense versus a terrible defense. The Las Vegas Raiders will travel to New York to battle the winless Jets. The Raiders have the worst defense in the NFL. They do not have the ability to stop anyone consistently. Conversely, the Jets have the worst offense in the NFL. They appear to not have the ability to move the ball consistently against anyone. This should be interesting to see which of these dynamics plays out. Jalen Richard and Josh Jacobs, (the tenth ranked running back according to Pro Football Focus) are both questionable. Jacobs has&nbsp;been a steady force for the Raiders. Believe it or not, the Jets have the fourth best rushing defense in the league. This means that the Raiders cannot take their running back situation lightly. I am still holding out&nbsp;hope that the Jets will grab a win at some point this season, but until then I think they&rsquo;ll play hard.

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Cincinnati Bengals (+11.5) @ Miami Dolphins (42)

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I didn&rsquo;t think the day would come so soon that the Miami Dolphins are 11.5-point favorites, and I wouldn&rsquo;t argue about it. We have arrived at this time. The Bengals quarterback situation looks absolutely atrocious after losing their rookie of the year candidate, Joe Burrow. Burrow is ranked 19th in quarterbacks. His backups, Brandon Allen and Ryan Findley have not played enough to be ranked on their own. PFF does however have Burrow 50% better than both of them. The eye test on the field definitely confirms this. The Bengals offense disappeared completely&nbsp;when Burrow went down. The Dolphins has been an opportunistic defense as of late. If Findley plays nearly as bad as he did last week, this game won&rsquo;t be fun. Tua Tagovailoa is questionable with his thumb injury. He is ranked 34th in quarterbacks. The Dolphins will have a decent upgrade if Ryan Fitzpatrick gets the start. He had a good start to the season and is ranked 21st in the NFL. With the Dolphins right in the thick of things in the playoff hunt, they will look to keep winning to keep pace with their competition.

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Cleveland Browns (+5.5) @ Tennessee Titans (54)

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It seems that the Cleveland Browns find themselves in interesting games consistently. This game against the Tennessee Titans should be fun. These teams boast two of the top four rushing attacks in the NFL. Derrick Henry is the second-best ranked running back according to PFF and Nick Chubb is&nbsp;fourth. The Browns have the best run blocking offensive line in the league. When Chubb gets a rest, the 16th best running back, Kareem Hunt spells him. This is a deadly one-two punch. The Browns have been without Odell Beckham Jr. for over a month and I think this caused the Browns to solidify themselves as a run heavy team. The Titans have the eighth worst defense in the league. This is a problem for them, but having a top five running back, a top ten quarterback, and two top 11 wide receivers will mask a lot of defensive problems. Both teams are 8-3 and will want to further push for the playoffs. The Browns once again are involved in one of my favorite games of the week.

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Jacksonville Jaguars (+9.5) @ Minnesota Vikings (52)

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The Minnesota Vikings are the best bad team in the NFL. The have a top five quarterback, running back and wide receiver. They have the third best&nbsp;passing attack with the best wide receiving corps when it comes to route running. Their problem is that they give up a huge amount of points each game. They are in the same conversation as the Raiders, Seahawks and even the Jets in terms of how many points they&rsquo;ve given up. Fortunately for them, they get to host a team that&rsquo;s been even worse defensively in the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Indianapolis Colts (-3.5) @ Houston Texans (51)

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This AFC South matchup pits two teams that are on the far opposite ends of the hill from&nbsp;their last game. The Houston Texans showed off on Thanksgiving and crushed the banged-up Detroit Lions. Deshawn Watson went nuts and so did Will Fuller. Unfortunately, Watson won&rsquo;t be throwing to Fuller for the rest of the season. Fuller was suspended six games for PEDs. Losing the fourth best receiver in the NFL cannot be beneficial for&nbsp;Houston. Thankfully the 4th ranked Watson has two more top 50 receivers to step up and help this team win. The Colts defense was absolutely shredded by Derrick Henry and the Titans. The Colts were banged up on their defensive line and that&nbsp;led to Henry running wild. The Colts were in a tough spot after playing a very competitive game versus the Green Bay Packers and winning in overtime. They will want to ride the momentum from this game and not have a let-down against a division foe that will be ready for them. Houston has a top ten offense, but their bottom five defense causes them to have a very subpar record. This is a game that the Colts should win, but Houston won&rsquo;t go without a fight.

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New Orleans Saints (-3) @ Atlanta Falcons (46)

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Taysom Hill has more victories than the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets combined. He has not been good as a quarterback. He honestly has been Tim Tebow with a better supporting cast. That opinion may ruffle some feathers, but that&rsquo;s how I feel. Regardless, he has led his team to two straight wins since taking over the starting quarterback role. Their win last week was in a matchup with a bad offense with literally no quarterback. One of these wins was against this same Falcons team that they are facing Sunday. The Falcons have been a middle of the road team offensively and defensively. They will look to get revenge on this team. Having the seventh ranked wide receiver, Julio Jones would be beneficial to them. He is listed as questionable. If he were to miss it would be a big blow to the Falcons offense. The Saints would be able to lock on to Calvin Ridley and force other receivers to beat them. The Saints have the best record in the NFC and are on their way to having home field advantage in the playoffs. Mathematically, if the Falcons lose, they will officially be out of the division race.

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Detroit Lions (+3) @ Chicago Bears (44)

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The banged-up Detroit Lions will travel to Chicago to take on a Bears team that was dismantled by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The Lions offense have struggled as of late without Kenny Golladay. He is the 17th best receiver in the league. Deandre Swift has also missed the last two games. I anticipate him back, which should take a lot of pressure off of Matt Stafford and this offense. Swift is the 27th ranked running back. I think he would be better if the coaching staff was more consistent with his workload. Thankfully, that coaching situation is changing. Matt Patricia was fired a few days ago. The Lions should have made this move weeks ago. Typically, players like to play harder when a coach is fired. This is so that they can show the world that the reason for their lack of success was the coach and not them. The Bears have Allen Robinson, who is a top 15 receiver in the league. Unfortunately for him, he has a bad quarterback throwing to him. Mitch Trubisky is one of the worst ranked quarterbacks in the league. Nick Foles is not much of an upgrade, so Robinson&rsquo;s talent seems to be going to waste. The Bears cannot afford to lose another game because that will put them further under .500 and will end their chances of having double digit wins. It seems like the Lions will want to play to build chemistry for next season with the interim coach.

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New York Giants (+10) @ Seattle Seahawks (48)

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The Seattle Seahawks and their fantastic offense will host the New York Giants. The Giants have a top ten defense in the NFL, but with the fourth worst offense, I am not sure if they will have the fire power to compete with the high-powered Seahawks. Believe it or not, Daniel Jones is the 12th ranked quarterback according to PFF. He may miss this game because of his hamstring injury. If he does, his veteran backup Colt McCoy will start. McCoy has started 28 games in his lengthy NFL career. I can&rsquo;t imagine that McCoy will be any more effective than Jones has&nbsp;been this season. Russell Wilson is the third best quarterback in the league. I think he and his receivers can make up if Chris Carson misses the game. He has been banged up for the last several weeks. There will be a drop off from Carson to the next running back because Carson is the 4th best running back in the league. The Seahawks will look to continue to distance themselves from the Los Angeles Rams in the division race. The Giants will look to keep their division hopes alive.

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Los Angeles Rams (-3) @ Arizona Cardinals (48.5)

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This NFC West matchup is another good game that we are looking forward to. That is the theme that we run in to when the best division in football matches up. The Los Angeles Rams have the fourth best defense in the NFL. They will need this defense to step up against a fast-paced and dynamic Arizona Cardinal offense. Offensively, the Rams are more balanced with all three of their main wide receivers ranked in the top 70. The Cardinals have the seventh best receiver in Deandre Hopkins, but their next best receiver is Christian Kirk. This indicates to me that if Jalen Ramsey can contain Hopkins, the Rams will have the clear advantage in receivers. Kyler Murray have been battling some shoulder soreness lately, and this has drastically changed the way he has played the game. He has run a lot less in the past couple games. Kyler Murray&rsquo;s ability and willingness to run could be an x-factor in this game, so the Cardinals will hope he can go full strength. The Rams lost their second game to the San Francisco 49ers in dramatic fashion, which made the division race that much more interesting. The 49ers would have been out of reach if they lost that game, but all four teams are still alive for a playoff chance. Arizona lost an ugly game to the New England Patriots, so both teams are looking to get off of their slide.

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Philadelphia Eagles (+9) @ Green Bay Packers (47)

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The Philadelphia Eagles will&nbsp;travel to Green Bay to take on one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Aaron Rodgers have been fantastic this year. The Eagles, being bottom ten in coverage, enter&nbsp;a dangerous place&nbsp;against the number one quarterback and number one wide receiver in the NFL. In December, to see a team so bad still be very alive to make the playoffs is so weird. With only three wins on the year, the Philadelphia Eagles are one game out of first place. Although they may need some help to win the division, the fact that they have a tie on their record may actually help them in the long run. The Eagles are running out of games that they can afford to lose if they want to sneak into the playoffs. I personally feel like Jalen Hurts just need to be unleashed. He is a dual threat and Carson Wentz has not been good at all. He is ranked 30th, which is worse than Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles. The Packers have&nbsp;an incredible offense, and will look to continue the momentum that they have been building.

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New England Patriots (+1) @ Los Angeles Chargers (47)

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The New England Patriots take&nbsp;their ground and pound offense to Los Angeles to take on the rookie of the year and the Chargers. Austin Eckler has been back into the fold and is making an impact. I really enjoy the weapons that these Chargers possess. They have the fifth best receiver in the league, Keenan Allen, and a quarterback who loves to target him. The Patriots tend to like to take away a team&rsquo;s number one weapon, so we will have to see if they have what it takes to take away Allen. The Chargers have a middle of the pack run defense, so the Patriots will have the advantage in that department. They have the third best rushing attack and the second best run blocking offensive line. No matter what happens during the season, it never feels like Belechik is out of the race until he is out of it. The Patriots will look to continue winning games in order to gain a spot in the expanded playoffs.

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Betting tip of the week: Near the end of the season, you have to be careful. Some teams will lay down because there is nothing to play for. Their playoff hopes are gone, and they are just playing to collect a game check. Pay attention to these situations and tread cautiously.

 Las Vegas Raiders (-7.5) @ New York Jets (47)&nbsp;This matchup shapes up to be a battle of an inept offense versus a terrible defense. The Las Vegas Raiders will travel to New York to battle the winless Jets. The Raiders have the worst defense in t

Darnell's NFL Week 13 Breakdown

Miami Dolphins (-7) @ New York Jets (44.5)

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The Miami Dolphins are right in the thick of the playoff hunt this season. They are coming off a tough loss to a Denver Broncos team that plays fantastic defense. They were able to only muster 13 points in that&nbsp;game. Tua Tagavaiola is the 33rd rated quarterback in the NFL. He has been helped in his victories by an opportunistic defense that was able to score touchdowns. Myles Gaskin has returned from injured reserve, but still needs more time to be evaluated in order to possibly suit up Sunday. If he were to miss, it would be up to Salvon Ahmed as the lead back again. Ahmed is nursing a shoulder injury so his status will have to be monitored. Matt Brieda has returned from his injury and is ready to go if his fellow running backs miss. Ty Johnson will be backing up the ageless wonder, Frank Gore because LaMichael Perine has been placed on injured reserve. Gore has scored a touchdown in three different decades. That is quite an amazing feat. I am not sure if he ever plans on retiring. I am sure he does not want to end this season with zero wins. This game will be determined by the Jets willingness&nbsp;to fight hard until they get their first win in order to avoid being historically bad.

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Cleveland Browns (-6.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (49)

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The Jacksonville Jaguars will be starting their third quarterback of the season. Gardner Minshew will not be able to start, but he will be the backup to Mike Glennon. Glennon has not started a game in three years. Neither DJ Chark nor Laviska Shenault were NFL football players when this happened. He averages 6.4 yards per attempt throughout his career. The Cleveland Browns with their fantastic offensive line will look to run the ball and control the clock. Glennon will have to be efficient in his time on the field in order to keep his team competitive against the Browns. This will be made much harder with the absence of DJ Chark and Chris Conley. They were just ruled out. The drop off from Chark to Laviska Shenault is nearly non-existent. Chark is rated 42nd and Shenault is 45th. The Drop off from Conley to Keelan Cole truly does not exist. They are rated the same. Cleveland has the best run-blocking unit in the NFL and both running backs are rated top 20 according to Pro Football Focus. This is a recipe for hard-nosed football as the weather gets cold. Thankfully, Florida is warm this time of year. Cleveland will continue to push for the playoffs by trying to compile victories.

&nbsp;

New York Giants (-6) @ Cincinnati Bengals (43)

&nbsp;

Wow! Joe Burrow was in the running for rookie of the year until he went down in the cursed spot in Washington. He suffered multiple season ending injuries to his knee. Ryan Findley came in to replace him and their offensive absolutely died. The Bengals showed no ability to move the ball against a solid Washington Football Team defense. Findley is 50% worse than Burrow according to PFF so the Bengals will have to find a way to maximize his abilities or get creative in moving the ball. Fortunately for them, the Giants have&nbsp;the fifth worse offense in the NFL. This may allow the Bengals to keep up with New York. The Giants seem to have found a starting running back to get the job done in Saquon Barkley&rsquo;s absence. Wayne Gallman has been steadily effective and hopefully he can keep some pressure off of Daniel Jones and the passing game. The Giants have a chance to lead the NFC East in wins if they can get the job done on the road.

&nbsp;

Arizona Cardinals (-2.5) @ New England Patriots (49.5)

&nbsp;

Kyler Murray will continue to&nbsp;contend for the MVP award&nbsp;when he and his Arizona Cardinals travel to New England to take on the Patriots. The Patriots looked impressive&nbsp;in their win against the Ravens although some people say the rain helped. This may be true, but the Patriots were dominating the game early on. The Cardinals came up short in their rematch against the Seattle Seahawks. They will look to keep piling up wins to keep pace with them and the Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots will have to continue their ball control offense to cover up for their defensesive lack of efficiency. They have the seventh worst defense in the NFL. Stephon Gillmore is on the injury report. We will monitor this because the Patriots lead the league in questionable players every week. His impact is not as big as it once was. He is the third rated cornerback on this team. J.C. Jackson and Johnson Jones rank better, so they should be able to handle Deandre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. As I am writing this, I got word that Larry Fitzgerald will miss the game due to a positive COVID-19 test. He is the 104th ranked WR in the league and the drop off from him to Andy Isabella is not significant. Despite being in the bottom ten in points scored, the Patriots rank eighth in offensive efficiency. This will be a battle of styles. The Cardinals will want to go fast, and the Patriots will want to go slow. Whoever imposes their will and gets the game to go at their preferred speed should have the advantage. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Los Angeles Chargers (+5.5) @ Buffalo Bills (53)

&nbsp;

Now is the time to polish up the Rookie of the Year trophy for Justin Herbert. Unfortunately, his competition just had his season ended. Herbert will likely win this award, but it won&rsquo;t be undeserved. He has had help by the fourth ranked wide receiver in the NFL, Keenan Allen. These two have been absolutely fantastic as a tandem. They face a tough task of traveling to Buffalo and taking on a Bills team that will want to keep winning in order to control their playoff destiny. The Bills have three cornerbacks ranked in the top 40 in the NFL. They will hope to contain Allen after his massive explosion against the New York Jets. Austin Eckler is expected to be back in the fold. This will be a welcome addition to this offense. Eckler is the fifth ranked running back in the NFL and is a very dynamic weapon. With Justin Jackson not expected to be back, this will leave the Chargers with the 49th and 56th running backs if Eckler did not make his return. The Bills are the worst rushing defense in the NFL by a lot, so a healthy running back tandem will bode well for the Chargers chances to move the ball effectively.

&nbsp;

Las Vegas Raiders (-3) @ Atlanta Falcons (54)

&nbsp;

The Las Vegas Raiders will take their bottom-ranked defense to Atlanta to take on the ninth best passing attack in the NFL. Both teams rank top ten in passing. Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley were limited in practice on Thursday. If the Falcons want to compete offensively, they will want these two to play. Both receivers rank in the top 20 and they make this offense go. Todd Gurley and Hayden Hurst both missed this Thursday practice. If Gurley were to miss, it honestly would not be a downgrade. Brian Hill is four spots better than Gurley according to PFF. One running back that was limited in practice that would impact the team big time is Josh Jacobs. He is the seventh best running back in the NFL. The Raiders rely on him heavily to keep the chains moving, keep the ball moving and pound their opponents into submission. The Atlanta Falcons have&nbsp;had a season filled with missed opportunities. Because of these blown leads and blunders, and because they aren&rsquo;t in the NFC East, their playoff hopes are likely dashed. The Raiders are involved in the logjam of AFC teams competing for wildcard spots. The Raiders will want to keep up with teams such as the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and Tennessee Titans. They will look to bounce back from their close loss to the Chiefs.

