1. San Francisco 49ers (5-0) ◄►

Cowboys Review

The 49ers looked dominant in their 42-10 win over the Cowboys. Any doubts about how good San Francisco is were erased quickly with the easy win.

The 49ers have scored at least 30 points in every game of the season so far—and that streak is at eight straight regular-season games dating to last season. Brock Purdy is now 10-0 in his career in the regular season.

San Francisco has now won 15 straight regular season games, matching a franchise record, and that streak does not see a clear end in sight.

On Sunday night Fred Warner became the first San Francisco player since 2013 to record at least one sack, interception and forced fumble in the same game.

Cleveland Browns Preview

Sunday, October 15
10:00 am PT, FOX

The Browns are coming off of a bye week. The extra time to prepare for the Niners will not matter too much for Cleveland.

The extra time off for Deshaun Watson to recover from his rotator cuff contusion could. Watson is still day-to-day but if it is Watson or Dorian Thompson-Robinson, it again does not matter that much.

San Francisco is clicking on offense and defense. If the Niners have a weakness on offense it may be the line.

Cleveland has players that can create pressure. This could slow the offense but it’s not going to stop it.

Christian McCaffrey could have another big game, especially catching the ball against the blitz. Cleveland’s defense is good, but I don’t think they will be able to contain San Francisco.

My Pick: 49ers 31, Browns 14

[Advice: San Francisco may struggle to score a but against Cleveland’s defense, but I still think they top 30 points. They will cover the 4.5 spread easily and as long as the Browns can score anything look for the total to push over 37.5.]

2. Seattle Seahawks (3-1) ◄►

BYE Week

Seattle is coming off a bye week and the Seahawks need to improve their third-down offense. The Seahawks are 31st in the NFL, converting on just 28.9% of third downs this season.

In their most recent win, the defense completely shut down the Giants. The 11 sacks against New York came after Seattle had averaged just 1.7 sacks per game in their first three games.

Cincinnati Bengals Preview

Sunday, October 15
10:00 am PT, CBS

The defense will have to be on point once again in Cincinnati as the Bengal offense finally looked like the unit we thought we’d see all season against Arizona.

The bye week for Seattle came in the middle of trips to the Eastern time zone, so that should help to keep the Seahawks fresh.

Seattle has gone 6-2 in their last eight games against AFC opponents. I look for the Hawks to make it seven wins in their last nine games against the conference.

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase found their connection in Arizona, but Seattle should be able to slow them down and get the win.

My Pick: Seahawks 23, Bengals 21

[Advice: The line on this one opened at Cincy –4.5 and has landed at –2.5 for the Bengals at the moment. Seattle is the play in this one getting the 2.5-points. The over/Under total of 45.5 looks to be pretty spot on and could go either way, I see it staying just under.]

3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1) ◄►

Vikings Review

The Chiefs faced a tough Vikings offense and kept them in check somewhat.

In the 27-20 win (I predicted a 27-21 win in this space last week) the Chiefs relied heavily on Travis Kelce. The star TE left with an ankle injury and all but willed the Chiefs to the win in the second half.

Kelce ended up with 10 receptions on 11 targets and was clearly the key cog in the offense. While Kelce is always going to get the most looks, Patrick Mahomes is starting to build some trust with his young WRs.

Kadarious Toney caught five of his six targets in Minnesota. Rashee Rice finally found his rhythm catching four of his five targets and a TD when Kelce was out.

Both Toney and Rice have had their issues with dropped passes, their continued development will be huge for Kansas City.

Denver Broncos Preview

Thursday, October 12
5:15 pm PT, Prime Video

This week the Chiefs will face the Broncos. Kansas City’s defense struggled at times against Minnesota and Kirk Cousins but should get a lighter assignment this week.

The Broncos have had their struggles on offense. Patrick Mahomes should be able to pick apart Denver’s defense, which has looked downright atrocious at times this season.

My Pick: Chiefs 33, Broncos 10

[Advice: Kansas City will cover the 10.5 points at home with ease. The over/under is at 47.5 and I don’t think the Broncos will offer enough to push that over the total.]

4. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) ▲1

BYE Week

The Chargers come off of their bye having won two in a row to get back to .500.

Los Angeles has yet to play a game that was decided by more than one score. The losses came at the hands of Miami by two and the Titans by three in OT. Every game has had a frantic finish.

Being tested in close contests can be a good thing, but winning them makes the lesson easier to swallow.

The Chargers offensive line got a boost in Week Four with the return of Rashawn Slater. His presence on the line is especially big in the run game.

On the other side of the ball the Chargers run defense has been much improved this season. They rank 14th against the run this season after being among the worst against the run in 2022.

Dallas Cowboys Preview

Monday, October 16
5:15 pm PT, ABC

The Chargers get an extra day after the bye as they host Dallas on Monday Night. Los Angeles is coming in hot while the Cowboys have looked really good at times and not great at all in their losses.

Dallas is a tough team to get a read on. The wins have come over the Giants, Jets, and Patriots—three teams that are clearly in the bottom half of the league.

This is a home game that the Chargers should win. Statistically, last time out, Justin Herbert had the worst game of his career and LA was still able to win. Herbert will bounce back but the Cowboys are second in the league against the pass.

