There are five weeks left in the NFL regular season. That means I have five weeks to shake things up with my picks. Over the course of the last seven weeks, I have rotted like a hard-boiled egg left in the refrigerator for four months.
It sucks. Me too.
I can’t do anything with my selections. This is by far the worst season I’ve ever had, so do with these picks what you will.
I went 7-9 against the spread and 12-3 straight up in Week 13. That brings my ATS season record to 87-105-3 and my straight up record to 120-75-0. The latter is solid, but the ATS brand is putrid.
I’ll have to take advantage of some impressive weeks just to try to get to .500.
Can it happen? Yes. Will it happen? Probably not, but I changed a few things this week. Let’s hope it works.
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Thursday, 8:15 pm ET (Prime Video)
This is a huge game for the NFC playoffs and the division. The Lions have a lot of important players on defense, which could help the Packers. But the Lions have a dominant offense that will score here as they race the Packers’ front. I think Jordan Love will keep the Packers there. It’s close.
Choose: Lions 35, Packers 33
Premium: SportsLine expert RJ White, who has a 73-31-2 streak in Packers games, feels strongly about one side of this NFC North matchup. To see who he picks against the spread, head to SportsLine.
Sunday, 1 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
These two are playing the entire chain, but the Dolphins have looked much better over the last month. The Jets have done little on offense, while Miami can do it. Look for Tua Tagovailoa to play well as the Dolphins handle the Jets.
Choose: Dolphins 31, Jets 19
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
The Falcons have been weak on offense in recent games. That has to change, but it will be difficult when Kirk Cousins returns to face his former team. The Vikings are good on defense, but something says Cousins will bounce back from last week’s debacle and play well enough to keep Atlanta in the game.
Choose: Vikings 24, Falcons 23
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
These two are basically striking a chord. The Giants are a total disaster. The Saints still have a capable quarterback in Derek Carr, but they’ve also lost a lot of players. The Saints are kind of alive, but when two bad teams face off, I always pick the home team, no matter who plays quarterback for the Giants.
Choose: Giants 21, Saints 20
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
Bryce Young has been much better the last two games, but this is a big road challenge against the Eagles defense. You have to expect the Eagles to be flat after the big win over the Ravens last week. They won’t be. They are rolling and will make life more difficult for Young.
Choose: Eagles 32, Panthers 16
Sunday, 1:00 pm Eastern Time (CBS, Supreme+)
Jameis Winston is playing good football, aside from the pick-sixes he throws. The Browns have come alive with him at quarterback. They beat the Steelers two weeks ago in the snow, but this time it will be much more difficult. Russell Wilson is playing better. The Steelers win it, but it’s close.
Choose: Steelers 23, Browns 21
Premium: The SportsLine projection model, which is up more than $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception, has revealed its top plays of the week. We can tell you that you really like one side in this AFC North matchup, so head to SportsLine to see who to bet on.
Sunday, 1 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
This is a long trip for the Raiders, who are on the road for the second straight week. Aidan O’Connell did some good things against the Chiefs and I think he will be able to keep the Raiders in this one. In the end, Baker Mayfield will make some plays late to win it.
Choose: Bucs 27, Raiders 24
Sunday, 1 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
Mac Jones will almost certainly start here in place of Trevor Lawrence after he was knocked out of last week’s game with a concussion. Jones played better off the bench last week than when he started, but now he’s back to starting. Will Levis has played much better over the last month and I think he can have success against the Jaguars secondary. The Titans win it.
Choose: Titans 27, Jaguars 21
Sunday, 4:05 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
Seattle beat the Cardinals two weeks ago to take first place in the NFC West. But this game can get the Cardinals back in the race. They’ve been playing good defense, even in the loss to the Seahawks two weeks ago. I think that carries over here as they find a way to limit Seattle’s offense. The Cardinals win it.
Choose: Cardinals 23, Seahawks 16
Sunday, 4:25 pm Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
This is a long trip for the Bills after clinching the division last week. But they play for much more than that. The Rams are still in the division race, so this is important for them as well. The way Josh Allen is playing, the Rams will have a hard time stopping this offense. Look for the Bills to keep rolling.
Choose: Bills 29, Rams 23
Sunday, 4:25 pm Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
The 49ers are so banged up that they will now be without Christian McCaffrey. How do they overcome all the injuries? Or can they? Their season is on the line here, which is why they will win this one. They will have a good game against the Bears and interim coach Thomas Brown. The 49ers will still be alive.
Choose: 49ers 23, Bears 17
Sunday, 8:20 pm ET (NBC, fubo free trial)
This is one of the best games of the week. The Chargers are playing back-to-back road games against a team on extra rest. Advantage for the Chiefs. The Chiefs have won a lot of close games and I think they will win another one here when Patrick Mahomes gets the best of the Chargers defense.
Choose: Chiefs 27, Chargers 21
Premium: RJ White, who is 35-18-2 in spread betting on Chargers games, agrees with me that this game should eclipse the betting total of 43. But who does White think covers the margin in this “Sunday Night Football”? “Showdown? See who you’re backing at SportsLine.
Monday, 8:15 pm Eastern Time (ESPN, fubo free trial)
Joe Burrow is playing great football, but his defense is terrible. The Cowboys still have life in their playoff chase, just barely. Dallas’ defense has improved with key players returning to health, but they will face challenges here. I think the Cowboys stay there and pull off the surprise. The cowboys win it.
Choose: Cowboys 27, Bengals 26