&nbsp;

Tennessee Titans (+3) @ Indianapolis Colts (51.5)

&nbsp;

This is a rematch of a good game from a few weeks ago. Phillip Rivers was surgical and carved the Tennessee Titan&rsquo;s defense up all night long. The Colts were in a must-win spot and now these teams face off with the exact same record. Tennessee will want to win here so they do not fall behind by a full game without having the tie-breaker advantage. In order to do this, they will need to click on all cylinders. They are the sixth best run blocking unit and they have the league&rsquo;s fourth best running back running behind them. The Colts are a top ten rushing defense in the NFL, so we will see who imposes their will. AJ Brown missed practice Thursday so we will have to see if he suits up. If AJ Brown misses, the Titans will lose one of their two top ten wide receivers in the NFL. The Titans are the only team in the AFC that has two top ten wide receivers, so they will want them healthy in order to take advantage of that. The Colts seem like they will be clicking on all cylinders. The Colts spread the ball around so much, it seems unlikely that they will ever be affected by an injury to a skill position player. Utilizing six wide receivers, three running backs and three tight ends gives you the luxury of truly operating under the &lsquo;&rsquo;next man up&rsquo;&rsquo; philosophy. The winner of this game will take a commanding lead in the division.

&nbsp;

Baltimore Ravens (+4.5) @Pittsburgh Steelers (45)

Update: This game has been moved to Tuesday. 

Side note- This game was written up for the Thursday slate. Because this game was moved to Sunday, I will add it on this write up. There will be a few additions to the write-up due to some news. 

We move over to the AFC to look into another very famous division rivalry. The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have battled each other close for over two decades. Pittsburgh has already defeated Baltimore this season so Baltimore will be looking to make up for that loss. With the Ravens being 6-4, they also need this victory in order to keep up with the Cleveland Browns and other teams in wildcard contention. The Steelers have moved to a pass-heavy offense this season. They have the quarterback and wide receivers to be able to accomplish this style of offense. Chase Claypool, Dionte Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster are all in the top 60 of wide receivers. Because the Ravens rank in the bottom ten in pass rush, Ben Roethlisberger should have a decent amount of time to find his talented wide receivers. The Ravens have had some problems to start the week. Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins are ruled out&nbsp; because of&nbsp;positive COVID-19 tests. This will force Gus Edwards to take on the lead role in the backfield. He is actually rated slightly ahead of Dobbins, so I don&rsquo;t think there is a drop-off in quality of player. The problem&nbsp;lies is&nbsp;that Baltimore likes to use a lot of running backs and having two of them out will cause changes in their offense. Lamar Jackson will miss this game due to a positive COVID-19 test. Robert Griffin III will start for him. I am absolutely unsure of what to expect from RG3, but if there is one team&rsquo;s defense that I would hate to make my first meaningful start in years against, it&rsquo;s definitely the Steelers. I hate to call a game a must-win, but if Baltimore wants to continue controlling their destiny, they will need to win. Either the Tennessee Titans or Indianapolis Colts will get their eighth win on the season. Baltimore doesn&rsquo;t want to fall behind too many teams for the wildcard race.

 
Carolina Panthers (+3.5) @ Minnesota Vikings (51)

&nbsp;

The Carolina Panthers will head up north to take on the Minnesota Vikings. Both teams have four wins. In order for either team to go on a miraculous run to make the playoffs, they will need a victory here. Dalvin Cook has been absolutely fantastic for the Vikings. Kirk Cousins is rated number six in quarterbacks. The Vikings employ the second and third best receivers in the NFL according to PFF. With the whole starting unit near the top of the charts, I have no clue why the Vikings are on the brink of missing the playoffs. Christian McCaffrey has been upgraded to questionable, but it seems unlikely that he will play. He and Mike Davis both rank in the top 15, so having both of these running backs available would be more than helpful for the Panthers. With the Vikings&rsquo; second ranked offense versus the Panthers&rsquo; second worst defense, Teddy Bridgewater and company will have to work hard to keep their playoff chances alive.

&nbsp;

New Orleans Saints (-6) @ Denver Broncos (43.5)

&nbsp;

The New Orleans Saints will take their new-look offense on the road to take on the third best defense in the NFL. The Denver Broncos may be without arguably their best receiver, Jerry Jeudy. He is ranked 62 in the NFL. Although Tim Patrick is rated better, the next best wide receiver for the Broncos is rated 112. Although Drew Lock is very bad, having Jeudy out there can only help this pedestrian offense. The Saints will look the move the ball with a monstrous three-headed monster. Taysom Hill is a triple threat quarterback,&nbsp;Alvin Kamara is a dual threat running back specialist, and Latavius Murray adds power and force to the backfield. This running back tandem is one of three in the NFL with two top twenty running backs. In a battle of two top five defenses, one of them with have to come out on top.

&nbsp;

San Francisco 49ers (+6.5) @ Los Angeles Rams (45.5)

&nbsp;

Here is another NFC West matchup that appears to be a good, competitive game. The 49ers, due to a multitude of injuries, have fallen to a record that will likely keep them&nbsp;out of the playoffs. The Rams, coming off a huge win against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will look to get revenge from their primetime loss last month. The 49ers will attempt to fight their way to a decent record. The 49ers will have a healthy tandem of wide receivers. They are led by Brandon Aiyuk who is ranked above Tyler Lockett at 22. The problem is that they will have the 37th rated quarterback throwing to them. Nick Mullins is worse than Joe Flacco. That&rsquo;s a problem. The Rams are top ten in offense and defense. That makes them very balanced and hard to defeat. The 49ers have shown them once that they can beat them. Can they repeat that success?

&nbsp;

Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (56)

&nbsp;

This will likely be a popular opinion, as&nbsp;this will be the game I am looking forward to the most. Arguably the best quarterback in the league will take on unarguably the greatest quarterback of all-time. Both quarterbacks have great weapons to throw to. The defenses separate these teams. The Buccaneers have the fourth best defense in the league. They seem to look lost at times against certain offensive schemes. This matchup could possibly be the Superbowl show down, so I anticipate these teams wanting to show each other who the cream of the crop is. The Chiefs avenged their only loss of the season by vanquishing the Oakland Raiders. The Buccaneers may very well&nbsp;be the best seven win team in the NFL. Due to the New Orleans Saints sweeping them this season, Tampa Bay will want to start adding wins to their record if they want a chance at the division title. I will have my popcorn ready for this one, as will most.

 Miami Dolphins (-7) @ New York Jets (44.5)&nbsp;The Miami Dolphins are right in the thick of the playoff hunt this season. They are coming off a tough loss to a Denver Broncos team that plays fantastic defense. They were able to only muster 13 point

Darnell's NFL Week 12 Breakdown

Good morning, afternoon, evening. We have a three game NFL slate on Thankful Thursday! Each year, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always play on this day. This is a fantastic day for football. The 12:30 EST kickoff&nbsp;is perfect to quench the thirst for football action. Generally, there is a small break in between each game to give you a chance to recoup and refresh before the next. The last game ends around 11:30 at night which is a perfect ending to a full day of football. Today, we will go over the games so you can be more informed leading into Thursday.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Houston Texans (-3) @ Detroit Lions (51)

The Houston Texans will take their 11th ranked offense into Detroit to take on the fifth worse defense in the NFL. The Detroit Lions&rsquo; biggest weakness is covering wide receivers. They are bottom three in the NFL. Despite Houston&rsquo;s poor record, they have the seventh best receiving corps in the NFL. The Texans&rsquo; offensive line has a pass blocking advantage against the Lions&rsquo; front seven so Deshaun Watson should have time to find his guys. Two of his receivers, Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills left the game against the New England Patriots. Cobb is likely to be put on the injured reserve list. He will miss Thursday&rsquo;s game for sure. Kenny Stills is questionable. I expected to see more Keke Coutee in this game. Houston is not the only team&nbsp;that suffered injuries leading up to this game. The Lions were brutalized with injuries Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and it truly showed on the field. Deandre Swift sat out because of concussion protocol, leaving and old Adrian Peterson and a bad Keryon Johnson to handle the duties at running back. Swift is ranked 27th among running backs according to PFF. His backups are ranked 49th and 63rd in the league. This led to a tremendous drop-off in the quality of the run game. Kenny Golladay is a top 15 receiver and Danny Amedola is in the top 50. With these two out, Matt Stafford had to throw to the 71st and 81st ranked wide receivers. When you combine this with Stafford&rsquo;s right thumb injury, you could see a mile away that they would struggle, even against a terrible Panther&rsquo;s defense. So far, Swift is on track to play if he clears his final concussion test,&nbsp;and Stafford is expected to start. I am not sure if he will be 100% because a thumb injury on a quarterback can only be bad. We aren&rsquo;t clear if Golladay or Amedola will suit up, but for the Lions&rsquo; sake we hope so. If either of these teams expects to make a miracle run at a playoff spot, they must start Thursday.

&nbsp;

Washington Football Team (+3) @ Dallas Cowboys (46.5)

One of the most famous NFL rivalries will continue in this&nbsp;Thanksgiving matchup. This game features the teams that combine for the most different starting quarterbacks in the NFL this season. Alex Smith will continue his&nbsp;comeback by trying to take control of the division lead with a win on the road. Washington has a bottom ten offense, but a top ten defense. It appears that they stay in games by limiting their opponents. Their problem is that they are offensively challenged themselves. Smith is their third starting quarterback this season. One thing that has remained a constant is the rookie talent on this team. Antonio Gibson is a top ten running back according to PFF. He did not practice, but it appears to be just resting because of the short week. This isn&rsquo;t any indication that he is injured but anytime someone is questionable, it is wise to keep an eye on it. Terry McLaurin is ranked 11th out of all wide receivers. If Alex Smith can firmly establish himself, he should be able to utilize this talent and propel his team to the top of the division. The Dallas Cowboys have utilized four different starting quarterbacks this season. Andy Dalton appears to be the best of their backups. The offense just seems to click like a decent offense when he is in, as shown against the Minnesota Vikings. Dalton threw for three touchdowns, and Ezekiel Elliot ran for over 100 yards. They defeated a Vikings team that although bad, people think highly of them. The Cowboys&rsquo; skill players seem to be healthy and ready for a division battle that should be hotly contested. The main question is if Washington&rsquo;s bad offense will be able to take advantage of Dallas&rsquo; bad defense. The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants will certainly be watching to find out.

&nbsp;

Baltimore Ravens (+4.5) @Pittsburgh Steelers (45)Hay

We move over to the AFC to look into another very famous division rivalry. The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have battled each other close for over two decades. Pittsburgh has already defeated Baltimore this season so Baltimore will be looking to make up for that loss. With the Ravens being 6-4, they also need this victory in order to keep up with the Cleveland Browns and other teams in wildcard contention. The Steelers have moved to a pass-heavy offense this season. They have the quarterback and wide receivers to be able to accomplish this style of offense. Chase Claypool, Dionte Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster are all in the top 60 of wide receivers. Because the Ravens rank in the bottom ten in pass rush, Ben Roethlisberger should have a decent amount of time to find his talented wide receivers. The Ravens have had some problems to start the week. Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins are ruled out of Thursday&rsquo;s game because of&nbsp;positive COVID-19 tests. This will force Gus Edwards to take on the lead role in the backfield. He is actually rated slightly ahead of Dobbins, so I don&rsquo;t think there is a drop-off in quality of player. The problem&nbsp;lies is&nbsp;that Baltimore likes to use a lot of running backs, and having two of them out will cause changes in their offense. I hate to call a game a must-win, but if Baltimore wants to continue controlling their destiny, they will need to win. Either the Tennessee Titans or Indianapolis Colts will get their eighth win on the season. Baltimore doesn&rsquo;t want to fall behind too many teams for the wildcard race.

&nbsp;

Betting tip of the week: You can&rsquo;t lose money if you don&rsquo;t bet. If you feel like you can&rsquo;t get on a side that you truly like, pass on the game. There is nothing worse than losing a bet that you didn&rsquo;t even like to begin with. I&rsquo;ve been there. There will be more games. I promise!

 Good morning, afternoon, evening. We have a three game NFL slate on Thankful Thursday! Each year, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always play on this day. This is a fantastic day for football. The 12:30 EST kickoff&nbsp;is perfect to quench the

Darnell's Week 12 Thankful Thursday Breakdown

Pittsburgh Steelers (-10) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (46.5)

&nbsp;

The Pittsburgh Steelers have played lights out football all season long. They are undefeated, healthy and have shown very little sign of slowing down. Offensively, there are very few&nbsp;injuries that Pittsburgh is fighting through. Ben Roethlisberger has been healthy all year except for a few series he sat out in Dallas. His receiving core has been consistently producing. Dionte Johnson has been his favorite target when healthy. When Johnson has missed time, Chase Claypool has stepped in fantastically for him. James Connor has not had the most productive season, but he is there when he is needed. The defense needs very little explanation. They are the best in the league. It is not particularly close. The Jacksonville Jaguars are not a good team. They are bottom ten in coverage, rushing defense and pass rush. This has led to them having the second-worst record in the NFL. Jake Luton will get the start again with Gardner Minshew already ruled out. Minshew is the 23rd&nbsp;ranked quarterback according to Pro Football Focus. Luton stepping in will be a downgrade at a position that they were already weak at. Pittsburgh is not the type of team that you want to have offensive players out against. James Robinson and Laviska Shenault were limited in practice. Robinson is a top ten running back and they will need him in order to sustain drives and move the ball. The Jaguars will need all of the weapons they have&nbsp;in order to compete with Pittsburgh. There isn&rsquo;t much to this game. These two teams are on two totally different ends of the spectrum.

&nbsp;

Atlanta Falcons (+5) @ New Orleans Saints (50.5)

&nbsp;

This division matchup may be very different than what it has been in the past. Both teams play in dome stadiums, so regardless of the home team, historically this has been a shootout matchup every time. Matt Ryan and Drew Brees have battled for the better part of a decade. Although the teams will match up, these quarterbacks won&rsquo;t. Drew Brees suffered broken ribs and will be out for at least three weeks. There are reports that Taysom Hill will start at quarterback. We have not seen him at the helm so this will be a treat for all of us. We know how versatile he is when used sporadically. I have told people that this season, Winston is the best quarterback on the team. It appears he won&rsquo;t be able to prove me right Sunday. Alvin Kamara is listed as questionable. As a top ten running back, this would be a huge blow to the Saints&rsquo; offense if he were to miss. His work in the passing game also adds extreme value to Kamara. I am not sure how Sean Payton will play the quarterback situation. A lot of people believe that we will see a heavy dose of Taysom Hill. Calvin Ridley on the other side of the ball is questionable. The fifth ranked passing attack for the Falcons will be diminished if he were to miss. Julio Jones seems ready to go, so Matt Ryan will have his favorite target for the past seven years on the field. Because of the expanded playoffs, mathematically the Falcons are still alive. Staying alive is contingent upon their performance in this game. They hope to take advantage of the quarterback change. Hopefully they can play a full 60 minutes of football.

&nbsp;

Philadelphia Eagles (+3.5) @ Cleveland Browns (47.5)

These teams play each other once every four years. This year has been a strange one for both teams. The Philadelphia Eagles have been ravaged with injuries all season and the Cleveland Browns have&nbsp;had extreme weather in their home games in the month of November. The Eagles are getting healthier although they will still be without Desean Jackson. Jackson has a major impact on the effectiveness of his offense with his ability to stretch the field. The Eagles face the tough task of facing the team with the best offensive line in football. The Cleveland Browns also have arguably the best running back duo in the NFL. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are both healthy and will suit up. Although they will be missing Odell Beckham Jr, the Browns should see a moderate level of success moving the ball. This game is a must win for the Browns, as the Steelers continue to roll and the Ravens are very good. Although the Eagles are limping their way to a first-place finish in their division, their margin for error is very thin and they cannot afford slip ups. The team that imposes their will on the other one should come out on top.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Tennessee Titans (+6.5) @ Baltimore Ravens (49.5)

 
Two 6-3 teams battle it out to keep pace&nbsp;with their division leaders as well as keep control of their playoff destiny. The Titans are coming off a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. They allowed Phillip Rivers to do whatever he wanted and spread the ball around to a lot of receivers. The Titans did not appear to be able to stop anything the Colts wanted to do. They had their offensive struggles also and I believe that was due to the absence of AJ Brown. He will be returning to the lineup to take on the Ravens. Brown is a top ten receiver according to PFF, so anytime you get that quality of a player back in your lineup it should only benefit you as an offense. The Ravens&rsquo; offense remains intact. They are coming off an ugly lost to the New England Patriots. The rain in the second half did not help their cause, but they did not look sharp to start the game. They were out worked and out muscled. That usually doesn&rsquo;t happen to the team that has given up the least amount of points in the NFL. Lamar Jackson definitely has not been the Lamar Jackson that we know and love from last season. That role is now reserved for Kyler Murray. The Ravens have to find a way to move the ball effectively on offense. Their best wide receiver according to PFF is Willie Snead. He is rated 46th in the NFL. The Titans are the second best coverage team in the NFL, so they should present a huge challenge for these receivers getting open. One team will be on a two game losing streak and one team will begin the process of righting the ship.

