Be sure to check out any relevant information before kick-off as this article is written days in advance!
Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos
Denver (3-0) has found their next quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater who’s early career was derailed by injury and many thought his days were done despite his talent level. Bridgewater has proved everyone wrong and is currently playing at an extremely high level. He has tossed for 827 yards, 4 TD, and 0 INT while completing 73/95 passes with a rating of 116.4.
Lamar Jackson is having another stellar year with the Ravens (2-1). Jackson is still a force on the ground with 35 touches for 251 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. He is also improving his passing game despite still making some bad decisions. He has tossed for 761 yards, 3 TD, and 3 INT while going 53/87 passing.
Von Miller and the Denver defense will get their first test of the season after facing weak opponents that have a combined record of 0-10. The Broncos still have played decent but it’s hard to assess how good this team actually is. We know how good the Ravens are after taking down the Chiefs.
The Broncos are the slight favorite to win with a Moneyline of -115. Both sides are keen on the rush attack which suggests a possible low-scoring affair. In a possible low-scoring game, I have to give the edge to Baltimore who has the better run game. The Ravens can beat the Broncos so I’m going to say take Ravens ML.
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
The Lions (0-3) are playing better than their record suggests with their new quarterback Goff. After the Stafford trade, Goff was expected to fall off a cliff. However, the opposite is true as he is flinging the ball all over the place. Goff has thrown for 801 yards, 5 TD, and 2 INTs while completing 86/123 passes.
Justin Fields looked great in preseason and even commented that the NFL is slow but is now eating those words after going 14/35 and tossing for 138 yards, 0 TD, and 1 INT. Terrible numbers that have the QB situation in Chicago into turmoil. The starter has yet to be named but it won’t really make a difference if they can’t protect their QB.
Lions get the advantage in the air behind their star tight end Hockenson who has 18 rec for 173 yards and 2 TD. Goff also spreads the ball around as he has 6 receivers with 6 or more receptions. Chicago doesn’t have a single receiver over 100 receiving yards. The Bears do get the advantage on the ground behind Montgomery who has 46 touches for 203 yards and 1 score. Swifts main threat is in the passing game.
The Bears are the -3.0 favorite to cover the spread. The Bears offense is seriously hindering their ability to compete and it won’t matter who is behind the center if they can’t stop them from getting sacked and have no passing attack. The Lions defense isn’t great but it’s going to be hard for them to keep up in scoring with Goff slinging the ball everywhere. Lions +3.0 is the play and also recommend the Lions +130.
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford has took over the mantle of this Rams (3-0) squad. This team has been a contender for the past several years and it appears Stafford has what it takes to compete. The veteran gunslinger has tossed for 942 yards, 9 TD, and 1 INT while completing 66/94 passes. Any one who truly understands football knew Stafford was special and did a lot for the Lions with little help. Hard to believe no one traded for him sooner.
Another serious contender has emerged in the NFC West. The Cardinals (3-0) will test their ability on how good this team actually is behind their young QB who is currently in contention for MVP. Murray has tossed for 1005 yards, 7 TD, and 4 INT completing 78/102 passes. Murray is also no slouch in the run game with 70 yards and 3 rushing TDs.
The offensive advantage goes to the Arizona Cardinals. They are 1st in points, 2nd in total yards, 3rd in passing yards, and 10th in rushing yards. Don’t get me wrong, the Rams have a high powered offense as well but stats favor the Cards.
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Whichever team comes out and plays defense and gets the extra turnover or the important stop will win this game. Murray does have a higher INT rate which could suggest that Murray not taking care of the ball could cost them the win.
Los Angeles is the -4.5 favorite at home. These divisional matchups are tricky and both teams are hot and have something to prove. This game is easily game of the week. The Rams will win and the game will be close. Only question here is do they win by a TD or a FG. I have faith in the Cardinals offense making the Cards +4.5 a go.
Honorable Mentions
Titans -6.0
Bucs -7.0
Chiefs -7.0
Panthers +4.5
Seahawks +3.0
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