Tag: expert picks

98% of experts are picking the 49ers over the Seahawks for Wild Card game

There’s no shame in bein’ beaten by the best.

There’s no shame in bein’ beaten by the best.

Pick whatever unlikely playoff team cliche you want – the Seahawks are either playing with house money, or they have nothing to lose, or they are feeling really loose, and so on – they are all true in this case. Pretty much everybody and their mother are picking the 49ers to win today’s Wild Card matchup in Santa Clara.

How many exactly? According to NFL pick watch, 98% of the experts are predicting a Niners win. The only experts we could find who have picked a Seattle upset are Frank Raines and Stan Taylor of Field Gulls fame and Betting News Public.

The most-likely scenario for an upset will involve the Seahawks getting consistent pressure on rookie quarterback Brock Purdy and forcing him into some turnovers. They’ll also need Geno Smith to avoid mistakes and find some way to contain Christian McCaffrey, who’s back to top-five RB form after missing most of the previous two seasons due to injury.

Most of all, Pete Carroll and his staff have to recognize that they’re outmatched and adjust the gameplan accordingly. If ever there was a time to pull out bold trick plays and make aggressive decisions on fourth down, this is it.

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NFL picks: Experts predict Chargers vs. Jaguars playoff game

Experts are close to 50-50 in their Chargers vs. Jaguars predictions.

Much of Wild Card Weekend has matchups with obvious favorites and underdogs. Hardly anyone is picking the Skylar Thompson-led Miami Dolphins to upset the Buffalo Bills, and an overwhelming majority are picking the 13-4 San Francisco 49ers to roll through the Seattle Seahawks.

The Saturday night meeting of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers is a different story.

Los Angeles is a slight favorite after finishing the regular season with the better record, but the Jaguars will have home field advantage at TIAA Bank Field. There’s also the 38-10 blowout that Jacksonville laid on the Chargers in September.

Experts are pretty evenly split on the rematch. Here’s a roundup of predictions of the primetime game in Duval:

Who are the experts picking in Panthers vs. Saints?

Do the experts think the Panthers will zoom past the Saints for a second time this season?

Thanks to last week’s win by the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this week’s divisional showdown between the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints have zero playoff implications. That, however, doesn’t mean these two rivals won’t be trying to duke it out for a win.

Here’s who the experts think will get that dub on Sunday.

Colts vs. Texans: NFL experts make Week 18 picks

The NFL experts made their Week 18 picks.

The Indianapolis Colts (4-11-1) and Houston Texans (2-13-1) are preparing to conclude the 2022 season with a divisional matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

The rematch of the Week 1 tie could have some draft implications. While the Texans are looking to lock up the No. 1 pick, the Colts are looking to stay within the top-five picks.

Here’s how the experts around the league view this matchup:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable) Link
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) — — Link
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) — — Link
Lorenzo Reyes (USA TODAY) — — Link
Mike Clay (ESPN) Colts — Link
Matt Bowen (ESPN) Colts — Link
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Network) Texans 21-20 Link
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Colts 19-18 Link
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Colts 20-13 Link
Jess Root (Sportsbook Wire) Texans — Link
Bleacher Report Colts 17-14 Link

Over at Tallysight, the experts seem to be a bit split. Roughly 54% of them are siding with the Texans to take the upset on the road to conclude the season.

If that happens, and the Chicago Bears lose in Week 18, the Bears would jump the Texans for the No. 1 overall pick. Though difficult, it would give the Colts a chance to trade up to that spot to ensure they get the quarterback they want.

This matchup is likely going to be a snoozefest between two owners who don’t want to jeopardize draft position. The players don’t think about that. They go out to win. But it will be interesting to see what the ramifications are considering the possibilities depending on the outcomes.

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NFL Week 17 picks: Who the experts are taking in Commanders vs. Browns

Two-thirds of the experts believe the Commanders will beat the Browns in Week 17.

A win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 would go a long way for the Washington Commanders in their quest to clinch the NFC’s final playoff berth.

Regardless of what happens to the other three teams behind the Commanders [Lions, Packers, Seahawks], if they win, they are in. Of course, Washington must win its final two games, which will not be easy.

How will the Commanders fare against the Browns, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention last week?

In preparation for this game, head coach Ron Rivera made a quarterback change. Rivera decided to turn back to Carson Wentz, benching Taylor Heinicke, who had won five of his nine starts but not one since Nov. 27.

Can Wentz come up big for the Commanders in his return to the starting lineup? According to NFL Pickwatch, 67% of the expert pickers chose Washington over the Browns in Week 17.

The Commanders are a two-point favorite over Cleveland heading into Sunday’s game.

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Who are the experts picking in Panthers vs. Buccaneers?

Who are the experts taking in Sunday’s big NFC South showdown between the Panthers and Buccaneers?

The fate of the NFC South is still up in the air—as are, apparently, the opinions of the league’s experts for this enormous Week 17 matchup.

Let’s see who’s siding with who for Sunday’s showdown between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Colts vs. Giants: NFL experts make Week 17 picks

NFL experts make their picks for the matchup between the Colts and Giants.

The Indianapolis Colts (4-10-1) and New York Giants (8-6-1) are just about set for a Week 17 matchup at MetLife Stadium.