&nbsp;

Cincinnati Bengals (+1.5) @ Washington Football Team (46.5)

 
The NFL is funny. These teams have the same amount of wins (2). The Bengals are in last place in their division and virtually have no chance at making the playoffs. These teams are very close in PFF rating. Washington, on the other hand, is one win away from having the most wins in the division. The NFC East continues to be a laughing stock, but that keeps every team alive. Washington will want to protect their home field and secure a victory to keep their division winning hopes alive. Alex Smith threw for a lot of yards last week, but did not score a touchdown. I expect him to have little resistance against the Bengals&rsquo; terrible defense. The Bengals have the worst pass rush in the NFL so there will be little pressure on Smith. On the other side of the ball, Joe Burrow has looked good as a rookie this year. He is rated better than Ben Roethlisberger, Phillip Rivers and Justin Herbert. He has three wide receivers that have shown capabilities of making plays for him. Joe Mixon has been ruled out. There is not much of a drop off at running back with Giovanni Bernard starting. Mixon is ranked 37th and Bernard is ranked 42. With the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles having tough opponents this week, Washington will want to take advantage and get this home win. Joe Burrow will have something to say about that as he fights for rookie of the year honors.

&nbsp;

New England Patriots (-2) @ Houston Texans (49)

 
The Houston Texans are bad. They have been bad all season. They are bottom ten in coverage, rushing defense, overall defense and points allowed. Their only redeeming quality is their top five pass rush. It has not translated to much success. The New England Patriots seem to have adopted the formula of killing the clock and keep the opposing team off the field. This is because they have the sixth worse defense in the NFL. They are bottom five in points scored. Their offense does not put big numbers up. They have the number one run blocking offensive line so they like to play to their strength. As usual the Patriots have a plethora of players listed as questionable. Some of these players include Ryan Izzo and N&rsquo;keal Harry. We will keep an eye out for their status updates. It should not affect much because neither of these players are in the top 60 ranked in their position. The Texans&rsquo; playoff hopes are likely dashed but the Patriots still have a fighting chance. The Buffalo Bills have not completely pulled away and because of matchups between wild card contenders, a win here puts the Patriots right into the thick of things.

 
Detroit Lions (-2) @ Carolina Panthers (46.5)

 
The Detroit Lions will travel to take on the Carolina Panthers in an NFC matchup of two bad defenses. Both teams rank bottom five in defense. The Panthers have the second worse rushing defense in the NFL. Deandre Swift was certainly in line for a successful day. He has been ruled out with a concussion. This leaves a muddled backfield of&nbsp;Keryon Johnson and Adrian Peterson. Swift is ranked 23rd in the NFL at the running back position. Whether it is a time share or one back gets the bulk of the work, it will be a significant drop off in quality of player. Peterson and Johnson both rank outside the top 55 of running backs in the NFL. Regardless of who it is, they will be running behind the tenth best run blocking unit so this should help negate some of the drop off. Kenny Golladay, a top ten receiver and Danny Amedola have been ruled out. &nbsp;With a questionable Stafford, this puts the entire Lions offense in disarray. The Panthers have major running back issues as well. Christian Mcaffrey will not suit up in this game, leaving Mike Davis to restart his role as the main guy. This drop off is not major ranking wise. Mike Davis ranks 17th and Mccaffrey ranks 12th. The eye test has these backs much further apart. Mike Davis has negative air yards on the season with the 47 balls he&rsquo;s caught. That is an amazingly interesting statistic. Teddy Bridgewater is questionable to suit up, so we will have to keep an eye on that. Phillip Walker has not played enough to be ranked on PFF, but I can only imagine he would be a drop off from Bridgewater&rsquo;s ranking of 25. With so many questions marks on both sides, this game could play out either&nbsp;way.

 
Miami Dolphins (-3.5) @ Denver Broncos (45.5)

 
The Miami Dolphins are having fun laughing at everyone that laughed at them early in the 2019 season. They have the 8th best record in the league and they are doing it with defense. They have given up the fifth fewest points in the league although their defense ranks 21st in efficiency. It appears that a lot of their success has been predicated on luck rather than skill. However it is happening, Miami is okay with it. Denver has the third best defense in the league, but strangely enough has given up the eighth most points. This seems to be mostly due to their bad offense and horrific special teams. Myles Gaskin is still out on injured reserve. Salvon Ahmed has done well with his opportunity. He looks good, although he is not lighting up the statistic board. Gaskin is the 31st ranked running back so his return should be welcome. Drew Lock and Noah Fant are listed as questionable going into this matchup. Drew Lock is rated as one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league. I say that every time I see him miss a wide open Jerry Jeudy. I am not sure how much of a downgrade it can be if he were to miss, but we will keep an eye on it. The Dolphins will look to win to keep pace with the Buffalo Bills.

&nbsp;

New York Jets (+9.5) @ Los Angeles Chargers (46.5)

 
The Jets have been looking for their first win&nbsp;of the season all year. The search continues out west when they take on the Chargers. There&nbsp;really is not much&nbsp;positive to say about the Jets. They are bottom ten in special teams and defense. They have the worst offense in the league. Sam Darnold is out. There is a drop off from Darnold to Joe Flacco, and&nbsp;the drop off is 30th ranked to 33rd ranked. The only quarterbacks that separate these two are Drew Lock, and Nick Mullins. The Chargers have a bottom ten offense in the league also, but Justin Herbert has been making a strong case for rookie of the year. They get Joey Bosa and Chris Harris back, which should definitely boost their 12th ranked&nbsp;defense. With a 2-7 record, their playoff hopes are likely dashed. It will be interesting to see who truly is motivated to compete in this game.

 
Green Bay Packers (+2) @ Indianapolis Colts (51)

 
This will be one of the most interesting games on the slate. This is a matchup of two teams that succeed very differently from one another. The Packers have&nbsp;the number one passing attack in the league, with the second best pass blocking unit to protect the top rated quarterback in the league. Aaron Rodgers will have to move the ball against the sixth ranked defense in the NFL, and a quarterback that is more than comfortable with the short passing game and long&nbsp;sustained drives. That would be an effective strategy to keep this explosive Packers offense off the field. Davante Adams was questionable but has since been cleared. That is a huge relief for Packers fans. Adams is the number one rated wide receiver in the league. He is a matchup nightmare and can open up paths for his teammates to succeed with the focus being on him. Allen Lazard is questionable for Sunday&rsquo;s game. Honestly, after Adams, everyone seems relatively interchangeable at wide receiver. Phillip Rivers may be without Jack Doyle. This should not change things much because he has no problem spreading the ball around even when everyone is healthy. The Packers will look to stretch their division lead while the Colts will look to keep pace with the Tennessee Titans. I am looking forward to this clash of styles.

&nbsp;

Dallas Cowboys (+7) @ Minnesota Vikings (47.5)

 
As funny as it is&nbsp;that the Washington Football Team are&nbsp;one win away from having the most wins in the division, it is equally, if not more funny that the Cowboys are in that same boat. The Cowboys have the worst defense in the NFL in my opinion. They rank bottom five in overall defense and bottom five in rush defense.&nbsp;They have given up the most points in the NFL. They allow over 32 points a game. That typically won&rsquo;t get the job done. They will be getting Andy Dalton back at the helm. From name value alone, he is an upgrade from what they have had at quarterback in his absence. Dalton will have some very talented receivers to throw the ball to. I am not sure what the Cowboys will do to slow down the best rushing attack in the league. Kirk Cousins has shown his flashes of excellence, especially when he looks for Adam Theilen in the red zone.&nbsp;The expanded playoffs are giving more teams a chance to compete, so Minnesota will definitely want to secure this victory at home. Dallas will want to keep pace with the first place, three-win Philadelphia Eagles. This may be a tough game because it seems both teams will be driven to win.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Betting Tip of the Week:&nbsp;Certain games are called &lsquo;&rsquo;bad spots&rsquo;&rsquo; for particular teams. Always look at the last couple of games and the next game for the teams you are betting on. Sometimes a team can get caught &lsquo;&rsquo;looking ahead&rsquo;&rsquo; to a huge game the following week. In these situations, they have a higher risk of coming out flat and unfocused. This causes them to play poorly and either fail to cover or lose altogether. Typically, these &lsquo;&rsquo;look ahead&rsquo;&rsquo; spots affect the team that&nbsp;is favored.&nbsp;For example,&nbsp;Green Bay had a revenge game on a Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Before this game they had to face the Minnesota Vikings at home. Many people feel like the Packers were not up to par because they were &lsquo;&rsquo;looking ahead&rsquo;&rsquo; to the 49ers, and not focused on their current opponent.

 Pittsburgh Steelers (-10) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (46.5)&nbsp;The Pittsburgh Steelers have played lights out football all season long. They are undefeated, healthy and have shown very little sign of slowing down. Offensively, there are very few&nbsp;

Darnell's NFL Week 11 Breakdown

Arizona Cardinals (+3.5) @ Seattle Seahawks (58)

&nbsp;

Once again, we have an NFC West battle. That means that once again, we are in for an exciting game with heavy implications. Both teams are 6-3 and the winner will have sole possession of first place in the division. This one game is worth two games for the Seattle Seahawks. The Arizona Cardinals are 2-0 in division play and the Seahawks are 1-2. If Seattle does not get the job done at home Thursday night, they will not only be down record-wise, but they will be in a huge hole when it comes to the division record. They will also have been swept by the Cardinals which is a tie breaker in the event that they end up with the same record. Arizona is coming off&nbsp;that prayer of a victory against the Buffalo Bills. The Seahawks fought hard, but ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Rams. This showdown will determine which way the momentum will go in regard to the division race.

The Seahawks boast the top-rated offense in the league. The only team that have scored more points than them are&nbsp;the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has played one more game than the Seahawks have so far this season. The Seahawks are middle of the road in pass protection. This allows Russell Wilson to have a decent amount of time to find his powerful wide receiver duo. Speaking of this duo, Tyler Lockett is listed as questionable with a slight knee sprain. The injury is said to not be serious, but the short turnaround from Sunday to Thursday may make it a bit harder to play on it. If he were to sit, this would make D.K. Metcalf the main focal point of the passing attack. David Moore and the tight ends will have to step up and help Metcalf out if Lockett were to miss. The tight end situation is a bit murky also, with Greg Olsen limited in practice. Jacob Hollister and Will Dissly back him up. If this isn&rsquo;t enough injury trouble for Seattle, they have major injury concerns in their backfield. Chris Carson has missed three straight weeks and may miss this game also. Carlos Hyde and Travis Homer have both&nbsp;missed time this month and are also listed as questionable. Deejay Dallas has been their only healthy running back as of late. The Seahawks&rsquo; offense looked off in the past few weeks and I believe the&nbsp;backfield injuries are a major part of it.

The Cardinals do&nbsp;not have nearly the injury concerns that the Seahawks have. Their MVP candidate quarterback is healthy and looking better than ever. He is willing his team to victory along with his top receiver, Deandre Hopkins. Kenyan Drake had&nbsp;a good game against the Bills but is listed as questionable for Thursday&rsquo;s game. If he were to miss, Chase Edmonds would soak up a bulk of the running back work.

This game could very well shape the MVP battle. In the AFC, Patrick Mahomes is likely the top candidate. In the NFC there are several candidates, including Aaron Rodgers, Dalvin Cook and the two quarterbacks in this game. Wilson has looked like the clear-cut favorite early in the season. Kyler Murray, having rushed for a touchdown in seven out of nine games is clearly becoming just as much of a favorite. The Cardinals typically find offensive success because they run a lot of plays. Their offense ranks 15th in the league because it is not efficient at all. The Seahawks defense has&nbsp;been very generous&nbsp;to passing attacks, but extremely stingy versus the run. This will be a true battle to shift the power in the NFC.

 
 
Betting Tip of the week: Certain games are called &lsquo;&rsquo;bad spots&rsquo;&rsquo; for particular teams. Always look at the last couple of games and the next game for the teams you are betting on. Sometimes a team can get caught &lsquo;&rsquo;looking ahead&rsquo;&rsquo; to a huge game the following week. In these situations, they have a higher risk of coming out flat and unfocused. This causes them to play poorly and either fail to cover or lose altogether. Typically, these &lsquo;&rsquo;look ahead&rsquo;&rsquo; spots affect the team that&nbsp;is favorited. For example: Green Bay had a revenge game on a Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Before this game they had to face the Minnesota Vikings at home. Many people feel like the Packers were not up to par because they were &lsquo;&rsquo;looking ahead&rsquo;&rsquo; to the 49ers and not focused on their current opponent.

 Arizona Cardinals (+3.5) @ Seattle Seahawks (58)&nbsp;Once again, we have an NFC West battle. That means that once again, we are in for an exciting game with heavy implications. Both teams are 6-3 and the winner will have sole possession of first pl

Darnell's Week 11 Thursday Night Breakdown

Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns

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This is a matchup of two teams that are in the bottom ten in the league in points allowed. They allow their opponents to score a good amount of points on them. The Cleveland Browns are remaining moderately successful due to their top offensive line and their fifth best rushing attack. Kareem Hunt and the returning Nick Chubb are fed early and often. Although Baker Mayfield has not played as well as we expected, his team has a winning record. The Houston Texans are being exposed as the frauds that many people thought they were last year when they made the playoffs. I eluded to them as being, &quot;the luckiest team in football last year&quot; when I wrote them up early this season. It is all coming to fruition now. The Texans are bad. The only team they seem to able to beat is the Jacksonville Jaguars. That is not a major accomplishment. They may be without their starting running back, David Johnson. If he were to miss, Duke Johnson would step in against his former team. I don&#39;t think there is significant difference between these two running backs. Deshawn Watson is playing well, but it surrounded by a team that will not lead him to success. The Browns must win nearly every game in order to keep pace with the Baltimore Ravens and the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. We will have to see if they can keep their offensive stride without their super-talented wideout, Odell Beckham Jr.

&nbsp;

Washington Football Team @ Detroit Lions

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Somehow, despite having a .250 winning percentage and losing at home to the New York Giants, Washington is in second place in their division. They are not that far out of reach of the first place Philadelphia Eagles. Kyle Allen will undergo surgery, and miss the rest of the season. This opens the door for Alex Smith to continue his comeback journey. Smith has had a moderate level of success with Washington prior to his injury. Washington has the second worst passing attack in the NFL. Haskins have not panned out so far, and Kyle Allen did not help the team much. Hopefully Smith can increase the offensive production versus The Lions&#39; fifth worst defense.&nbsp;The Lions have a middle of the road offense.&nbsp;As of Thursday, neither Kenny Golladay nor T.J. Hockensen practiced. Their status is still questionable. Two huge play makers for the Lions could make a difference in how they approach this game against Washington.

&nbsp;

Philadelphia Eagles&nbsp;@ New York Giants

&nbsp;

The first place Eagles come off their bye to take on the New York Giants. The Eagles have barely been surviving health wise. They still manage to find themselves in first place. This bye week could not have come at a better time for them. Desean Jackson and Zach Ertz are still on injured reserve. They will not play Sunday. Some of the Eagles playmakers&nbsp;will be in the mix.&nbsp;Jalen Reagor, Dallas Gordert and Alshon Jeffrey will join the emerging star, Travis Fulgham to take on New York&rsquo;s 13th ranked defense. The Giants have difficulty in coverage, so having added weapons to throw to can only make Carson Wentz&rsquo;s job easier. The New York Giants seem to still be adjusting to life within Saquon Barkley. Wayne Gallman has scored a touchdown in each of the last three games. Golden Tate and Sterling Shephard were limited in practice, and are both questionable to play. If these players were to miss, it would put a limit on who Daniel Jones could throw to. We could be seeing a lot more Evan Engram and Darius Slayton. Kaden Smith will also&nbsp;be out. Levine Toilolo will be backing up Evan Engram. The first time these two teams played, the Eagles squeaked by with a one-point victory. The Eagles&nbsp;look to win in a more dominant fashion. The Giants&nbsp;look to gain ground in the divisional race. 

