Tag: expert picks

NFL Week 9 picks: Who the experts are taking in Vikings vs. Commanders

The experts aren’t too high on the Commanders in Week 9.

The Washington Commanders [4-4] host the Minnesota Vikings [6-1] Sunday at FedEx Field in a battle between NFC playoff hopefuls.

The Vikings have won five in a row and sit in a terrific position to win the NFC North. Minnesota currently has a 3.5-game lead over Green Bay and Chicago, which feels insurmountable when you watch the Packers and Bears play.

The Commanders have won three in a row. After beginning the season 1-3, Washington looked poised to take down the Tennessee Titans in Week 5, but quarterback Carson Wentz was intercepted at the goal line at the end of the game, breaking the hearts of Washington fans.

But the Commanders bounced back and have won their past three games.

Neither of these teams wins handily. Every Minnesota win during its current winning streak has been by one score. Meanwhile, the Commanders have won the last three games by a total of eight points.

Who do the experts believe wins in Week 9?

According to NFL Pickwatch, 90% of the experts picked the Vikings. This is nothing new for Washington, as it faces the same odds seemingly week after week.

The Vikings are probably the better team, but is there really a huge gap between these two teams? We shall find out Sunday afternoon.

Colts vs. Patriots: NFL experts make Week 9 picks

The experts have made their Week 9 picks for the Colts vs. Patriots matchup.

The Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1) and New England Patriots (4-4) are set for a Week 9 battle at Gillette Stadium.

While the Colts are looking to get back into the win column after dropping their last two games, the Patriots have won three of their last four. Both teams are dealing with intriguing quarterback situations, and there will be plenty of injured players on both sides.

As Vegas views the Patriots as strong favorites, here’s how the experts around the league see this matchup shaking out:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable) Link
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Patriots 25-16 Link
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Patriots 23-19 Link
Lorenzo Reyes (USA TODAY) Patriots 24-10 Link
Mike Clay (ESPN) Patriots — Link
Dan Graziano (ESPN) Patriots — Link
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Network) Patriots 20-17 Link
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Patriots 25-17 Link
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Patriots 21-17 Link
Cam DaSilva (Sportsbook Wire) Patriots — Link
Bleacher Report Patriots 24-17 Link

Over at Tallysight, 94% of the analysts are siding with the Patriots to take away a win at Gillette Stadium.

This isn’t all that surprising considering how poor the Colts offense has been playing. There were some flashes with Sam Ehlinger under center during his first-career start, but history hasn’t been kind to new starting quarterbacks going against Bill Belichick’s defense.

The likely outcome is that the Colts go on the road against the Patriots, a team they haven’t beaten in Foxborough since 2006.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

Week 10’s expert picks from the College Wire SEC editors

Does anyone dare take the Bayou Bengals at home?

It is “Championship Week” in the SEC, at least it could play out that way. The LSU Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs are hosting divisional foes in what could determine the SEC Championship game contenders.

It will start at 2:30 p.m. CT in Athens when the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers travel to Sanford Stadium to take on the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs. That evening the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide head to Death Valley to take on the No. 10 LSU Tigers from Tigers Stadium. The winners of each game will control their destiny to compete for the conference title in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 3.

There are still plenty of games left on the schedule but those could go a long way in determining the conference champion as well as College Football Playoff seeding.

The two early games feature the Kentucky Wildcats at the Missouri Tigers and the Florida Gators at the Texas A&M Aggies in the 11:00 a.m. CT slot. The lone nonconference game pits the Liberty Flames against the Arkansas Razorbacks at 3:00 p.m. CT.

The final two games kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT with South Carolina Gamecocks facing the Vanderbilt Commodores. The other contest has the Auburn Tigers traveling to face off with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Stark Vegas. Auburn fired head coach Bryan Harsin on Monday and also hired Mississippi State AD John Cohen for the same job with the Tigers.

There is no shortage of intriguing storylines with this set of games on the docket. As usual, our SEC editorial team made their picks in each of the seven games on the Week 10 schedule.

Is it LSU’s time to take back over the SEC West or will Alabama continue to win the West?

NFL Week 8 picks: Who the experts are taking in Commanders vs. Colts

The experts are going with the Commanders this week.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”8lWMJZxQgl-2322567-7498″]

Jim Irsay or Daniel Snyder? Sam Ehlinger or Taylor Heinicke? Who wins in Week 8?

In an important game for both teams, Irsay’s Colts host Snyder’s Commanders from Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Irsay’s comments regarding Snyder’s ownership and the matchup between backup quarterbacks are the top storylines surrounding this game.

The Colts enter this game as the slight favorites, but these are evenly matched teams. Indianapolis was likely initially listed as the favorite due to being the home team.

Surprisingly, this week, the experts are taking the Commanders. The expert picks have been overwhelmingly against Washington throughout the season. This time, 59% of the expert picks are going with the Commanders, according to NFL Pickwatch.

Washington’s offense operates better with Heinicke under center. While Heinicke doesn’t possess a high ceiling, he’s efficient and moves the chains. That’s much more than the Commanders were getting recently from Carson Wentz.

It seems the experts believe in Heinicke just a bit more than Ehlinger this week.

NFL Week 8 picks: Experts heavily leaning 49ers over Rams in Week 8

Most experts are taking the 49ers to beat the Rams on the road Sunday. Will the Rams prove them wrong?

