Tag: expert picks

NFL experts aren’t sold on Saints’ chances over Titans in Week 16

The New Orleans Saints aren’t unanimous picks to beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. If anything, the Saints are in danger of being upset.

Many media experts from around the NFL’s orbit have submitted their picks for Week 16’s games, and the New Orleans Saints have a solid shot at winning on the road over the Tennessee Titans. But it’s far from a certainty that the 11-3 Saints will hand the 8-6 Titans a loss at Nissan Stadium. If recent games are any indication, anything is possible with Drew Brees connecting with Michael Thomas for one team and Ryan Tannehill targeting A.J. Brown on the other side.

Per NFL Pickwatch, 27% of this week’s NFL expert picks have come in favoring the Titans to upset the Saints; a 73% majority prefer New Orleans, but that’s a big difference from the unanimous certainty the Saints have enjoyed in recent weeks.

Just two teams have received 100% certainty to win this week: the Kansas City Chiefs (over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night) and the Seattle Seahawks (ahead of the Arizona Cardinals). A few other squads came close, including the Baltimore Ravens (at 99% against the Cleveland Browns), the Atlanta Falcons (99% over the Jacksonville Jaguars), the Denver Broncos (99% ahead of the Detroit Lions), the San Francisco 49ers (96% versus the Los Angeles Rams), and the Indianapolis Colts (95% over the Carolina Panthers).

Of course, getting 100% of the picks in on your side doesn’t guarantee anything. The Saints learned that painfully when they had the crowd’s confidence backing them in Week 10 against the Falcons at home, coming off of a bye week, but lost anyway. These games still have to be played, no matter what things look like on paper or who the experts like better.

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Colts vs. Panthers: NFL experts make Week 16 picks

Who are the experts siding with this week?

The Indianapolis Colts (6-8) are preparing to host the Carolina Panthers (5-9) for their final home game of the 2019 season on Sunday afternoon.

Opening the week as relatively solid favorites at home, the Colts are also being chosen by most of the experts around the league this week despite having lost four in a row and six of their last seven.

Here’s how the experts view the outcome of the Week 16 matchup between the Colts and Panthers:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable)
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Colts 23-10
Mike Jones (USA TODAY) Colts 22-18
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Colts 27-17
Mike Clay (ESPN) Colts N/A
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Colts 27-17
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Colts 23-15
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Colts N/A
Todd Haislop (Sporting News) Colts 26-20
NumberFire Colts N/A
Pro Football Focus Colts N/A
Bleacher Report Colts 28-17

This game doesn’t hold any weight in terms of playoff implications. Both teams are already eliminated and will simply be playing for pride. Still, there is a game to be played, and the Colts are favored pretty heavily.

We will see what happens at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday but the Colts are expected to snap the losing streak that ended their season.

NFL expert picks give Colts no chance against Saints on MNF

The Indianapolis Colts don’t have a chance of defeating the New Orleans Saints in their Monday Night Football showdown, per NFL experts.

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NFL expert picks are filing in ahead of Week 15’s games, and the team at NFL Pickwatch have collected them all to reach an unsurprising conclusion: those in the know like the New Orleans Saints’ chances of defeating the Indianapolis Colts. In fact, the Saints are unanimous picks to win on “Monday Night Football,” with 100% of experts surveyed picking New Orleans.

The Saints are not the only team with 100% certainty behind them: the San Francisco 49ers (over the Atlanta Falcons) and Kansas City Chiefs (against the Denver Broncos) are in that number with them, while the Baltimore Ravens come close with 99% of picks coming in their favor (Baltimore beat the New York Jets 42-21 on Thursday).

It’s also not the first time that the Saints are the unanimous choice. They’ve had the full backing of league experts twice this season, in Week 12 (versus the Carolina Panthers, which they won) and in Week 10 (against the Atlanta Falcons, which they somehow lost). Experts and fans can say what they want, but the games still have to be played, and the NFL is a league where any team can win on any given Sunday. So we’ll be hoping that holds true again this week, and root for the 49ers to fail despite the odds and be shocked by the Falcons.