&nbsp;

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Green Bay Packers

&nbsp;

The Jaguars take their bottom ten defense to the frozen tundra in Green Bay to take on the high-powered Packers. The Jaguars have difficulty stopping opponents on the ground and through the air. They will have to put points up in order to keep pace with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. With Gardner Minshew still out for week 10, this task will fall on Jake Luton who made his first start last week against the Houston Texans. This week he is at risk of being without D.J. Chark and Laviska Shanault. If these two were to miss, Keelan Cole and Chris Conley will have to step into &nbsp;bigger roles to compete with the Packers. Green Bay expects to get Allen Lazard back. This will be another weapon added to the arsenal of Aaron Rodgers. This will make it a little more difficult for the Jaguars bottom five coverage unit. Their tight end, Robert Tonyan is questionable and may miss this game. Green Bay will need to continue to win in order to keep pulling away from the Chicago Bears. The Jaguars have the second worst record in the NFL, so their playoff hopes are more than likely finished. 

&nbsp;

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers 

&nbsp;

The Panthers will be home&nbsp;to host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last week, the Panthers were in a hard-fought battle with the Kansas City Chiefs but came up just short. They enjoyed the return of their superstar running back, Christian McCaffery. Unfortunately, it appears his return is going to be short lived. Mccaffery is listed as doubtful after hurting his shoulder in that game. Tampa Bay still has the second-best defense in the NFL, despite getting embarrassed on national television by the New Orleans Saints. They should be able to bottle up the rushing attack of&nbsp;Mike Davis. QB Teddy Bridgewater will have his full deployment of wide receivers, so Tampa Bay&rsquo;s coverage unit will not have any unexpected breaks in coverage. The Buccaneers looked nearly as bad on offense last week as they did on defense. Tom Brady looked as if he had never played with this group of playmakers before. Some people say that Antonio Brown is toxic to a team, and that he is cursed. I will&nbsp;have to see more evidence to see that. Chris Godwin and Scotty Miller may be out, but Brady&nbsp;still has a plethora of weapons to throw to. Mike Evans, Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski are slated to play in this game. These players, along with the two-headed running back attack, should supply&nbsp;Brady with enough weapons to play the game that he wants. With the Buccaneers losing both games to the Saints, they need to keep winning. 

&nbsp;

Los Angeles Chargers @ Miami Dolphins

&nbsp;

Justin Herbert will lead his Chargers into the Miami Dolphins&rsquo; stadium for a battle of two teams that are in second place in their respective divisions. The Chargers suffered a last-second loss at the hands of&nbsp;the Raiders. The Dolphins went into Arizona and defeated Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. They&#39;ve had two straight games with a defensive score. This season, the Dolphins have given up the third fewest points. This is a far cry from their terrible defense of last year. The Chargers seem to be all flash and no substance. They consistently lose games late. They perform well on the field offensively, but they can&rsquo;t seem to finish out games the way they should. After unfortunately getting hurt&nbsp;on the first drive of the game last week, Justin Jackson is listed as questionable. Eckler is still out, so if Jackson misses, that would open up more work for Kalen Ballage. I don&rsquo;t think there is much drop off or upgrade in these running backs. On the defensive side of the ball, Joey Bosa is listed as questionable after missing the game against the Raiders. He is an extremely talented defensive lineman that may make a difference in the amount of time Miami gets to throw the ball. On the other side of the ball is another rookie that has somewhat impressed. Tua Tagovailoa may be getting Matt Brieda back in the fold. Myles Gaskin is not expected to return for another couple of weeks, so the Dolphins&rsquo; backups will have to step up. Preston Williams will be out for at least three more weeks. I am expected an interesting matchup. The Dolphins, being alive in the playoff hunt should perform well. The Chargers are on a downward spiral so it will be up to them to upgrade their play.. 

&nbsp;

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

&nbsp;

The Denver Broncos, after coming up short in Atlanta will head to Oakland to face Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders held on to defeat the Chargers last week and will look to continue momentum in order to push for the playoffs. Metrically, the Raiders are arguably the worst defense in the NFL. Somehow, they have a winning record and are alive for a playoff berth. Outside of Tyrell Williams there is no one that is slated to miss this game offensively. They will need as many weapons as possible to compete with Denver&rsquo;s third ranked defense. &nbsp;Drew Lock has looked a lot better in the last 3 weeks than he has early in the season. Jerry Jeudy is beginning to slowly emerge as a good wide receiver. Jeudy, and Tim Patrick are both listed as questionable for this matchup. Lock would need as many options as possible to enhance their offense. Denver ranks bottom five offensively in the NFL. If the Broncos plan on making a miracle run to the playoffs, it has to start with this game. The Raiders are looking to keep pace with the Chiefs as well as the wildcard contenders, so they do not want to drop a divisional game here. 

&nbsp;

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers

&nbsp;

The Steelers uncharacteristically struggled against an awful and injured Dallas Cowboys team. They temporarily lost Ben Roethlisberger to a knee injury, but he returned to bring his team back. The Steelers are the only undefeated team in the NFL, and they have Superbowl aspirations. Currently, Big Ben is unable to practice due to quarantine restrictions. Mike Tomlin has stated that the team is prepping as if he will play. With the uncertainty of things nowadays, you never can be too sure, so keep an eye on that situation. If he were to sit, the offense will take a hit with Mason Rudolph starting. The Steelers are already a bottom ten offense in the league, so losing a hall of fame quarterback wouldn&rsquo;t be good news. The Bengals will have an uphill battle if they wish to defeat the unbeaten Steelers. They have a bottom three rushing attack that will face off against the Steeler&rsquo;s fourth ranked rush defense. With Joe Mixon doubtful, Giovonni Bernard will have to take on a bigger role. This will make things harder on the Bengals Sunday. Due to personal reasons, Geno Atkins will be out for this game as well. Atkins is a top flight interior defensive lineman, so his absence could assist in Pittsburgh finding running lanes. The Steelers look to extend their winning streak, while the Bengals will attempt to establish some identity and knock the Steelers off their perch. 

&nbsp;

Buffalo Bills @ Arizona Cardinals

&nbsp;

This is the game that a lot of people are interested in. Kyler Murray have been playing out of this world. He has turned himself into a dual threat weapon with his rushing ability. These are two high powered offenses that rank in the top five in the NFL. Kenyon Drake is listed as questionable for the Cardinals. If he were to miss, Chase Edmonds would be thrust into a heavy role once again. A lot of people feel as if Edmonds is the better running back anyway. Where it may be an upgrade, having both running backs to deploy seems to be more beneficial for the Cardinals. The Bills have a top three pass rush. With Murray&rsquo;s ability to extend plays and create plays of his own, that may limit the effectiveness of this pass rush. After losing a close game to the Miami Dolphins, Arizona will need to win in order to keep themselves in competition for a stout division race. The Bills are commanding the AFC East, but the Dolphins seem to have heated up as of late, so the Bills would want to stay ahead of them. I am expected this to be a battle of two play-making quarterbacks battling to establish momentum for the second half of the season. 

&nbsp;

San Francisco 49ers @ New Orleans Saints

&nbsp;

The New Orleans Saints will host a San Francisco team that has been injury-riddled for most of the season. Jimmy Garappolo will be out for at least another month. This will thrust Nick Mullins into the starting position again. George Kittle and Deebo Samuel are the top guys at their respective position. They too will miss this game. There are still injuries on defense. Nick Bosa, arguably a top three defensive player in the league will remain out. Richard Sherman is expected to play, which should definitely add some help to the 49ers&rsquo; coverage unit. Despite the injuries, San Francisco still ranks top ten in defense. This is mainly due to them being the best tackling team in the league. They do not miss tackles often. That usually is the difference between a modest gain and a huge play. The Saints had one of the most one-sided wins we&rsquo;ve seen all season against the Buccaneers. Drew Brees was able to do whatever he wanted with little or no resistance. The Saints are clicking on all cylinders. They are top ten in offense, defense, and special teams. In my opinion, they have supplanted the Buccaneers as the best team in the NFC and possibly the NFL. Drew Brees and Michael Thomas are listed as questionable, but I fully expect them to play. This offense is mainly run through Brees, Thomas and Alvin Kamara. Sean Payton sprinkles in some Taysom Hill, Latavius Murray and other weapons to execute their plan. This game will mark the final chance for the 49ers to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

&nbsp;

Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams 

&nbsp;

Just like most games involving two AFC West teams, this game looks to be one of the most interesting of the day. The Seahawks had their defense shredded by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills last week, while the Rams rested. Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde are both questionable, after missing the last two weeks.&nbsp;Rashad Penny is eligible to return in week 10, so we will see how the current running back injuries affect&nbsp;the decision to bring Penny back into the fold. The Seahawks have the number one rushing defense in the league. Darrel Henderson is questionable, so if he misses, Cam Akers and Malcolm Brown will have to shoulder the load. This will add to the challenge of this very stingy run defense. Seattle&#39;s defense, although good against the run, have been&nbsp;very generous. They have given up an average of 30 points per game. The reason their record is so good is because they are putting up an average of 34 points per game. These two teams appear to be the best in the division, so we will see if the Rams can close the gap with the Seahawks. 

&nbsp;

 Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns&nbsp;This is a matchup of two teams that are in the bottom ten in the league in points allowed. They allow their opponents to score a good amount of points on them. The Cleveland Browns are remaining moderately succ

Darnell's NFL Week 10 Breakdown

&nbsp;

Tennessee Titans (PK) @ Indianapolis Colts (48.5)

The division leaders in the AFC South will square off in a Thursday night matchup that should be good. I anticipate a hard-hitting battle between two very solid teams. The Tennessee Titans are a top five offense so far this year. Their best weapon to defeat their opponents is their rushing attack. Derrick Henry has been amazing this season. He is second in the league in&nbsp;rushing yards, only behind Dalvin Cook. He only trails Cook and Todd Gurley in rushing touchdowns, with eight. He has truly been a work horse for the Titans. He&#39;s averaged 22 carries a game. This shows that the Titans want to feed him often. Ryan Tanehill has been very good also, so we cannot overlook him. He is fifth in the league in passing touchdowns and has only thrown three interceptions. The only quarterbacks that have started each of their games and&nbsp;have thrown less&nbsp;interceptions are&nbsp;Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. That is very good company to be in. Tanehill does not have the flashy passing yardage numbers as the elite quarterbacks, but he has elite efficiency. Although they give up 25 points per game, the Titans are top ten in defensive efficiency.

The Indianapolis Colts do things much differently. They cover receivers well, tackle well and stop the run. They are the sixth best rushing defense in the league and the fifth best tackling team. The matchup between this Titans rushing attack and the Colts rushing defense will be key to who has the advantage in this game. The Colts have a middle of the road passing attack. This passing attack is protected by a top ten pass blocking offensive line. This offensive line has the advantage of an average Titans pass rush. Phillip Rivers has been an extremely difficult quarterback to predict. He throws it to a ton of different players and has shown the ability to look like an elite quarterback. He is also shown the ability to look completely washed up. Johnathon Taylor is a great talent. Unfortunately, the Colts refuse to give him a workhorse role in the offense. Some running backs that have missed games due to injury have&nbsp;more carries than Taylor and I cannot understand why. He only averages 13 carries per game. That is not enough carries to maximize Taylor&#39;s talent. &nbsp;I anticipate the side of Rivers that we get Thursday will be another key factor in who wins this tough divisional matchup.

Both teams are 3-2 in their last five games. Neither team has lost to their NFC opponents. Although this game puts these teams at the same record, the Colts need this game way more than the Titans do. If they Titans win, they will move to 3-0 in the division and the Colts will be 0-2. This will make it more difficult for the Colts to overtake the Titans in a division race late in the year. I am looking forward to a highly contested, hard-hitting battle that will leave one team with a huge boost of momentum headed into the second half of the NFL season.

&nbsp;

Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

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Betting tip of the week: Do not buy points. It is hard enough to win if you must lay the standard 11/10. Do not make it worse for yourself by paying extra juice to get the game on a particular number. If you missed a bet and no longer like the current number, you must pass on the bet. Either get your bets in early or take the number that&#39;s there. Do not spend money on buying points!

 &nbsp;Tennessee Titans (PK) @ Indianapolis Colts (48.5)The division leaders in the AFC South will square off in a Thursday night matchup that should be good. I anticipate a hard-hitting battle between two very solid teams. The Tennessee Titans are a

Darnell's NFL Week 10 Thursday Night Breakdown

Good morning, afternoon, and evening. Monday Night Football games are always interesting. It is typically the last game of the week and because it&#39;s on ESPN, it is on a national stage. These Monday night games are typically a large source of public perception. The world will see a team overperform or underperform and it usually sways their expectations of that&nbsp;team&nbsp;moving forward.

&nbsp;

New England Patriots (-9.5) @ New York Jets (41)

Monday Night football gives us a matchup of two of the worst offenses in the league. The are the bottom two teams in points scored. A bulk of the New England Patriots&#39; points were put up in weeks two and three. Since then, they have looked as bad on offense as any team in the league. The only team that makes them look competent on offense is the New York Jets. The Jets are averaging less than 12 points per game. There have been very little to enjoy about watching Jets football. The are bottom ten defensively, and they are the worst ranked team in overall offense, passing offense, and receiver route running. Monday night is shaping up to be quite literally an offensive struggle. The Patriots have enjoyed years of dominating the Jets head-to-head as well as with their won/loss&nbsp;records. This success may continue, but I truly believe the Patriots&#39; playoff hopes will be crushed sooner rather than later this season. The Jets are looking forward to scouting the number one draft pick for next year. I can&#39;t find a game or a situation that would allow me to believe the Jets will be able to beat any team.

&nbsp;

One side of the quarterback matchup is a former league MVP in Cam Newton who made it to a Superbowl. He has fallen from grace since then. This year he has a terrible 2/7 touchdown to interception ratio. He has not done well in this offense. Since he came back from his absence this season, he has looked every bit like a 4th-string journeyman quarterback as oppose to the former Superbowl contender that we use to know. He will be going against a former Superbowl MVP who once bet on himself and won big. Flacco led the Baltimore Ravens to a Superbowl victory in an interesting and controversial Superbowl game. His time with the New York Jets has not been pleasant. He has a 51% completion percentage. In the game that I watched him, I felt bad. He could not make many of the throws that he tried. He would over-throw, under-throw, and just overall be off target.

&nbsp;

The Patriots have a three headed backfield that they use in most games. James White is typically the pass catching back where Damien Harris is the primary carrier of the ball. Rex Burkhead is a hybrid and has shown the ability to explode statistically. They will be squaring off against LaMichael Perine and the ageless wonder, Frank Gore. I honestly thought Frank Gore was nearing the end of his career when he played for the Indianapolis Colts. Clearly, he had other plans. &nbsp;He has not been efficient, but he seems to be the best of what they have right now.

&nbsp;

These franchises have met 121 times. The Patriots have won the last eight meetings. They will look to stretch that streak to nine tonight. The Jets will look to avoid a nine game losing streak to the Patriots as well as this season in general. Some people feel as if the Jets want to lose for certain reasons. That is not my argument to debate. Despite this game shaping up to be an ugly dog fight between two teams at the bottom of their division, I will be watching it by default. This will be the most entertaining NFL game tonight!

 Good morning, afternoon, and evening. Monday Night Football games are always interesting. It is typically the last game of the week and because it&#39;s on ESPN, it is on a national stage. These Monday night games are typically a large source of pub

Darnell's Week 9 Monday Night Football Breakdown

&nbsp;

Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your knowledge of public perception and how it affects lines and movement. I am available for questions, thoughts, deeper dives, betting tips, bankroll management tips, or anything else you may need to help you make the best decisions possible. Read on to the end for my betting tip of the week. Enjoy!

&nbsp;

Baltimore Ravens (-1.5) @ Indianapolis Colts (48)

&nbsp;

Old school football fans will look at this game and think of the long-standing rivalry. The Colts franchise was at one point in Baltimore until the owner moved them in the middle of the night to Indianapolis. This year, these teams are second place in their respective divisions. They are looking to keep pace with the first-place teams as well as compete for a wildcard if necessary. Both teams have solid defenses. They both are top five in points allowed. Both teams appear to show up against lower competition but struggle against very good teams. Lamar Jackson has not been nearly as mobile as he was last year. Phillip Rivers looked good last week. I am not sure if that was a product of his opponent, or if it is him turning the corner again. I anticipate a good matchup between two solid teams. I wonder which team will rise to the occasion and take this one?

