I had a decent showing last week, at 3-1, but the trouble is that Charlie, who had a stellar wildcard weekend, had the same picks. Meanwhile Andy, after a disappointing start, rallied and went undefeated last weekend. So, after two weeks, the combined totals are Charlie 8-1, with Andy and myself at 6-4.
Once more unto the breach, my friends…
Chiefs @ Ravens
Kansas City once again got the best of Josh Allen last weekend, but their victory also exposed some of the team’s weaknesses, particularly, an inability to contain a running quarterback. This could be particularly dangerous given that Lamar Jackson, who rushed for 821 yards this season, is an even bigger threat when he takes off than Allen. The Chiefs will likely have to commit a spy to contain Jackson, which will help open up the Baltimore passing game. Additionally, the Chiefs are banged up – Isaiah Pacheco, a central part of their offense, has turf toe and Joe Thuney, their All-Pro guard, is not expected to play (though nothing is official). They’ll be up against the stingiest defense in the NFL. Last week I was proven wrong when I bet against Patrick Mahomes, nonetheless, I am going with the team that has played the most consistently well all season. Prediction: Ravens.
Lions @ 49ers
This is a tough one to pick, because a lot depends for me on the status of Deebo Samuel. We saw last week how much less dynamic the San Fran offense is without him, and it’s unclear as of this writing whether he’ll be playing, or, if he does, how much he’ll be limited by his shoulder injury. At the risk of seeing him come back to have an explosive performance, I will say that I like Detroit’s chances here. They have a scary good offensive line which can generate a run game and give Jared Goff enough time and space to operate. And they have a great defense against the run – if they’re able to make Christian McCaffrey look human, they go a long way toward neutering the 49ers. Prediction: Lions.