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Colts vs. Saints: NFL experts make Week 15 picks

Experts around the league weigh in.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) are heavy underdogs in Week 15 when they visit the New Orleans Saints (10-3) on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The primetime matchup opened the week with a massive 9.5-point line favoring the Saints. It shouldn’t be a surprise. The Colts have had struggles over the last month and a half, losing five of their last six games.

The Saints, though, have already locked up a playoff spot and their division title with three games remaining.

Here’s how some of the experts around the league are viewing this matchup:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable)
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Saints 33-23
Mike Jones (USA TODAY) Saints 30-21
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Saints 33-23
Mike Clay (ESPN) Saints N/A
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Saints 30-23
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Saints 30-19
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Saints N/A
Todd Haislop (Sporting News) Saints 34-20
NumberFire Saints N/A
Pro Football Focus Saints N/A
Bleacher Report Saints 27-20

To no surprise, the experts are siding in with the Saints. Everybody is doing so as the Colts have been struggling so much that most don’t expect this to be a close game.

It certainly could come down to one score, but the Colts are likely to see their season officially end on Monday night with a loss and the attention will turn to the offseason moves.

Colts vs. Buccaneers: NFL experts make Week 14 picks

NFL experts give their takes on the Week 14 matchup.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-6) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) are preparing for a battle at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday in what is a make or break matchup for both teams.

As the Colts try to fight their way out of a slump that includes four losses over the last five games, the Buccaneers are trying to keep their ship sailing in the right direction having won three of their last four contests.

The Colts are underdogs on the road, but here’s how some of the experts around the league are picking this game:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable)
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Bucs 23-20
Mike Jones (USA TODAY) Colts 22-20
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Colts 28-27
Mike Clay (ESPN) Bucs N/A
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Bucs 30-20
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Bucs 27-21
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Colts N/A
Todd Haislop (Sporting News) Bucs 27-24
NumberFire Bucs N/A
Pro Football Focus Bucs N/A
Bleacher Report Bucs 24-20

Like Vegas, most of the experts have an eye for the Buccaneers this week. They are on a solid streak over the last month, which includes the team averaging 27.9 points per game over that stretch. The Colts have hit 27 points just three times this season and once in the last six games.

The Colts are expected to be without wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who suffered a setback with his calf injury—it isn’t clear if he will return this season because of it. They should see the return of running back Marlon Mack and rookie wide receiver Parris Campbell, both of which underwent surgery to repair a fractured hand.

This is a big game for the Colts even though they are most likely already out of contention for a playoff spot. Should they lose this week, their chances of making the postseason will crawl close to zero.

Colts vs. Titans: NFL experts make Week 13 picks

NFL experts make their picks.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) and Tennessee Titans (6-5) are expected to be engaging in a physical battle at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 13

The vital divisional matchup will have implications in the AFC South and AFC playoff race down the stretch and oddsmakers are expecting a tight game—as per usual with these two teams.

The Colts opened the week as slight home favorites over the Titans, but how do some of the experts around the league feel about the matchup?

Expert Pick Score (if applicable)
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Titans 23-20
Mike Jones (USA TODAY) Colts 24-23
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Titans 23-20
Mike Clay (ESPN) Titans N/A
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Titans 24-20
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Titans 19-16
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Titans N/A
Todd Haislop (Sporting News) Titans 24-21
NumberFire Titans N/A
Pro Football Focus Colts N/A
Bleacher Report Colts 23-17

Week 13 NFL picks: Who are the experts picking in Bears vs. Lions?

The Bears and Lions will face-off for the 2nd straight Thanksgiving as Chicago looks for its second straight win. Are the experts confident?

The Chicago Bears (5-6) will travel to Detroit to face the Lions (3-7-1) for the second straight Thanksgiving. They’ll be looking to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a victory over a struggling Lions team.

The experts are feeling confident about the Bears’ chances against a struggling Lions team as 77 percent of experts polled believe the Bears will beat the Lions on Thanksgiving, according to NFL Pick Watch.

The Bears offense is looking to establish a rhythm earlier than the third quarter against a defense that struggled against the Washington Redskins last week.

The Lions will start third-string quarterback David Blough, an undrafted rookie out of Purdue, in place of backup Jeff Driskel, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Can the Bears’ offense find a way to finally get off to a quick start? Will the Bears’ defense fare well against Blough? Can the Bears keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a win?