&nbsp;

Carolina Panthers (+10.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (52.5)

&nbsp;

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking like they are in rare form. They have put up an average of 39 points in their last two games. Despite how explosive they are, efficiency wise they are only the ninth best offense in the league. This comes from their below average rushing attack. I anticipate that they felt as if they needed help in the backfield. Therefore, Leveon Bell was signed. They get blessed by facing the second worst rushing defense in the NFL. To add to the misery of the Panthers&rsquo; rushing defense, they are also the second worst tackling team in the NFL. The Chiefs&rsquo; top five passing game should have some help being balanced with this great matchup for the run game. The Panthers generally play a clock control style of football. If they can sustain drives and keep Patrick Mahomes seated, they could make it interesting.

&nbsp;

Seattle Seahawks (-3) @ Buffalo Bills (54.5)

&nbsp;

The Seattle Seahawks must travel east to take on the Buffalo Bills in a matchup between two playoff contenders. The Seahawks have been the talk of the town with their league leading offense and MVP candidate quarterback. The Bills have a mobile quarterback that loves to throw the ball all over the yard. I am interested in seeing how Seattle does traveling east after their big win against San Francisco. The Bills have a tough stretch of games upcoming, so they will want to get a win at home here to bolster their record. Looking at the Seahawks, most people think their overall defense is bad. It is not as bad as you think. The rushing defense is terrific, ranking second to only the Pittsburgh Steelers. The problem is that the Seahawks are poor at covering wide receivers. They also struggle to pressure the quarterback. A pass-happy Bills team should have good opportunity to get the ball where they want.

&nbsp;

Houston Texans (-6.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (50.5)

&nbsp;

This division rematch pits two of the most interesting bad teams in the NFL against each other. The Houston Texans have a top five passing attack with a top five pass blocking offensive line. Deshawn Watson has plenty of opportunities and makes the most of them. The issue is that Watson usually must keep his team alive because of their defense. The Texans are bottom ten in pass rush, coverage, tackling and rushing defense. Teams do whatever they want against the Texans. That will usually lead to a poor record. The Jacksonville Jaguars are not much better defensively. Houston is the sixth worst defense in the league. Jacksonville is the fifth worst. With Gardner Minshew out, we will see Jake Luton starting at quarterback for the Jaguars. These two teams that haven&#39;t been able to stop their opponents will square off to try to stop one another.

&nbsp;

Denver Broncos (+4) @ Atlanta Falcons (50)

&nbsp;

The Denver Broncos will travel to Atlanta to take on one of the most one-dimensional offenses in the league. The Falcons are dead last in rushing and sixth best in passing. They say if you make a team one dimensional, you will beat them. That is shown by the Falcons&rsquo; record. They have been beaten often. Denver has the third best defense in the NFL, so perhaps they can take advantage of the Falcons&rsquo; lack of diversity. I view the Falcons as a very good team for three quarters. Unfortunately, NFL football games are four quarters long and they may be the worst fourth quarter team in the league. The problem for the Broncos is that the only offense worse than theirs is the Jets. Despite receiving another Anthony Lynn blessing which allowed them to win against the Los Angeles Chargers, they struggle at moving the ball. That is not a good look for Drew Lock and the Broncos.

&nbsp;

New York Giants (+2.5) @ Washington Football Team (42.5)

&nbsp;

This matchup is the NFC version of the Texans-Jaguars matchup. These teams have combined for the least amount of points scored this season than any other matchup on this slate. Both offenses are bad and there isn&rsquo;t a nice way to put it. The Giants managed to skate by with a one-point victory in their first meeting this year. The sad part about this game is that realistically both teams are very alive for a playoff berth. If Washington wins, they will have the lead in the division with a .375 record halfway through the season. The awfulness of this division annoys me, but intrigues me at the same time. Daniel Jones continues to increase his turnover percentage with every game played. He has only had one career game without a turnover. This should be an interesting matchup, likely for the wrong reasons.

&nbsp;

Las Vegas Raiders (+1) @ Los Angeles Chargers (51)

&nbsp;

This is a division battle between two teams that recently changed cities. The Las Vegas Raiders will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers. The Raiders are one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL. They have games where they look very good. They then have games where they look lost, and the fact that they are the worst defense in the NFL shows its face. The Raiders are bottom ten in rushing defense. They are the worst team in the NFL when it comes to pass rush and pass coverage. Quarterbacks typically have all day to throw to receivers that face very little pressure. The Chargers are a middle of the road team that I feel like are better than their record. Anthony Lynn refuses to keep his foot on the gas when his team has a lead. This has led to another season of fourth quarter meltdowns and blown leads. I don&#39;t see either of these teams winning the AFC West, but this matchup should be tightly contested.

&nbsp;

Pittsburgh Steelers (-14) @ Dallas Cowboys (41.5)

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We go from a game that should be tightly contested to a game that appears to be a laugher. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the best defense in football by a lot. In my opinion, they are not the best team in the NFL. That is reserved for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers&#39; offense still has some to be desired. Whether you view them as the best or second best, there is very little argument that they far out-class the Dallas Cowboys. This game outline is simple. The Steelers have the best defense in the NFL by a lot. The Cowboys have the second worst defense in the NFL. Ben DiNucci has been the butt of plenty of restaurant and NASCAR jokes. Hopefully he can find his footing in the NFL. The fact that this bad and injured Cowboys team is not yet out of the playoff hunt makes me laugh. Good luck with ending Pittsburgh&#39;s undefeated season.

&nbsp;

Miami Dolphins (+4) @ Arizona Cardinals (49.5)

&nbsp;

I remember this time last year the Dolphins were the league&#39;s joke. They were giving up points in bunches. They truly looked like they would be bad for years. After they traded away some good players, it was believed that they were planning to tank. In 2020, the Dolphins have arrived to laugh back and those that were laughing at them. They abused The San Francisco 49ers, and their defense embarrassed Jared Goff and the Rams. They are 4-3 and right in the thick of things in the AFC east. Despite their defense not grading out as a top defense, the Dolphins have given up the least amount of points this season. They have given up less points than the Steelers, Colts, Ravens and Broncos. All these teams have played the same amount of games. WOW!&nbsp; Arizona grades out as a middle of the pack team. They are looked at as a middle of the road team, although they defeated the best team in their division. I am very interested to see which of these teams are legit.

&nbsp;

Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises, criticisms, etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

&nbsp;

Betting tip of the week: Home field advantage used to legitimately equate to 3 points. Nowadays, that home field advantage is antiquated and does not line up. Home teams are overvalued this year. That&rsquo;s it. That&rsquo;s the tip.

 &nbsp;Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even yo

Darnell's NFL Week 9 Breakdown

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Thursday night brings us a matchup of two top ten offenses. These teams do it well, however, in two very different ways. The Green Bay Packers have the second-best passing attack in the NFL, only behind the Seattle Seahawks. Aaron Rodgers is looking every bit like one of the best three quarterbacks in the league. It appears he has turned back&nbsp;the hands of time to his Super Bowl run in the 2010-2011 season. He has turned a top five receiver into the best receiver in the NFL. Rodgers is making Devante Adams&rsquo;s job very easy. This passing attack will square off against the second-best coverage unit. The San Francisco 49ers are middle of the pack in pass rush, so Rodgers should have a good amount of time behind his top five passing blocking unit. The 49ers do it by pounding their opponents into submission. They have a top five run blocking unit with the number one rushing attack in the NFL. Despite the Packers having a decent rush defense, they have clearly shown the ability to get trounced in certain spots.

The problem with this game on both sides are the injuries. The Packers have multiple running backs that will miss this game. A.J. Dillon is out after testing positive for COVID 19. Jamaal Williams, after having close contact with Dillon is also out. Aaron Jones has been nursing an injury. The Packers are one of the most conservative teams when it comes to injuries, so the outlook does not look promising for the prospect of Jones playing. This would leave Tyler Ervin as the lead back, with Dexter Williams sharing the load. This would be a significant drop off. Nonetheless, they still have Rodgers and still have Adams. If you think the Packers&rsquo; injuries are bad, you haven&rsquo;t seen anything. The 49ers have lost their best players at all four offensive skill positions. It will be nearly impossible for this team to compete in the best division in football. Losing Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle for several weeks going forward appears to be the final nail in the 49ers&rsquo;s season.

Despite the Packers being on the road, this is still&nbsp;&nbsp;Rodgers and&nbsp;Adams versus Nick Mullins and others. The Packers were destroyed twice last season by San Francisco. One of those defeats kept Green Bay out of the playoffs. Especially after getting dominated by Cook and the Vikings, I imagine the Packers are not happy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Good luck 49ers.

&nbsp;

Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

&nbsp;

Betting tip of the week: Home Field advantage used to legitimately equate to 3 points. Nowadays that home field advantage is antiquated and does not line up. Home teams are overvalued this year. That&rsquo;s it. That&rsquo;s the tip.&nbsp;

 &nbsp;Thursday night brings us a matchup of two top ten offenses. These teams do it well, however, in two very different ways. The Green Bay Packers have the second-best passing attack in the NFL, only behind the Seattle Seahawks. Aaron Rodgers is l

NFL Week 9 Thursday Night Breakdown

Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your knowledge of public perception and how it affects lines and movement. I am available for questions, thoughts, deeper dives, betting tips, bankroll management tips, or anything else you may need to help you make the best decisions possible. Read on to the end for my betting tip of the week. Enjoy!

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&nbsp;

New York Jets (+19) @ Kansas City Chiefs (48)

&nbsp;

It took me a few moments to begin this write up because I had to stop laughing. I believe I eluded to this game a few weeks ago. Now we see exactly what the spread would be when these two teams met. This matchup pits the absolute worst team in the NFL versus one of the elite teams in the league. I will let you in on a little-known secret. The Chiefs actually has a disadvantage in this game. The Chiefs rush defense is not that good. They have a bottom ten rushing defense. The Jets actually has the 12th&nbsp;best rushing attack in the league. Their rushing attack actually grades better than Pittsburgh, Chicago, Buffalo and Carolina. The Jets played the Bills very tough, not allowing a touchdown. The Chiefs got back on the right track by destroying the Broncos. This win was powered by their defense and not their offense. I am in no way saying that I think the Jets will go into Arrowhead and win. I am only saying that the game is more interesting to me then it originally appeared.

&nbsp;

Minnesota Vikings (+6.5) @ Green Bay Packers (54)

&nbsp;

This will be the second meeting between these divisional foes. The first meeting was an offensive clinic by the Packers. They put up 43 points. Although the Vikings lost by nine, the game was not that close at all. The Packers are one of the best teams in the AFC. Their strength is their second-ranked offense. They have the second-best passing attack along with the second-best run blocking unit. They are top ten defensively, which shows their balance. The Vikings have a high-powered offense themselves. They are the seventh best offense in the league. Their problem lies in their defense. Their bottom five pass rush and bottom five rush defense make them the third-worst defense in the NFL. Teams are able to move the ball at will versus the Vikings. We will have to see if the Vikings plan on changing the narrative. If not, Green Bay will have their way again.

&nbsp;

Indianapolis Colts (-3) @ Detroit Lions (50)

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The Colts are looking to continue their momentum that they gather going into their bye week last week. The travel to Detroit to take on the Lions. The lions are on a two-game winning streak and are looking to bring their record above .500. The Lions are middle of the pack in most of the key metrics. They are decent in route running, offense and defense. They do excel in run blocking. Both teams have very strong special teams. This aspect of the game could determine who has the edge. The Colts are still a solid team, despite having been exposed by the Browns. Coming off their bye we will have to see if Phillip Rivers can actually get the ball to his receivers. He has looked every bit of 38 years old.

&nbsp;

New England Patriots (+3.5) @ Buffalo Bills (42.5)

&nbsp;

This game looks disgusting. The Patriots Bills struggled mightily against the lowly Jets. They could not score a touchdown. The Patriots&rsquo; offense has looked about as bad as an offense could look so far this month. They have scored 28 points in their last three games. That&rsquo;s an average of 9.33 points a game. I can promise that a team will not have success putting up single digit points. It would not matter how could your defense is at that point. Julian Edelman has been ruled out. Harry has not practiced this week. That can&rsquo;t spell anything good for this offense. This game appears to be the ugliest game of the day. I think the Patriot&rsquo;s defense along with their lack of offense will keep this game murky.

&nbsp;

Las Vegas Raiders (+2.5) @ Cleveland Browns (50.5)

&nbsp;

I promise you that I am not biased to the Browns. I seem to say it every week they play, but this seems like one of the most interesting games of the day. Metrically, the Raiders have the second-worst defense in the NFL. They will have to compete with the best offensive line in the league, by far. The Browns have had two losses. These losses were against tough division opponents. The Ravens and the Steelers are looked at as two of the best three teams in the AFC. The Browns will look to take advantage of the fact that these teams are playing. They will look to grab their sixth win of the season to keep pace. The Raiders are a strange team. They have shown the ability to look bad but have also demonstrated offensive explosiveness. This game could be a track meet. The only team that&rsquo;s given up more points than Cleveland is Dallas. Cleveland will have to find a way to make up for the loss of their star receiver, Odell Beckham Jr.

&nbsp;

Tennessee Titans (-5.5) @ Cincinnati Bengals (53)

&nbsp;

The Titans are another team that is looked at as elite in the AFC. The one thing they struggle with is getting pressure on quarterbacks. They are bottom five in the NFL in pass rush. The Bengals are below average at pass blocking, so I wonder which side will have success. Joe Burrow has looked exceptional throwing the ball this season. Burrow is third in the NFL in passing yards. There is no other quarterback that have thrown for more first downs than Joe Burrow. He looks to be a staple in the echelon of good quarterbacks for a long time. The status of Joe Mixon is still unclear. Gio Bernard was not able to garner a level of success that was expected of him. The Titans are the second-best rushing team in the NFL, only behind San Francisco. Despite being second, I will argue for Derrick Henry being a superior running back than what the 49ers have to offer. The Titans have the second-worst special teams unit in the league. It will be interesting to see what the Bengals do to compete with the high-powered Titans&rsquo; attack.

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Pittsburgh Steelers (+4) @ Baltimore Ravens (46.5)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This will likely be the game of the day.&nbsp; This is a divisional matchup that contains two of the top three teams in the AFC accordingly to some people. I still feel like the Ravens are overrated. They are good, but they are not top ten offensively or defensively. I think they are a product of who they have played. The Steelers have shown to be a juggernaut. Destroying the best offensive line in football two weeks ago was one step. Knocking off the Titans, while dominating them the whole game was another. The Steelers having the best pass rush and rushing defense in the league. They rank bottom eight offensively, but their defense is so dominant that it makes up for a lack of efficiency offensively. I cannot highlight any of the Steelers losses because they haven&rsquo;t had any. Lamar Jackson has not been as mobile as last season. I am looking forward to this game and I promise it&rsquo;s not because I am from Cleveland and I know one of these teams will lose.

&nbsp;

Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) @ Miami Dolphins (46)

&nbsp;

Looking ahead at this game early in the year, you would not anticipate this to be a close game. Looking at the past few weeks for Miami and digging into the metrics confuses me more than a lot of things. The Rams are very good. They are balanced. They are top ten offensively and defensively. They showed their dominance on national TV when then abused the Chicago Bears. The Dolphins are in the bottom half of the league offensively and defensively. Both teams have looked very impressive as of late. I think people see that the Dolphins obliterated the same team that dominated the Rams. I forced myself to look deeper than that. The Dolphins will be deploying their rookie quarterback. This is a move that I was confused about. They are alive in the division and the team was clicking. I am not sure why they are shaking things up to this extent. We can only find out when we see it play out.

&nbsp;

Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) @ Denver Broncos (44.5)

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&nbsp;This is a matchup of two bottom ten offenses. Despite Justin Herbert&rsquo;s eye-popping numbers, the team is not good overall offensively. Herbert has looked very good thus far. He is fourth in the league in yards per attempts (starting quarterbacks). He has a 4-1 touchdown to interception ratio. The problem that he faces is the third best defense in the league. The Bronco&rsquo;s strength is their rushing defense. This forces teams to become one-dimensional and predictable. When a defense can predict what you will do, it makes it easier to defend. The Broncos&rsquo; problem is that they are inept offensively. They have scored the third fewest points. This game should be slow and defensive. The Chargers are the slowest team in the NFL in terms of pace. This matchup between two 2-4 teams will in my opinion eliminate one of them from playoff contention. The Chiefs are rolling, and the AFC north looks as if they are preparing to send three teams to the playoffs.

&nbsp;

San Francisco 49ers (+3) @ Seattle Seahawks (54)

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After a shootout that the Seahawks came up short in, they go home to take on another division opponent. The 49ers have looked impressive after getting embarrassed at home by Miami. They went home and played a very good game to defeat the Rams. They went into New England and took advantage of Cam Newton resembling Nathan Peterman. The won that game 33-6 and looked dominant doing it. The Seahawks have had difficulty preventing teams from scoring this year. Their rushing defense is solid. They get minimal pass rush, being the second worst in the league in that department. This division matchup is critical because everyone in this division has a winning record. Everyone in this division is a good football team. Unfortunately, not everyone in this division will make the playoffs. The Seahawks has a glaring advantage over the 49ers. They have an MVP candidate at quarterback. Russell Wilson has been absolutely fantastic. He has been able to drive his team up the field. He has made few mistakes. His defense will have to improve in order for the Seahawks to have success throughout the colder months of the year.

