Tag: expert picks

NFL Week 16 picks: Who the experts are taking in Commanders vs. 49ers

The experts overwhelmingly favored the Eagles in Week 10. Can the Commanders pull off a similar upset win?

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Remember early in the season when it felt like the Washington Commanders were overwhelming underdogs in every game? The Commanders were 4-5 heading into a Week 10 Monday night game against the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles. When it came time for the experts to pick, 99% of them chose the Eagles.

As you know, the Commanders handed the Eagles their only loss of the season.

Can the Commanders pull off a similar upset in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers?

The 49ers have won seven games in a row and a second quarterback change due to injury hasn’t slowed them down. San Francisco’s defense is the best in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Commanders, who had won four in a row, are coming back-to-back games against the New York Giants that ended with a tie and a loss, respectively.

Do the experts believe in Washington this time around?

According to NFL Pickwatch, 99% of those who made a pick went with the 49ers. Two writers for the College Football News were brave enough to go with the Commanders in this game.

Washington will have its work cut out, but don’t count the Commanders out.

Lions are a popular pick to win over the Jets

The Lions are a popular pick to win over the Jets in Week 15

If it seems like everyone is picking the Detroit Lions to beat the New York Jets on Sunday, it’s not just you. The Lions have the feel of a trendy pick and popular team nationally.

Winning five of six games will do that for a team. Even on the road in New York, the Lions are favored to win. A plurality of pundits agree with the oddsmakers and picked the Lions to come up victorious.

USA TODAY’s Nate Davis rolled with the Lions, as did six of the eight pundits at CBS Sports. Four of the eight pickers at ESPN chose the Lions. A full 64 percent of the entrants at ESPN’s pick’em fantasy chose the Lions.

That figure is pretty reflective of the overall picking. NFL Pickwatch tracked 63 percent of the overall picks around the sports world as being for Detroit.

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NFL Week 15 picks: Who the experts are taking in Giants vs. Commanders

The experts overwhelmingly favor the Commanders over the Giants in Week 15.

The Washington Commanders [7-5-1] host the New York Giants [7-5-1] in a rematch made for Sunday Night Football. The two longtime NFC East rivals met just two weeks, and the game ended in a 20-20 tie.

Two weeks later, it feels like this game is a battle between teams going in opposite directions this season. While Washington began the season 1-4, the Giants started the season 6-1, and now the teams have identical records.

In the first meeting, both teams had opportunities to take control but couldn’t take advantage of opportunities. The Commanders had a prime opportunity late, getting into New York territory before going conservative and ending up punting the ball away.

What has changed ahead of Week 15? Washington was off last week while the Eagles blew the Giants out. The Commanders are 4.5-point favorites for the rematch.

The betting lines favor the Commanders, but what do the experts think? According to NFL Pick Watch, 83% of the expert pickers side with the Commanders for the rematch.

Washington was a prime-time disaster for years until head coach Ron Rivera began reversing that trend upon his arrival in 2020. Will Rivera lead the Commanders to their third prime-time win this season?

Who are the experts picking in Panthers vs. Steelers?

Do the experts think the Panthers will successfully defend the Bank against the Steelers in Week 15?

With two straight wins and a clear path to an NFC South title, the Carolina Panthers are suddenly picking up steam. Are they doing the same across the expert picks?

Let’s see who’s picking who in the Week 15 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Colts vs. Vikings: NFL experts make Week 15 picks

NFL experts make their picks for the Week 15 matchup.

The Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) are set to visit the Minnesota Vikings (10-3) on the road at U.S. Bank Stadium for a Week 15 matchup.

While the Colts are essentially out of the playoff race, the Vikings are coming off a divisional loss and can clinch the NFC North with a win Saturday.

The Colts are entering the weekend as underdogs in the eyes of Vegas, and now it’s time to take a look at what the experts around the league think.

Expert Pick Score (if applicable) Link
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Vikings 27-20 Link
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Vikings 31-16 Link
Lorenzo Reyes (USA TODAY) Vikings 24-20 Link
Mike Clay (ESPN) Vikings — Link
Dan Graziano (ESPN) Colts — Link
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Network) Vikings 23-17 Link
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Vikings 30-21 Link
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Vikings 28-14 Link
Cam DaSilva (Sportsbook Wire) Vikings — Link
Bleacher Report Vikings 30-24 Link

Over at Tallysight, a whopping 98% of analysts are choosing the Vikings to win this game.

The Colts shouldn’t be favored to win. It wouldn’t be realistic to make a team that has struggled so much offensively favorites over a team that can clinch its division with a win.

As is the case every week, it will come down to the play of the offense. They haven’t scored more than 20 points in all but two games and have done so just once over their last seven.

This is a good matchup to do so, though, as the Vikings defense has struggled to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone. But it all comes down to quarterback Matt Ryan and whether he’s seeing a multitude of ghosts every time he drops back to pass.

This should be a relatively tight game, especially considering that the Vikings seem to play down to their competition. But the Colts will certainly go into this game as underdogs.

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Experts make their picks for Broncos vs. Chiefs in Week 14

The Denver Broncos look to prove the experts wrong in a Week 14 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Week 14 finds the Denver Broncos matching up with the Kansas City Chiefs in their first of two meetings in 2022. Kickoff will be at 4 pm MST in Denver. Let’s check out what the experts have to say about the game.

NFL: 29-17 Chiefs.

NFL writer Gregg Rosenthal sees a “stout” Bronco defense that will be likely overcome by Patrick Mahomes and a Chiefs team coming off a heartbreaker against the Cincinnati Bengals.