We’ll see today when the Bears and Lions kick things off at 11:30 a.m. CT on FOX.

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NFL experts mostly picking the Falcons over the Bucs in Week 12

Things change quickly in the NFL, and there’s no better example than the 2019 Atlanta Falcons before and after their bye week.

Things change quickly in the NFL, and there’s no better example than the 2019 Atlanta Falcons before and after their bye week.

Two weeks ago, this team was a double-digit underdog to the New Orleans Saints. Now, just one day away from Atlanta’s Week 12 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, experts are convinced the Falcons are back.

Despite it being a game between two 3-7 teams, many seem to be leaning towards Atlanta. Let’s take a look at what some of the top NFL sites are forecasting on Sunday.

USA Today: Falcons

USA Today kicks things off with 7-0 sweep in favor of the Falcons from its panel of experts.

NFL.com: Falcons

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com predicts Atlanta will win, 33-21, in his weekly picks column.

ESPN: Falcons

Out of ESPN’s ten-person panel, nine of them chose the Falcons. Mina Kimes was the only person to pick the Bucs on Sunday, but we forgive you, Mina.

CBS Sports: Falcons

The CBS Sports panel gave us another one-sided Falcons victory. Only Will Brinson took Tampa Bay, while the other seven went with Atlanta.

Bleacher Report: Falcons

Bleacher Report’s three writers each went with the favored Falcons to win their third straight game. The score prediction is Atlanta 31, Tampa Bay 20.

SB Nation: Falcons

The vote went 8-2 in favor of an Atlanta victory from the writers over at SB Nation.

Well, so much for sneaking up on anyone. Let’s see is the team can keep its two-game winning streak alive against another NFC South foe on Sunday.

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Week 12 NFL picks: Who are the experts picking in Bears vs. Giants?

The Bears will host the Giants on Sunday, and the experts have overwhelmingly sided with one team.

The Chicago Bears (4-6) will host the New York Giants (2-8) as the Bears look to rebound from a disappointing loss in Week 12 and the Giants look to end their six-game losing streak.

The experts are feeling confident about the Bears’ chances against a struggling Giants team as 88 percent of experts polled believe the Bears will beat the Giants on Sunday, according to NFL Pick Watch.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who left last Sunday’s game against the Rams with a hip pointer, will get the start for Chicago and look to continue a string of good performances in what’s been a disappointing third season for the young quarterback.

There’s no better time than against a Giants defense that has been torched over the last several games. But the Bears will need more than just Trubisky. They’ll need the whole offense working on the same page.

Can the Bears offense take advantage of a bad Giants defense? Can the Bears defense stop Saquon Barkley? Can the Bears avoid the devastation that would come with a loss to the lowly Giants?

We’ll see Sunday when the Bears and Giants kick things off at noon CT on FOX.

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For third week in a row, 100% of experts pick Saints to win

For the third week in a row, the New Orleans Saints are unanimous picks to win. 100% of expert picks have them beating the Carolina Panthers

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The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers are on a collision course, with Week 12’s game in the Mercedes Benz-Superdome carrying huge implications for both teams. If the Saints win, they’ll inch a little closer to competing for the top NFC playoff seed. But if the Saints lose, they’ll open the window a little wider for the Panthers to claw their way back into playoff contention.

Per the expert picks surveyed by NFL Pickwatch, the Saints are again the unanimous pick. And New Orleans is the only team to receive 100% of votes this week; the next-closest teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers (99% of votes picking them over the Cincinnati Bengals) and the Cleveland Browns (96% to beat the Miami Dolphins).

This is the third consecutive week in which the Saints are seen as surefire victors. 100% of expert picks came in for them to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday (which they did) and a week earlier against the Atlanta Falcons (which, well, didn’t happen). So obviously being favored by experts doesn’t guarantee a win.

That same Falcons team upset the Saints and the Panthers (beating them 29-3, intercepting Kyle Allen four times and sacking him five times) in subsequent weeks, further clouding this week’s result. If the Saints win their next two games and the Panthers lose their next two, New Orleans will clinch their third consecutive division title. But that could be easier said than done in the always-wild NFC South.

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