&nbsp;

New Orleans Saints (-4.5) @ Chicago Bears (43.5)

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The Chicago Bears bring their sixth best defense at sixth worst offense to Soldier Field to take on Alvin Kamara and the Saints. Michael Thomas is out again. This is a weird situation that&rsquo;s going on with Michael Thomas. We will have to monitor and keep our eyes on it. The Bears were beaten all over the field against the Rams last week. With the Packers being red-hot, the Bears will need to keep pace. The Saints are a solid team. Drew Brees seems to have aged a lot. There is nothing about this team that stands out. They seem to do everything at a decent clip. They don&rsquo;t do anything great, but don&rsquo;t do anything poorly either. Both teams are trailing their division leaders and will need to win in order to keep their hopes alive.

Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

Betting Tip of the week: If you like a short underdog to cover, you should always consider placing a small wager on the moneyline. You maximize your winnings if they win outright. If the underdog loses but covers, you still profit on the game. Use this strategy wisely, but don&rsquo;t be afraid of it.

 Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your kno

Darnell's NFL Week 8 Breakdown

<div>Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your knowledge of public perception and how it affects lines and movement. I am available for questions, thoughts, deeper dives, betting tips, bankroll management tips, or anything else you may need to help you make the best decisions possible. Read on to the end for my betting tip of the week. Enjoy! Thursday games are always interesting. They always have a couple of storylines to follow. Because they are an island game, there is typically more attention paid to it than any individual game on Sunday.&nbsp;</div>

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Atlanta Falcons (+2.5) @ Carolina Panthers (49.5)

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</div>

Sometimes the Thursday night games lead to subpar football due to the lack of preparation time. Teams are typically tired from the previous game, so it causes them to not be as sharp. Fortunately for the Falcons, they start their rest early each Sunday. The Falcons take their 45 minutes of football on the road to Carolina to take on their division opponent. The Falcons may be the worst fourth quarter team I&rsquo;ve ever seen. I have watched football for a very long time. I&rsquo;m not sure I&rsquo;ve seen any team willingly collapse on a consistent basis like these Falcons. I do love when division games are the Thursday night game. The two teams usually are more familiar with each other and a lot of times it leads to closer games. This is an interesting matchup. The Panthers are not good. Despite the records of these teams, the Falcons are metrically a better team. They are better offensively and defensively than the Panthers. The Panthers have the second worst rushing defense in the NFL. I&rsquo;m not sure if Gurley and the Falcons can take advantage because they grade out as the worst rushing team in the league. Both teams are coming off a loss due to fourth quarter mishaps. Unfortunately for the Falcons, their season is likely over. The Panthers still appear to have a chance to compete for the playoffs. Todd Gurley was extremely upset about the game against the Lions, as he should be. The Falcons have been leaning on their running game more over the last few weeks. It has not translated to much success in the win-loss record. Speaking of running backs, let&rsquo;s address the cardinal in the room. Christian McCaffery has been practicing! We do not know if he will suit up and play. If he does, this will be very interesting. Mike Davis has truly emerged as a weapon in the Panther&rsquo;s backfield. Seeing how the work would be split now that Davis has emerged would be something I am looking forward to. McCaffery typically saw 95%+ of the running back snaps and opportunities. Due to him returning from injury and Mike Davis having success, I definitely see that number dropping. The question remains, just how much? I promise that this will be the most entertaining NFL game on Thursday. We will see if the Falcons want to begin playing spoiler this season, or if the Panthers want to keep pace with the Saints and Buccaneers.

<div>
&nbsp;

Betting Tip of the week: If you like a short underdog to cover, you should always consider placing a small wager on the moneyline. You maximize your winnings if they win outright. If the underdog loses but covers, you still profit on the game. Use this strategy wisely, but don&rsquo;t be afraid of it.&nbsp;

<div>&nbsp;</div>
</div>

NFL Thursday Week 8

Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your knowledge of public perception and how it affects lines and movement. I am available for questions, thoughts, deeper dives, betting tips, bankroll management tips, or anything else you may need to help you make the best decisions possible. Read on to the end for my betting tip of the week. Enjoy!

<div>
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&nbsp;

Buffalo Bills (-12.5) @ New York Jets (45)

&nbsp;

There comes a certain point in each NFL season where we truly see the worst teams in the NFL showing their true colors. Unfortunately for the Jets, this point has arrived. Having actually watched most of the Jets/Dolphins game, I witnessed first-hand how awful this team is. Flacco is not a competent NFL quarterback. He cannot make routine throws. I witnessed him overthrow receivers by several yards consistently.&nbsp;If Darnold doesn&rsquo;t return soon, I truly see Flacco getting the plug pulled on his run very soon. The Bills are a solid team. They suffered a loss against Tennessee and then against the Chiefs. These are two of the best teams in the AFC. They get the Jets in what appears to be a get right spot. Although the Bills have a worse rated defense than the Jets, I can&rsquo;t see how the Jets will be able to take advantage. They average 12.5 points a game. I don&rsquo;t see many teams winning games by scoring 12 points.

&nbsp;

Detroit Lions (+2.5) @ Atlanta Falcons (55)

&nbsp;

Two dome teams clash in what appears will be a high scoring affair. These teams rank ninth and tenth worst defensively. There isn&rsquo;t much resistance from them. Both teams love to air it out. I love both team&#39;s receiving corps and it&rsquo;s clear that each quarterback does also. It seems as if both teams have discovered that the running back position exists. The Falcons has leaned on Gurley more due to injuries in their receiving corps. The Lions have discovered that Deandre Swift is pretty good and used him to trounce the Jaguars. Maybe this new found balance will improve these team&#39;s offenses. Which team will start a winning streak?

&nbsp;

Pittsburgh Steelers (+1) @ Tennessee Titans (50.5)

&nbsp;

This is a battle of two AFC powerhouses. The Steelers are coming off a monstrous win against their division rival Cleveland. The Titans are coming off an overtime thriller against the Texans, in which Derrick Henry proved to be the best football player in that building. I am looking forward to which team comes out on top. The Steelers are the best run stopping team in the NFL. The Titans are the best running team in the NFL. The loss of Devin Bush may prove costly. He has played a huge part in Pittsburgh&#39;s dominance against runners. The Steelers have the best overall defense in the league. The Titans have the second-best offense, only behind Seattle. If this game is close, it may come down to special teams. The Steelers have the fourth best unit. The Titans are literally the opposite with the fourth worst unit. This should be a good one!

&nbsp;

Carolina Panthers (+7.5) @ New Orleans Saints (51)

&nbsp;

This divisional matchup has two teams with three wins each on the season. Despite the Panthers having the same number of wins as the Saints, they seem to always get disrespected. People view this team as overachievers and the perception is that they are performing better than they really are. The Saints are not nearly the juggernaut that they have been in previous years. They are a middle of the road offense with an average defense. Drew Brees has not looked like the Superdome Superman that we all know and love. They do have a good running back duo. That could spell trouble for the Panthers. They have the worst rushing defense in the NFL, by far.

&nbsp;

Green Bay Packers (-3.5) @ Houston Texans (57)

&nbsp;

Two teams coming off losses square off here in week 7. The Packers were absolutely destroyed by the Buccaneers. The Texans&rsquo; loss came in overtime where they didn&rsquo;t even get a chance to touch the ball. Both teams gave up a lot of points in their losses. Which team will bounce back? Both of these teams rank in the top six in offense. They both have very good quarterbacks that can move the ball through the air and on their feet if needed. The Texans have a very bad rush defense. This was proven by Henry&rsquo;s dominance of them last week. The Packers are the third best run blocking team in the league. They also employ a top five running back in the league in Aaron Jones. Jones is a weapon like few others. If you are a fan of defense, you might want to hold your nose when you watch this game.

&nbsp;

Cleveland Browns (-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (50)

&nbsp;

This is the second meeting of the season for these Ohio teams. The Browns were absolutely embarrassed by Pittsburgh Sunday. They have to bounce back and establish themselves once again as a competitor in the AFC North. The Browns won the last meeting against the Browns, although the score was closer than the game was. Despite the Steelers making a mockery out of the Browns offensive line, it is still the best in football. They are number one in run blocking. They are second best in pass protection. This should allow Hunt to find some holes and give Mayfield some time to find his targets. Pittsburgh has a significantly better defense than the Bengals, so I don&rsquo;t expect the Browns to have a repeat performance. The Bengals are the third worst rushing team in the league. It seems like Burrow will have to make it happen in order for the Bengals to win.

&nbsp;

Dallas Cowboys (+1) @ Washington Football Team (46)

&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s a shame when there&rsquo;s two games that match up division opponents and they both look ugly. The Cowboys looked awful against the Cardinals. They ran dink-and-dunk plays all game. I don&rsquo;t know how they expected to move the ball by throwing it one yard to a covered receiver. Elliot had two cringeworthy fumbles that the Cardinals happily took advantage of. The Cowboys have had the worst defense in the NFL all season. They still do. I am not sure if Washington can take advantage of it. The only offenses worse than theirs are the Broncos and the Jets. These two teams are heated rivals, so their matchups always have some intrigue. This will be a matter of who can come out on top and gain traction in the worst division in football.

&nbsp;

San Francisco 49ers (+2) @ New England Patriots (43.5)

&nbsp;

These two teams had vastly different weeks. The 49ers had a very strong performance against their division rival, Los Angeles. The Patriots were dominated by a very strong Denver defense and an accurate kicker. The 49ers have to travel to the east coast to take on this Patriots team. Neither team excels in one particular thing. The 49ers have the second worst special teams unit in the NFL. Ironically, it was the Broncos worst special teams unit that single-handedly put up all of the points in their matchup. This one should be interesting. We know Belichick likes phasing out his opponents&rsquo; top weapon, so we will see if San Francisco can adjust.

&nbsp;

Kansas City Chiefs (-9.5) @ Denver Broncos (46)

&nbsp;

The Chiefs were surprised at home by the Las Vegas Raiders. They gave up 40 points to them. They definitely want to bounce back and establish themselves as an AFC powerhouse to stand strong with the likes of Pittsburgh and Tennessee. They have to go through Mile High in order to do that. The Chiefs may have some challenges moving the ball with their weapons. The Broncos have the number two defense in the league. They are very stout. Funny enough, the Chiefs are third in the league in points scored. The Broncos rank third in points against. This is a true clash of styles. The team that imposes their will on the other should come out on top.

&nbsp;

Jacksonville Jaguars (+7.5) @ Los Angeles Chargers (49)

&nbsp;

The Chargers come off of a bye week to take on a bad Jaguars team. The Jaguars have a bottom five defense in the NFL. This is also evident by the 181 points they&rsquo;ve given up so far this season. That is an average of 30.2 points per game. It is very difficult to win if you can&rsquo;t hold your opponents under 30. Both of these teams are near the bottom offensively. Justin Herbert has looked massively impressive since he&rsquo;s taken over for Taylor. Part of the issue with the Chargers is the fact that they are bottom five in pass protection. This makes it hard for a rookie to succeed consistently. One thing that gives the Chargers an advantage is that Jacksonville has the second worst pass rush unit in the league. Although neither of these teams will win their division, this game interests me slightly.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

&nbsp;

Betting tip of the week: If you like a particular side, that does not necessarily mean you should bet that side for the first half or first quarter. Treat each of these bets separate and analyze accordingly.
</div>

NFL Week 7 Breakdown

Good morning, afternoon, and evening. Thursday Night Football is back after a week off. We have a Thursday night game between two division foes. I want to look at this game from the outside, and then dig deeper and look inside the two teams competing. When looking at these primetime games, always remember that the national spotlight affects players and coaches differently.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

New York Giants (+4.5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (45)

No one would have thought that in week 7, two teams with one win each would be competing to have the most wins in their division. If it were not for how awful the NFC east is, this game would be frowned upon by the masses. Here we are, though with two teams with very live division hopes. The Giants finally got off the snide against Washington. The Eagles fought close and barely lost a game against the mighty Ravens. The Giants must travel to Philadelphia to take on an injury-ravaged Eagles team. The Giants are still without Barkley and they hope to get Shephard back. The Eagles have lost their second tight end. Ertz went down and just added to the list of downed offensive weapons for the Eagles. Desean Jackson is expected to make his return. Alshon Jeffrey may show up also. I do not think he will be much of a factor. Fulgham has really come into his own to secure a strong role with this offense. Let&rsquo;s take a look at the teams on a deeper level.

Both teams are actually in the top half in the league defensively. You would not believe it by seeing how many points the Eagles give up each game. This stems from their offensive woes. They are not able to keep opposing teams off the field despite their defense playing at a decent clip. The Giants have their offensive struggles as well. Both teams are bottom five in offensive efficiency.

Daniel Jones replaced Eli Manning last year. He has started 18 games and has had at least one turnover in 17 of these games. If we know anything about football, it is that turnovers are the quickest way to lose a game. The Giants have the worst pass blocking the NFL. This spells trouble, because the Eagles have the third best pass rush. As we know, quarterback pressure is crucial in their efficiency and causing turnovers. Each team are bottom five in wide receiver route running. This would normally make their receivers easy to cover. The problem is that both teams also rank in the bottom seven in covering receivers. Overall, it seems like it will still be difficult for the Giants&rsquo; receivers to get open due to the heavy pressure Jones should be under.

&nbsp;

We already know who these Thursday games affect; the traveling road team. They are usually at a disadvantage. Luckily for the Giants, they did not have to travel far at all. The Eagles are hopefully getting healthier and will look to establish themselves as a force within their division. This game will come down to whether or not the Giants are hungry after their first win, or happy that they got their first win. Either way, I promise that this will be the most watched football game on Thursday night.

&nbsp;

Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

&nbsp;

Betting tip of the week: If you like a particular side, that does not necessarily mean you should bet that side for the first half or first quarter. Treat each of these bets separate and analyze accordingly.

 Good morning, afternoon, and evening. Thursday Night Football is back after a week off. We have a Thursday night game between two division foes. I want to look at this game from the outside, and then dig deeper and look inside the two teams competin

NFL Thursday NIght Week 7

<div>Good morning, afternoon, and evening. We have a Sunday Night showdown between two division foes. I want to look at this game from the outside, and then dig deeper and look inside the two teams competing. When looking at these primetime games, always remember that the national spotlight affects players and coaches differently.</div>

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Los Angeles Rams (-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (52) 
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I will call this game the &lsquo;&rsquo;public perception&rsquo;&rsquo; game of the week. This game will be all about these team&#39;s last few weeks. The Rams appeared as if they went tooth and nail with a very good Buffalo Bills team, but came up short. They then played against a terrible Giants team. They did not score a lot, but their defense was great. They followed that game up with a strong effort against the Washington Football Team. That is what the public will see. What I see is the Rams were dead men walking in Buffalo. Buffalo let their foot off the gas and because the Rams have a very good offense, they were able to come back and make it interesting. They came back only to give it up at the end. They then went home and struggled to score against the winless Giants. They followed that up by beating up on a team that hasn&rsquo;t won since week one. When people look at the 49ers, they will we see a team that got beat at home by the injury-riddled Eagles. They then invited Miami to their stadium and got absolutely lambasted. What I see is a wrong choice at quarterback leading to a hungry Eagles team barely getting by. Jimmy G came back and was rusty, looked out of place and by the time Beathard got in the game, the team was lost for the week. I feel like the Rams are not as good as people think. The 49ers are not as bad as people think. Let&rsquo;s explore the teams.

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The Rams are indeed very good. I still have my reservations if this is due to them being good, or is it because all of their wins have come against the worst division in football. The Rams grade out fantastically offensively, defensively, blocking and receiving. They are very well rounded. Their weakness is having a bottom ten rushing defense. They have only given up 90 points in their five games this season, which is impressive. It does look less impressive once you realize they played the Eagles, Washington and the Giants. Washington and New York are bottom five in points scored. They have scored a decent 136 points so far, however three of their previous opponents rank bottom ten in points allowed.

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The 49ers&rsquo; clear strength is their defense. They are seventh in coverage, top ten in pass rush, and third when it comes to rushing defense. Overall, they are the third best defense in the NFL. This is after having lost a top three defensive player in Bosa. San Francisco is a middle of the road offensive team. I am sure they would be much better had their quarterback and multiple running backs remained healthy. One of the most under-appreciated metrics is special teams. There is a lot of hidden yardage in special teams. The 49ers are the second worst team in this department.