While Vegas has the Giants sitting comfortably as 5.5-point home favorites, let’s take a look at how the experts around the league are viewing this matchup:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable) Link
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Giants 25-17 Link
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Giants 20-11 Link
Lorenzo Reyes (USA TODAY) Giants 24-10 Link
Mike Clay (ESPN) Giants — Link
Dan Graziano (ESPN) Giants — Link
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Network) Giants 27-23 Link
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Giants 27-21 Link
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Giants 28-13 Link
Cam DaSilva (Sportsbook Wire) Giants — Link
Bleacher Report Giants 26-17 Link

Unsurprisingly, 98% of analysts are choosing the Giants to win this matchup over at Tallysight. As the Giants look to clinch their first playoff berth since the 2016 season, the Colts are simply playing for pride.

Even though the Giants are heavily favored, it could still be a close game. The Colts offense has been putrid for most of the season, but 12 of the Giants’ 15 games have resulted in a point differential of eight or fewer points.

It’s likely this game comes down to a final drive, but that’s only if the Colts offense can muster together any type of rhythm.

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98% of NFL expert picks this week are coming in against the Saints

98% of NFL expert picks this week like the Eagles over the Saints. A microscopic 2% minority are picking them to win on Sunday’s road game:

That’s about what we expected, but seeing it in print doesn’t make it any easier to accept. The New Orleans Saints are 6.5-point underdogs on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, and just 2% of this week’s expert picks like them to pull off an upset — meaning an overwhelming 98% majority are backing the Eagles, per NFL Pickwatch.

But that’s going to happen when a team that’s struggled to achieve a 6-9 record flies out to play a 13-2 squad that’s beaten them twice in two years. The Saints have not played a winning brand of football this year, which is reflected in their record and in these weekly game picks.

So it’s safe to say the Saints have their work cut out for them. They’re likely going to be without both starting guards in this game (Cesar Ruiz is done for the year with a Lisfranc injury, while Andrus Peat hasn’t been able to practice due to an ankle issue) while dealing with absences at other position groups.

That’s not to say the Eagles are invincible. They’ve lost twice this year and got lucky in several close games, and this is a league where any team can win on any given Sunday. The Saints have a chance, but it’s not a good one — it’s probably close to the 2% chance we’re seeing from national experts and fan blogs from around the league’s orbit.

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Broncos vs. Rams: Expert picks for NFL Week 16

Will the Broncos beat the Rams in Los Angeles?

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Merry Christmas and happy holidays to Broncos Country!

The Denver Broncos are set to face off against the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day. Here’s a breakdown of how the experts think these two 4-10 teams will do.

NFL.com: Broncos 20-13 — Gregg Rosenthall picks Denver to win this game against the Baker Mayfield-led Rams.

ESPN: Broncos 17, Rams 13 (Moody); Broncos 16, Rams 10 (Walder) — The two NFL writers see Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson passing for two or more touchdowns, with a big stipulation. “Wilson… will have (his) third game of the season with two or more touchdown passes,” the analysis said. “But — and it’s a significant but — only if Wilson shows more patience against the Rams’ heavy dose of zone coverages with cornerbacks in off-coverage.”

USA Today: Split decision (3 picks-Broncos, 3 picks Rams) — Four writers see the Broncos scoring 20 points or more this Sunday, and all six writers have the final score as a one-possession game.

CBS Sports: Rams 21, Broncos 14 — Many fans and experts saw this matchup, which was announced before the NFL draft, as a potential Super Bowl matchup; at the very least a playoff-implication atmosphere. Both teams proceeded to fall flat. The Super Bowl champions from 2021 lost quarterback Matthew Stafford to a neck injury, and Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has not lived up to expectations. CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco sees Baker Mayfield’s Rams find a way to win.

Overall, what many saw as a must-see game in the early going, experts see as a one-possession game that at this point is for draft picks.

Tune into CBS Sports, or Nickelodeon (both can be found on the Paramount+ streaming service) at 2:30 pm MST on Sunday, December 25.

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Colts vs. Chargers: NFL experts make Week 16 picks

The experts made their Week 16 picks for the Week 16 matchup between the Colts and Chargers.

The Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1) are preparing to host the Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night.

The Week 16 matchup marks the fourth consecutive game in which they will be on national television. As they are viewed as home underdogs in the eyes of Vegas, here’s how the experts around the league view this matchup:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable) Link
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Chargers 27-23 Link
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Chargers 27-17 Link
Lorenzo Reyes (USA TODAY) Chargers 30-22 Link
Mike Clay (ESPN) Chargers — Link
Dan Graziano (ESPN) Chargers — Link
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Network) Chargers 23-17 Link
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Chargers 28-23 Link
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Chargers 30-20 Link
Cam DaSilva (Sportsbook Wire) Chargers — Link
Bleacher Report Chargers 28-20 Link

Over at Tallysight, 93% of analysts are choosing the Chargers to win this game. That should come as no surprise considering the spread and the advantage the Chargers have at quarterback with Justin Herbert.

The Colts will be going with Nick Foles under center as Sam Ehlinger was named the backup following the second benching of Matt Ryan.

Indy also will be without star running back Jonathan Taylor, whose season ended when the team put him on the injured reserve list after injuring his ankle in Week 15.

The Colts don’t have much to play for outside of playing spoiler or improving their draft stock, but the Chargers will be fighting for a playoff spot.

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