Here we are in the penultimate week of the picks competition, although the trivia will roll right into the postseason.

‘The Kansas City Chiefs were originally known by what name?’

I could be wrong on this one again as I’m not an expert on the early history of football but I do not remember any move or other name of the Kansas City franchise coming up so I am going suggest that Dan’s Dad is living up to his devious moniker and that the original is in fact the Chiefs.

‘I’m really stuck with this. I don’t know anything really about KC’s history (note to self, research just in case for next year!) so I’m going to have to guess something which rolls off the tongue. I’ll guess they were previously the Kansas City Cowboys but I’m 99% sure that’s wrong.’

Jaguars @ Falcons (-7.5)

Of the five wins that the Atlanta Falcons have this season, four of them have come in the last six weeks and they include sweeping the Panthers and beating the Saints and 49ers. The welcome a Jacksonville Jaguars team who won last week and who have just fired Tom Coughlin after the NFLPA announced that a quarter of all grievances their players had brought against NFL teams were against the Jaguars. I wonder if there will be some relief for the team now that Coughlin won’t be fining them anymore and this line is just too high for me given how up and down the Falcons had been.

Gee’s Pick:        Jaguars
Dan’s Pick:        Falcons

Bengals @ Dolphins (-1.5)

Dan and I have been very aware of this matchup all season, even more so when it became clear that both teams looked to be in with a chance of the first pick. With their one win the Bengals have the inside straight to the number one pick yet somehow this number favours the Bengals even though I don’t think they are the better team and I think Brian Flores has looked the better coach. I’m really not sure about this line so the only thing I can do is back my team and hope for bragging rights.

Gee’s Pick:        Bengals
Dan’s Pick:        Dolphins

Ravens @ Browns (+10.5)

This is a big line, but the Cleveland Browns are a mess and the Baltimore Ravens have the most wins in the NFL for a reason. The line worries me a little but having scored over forty points five times this season I think that with the extra rest coming off Thursday night that the Ravens cover this.

Gee’s Pick:        Ravens
Dan’s Pick:        Ravens

Saints @ Titans (+2.5)

The New Orleans Saints looked really good last week whilst the Tennessee Titans lost against the Texans in the big AFC South matchup. However, the Saints have picked up a few injuries in the last couple of week and for all that he is a Fall of Fame quarterback, Drew Brees is not as good outside of a dome and so despite all that has gone on before – if you’re giving me points at home for a team that has played like the Titans in recent weeks I’m going to grab them.

Gee’s Pick:        Titans
Dan’s Pick:        Titans

Panthers @ Colts (-6.5)

Despite their struggles in recent weeks, I don’t have a problem with the Indianapolis Colts being a favourite in this game and with a rookie quarterback starting for the Carolina Panthers I might even understand this line but it is too rich for my blood when I don’t trust either team at this point in the season.

Gee’s Pick:        Panthers
Dan’s Pick:        Colts

Giants @ Washington (-2.5)

This is another game that has two teams that I don’t trust. The New York Giants got their third win of the season last week giving Eli Manning an emotional send off in what looks like the last home game of his career. However, it looks like Daniel Jones could come back from his ankle injury this week as the Giants travel to Washington to take on another bad team. There were people who reported that Dwayne Haskins looked better last week, even if Washington did lose the game but I have no strong feeling on this game. As is the case with these things though, I’m seeing this as a much more advantageous line for the Giants with a 3.5 swing from what I’m seeing online against this number so based on that I’m taking the Giants.

Gee’s Pick:        Giants
Dan’s Pick:        Washington

Steelers @ Jets (+2.5)

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have lost last week but they are the better team and so whilst the New York Jets will want to put in a better performance than the one that saw them lose by twenty-one points to the Ravens last week, I like the Steelers to win this one.

Gee’s Pick:        Steelers
Dan’s Pick:        Steelers

Lions @ Broncos (-6.5)

The Detroit Lions have now lost seven games straight and so I can see why the Broncos could be favoured, but they have only five wins themselves and have a cluster of injuries on the offensive line. I really don’t have a strong feel for this game, and my instinct is to not trust the Broncos to cover this line but this is a half point better line that I’m seeing online so the number suggests that the Broncos is the way to go but I can’t quite bring myself to do it. Stay away folks, stay away!

Gee’s Pick:        Lions
Dan’s Pick:        Broncos

Raiders @ Chargers (-5.5)

I don’t like either team particularly at the moment and this is a curious game as the Raiders have lost rookie running back Josh Jacobs for the rest of the season as well as the previous four games, but will likely have more fans in the crowd than the LA Chargers. However, the Chargers have one less win and have been almost the model of inconsistency. I like the Chargers to win but I just don’t trust them to win by six points and so even though this line is good value for the Chargers, I still can’t quite bring myself to pick them.

Gee’s Pick:        Raiders
Dan’s Pick:        Raiders

Cowboys @ Eagles (+2.5)

This is a big game in terms of the NFC East, but the Philadelphia Eagles have been overwhelmed by injuries whilst the Dallas Cowboys have been massively inconsistent. The Cowboys would be an easy pick were it not for the injury to Dak Prescott who hasn’t thrown all week as he has picked up a shoulder problem. With the injury I would stay well away from this game if I could, but as I have to pick I’m going go with the better team by DVOA.

Gee’s Pick:        Cowboys
Dan’s Pick:        Cowboys

Cardinals @ Seahawks (-9.5)

The Arizona Cardinals got their first win in seven games las week, but I am not sure they are going to follow that up with a win in Seattle. However, the Seahawks have not been as dominant at home this season and whilst I expect them to win, this line feels big to me and so whilst I could feel foolish tomorrow, I like the Cardinals to keep this divisional game within ten.

Gee’s Pick:        Cardinals
Dan’s Pick:        Seahawks

Chiefs @ Bears (+5.5)

Don’t look now, but the Kansas City Chiefs’ defence is now ranked eleventh in the league by DVOA and if you combine that with their offensive fire power then they are a formidable team. The Chicago Bears really need this win, but they are 27.1% worse than the Chiefs and I think they will struggle in this one, even if they are at home as the Chiefs have plenty of experience of playing in the cold.

Gee’s Pick:        Chiefs
Dan’s Pick:        Chiefs

Packers @ Vikings (-4.5)

This game will go a long way to deciding the NFC North, particularly if the Packers win but it’s a strange one to pick as the Minnesota Vikings are a good home team and the Green Bay Packers have won but look slightly off on offence. In fact, Aaron Rodgers doesn’t look like Aaron Rodgers at the moment, and I think the Vikings are the favourites but this line concerns me. I may come to regret this, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to back the Vikings to win by five.

Gee’s Pick:        Packers
Dan’s Pick:        Packers

 

DVOA is Football Outsiders statistic for measure a team’s success on every play versus the league average and you can read more about it and other football topics at https://footballoutsiders.com.