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All in all, this seems to be shaping up to be an interesting Sunday night game. The Rams are looking to keep pace with the first place Seahawks. The 49ers are in a MUST WIN situation if they want a chance to keep their season alive.

&nbsp;

49ers 27&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rams 23

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

&nbsp;

Betting tip of the week: Understand that when betting totals, there is more to it than just how good the offenses and defenses are. There is also the pace of play element. There are teams that play slow, so even if their offense is good, they will kill a lot of clock moving the ball. You also have to be mindful of bad offenses giving their opponents short fields. Short fields make it easier to score. The&nbsp; bottom line is -- take everything under consideration when looking at a bet on totals.&nbsp;

 Good morning, afternoon, and evening. We have a Sunday Night showdown between two division foes. I want to look at this game from the outside, and then dig deeper and look inside the two teams competing. When looking at these primetime games, always

Darnell's Sunday Night Breakdown

Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your knowledge of public perception and how it affects lines and movement. I am available for questions, thoughts, deeper dives, betting tips, bankroll management tips, or anything else you may need to help you make the best decisions possible. Read on to the end for my betting tip of the week. Enjoy!

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Baltimore Ravens (-7.5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (47.5)

&nbsp;

One of the interconference matchups of the week has the very good Ravens team facing an Eagles team that really could use some help in the health department. The Eagles have been ravaged by injuries all year. The only thing keeping their hopes alive for the playoffs is the fact that they are in the worst division in football. Conversely, the Ravens are in the best division in football. The Ravens are coming off a dominating victory against the Bengals. The Ravens do not grade out as well as I would have thought. They are middle of the road defensively and offensively. They can certainly be proud of having given up the least amount of points in the NFL. They&rsquo;ve given up just 76 total points, which is an average of 15.2 per game. The Eagles will need some offensive weapons to get healthy in order to compete. This is because the only team who is worse in route running are the New York Jets. I always believe a team that has a good pass rush can compete. The Eagles are second best in the NFL in rushing the passer. In my opinion they have the best front seven in football. These teams play once every four years, so we will see who walks away with bragging rights.

&nbsp;

Washington Football Team (+2.5) @ New York Giants (43)

&nbsp;

Wow! This game does not look pretty at all. The only thing that has kept the Giants from being the worst team in the league is their city-sharing counterpart, the Jets. The Giants have only scored 81 points through 5 games, 34 of which came against the awful Dallas defense. Both teams struggle immensely on offense and are rated in the bottom five offensively. Although both teams struggle offensively, each team does have a glimmer of positivity on the defensive side of the ball. Washington ranks fifth in the NFL in coverage. This should make it difficult for the worst offensive line in football. They will have to try to protect their quarterback long enough to find an open man. The Giants rank in the top ten in rushing defense. For a Washington team that has already benched their starting quarterback, we wonder how they will move the ball. Despite everything, Washington has a chance to be first place in the division with a win.

&nbsp;

Cleveland Browns (+3.5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (51)

&nbsp;

For the second week in a row, the Browns are involved in one of my favorite games of the week. They travel to Pittsburgh to take on a team that has historically abused them for decades. This time, they are bringing their top-rated offensive line, and their top-rated rushing attack with them. Pittsburgh will be ready with their number one-rated pass rush and their top five rushing defense. Pittsburgh did appear to struggle stopping a bad Philadelphia offensive unit last week. Their defense cannot afford to play that lax this week because the Browns bring a massive amount of firepower. Cleveland looked very impressive in a win against a team that many people were high on. Indianapolis went into Cleveland and just weren&rsquo;t ready for the attack that Cleveland had lined up for them. I strongly feel as if three playoff teams will come from the AFC North so this game will be huge for positioning and seeding. The Browns also need this win to change the narrative regarding this lopsided rivalry.

 
Cincinnati Bengals (+7.5) @ Indianapolis Colts (46.5)

&nbsp;

This game is a matchup of two teams coming off losses. The Bengals were only able to muster up three points against the Ravens. As an avid football watcher, I can tell you that three points will not be enough against nearly any opponent in any situation. The Colts, while appearing to hang around with the Browns, got dominated. They lost the time of possession battle and got destroyed in third down efficiency. The Colts still hold the fourth-best defense in the NFL. The Bengals don&rsquo;t do anything fantastic except special teams. Both teams rank top five in that department. The Bengals have the worst pass rush in the NFL. One of the most important aspects of any football game is the amount of pressure you can get on the quarterback. The Bengals just cannot do that. Can the Colts get back on the winning side? They will need a win in order to keep up with Tennessee.

&nbsp;

Detroit Lions (-3.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (54.5)

&nbsp;

Here we have two bottom ten passing offenses facing off against two bottom ten defenses. Something has to give. Neither team has shown much ability to stop their opponents this season. Neither team has shown the ability to efficiently throw the ball. Pass rush is the major issue here. The Jaguars and Lions rank sixth and fifth worst in the NFL in rushing the pass. One advantage that Jacksonville does have is being a top five tackling team in the league. Although they can&rsquo;t cover well, when they get near someone, they typically succeed at bringing him down. Many people will enjoy this game for fantasy production. To me it just looks like two helpless teams at the bottom fighting to be less at the bottom.

&nbsp;

Chicago Bears (+1) @ Carolina Panthers (44.5)

&nbsp;

This game seems to be as evenly matched as the spread indicates. The Bears have the sixth best defense in the league. Their offense leaves something to be desired though. The Bears are the only team with a winning record in the bottom ten in points scored. The question one may ask would be rather the Bears are lucky or if their defense is truly THAT good. The Panthers have seemingly become better after losing one of the best running backs in the league. Mike Davis has emerged as a workhorse back that sees similar targets as some number two receivers in the league. The Panthers are having long drives and take care of the ball. This had led them to overachieve for the past three weeks. The Panthers seem to be just average in the metrics, but they take care of the ball and make every play count. This is what has led to their 3-2 record. Don&rsquo;t look now, but depending on the results of some other games, the Panthers could come out of week six as the first place team in their division. The Bears will need to continue winning in order to keep up with the Green Bay Packers. This should be a good one.

&nbsp;

Atlanta Falcons (+4) @ Minnesota Vikings (54.5)

&nbsp;

The only NFC team worse than either of these teams is the New York Giants. Atlanta has sent their head coach to the unemployment line. The Vikings look like they will be starting their back-up running back. Things just aren&rsquo;t going well for either team. That statement is true for the Falcons. The Vikings, however, are the fifth best offense in the NFL and the third best special teams unit. I wondered how they only have one win. Their defense is the answer. This team has the worst defense in the NFL. Their defense is worse than the Cowboys and the Falcons. The Vikings have either no ability or no desire to stop any of their opponents. If there is one team that seems to let you win regardless of your short comings, it is Atlanta. Both of teams need to turn things around ASAP in order to have a chance to make their season respectable.

&nbsp;

Houston Texans (+3.5) @ Tennessee Titans (53)

&nbsp;

This game is a battle of the two AFC South teams that made the playoffs last year. The Titans seemingly have not missed a step from their playoff run. The Texans on the other hand, seemingly have been exposed as a fraud. The Texans and the Titans are both top ten in offense and in the bottom half of the league defensively. They both rank in the bottom ten in pass rush, so it seems as if there will be limited quarterback pressure in this matchup. The Titans are coming off a Tuesday night victory against a good Buffalo Bills team. The key word in the last sentence is &lsquo;&rsquo;Tuesday&rsquo;&rsquo;. This is a short week for the Titans, and we know how NFL players are creatures of habit. Their routine has been all over the place with delays, postponements and games moving around. This is a must win for Houston if they want to salvage their season and have a chance of catching up to the division leaders. We will see if this turnaround starts now.

&nbsp;

Denver Broncos (+9.5) @ New England Patriots (45)

&nbsp;

I am not sure where to start with this game. The Patriots are a team that has had their schedule ravaged in the past couple of weeks. They have also had their starting quarterback come down with the virus. News broke that Cam Newton will be returning to start at quarterback for the Patriots. Both teams rank top ten in defense. I was surprised to see that Denver is actually the second-best defense in the league. There are a couple of problems with the Broncos. They are by far the worst special teams unit in the NFL. Belichick has always been solid in special teams and he is a good enough coach to take advantage of this. I touched on how bad the Jets&rsquo; offense was. There is a team that&rsquo;s worse than them. Denver ranks dead last in the NFL offensively. This is their biggest problem. They simply cannot move the ball. They simply cannot score. We will see how the virus affects Newton in his return. The Patriots look to get above .500 and take advantage of the Bills&rsquo; loss.

&nbsp;

New York Jets (+9.5) @ Miami Dolphins (47)

&nbsp;

For as long as I could remember, I have shuddered to think about how bad a team would have to be to be this heavy of an underdog to the Miami Dolphins. The Jets are a mess. They are the second worst offense in the NFL and cannot protect their quarterback. They released Bell, and he has since signed with the Chiefs. As I dig deeper into the metrics, I see some surprises. Although the Jets are bad defensively, they are the tenth best rushing defense in the NFL. The Jets are the second worst coverage unit in the league. The Dolphins are not much better. They rank fourth worst. I really am not a fan of this game. Although the record indicates that Miami could slide into second place in the division, I don&rsquo;t want to invest any thought of them having a successful season.

&nbsp;

Green Bay Packers (-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (55.5)

&nbsp;

I am sure that this will be many people&rsquo;s favorite game of the week. This is a battle of two first-ballot hall of fame quarterbacks. This is a battle of the Packers&rsquo; number one passing attack and the Buccaneers number one coverage unit. The&nbsp;Buccaneers&nbsp;are the number one overall defense in the league. The Packers are the number two offense in the league. This will truly be a battle of an unstoppable force against an immoveable object. Both teams will come in to this game rested. Tampa Bay played on Thursday and Green Bay is coming off a bye. These teams being tired will not be an excuse either way. The difference in this game could be injuries. Davante Adams is likely to play. Leonard Fournette and Chris Godwin were both limited in practice, so their status is still up in the air. Regardless, this should be a highly competitive game with two of the premier quarterbacks of the last 15 years.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Betting tip of the week: Understand that when betting totals, there is more to it than just how good the offenses and defenses are. There is also the pace of play element. There are teams that play slow, so even if their offense is good, they will kill a lot of clock moving the ball. You also have to be mindful of bad offenses giving their opponents short fields. Short fields make it easier to score. The&nbsp; bottom line is take everything under consideration when looking at a bet on totals.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Darnell's Docket - Week 6 NFL breakdown

<div>
<div>Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your knowledge of public perception and how it affects lines and movement. I am available for questions, thoughts, deeper dives, betting tips, bankroll management tips, or anything else you may need to help you make the best decisions possible. Read on to the end for my betting tip of the week. Enjoy!</div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

 
 
Philadelphia Eagles (+7) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (44.5)

Once every four years, the two Pennsylvania teams battle it out for state supremacy. This is a battle of two offenses that rank in the bottom six. Neither team is incredibly inept at moving the ball and making big plays. The Eagles are very beat up injury wise, missing their top three receivers on the depth chart. This makes Wentz&rsquo;s best wide receiver a converted quarterback in Greg Ward. He is joined by some practice squad guys that somehow got the job done against the 49ers last week. The Steelers are the third best defense in the NFL, tied with the 49ers. This game will be depend on which quarterback can stay upright to make plays. The number one and number two best pass rush teams in the NFL are featured right here in this game. Both teams rank in the top ten in pass blocking, so we will see which offensive line can hold up against the heavy pressure that will come.

&nbsp;

Arizona Cardinals (-7) @ New York Jets (47)

The Arizona Cardinals disappointed a lot of people by losing to the Panthers last week. They did not look good in defeat either. They bring the sixth-worst offense to New York to take on a bottom ten defense in the Jets. The Jets have looked miserable and hapless through the first four weeks of this NFL season. They rank tenth in rush defense and tenth in pass rush in the NFL. With these ratings, it is strange to see them being such a poor team. Their biggest problem is that they are a bottom five coverage unit. When they have the ball, they have shown no ability to protect their quarterback. They come in with the worst-rated pass blocking unit in the NFL. A team that can&#39;t protect their quarterback will struggle immensely. This is especially true when their top running back is injured, and there is a very pedestrian receiving unit to throw to. This Cardinals team will need to bounce back if they want to keep up with their high-powered division rivals.

&nbsp;

Los Angeles Rams ( -7.5) @ Washington Football Team (46.5)

The Rams bring their top five offense to Washington this week. After struggling to scrape by the Giants, we will see if Jared Goff can right the offensive ship against a defense that isn&#39;t as bad as one would think. Washington has the 11th&nbsp;best pass rush unit in the league and is middle of the pack in tackling and rushing defense. Washington&#39;s problem lies within their offense. Coach Rivera has decided to bench Haskins. I eluded to Haskins&#39; willingness to throw into coverage consistently, and it appears that the coaching staff has had enough of it. The question that should be asked is if Kyle Allen can improve this offense that is rated fifth-worst in the NFL. The Rams don&#39;t seem to have a weakness, so we will see what Coach Ron decides to do in order to find one.

&nbsp;

Jacksonville Jaguars (+5.5) @ Houston Texans (54)

This game features the bottom two teams in the AFC South. The Jaguars are a team that everyone expected to be bad, so this is no surprise. The Texans made the playoffs last year, and are considered one of the luckiest team ever. Many people felt that the Texans had no chance of duplicated the &quot;success&quot; they had last year. They come into this game with the fourth-worst defense in the NFL. They struggle in coverage, pass rush and can barely stop the run. Offensively, Houston is middle of the road. I still feel like getting rid of arguable the best wide receiver in the NFL is having a detrimental affect on this team. Their awful coach was fired last week. Typically, teams come out on fire after a coach is fired. This is typically because the players want to show that the coach was why they are bad and not the players. I expect Houston to play hungry because of that. Jacksonville comes into this game after giving two teams their first win of the season. Will Houston be the third team that the Jaguars help get off the snide?

&nbsp;

Cincinnati Bengals (+12) @ Baltimore Ravens (51)

A battle between the perceived best and the worst team in the AFC North takes place here. The Ravens have been very impressive until they met up with the Kansas City juggernaut. They come into this game with the seventh best offense in the NFL. The Ravens do seem to have a weakness that could be exploited by the right team, their defense. I have seen teams move the ball up and down the field on Baltimore&#39;s 18th&nbsp;ranked defense. Joe Burrow has had flashes of goodness but has also shown signs of being a young rookie. The Bengals have not offered much protection for Burrow, being the fourth-worst pass blocking unit in the league. The Ravens looked good against a bad Washington team. We will see if they can keep the momentum up against a bad division opponent.

&nbsp;

Las Vegas Raiders (+11.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (55)

What do you get when you have the second worst defense squaring off against the seventh best offense? You get this division battle between the Raiders and the Chiefs. The Chiefs have continued to look impressive and dominant, extending their overall winning streak to 11. The defending champions have picked up where they left off last season, and should continue that momentum against a beat-up Raiders team. The Chiefs&#39; defense is nothing to be overly fearful of. The problem that teams have facing them is keeping up with them offensively. The Raiders, having three straight possessions in turnovers will have a huge mountain to climb in order to compete with arguably the best team in the AFC.

&nbsp;

Carolina Panthers (+1.5) @ Atlanta Falcons (53.5)

What do you get when you put two bottom 10 offenses and two bottom 10 defenses against each other? You get this interesting division matchup between the Panthers and the Falcons. This is one of the more interesting games to me because the Falcons seem to have so much firepower. But, they seem to produce so little fire. Nagging injuries to Ridley and Jones are really putting a damper on their performance. The Falcons are the 10th&nbsp;worst defense in the NFL. It is imperative for them to put up points in order to have a chance to keep up with their opponents. 
 