ESPN: Moody (34-14) Walder (34-13) Chiefs

Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold mentions that Russell Wilson was 27 the last time the Broncos beat KC. Both ESPN writers predict a Denver loss, with Moody giving an extra point advantage to the Broncos.

Sporting News: Vinnie Iyer Chiefs 27-17

Sporting News writer Vinnie Iyer mentioned Patrick Mahome’s perfect showing against the Broncos. As it is with the rest of the NFL landscape, Denver doesn’t scare Kansas City.

CBS Sports: Chiefs 27-13

As it has been with all the experts, Pete Prisco sees a Broncos loss on Sunday. Many see the Denver defense as the team’s most imposing factor, with the offense being the factor that will lose games. That has been the biggest trend in the 2022 season. Can the Broncos keep it close? We’ll see on Sunday.

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92% of NFL experts pick the Buccaneers over the Saints in Week 13

92% of NFL experts picked the Buccaneers over the Saints in Week 13. Can New Orléans pull off an upset? They’ve done it before against this team at this venue:

Whew. An overwhelming majority of 92% of NFL experts and fan blogs surveyed at NFL Pickwatch like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football this week, with just 8% of expert picks running against the current to back the black and gold.

Do the Saints have it in them to pull off an upset? They’ve done it before, at this exact venue, against this same team — just last year, a staggering 99% of experts picked the Buccaneers over the Saints for their Week 15 game at Raymond James Stadium, only for New Orleans to walk away with a win. A year earlier, 85% of them picked Tampa Bay at home, including the entire NBC Sports pregame panel (except for Drew Brees, who enjoyed a victory lap afterwards).

And this version of the Buccaneers looks a lot less daunting than their predecessors. They’re just 5-6 on the year so far against the Saints at 4-8, playing poorly on both offense and defense at times this season. Tom Brady hasn’t been able to stay in rhythm consistently with his receivers, and his offensive line is in shambles with just one starter returning from last year’s matchup with the Saints (left tackle Donovan Smith, who yielded a season-high 4 pressures in that Week 15 game).

But this version of the Saints has left a lot to be desired, too. They’ve hurt themselves with penalties and poorly-timed mistakes all season. The offense hasn’t been able to shift gears and find success against the more-challenging opponents on their schedule. The decision-making of head coach Dennis Allen and his staff is suspect. They have a lot to prove with their season on the line, and it goes to show why so many people aren’t picking themt o win this game.

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NFL Week 13 picks: Who the experts are taking in Commanders vs. Giants

The experts are split on Sunday’s game between the Commanders and Giants.

For the first time in a long time, the Washington Commanders [7-5] and New York Giants [7-4] are set to play meaningful December football against one another for the first time in what seems like forever.

Over the years, if Washington had a good team, New York struggled, or vice versa. And when the two longtime rivals would meet in December, the only thing on the line was who would have a higher pick in the upcoming draft.

Not in 2022. Under new head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants began the 2022 season 6-1. The Commanders looked like they had an opportunity for a top-five pick, starting the season with a 1-4 record before turning their season around in Week 6.

Now, both teams would be in the playoffs if the season started on Sunday. There’s a long way to go to Week 18, but Washington and New York are in an excellent position to make the postseason. Sunday’s game is their first meeting of the 2022 season, but they meet again in two weeks.

The Commanders opened as three-point favorites and remain a 2.5-point favorite for Sunday.

Who do the experts favor for Week 13?

According to NFL Pick Watch, the opinions are split. The experts are split right down the middle, with 50% of pickers choosing the Commanders.

That sounds fair. These teams are fairly evenly matched, and the Giants are coming off extra rest, having played Thursday night in Week 12. However, the Commanders are playing much better, but anything can happen in the NFL.

One thing is certain, expect another game down to the wire.

 

Colts vs. Cowboys: NFL experts make Week 13 picks

NFL experts make their Week 13 picks for the Colts and Cowboys.

The Indianapolis Colts (4-7-1) are preparing to enter Jerry’s World in a Week 13 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys (8-3).

This prime-time game features two teams heading in different directions. The Colts have lost five of their last six and are working toward a top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The Cowboys have won four of their last five since Dak Prescott’s return.

While Vegas has the Colts as the biggest underdogs of the week, here’s how the experts see this game shaking out:

Expert Pick Score (if applicable) Link
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) Cowboys 27-13 Link
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY) Cowboys 31-17 Link
Lorenzo Reyes (USA TODAY) Cowboys 33-20 Link
Mike Clay (ESPN) Cowboys — Link
Dan Graziano (ESPN) Cowboys — Link
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Network) Cowboys 30-11 Link
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Cowboys 32-23 Link
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Cowboys 30-16 Link
Cam DaSilva (Sportsbook Wire) Cowboys — Link
Bleacher Report Cowboys 28-14 Link

Over at Tallysight, 99% of the experts are siding with the Cowboys to take this game. It’s not surprising at all, though. This is a matchup between one of the best teams in the NFL and one of the worst.

While the Colts defense has been a bright spot this season, the Cowboys offense is an extremely fine-tuned unit that has weapons at nearly every position. With the Colts potentially being without two starting cornerbacks, it could get ugly.

Meanwhile, the offense will face one of it’s most difficult challenges throughout the entire season. Led by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Micah Parsons, the Cowboys defense is extremely stout against the pass, which is terrible news considering the Colts have one of the worst passing attacks in the NFL.

How this game didn’t get flexed out of prime time is a mystery, because logic states this game won’t be fun to watch as a Colts fan.

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