Having lost their last seven regular-season games against the 49ers, it’s tough to be confident in the Rams entering their Week 8 tilt against San Francisco. They’re listed as home underdogs by oddsmakers and experts also give the 49ers an edge in this one.

According to NFL Pick Watch, 73% of experts are taking the 49ers to beat the Rams on Sunday. That’s despite the Rams playing at SoFi Stadium and coming off a bye in Week 7. That’s highest number of experts picking against the Rams in any game this season, much higher than even Week 1 against the Bills when 61% were taking the Bills.

Picking against the spread, 67% of experts are still taking the 49ers to cover against the Rams. San Francisco is a 1.5-point favorite, so it’s not as if the spread is very large.

The 49ers have covered the spread in each of their last six games against the Rams, making this a very lopsided rivalry in recent years. Los Angeles won’t have much of an excuse if it can’t win on Sunday after getting several players back following the bye – and with the 49ers being banged up on the other side.

Colts vs. Commanders: NFL experts make Week 8 picks

The experts make their Week 8 picks for the matchup between the Colts and Commanders.

The Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1) will play host to the Washington Commanders (3-4) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium for a Week 8 matchup.

This game has plenty of similarities on both sidelines with the backup quarterbacks taking over for different reasons. Both teams have struggled to string wins together despite their opportunities and now face off in the Circle City on Sunday.

As Vegas views the Colts as slight home favorites in this matchup, here’s how the experts around the league see the outcome of this game:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable) Link
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Commanders 23-17 Link
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Commanders 20-16 Link
Lorenzo Reyes (USA TODAY) Colts 18-14 Link
Mike Clay (ESPN) Colts — Link
Dan Graziano (ESPN) Commanders — Link
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Network) Commanders 19-16 Link
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Commanders 24-20 Link
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Commanders 23-22 Link
Bryan Manning (Commanders Wire) TBD TBD
Cam DaSilva (Sportsbook Wire) Commanders — Link
Bleacher Report Commanders 23-20 Link

Over at Tallysight, 66% of the expert picks are siding with the Commanders to take the win.

Considering the dysfunction the Colts offense has shown throughout the season, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that analysts are going with the Commanders. It’s always difficult to choose a quarterback to win his first career NFL start.

The Colts have shown a lot of confidence in Ehlinger, though, both from a playing and leadership standpoint.

We’ll see just how much of an impact he can make on Sunday and if anything, it should make the game intriguing enough to watch compared to the majority of the first half of the season.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

NFL Week 7 picks: Who the experts are taking in Packers vs. Commanders

The experts have the Packers as heavy favorites in Week 7.

The Washington Commanders [2-4] will have a new quarterback on the field for their Week 7 game against the Green Bay Packers [3-3]. Taylor Heinicke replaces Carson Wentz under center after the latter fractured the ring finger on his throwing hand last week and will miss at least the next four weeks.

Heinicke isn’t exactly a new face for Washington. He started 15 games for Washington last season, going 7-8 as a starter. He had some terrific moments as the starting quarterback, but he also faced his share of struggles. Sounds a lot like Wentz in 2022, right?

Can Heinicke’s mobility and mastery of the offense give the Commanders some much-needed energy on offense against the Packers? Green Bay has a terrific pass defense but has struggled against the run. For the Commanders to upset Green Bay, they’ll need a strong effort from the backfield trio of Brian Robinson Jr., Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic.

Defeating Green Bay is never easy. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest of all time. However, the Packers have struggled on offense recently, leading some to believe Washington can take down Green Bay.

What do the experts think?

According to NFL Pickwatch, a whopping 96% of the expert pickers go with the Packers. This is a bit surprising. Sure, the Commanders have struggled and are a popular punching bag in the media, but this Green Bay team shouldn’t be an overwhelming favorite over anyone right now. Sure, things could change, but it feels like a game where more people would go with the upset.

Only Tampa Bay over Carolina is a more overwhelming favorite for Week 7.

Colts vs. Titans: NFL experts make Week 7 picks

NFL experts make their picks for the Week 7 matchup between the Colts and Titans.

The Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1) and Tennessee Titans (3-2) are set to complete their season series with a matchup in Week 7 at Nissan Stadium.

The first meeting between these two teams resulted in a 24-17 win for the Titans back in Week 4. The Colts failed to contain Derrick Henry, who nearly had 100 rushing yards by the end of the first half.

As Vegas views the Colts as underdogs going into the weekend, here’s how the experts around the league see the matchup unfolding:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable)
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Titans 23-20
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Titans 20-17
Tashan Reed (The Athletic) Titans —
Mike Clay (ESPN) Colts —
Dan Graziano (ESPN) Colts —
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Network) Titans 23-20
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Colts 31-27
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Titans 28-20
Mike Moraitis (Titans Wire) Titans 23-20
Cam DaSilva (Sportsbook Wire) Titans —
Bleacher Report Titans 27-23

Over at Tallysight, 67% of the experts are siding with the Titans to win. Considering the recent history between the two teams, it makes sense.

The Colts haven’t beaten the Titans since Week 10 of the 2020 season. Even though the offense seems to have figured some of its issues out in the passing game, the decreasing production against the run over the last few weeks leaves a lot of question marks with Derrick Henry coming off a bye week.

This game should be close, likely closer than the Week 4 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.

But for now, the Colts are viewed as underdogs by both Vegas and the experts around the league.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[pickup_prop id=”28803″]