It will not be an easy task, but with Slater healthy, the run game could click, and Dallas has not been great at stopping teams on the ground this season.

My Pick: Chargers 24, Cowboys 21

[Advice: LA is a 2.5-point home dog, I look for them to cover and win the game outright. This one stays under the 50.5-point total.]

5. Los Angeles Rams (2-3) ▼1

Eagles Review

The Eagles entered the week 30th in the NFL in passing TDs allowed and the Rams were able to capitalize on that a bit, but not quite enough.

Los Angeles is now 2-3 on the season with two of the losses coming to the two remaining unbeaten teams.

Cooper Kupp returned and the Rams made an effort to get him involved early. The 95 yards he had in the first half were the most for him in the first half of his last 19 games. With Kupp’s return this offense should be able to produce against anyone.

An issue in the loss was getting Philadelphia off the field on third down. The Eagles finished the game converting 13 of 18 third downs. That has to improve going forward.

Arizona Cardinals Preview

Sunday, October 15
1:25 pm PT, FOX

This week the Rams will host Arizona. The Cardinals have competed hard in every game this season, but just haven’t been able to pick up a lot of wins yet.

The Ram offense should be able to put points on the board against Arizona. They will need to contain Joshua Dobbs. Jalen Hurts scampered for 72 yards and a TD on 15 runs.

In short, the L.A. will need to contain the run game and wrap up ball carriers.

My Pick: Rams 24, Cardinals 16

[Advice: The Rams are favored by seven against a banged-up Cardinals team. This one will stay close for a bit, but the Rams will pull away. I see the score staying below the 48.5 on offer.]

6. Las Vegas Raiders (2-3) ▲1

Packers Review

It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but Las Vegas got the job done against Green Bay.

The Raider defense was able to force turnovers and harass Jordan Love, picking off the Green Bay QB three times. Ironically, Las Vegas had not had a three-interception game in any of their last 33 outings.

The 13 points allowed on Monday Night tied for the fewest the Raiders have allowed in a game in the last three seasons. Ryan Spillane picked off two passes and Maxx Crosby was a force all night long.

New England Patriots Preview

Sunday, October 15
1:05 pm PT, CBS

The Raiders will need to continue to bring the defense as they did against the Packers. The Patriots have struggled this season, but they have been good at limiting sacks, ranking ninth in the league with just 2.0 sacks allowed per game.

In reality, though, this is a New England team that is struggling on offense. And even if they don’t bring Mac Jones (or Bailey Zappe) down in the backfield, the pressure will get to them, and they will be able to force errors.

The Raiders should be looking at a winning streak, especially if they can get a couple of takeaways.

My Pick: Raiders 17, Patriots 14

[Advice: The Raiders are favored by 3.5, I don’t think they cover that, but they will get the win. The total is set at 41.5 and this one will stay below that.]

7. Arizona Cardinals (1-4) ▼1

Bengals Review

Arizona fell to the Bengals, but once again they competed and played hard. The Bengals looked like themselves on offense for the first time all season. Was that a case of them being back or was it a product of the Cardinal defense?

The Arizona offense was able to run the ball once again in the loss. The Cardinals rank sixth in the NFL with 143.2 rushing yards per game.

James Conner is out with a knee injury, but Emari Demercado stepped in and ran effectively against the Bengals after Conner went down.

Los Angeles Rams Preview

Sunday, October 15
1:25 pm PT, FOX

Arizona continues to play hard, but the injuries are starting to add up. In addition to Conner, the Cardinals also lost Jalen Thompson to a hamstring injury as their names are added to a growing injured list.

The Cardinals are not deep enough to cope with many more.

Against the Rams, the loss of Thompson in the secondary is not welcome as Arizona is already depleted in the back end of the defense.

The Rams had trouble containing the run game last week and that will be the Cardinals’ path to a chance at a win in this one. I don’t think Arizona will be able to contain the Rams’ passing game enough to get the win.

My Pick: Rams 24, Cardinals 16

[Advice: The Rams are favored by seven against a banged-up Cardinals team. This one will stay close for a bit, but the Rams will pull away. I see the score staying below the 48.5 on offer.]

8. Denver Broncos (1-4) ◄►

Jets Review

The first four times Jaleel McLaughlin touched the ball he had 63 yards and a touchdown. Then the Broncos went away from him and did not—or could not—get him the ball in space.

The Jets were able to run all over the Broncos on Sunday. This is becoming a theme for Denver this season. In their last four games, Denver’s rush defense has given up 122, 350, 171, and 234 yards. That is not good.

Kansas City Preview

Thursday, October 12
5:15 pm PT, Prime Video

Denver is allowing an NFL-worst 7.0 yards per play this season. Patrick Mahomes is set to have a field day against this Broncos defense. Mahomes is sacked less than any other QB in the league.

The Broncos will not be able to get to him. The run defense will have to get better or this will be a very long game for Denver. I don’t see the Broncos having any answers for Kansas City.

My Pick: Chiefs 33, Broncos 10

[Advice: Kansas City will cover the 10.5 points at home with ease. The over/under is at 47.5 and I don’t think the Broncos will offer enough to push that over the total.]