Miami Dolphins (+9) @ San Francisco 49ers (51.5) 
 
The 49ers just came from a home loss to a beat-up Philadelphia Eagles team. What better way to right the ship then a date with the horrible Dolphins? The Dolphins are not good. There&#39;s no nice way to put it. I am worried about how tragic a meeting it will be when they play the Jet this year. For now, they will take their awful secondary to California and try their luck against an injury-ravaged 49ers team. This seems like a must-win for San Francisco because they are in arguably the best division in football. They will have to keep up with the Rams and the Seahawks in order to stay in playoff and division contention. Fitzpatrick has always been night and day, so we will have to see which side shows up in this matchup. Jimmy&nbsp;Garoppolo is expected to be back. They hope that he can take advantage of the worst coverage unit in the NFL

&nbsp;

New York Giants (+9) @ Dallas Cowboys (54)

<div> 
This is a battle between the bottom of the NFC &quot;Least&quot;. The Cowboys seem to have the widest gap in offensive production and defensive stopping ability. They seemingly cannot stop any team from doing anything. On the other side of the ball, they have the firepower and capability to keep up with these teams that they cannot stop. The Giants are just not good. They were bad before losing their best player. Now it appears the New York Giants are just going to flounder through the season. The Cowboys have been arguably the most entertaining team to watch. Despite being 1-3, they seem to be the best team in the division. This matchup appears to be a matter of can the terrible offense score on a terrible defense in order to keep up with an awesome offense. I can&#39;t say that this will be a good game, but it will draw some interest.</div>

&nbsp;

 
Indianapolis Colts (-1) @ Cleveland Browns (47.5) 
&nbsp;

<div>For people that enjoy good football and good football games, this will be the game for you. This is a very even matchup. The Colts had the league&#39;s top-rated defense. The Buccaneers only jumped over them due to the game they played Thursday. The strength of this team is their defense. Although they have the seventh best rushing defense and the seventh best pass rush, their top -rated coverage unit stands above the league. This is a very well-rounded defense. They are a top 12 offense in the league and this combination makes them the fourth best team in overall rating. We will not shortchange Cleveland. They are the fifth best team in overall rating. Where the Colts are lights out defensively, the Browns have the best offensive line in the NFL. They have the second-best pass blocking unit in the league, barely under the Patriots. Their run-blocking is far superior than any team in the NFL. They are 16% better at run blocking than the next best team, New England. They say that games are won in the trenches. This matchup will fit that mold. This will be a clash of two giants. I will have my popcorn ready to enjoy this matchup of two AFC teams that appear to be contenders, although neither team gets the hype they deserve.</div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

 
Follow me on twitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;@Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

&nbsp;

 
Betting tip of the week:&nbsp;Straight bets are your bread and butter. There is a reason that books offer great odds on multigame parlays. Over the course of time, books win more on parlays than on straight bets. Use Straight bets to be the foundation of your betting and sprinkle in parlays sporadically. You must have an understanding that your chances to lose the parlay far outweighs the odds that you would get paid if you win.&nbsp;&nbsp;
</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

&nbsp;

NFL Week 5 Breakdown

&nbsp;

 
NFL THURSDAY NIGHT BREAKDOWN

&nbsp;

Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over this Thursday game from multiple points of view. Island games are always interesting because there is a heavier focus on it due to being the lone game. There are always different nuisances of these Thursday games that we should be aware of. Teams that must travel have three less days to rest and recover from their prior game. Athletes are creatures of habit and routine. These Thursday games usually throw off their routine. Having less time between games also forces players with nagging injuries to have less recovery and treatment time. There is a less likelihood of a mildly injured player suiting up on these Thursday games due to the lack of treatment and rehab time between the games. On the coaching side, there is less time to watch film, and prepare and draw up game plans for the opponents. Nevertheless, we always enjoy these games because it is the only game in town. Let&#39;s look at what I believe is an interesting matchup.

&nbsp;

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5.5) @ Chicago Bears (44.5)

&nbsp;

Here we have a battle of two teams that are both rated in the top six in the NFL. From a team rating perspective, this matchup is the best combined of the week.&nbsp; Both teams come into this matchup with top five pass rush units, top five rushing defense and both rank in the top six in overall defense. With two teams that seem to be equally dominant defensively, we must find something to differentiate them. Offense is a huge difference between these teams. Tampa Bay is the seventh&nbsp;best offense in the NFL, which should come to no surprise. Having the seemingly ageless Tom Brady throwing to arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL will bode well for you offensively. Leonard Fournette does have an outside chance of playing this game, however Chris Godwin is unlikely to play. I imagine these injuries will take the Buccaneers&#39; offense down a notch, but I don&rsquo;t think it will cripple them. The Bears on the other hand, are middle of the road offensively, but bottom ten in passing. We should be aware that most of their rating came from having Mitch Trubisky at the helm. His replacement, Nick Foles did not look incredibly impressive against the Colts after his marvelous comeback. I imagine the quarterback job is his for the foreseeable future. Another thing that separate these teams is special teams. Chicago has the best special teams unit in the NFL. While special teams aren&#39;t as glamourous of a skill, there is a lot of hidden yardage and hidden affects that special teams bring to a game. I am looking forward to this game to see if Tampa Bay&#39;s offensive firepower will be the difference in this game, or if the Bears special teams unit will be able to make enough plays to bring them home a win. I feel like the Buccaneers are legit. I still feel like the Bears are counterfeit. Two of their victories came in fluky fashion against teams that employ head coaches whose job should be in jeopardy. The one victory that they looked decent was against a pitiful Giants team that I truly believe is one of the worst in the NFL. Keep in mind, the bears struggled in this one as well. The Buccaneers, after falling to the Saints on the road in the season opener has rattled of three straight wins, all by seven or more points. They have put up at least four touchdowns in these victories. Although these quarterbacks are in very difference places then when they met in 2018 in the historic Superbowl, I am looking forward to see if they shake hands after one is declared the winner

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Follow me on twitter.&nbsp;&nbsp; @Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp;I accept questions, praises criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are open!!

&nbsp;

Betting tip of the week (Thursday game edition) = Thursday games will have a lot of bettors that are solely betting on the game in order to have action for the night. There is less logic used in the bets that they make, so the bet % means less. Just something to keep in mind when looking at handles and bet % for these games.

&nbsp;

 &nbsp;NFL THURSDAY NIGHT BREAKDOWN&nbsp;Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over this Thursday game from multiple points of view. Island games are always interesting because there is a heavier focus on it due to being the lone game. T

NFL WEEK 5 THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BREAKDOWN

Good morning, afternoon, and evening. I want to go over these games from multiple points of view. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your knowledge of public perception and how it affects lines and movement.I am available for questions, thoughts, deeper dives, betting tips, bankroll management tips, or anything else you may need to help make the best decisions possible. 
 
Read on for my betting tip of the week. Enjoy!

Denver Broncos (+2) @ New York Jets (40)

Many people will look at this game and hold their noses. We have two winless teams. One of these teams is featuring a third-string quarterback. The other looks like one of the worst in the league. Denver, after playing at home must travel to New York on a shortened week for this game. This game has the two worst overall rated teams in the NFL and they both are in the bottom three offensively. Denver, however, has a top 10 defense in the NFL. There isn&rsquo;t much to speak about Brett Rypien due to a limited sample size. Sam Darnold has shown the ability to look like an all-pro quarterback, such as the first drive of the Colts game. He has also shown the ability to look like a deer in the headlights, as we saw in the rest of that game. With everything combined, this will be the most exciting NFL game on Thursday.

Los Angeles Chargers (+7) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (44)

The new-look Buccaneers appear to be rounding into form after losing to the Saints. Tom Brady seems to be enjoying what is arguably the best receiving duo in his career. Although Godwin is ruled out for Sunday, the Buccaneers are still high powered. What seems to be overlooked with the shiny new toys is how good the defense has been. They hold a top five pass rush and can brag about being top five in coverage as well. This combination usually makes it very difficult for opposing quarterbacks to find their targets. Justin Herbert has looked decent in his first two starts, throwing for 300+ yards in each game. We will see if the young rookie can have success and keep up with the Buccaneers. The Chargers grade out as a middle of the road team. They have a middle of the pack offense and a middle of the pack defense. They play at one of the slowest paces in the NFL. I am looking forward to this game because Justin Herbert has impressed so far.

Pittsburgh Steelers &nbsp;&nbsp;@ Tennessee Titans

Here we have the lone battle of unbeaten teams in week 4. These teams have amassed their victories and have looked very different doing it. The Titans seem to want to keep everyone at the edge of their seats until the final whistle. They have won their games by an average of two points. The Steelers are just playing good overall football. The Steelers boast the number one rated pass rush and are number one against the run. This game shapes up to be interesting, and it is a game I am strongly looking forward to. They say a win is a win, and Tennessee has seemingly been skating by.&nbsp;Update!!!!!! THIS GAME HAS BEEN POSTPONED. THE WAY THESE TEAMS SHAPE UP AGAINST ONE ANOTHER STILL STANDS, BUT THIS GAME WILL NOT BE PLAYED ON SUNDAY.

 
Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) @ Houston Texans (54.5)

We will go to the other side of the spectrum and look at a battle of winless teams. One of these teams must get their first win in this one. Let&#39;s look at these teams outside of the win-loss record. We try to figure out what is causing these teams to fail this season and the answer is simple, defense.&nbsp; We are looking at two bottom five defenses in the NFL. These teams don&#39;t appear to be able to stop opposing offenses. The Texans seem to have the slightly worse defense, due to the lack of pressure that they put on opposing quarterbacks. Both teams are middle of the road in offensive effectiveness, so it doesn&#39;t appear to be a major offense/defense mismatch either way. It looks like it will come down to which defense plays better. We shall see which team decides to stop the other first.

Baltimore Ravens (-13) @ Washington Football Team (45.5)

This game is what we in the Maryland/ DC area call the battle of the beltway. This game appears to be the biggest mismatch of the week. The Ravens appear to be one of the best teams in the NFL, but in my honest opinion, they are BARELY a top five team in the AFC. They are coming off a big prime time loss at home, so they should be motivated to get right against the worst first place team in the NFL. The Ravens are better via the eye test than on paper in my opinion. They have the twentieth&nbsp;ranked defense in the NFL. Their first&nbsp;two opponents did a really good job of beating themselves, which made the margin of victory larger than the margin of skill.&nbsp; The Ravens&#39; pass block rating is pretty good and ranks in the top ten. With everything combined, the Ravens are a good team, but they are not worthy of the hype that they came into the season with. Washington&#39;s defense ranks eighth&nbsp;in the NFL. This is after playing the Cardinals prolific offense, and the Browns&#39; weapon-filled offense. We shall see how long Rivera continues to trust Haskins. My guess is not much longer if he continues to stare down receivers and then throw into coverage.

Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) @ Miami Dolphins (53)

This is a top-three offensive unit in the NFL squaring off against a leaky Dolphins defense. This Dolphins team is the second worst in the NFL in coverage. The game against the Jaguars has made them look better than they grade out, but I still feel like this defense is atrocious. One thing to look at with this matchup is scheduling. The Dolphins are coming into this game on 10 days rest. The Seahawks are coming in after playing a late afternoon game on the west coast and traveling literally across the country. History shows that west coast teams traveling east have a tendency to come out sluggish early on. We will see how much scheduling affects this game, which otherwise appears to be another offensive explosion by Seattle.

Cleveland Browns (+4.5) @ Dallas Cowboys (56)

We have a Cleveland team riding a two-game winning streak traveling to face a Dallas team that has given up 38+ points in two out of their last three games. Their main problem defensively is their secondary, as they have the fifth&nbsp;worst ranked coverage in the NFL. The Browns are hitting all of the metrics. They have the best offensive line in football. They are the best run-blocking team and the third&nbsp;best pass-blocking team. The Browns are quietly rated in the top ten offensively and rank sixth defensively. This is shaping up to be a battle that I am looking forward to. Granted, Cleveland&rsquo;s wins were against Washington and Cincinnati, but they have looked good in both matchups. The Cowboys have an immense amount of talent on the offensive side of the ball, and Prescott is not shy about throwing it around the yard. I think OBJ is licking his chops for a pseudo revenge matchup against a team he is very familiar with.

New Orleans Saints (-4) @ Detroit Lions (54)

The Saints do not look very sharp to start the year. They lost to a Las Vegas Raiders team that really isn&rsquo;t that good. They followed that performance by failing to bounce back at home in a prime time game against the Packers. The Lions are coming off a win against Arizona that surprised a great deal of people. Both teams are bottom five in the NFL in coverage, and are both in the bottom half of teams when it comes to offense. It seems like these lackluster offenses will have some help by poor secondary play in this game. Part of the Lions&rsquo; issue offensively is that despite being the eighth&nbsp;best run blocking team in the league, they rank second&nbsp;to last in rushing the ball. They have been unable to capitalize on the superior matchups their offensive line has drawn. Drew Brees appears very off with his accuracy, and has lacked the willingness to push the ball down the field. The absence of Michael Thomas is becoming an issue for them. Will the Saints start off the season 1-3? We shall see on Sunday.

Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) @ Chicago Bears (43)

These two teams have impressed early on this season. The Bears had a wild comeback win versus the Falcons last week, and the Colts put on a football clinic against the Jets. These teams are both in the top three defensively. The Colts defensive success strongly stems from being the top rated team in coverage. The Bears have had their success by having a top five pass rush and a top five run defense. On the offensive side of the ball, they are both top ten in the NFL. This is shaping up to be a very competitive game. The Bears have the edge in the special teams department, as they rank number one in the league. Nick Foles has been named the starter, and if the fourth quarter last week is any indication of the future, the Bears are going to ride Foles for the majority of the season.

Arizona Cardinals (-3.5) @ Carolina Panthers (51.5)

This matchup has the Cardinals, who rank sixth&nbsp;in the NFL in running the ball, against the absolute worst rushing defense this year. Carolina has been getting destroyed on the ground, and that is a big reason for their struggles. Kyler Murray is enjoying his newest weapon, (Hopkins) as you can see by the massive number of balls he throws to him. Hopkins seems to be enjoying the new-found usage, as his catch rate has increased massively from last year. Carolina is coming off a shocking win, so we will see if they can keep the momentum going into this matchup. Arizona is traveling to the east coast for this game, so that is something to keep an eye on.

New York Giants (+13) @ Los Angeles Rams (47.5)

The Giants looked very bad against a beat-up 49ers team. They looked helpless on defense and hapless on offense. The Rams appear to be rounding into offensive form this year, despite losing the back-and-forth affair against the Bills. They have put up 32+ points in the last two games, and now face a Giants team that offers no resistance to anything. The Rams are the number one offensive team in the league, with a top tier offensive line. This line is top ten in pass blocking, and number two in run blocking. Couple this with their receivers ranking second&nbsp;in route running and you have a high-powered machine. The Giants&#39; defense is not as bad on paper as they looked against the 49ers, so we will have to see how they do. The Giants are bottom ten in pass rush and in coverage, but they are not at the bottom of the league. Can the Giants move the ball without their best player? That will determine if they can compete here.

New England Patriots (-7) @ Kansas City Chiefs (52.5)

Here we have two of the top five teams in the AFC. They are both top three in my opinion. The new-look Patriots were dominant against the Raiders, bolstered by Burkhead&#39;s career game. The Chiefs looked like the offensive juggernaut we know them to be Monday versus the Ravens. Both teams come in with top-ten offenses, although they do it very differently. The Patriots uses their top-tier offensive line to pound the ball with a multitude of running weapons. The Chiefs like to air it out with the reigning Superbowl MVP. Neither team excels on the defensive side of the ball, although New England does rank higher on defense than the Chiefs. This is a potential AFC Championship preview,so I will be very interested in this early season matchup. We know how, coach Belichick eliminates his opponents&#39; top weapon, but what does he do when there are multiple top weapons?

Buffalo Bills (-3) @ Las Vegas Raiders (52.5)

The Bills are coming off a wild win versus the Rams. They went up by four scores only to give up the lead, and then came back to win at the end. The Raiders enjoyed that huge home victory against the Saints, but then were dominated by the Patriots. I feel like the travel from west to east, and the letdown from the first home victory in Vegas, contributed to the Raiders coming out so flat and getting dominated. The Bills have the sixth-rated passing attack, and the Raiders struggle mightily in coverage and pass rush. It appears the Raiders won&#39;t be able to apply pressure on Josh Allen, which will enable him to find his receivers. The Raiders lack of coverage skills and injuries in the secondary are a scary combination to have in this matchup. Josh Allen is playing like a top-three AFC quarterback right now. I look forward to seeing if the Raiders can remain undefeated at home, or if Buffalo will remain undefeated on the season.

 
Follow me on twitter @Covermonster_&nbsp;(Yes that is an underscore).&nbsp; 
 
I accept questions, praises,criticisms etc. My mentions and DM&rsquo;s are 
 
open!!

 
Betting tip of the week:&nbsp; 
 
Try to remove emotion out of making wagers. 
It is not wise to bet on a team simply because you are a fan of them. 
You should not bet against a team just because they &#39;&#39;burned&#39;&#39; you last time. 
Use the same strategy and reasoning for your bets. 
Understand that whatever is going to happen is going to happen so your emotions do not enhance the quality of a bet. 
Emotions will cost you more money than they will make you in the betting world.&nbsp;

Darnell's Docket - NFL Week 4 Breakdown

 CoverMonster Covers All&nbsp;I want to go over these games from multiple points of views. There are so many ways to look at a game. You can look at the fundamentals of a team, the analytics and stats, the eye test, your gut, or even your knowledge o

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