The Kansas City Chiefs picked up their fifth straight win with a 19-8 less-than-thriller at home against the Denver Broncos Thursday night.
Here’s the rest of the weekend’s NFL schedule (all listed in U.S. Central Standard time, along with preview links written by the hard-working folks at Field Level Media. And they’re way more than football. Give ‘em a read, or 20):
Baltimore (3-2) vs. Tennessee (2-3) in London, 8:30 a.m., NFL Network (Ravens, Titans hope to turn things around in London – Field Level Media
Washington (2-3) at Atlanta (3-2), noon, CBS (Falcons’ Desmond Ridder starting to find stride with Commanders up next – Field Level Media
Minnesota (1-4) at Chicago (1-4), noon, FOX (Bears go for 2nd straight win, host Justin Jefferson-less Vikings – Field Level Media
Seattle (3-1) at Cincinnati (2-3), noon, CBS (Surging Seahawks take on Bengals on an upswing – Field Level Media
San Francisco (5-0) at Cleveland (2-2), noon, FOX (Unbeaten 49ers, Brock Purdy ready to test Browns’ defense – Field Level Media
Carolina (0-5) at Miami (4-1), noon, CBS (Winless Panthers face tough task against thriving Dolphins – Field Level Media
Indianapolis (3-2) at Jacksonville (3-2), noon, CBS (Gardner Minshew looking forward to return to Jacksonville as Colts new starting QB
New Orleans (3-2) at Houston (2-3), noon, FOX (Texans seeking offensive improvement in battle vs. Saints – Field Level Media
New England (1-4) at Las Vegas (2-3), 3:05 p.m., CBS (Patriots try to heat up vs. Raiders in coach, mentor matchup – Field Level Media
Arizona (1-4) at L.A. Rams (2-3), 3:25 p.m., FOX (Cardinals’ run game in flux entering matchup with Rams – Field Level Media
Philadelphia (5-0) at New York Jets (2-3), 3:25 p.m., FOX (Eagles put unbeaten mark on line vs. Jets – Field Level Media
Detroit (4-1) at Tampa Bay (2-2), 3:25 p.m., FOX (Two division leaders tussle as Lions visit Buccaneers – Field Level Media
New York Giants (1-4) at Buffalo (3-2), 7:20 p.m., NBC (Bills, Giants look to get back on track in primetime matchup – Field Level Media
Monday’s game
Dallas (3-2) at L.A. Chargers (2-2), 7:15 p.m., ABC – Angry Cowboys, injured Chargers happy to get another day of preparation for Monday night | AP News
Staff picks
A refresher, for you that are newbies to the site, or to this particular feature: we have seven staff members – and my daughter, Ashtyn, a college student – who attempt to successfully guess the outcomes of every single NFL game every week. We included Ashtyn because she’s so good at it – and now we wish we didn’t, because she’s now leading in both the college and the NFL picks.
So, in addition to myself and Ashtyn, the rest of our panel are assistant editor Clayton Fletcher; correspondent and my wife, Jenna; our videographer and my son, Jacob Lucas; staff photographer Alex Nabor; and correspondents Mitchell Molandes and Shelby Thompson Molandes.
Ashtyn leads the NFL picks with a 49-29 record. Clayton, as hard as it is to believe, is in second place (for those of you who know Clayton and his NFL-watching, that’s an inside joke) with a 48-30 record. Jacob and Alex are each 46-32, tied for third. Mitchell is 42-36. Jenna is 41-37. And myself and Shelby are each 40-38. No excuses, I had a rough first couple of weeks.
So, this week’s games…
Denver at Kansas City: We got this pick correct. What I find hard to believe is that the NFL even put this in prime time. The pick: Kansas City, a unanimous 8-0.
Baltimore vs. Tennessee (in London): Maybe it was the Titans’ recent performance at Indianapolis, but not a single soul on the panel picked Tennessee. The pick: Baltimore, a unanimous 8-0.
Washington at Atlanta: The Commanders lost to the previously-winless Chicago Bears last Thursday, and have had a few extra days to stew on it. I personally think it won’t matter, because Atlanta is the better football team, and is playing at home. A couple of us picked Washington, however: Alex and Mitchell. So, the pick: 6-2 in favor of Atlanta.
Minnesota at Chicago: A battle of one-win teams. Jenna and Jacob took the Bears here, which would be Chicago’s second straight win, if they can pull it off. The rest of us took the Vikings. The pick: 6-2, in Minnesota’s favor.
Seattle at Cincinnati: The Seahawks are coming off an open date, and have had two weeks to prepare for this game. Still, it’s not in Seattle and the Bengals looked like they were finally putting things together the last time we saw them, in a win at Arizona last week – Joe Burrow connected with receiver Ja’Marr Chase for three touchdowns and just shy of 200 yards. This one is split to a degree: Jenna, Alex and Shelby took the road-team Seattle, and the rest of us like Cincinnati to get it done. The pick: 5-3 in favor of Cincinnati.
San Francisco at Cleveland: The 49ers looked near superhuman in their home win over Dallas last week. Right now, they look like the best team in football, and probably are. The pick: San Francisco, a unanimous 8-0. Side note: I almost picked Cleveland here, and if I knew Deshaun Watson would be Cleveland’s quarterback, I might’ve. The 49ers are a legit Super Bowl contender, but I don’t believe anybody gets out of the regular season undefeated. This could be a stumbling block.
Carolina at Miami: The Panthers still haven’t won a game, and there have been extenuating circumstances, to be sure. But this likely isn’t the week. The pick: unanimous 8-0.
Indianapolis at Jacksonville: If I had told any of you that five weeks into the season, the Colts would be 3-2, how many of you would’ve believed it? I absolutely would not have. It’s been a Cinderella season. Well, the Dolphins’ offense is on pace to be the highest-scoring single-season offense in league history. So Cinderella’s pumpkin is likely awaiting on Sunday for the Colts. The pick: the Jaguars, unanimously, 8-0.
New Orleans at Houston: OK, same thing here as with the Colts: who would have thought that coach Demeco Ryans would have this team looking like a contender to win the AFC South Division title? I know I wouldn’t have, even though I have always respected Ryans, he took over what appeared to be one heck of a rebuild, and still might be. But I like the Texans here, and so do Fletch and Alex. The pick: 5-3 in favor of the Saints.
New England at Las Vegas: Going straight to the pick here: unanimous, 8-0, in the Raiders’ favor. The Patriots have fallen on hard times.
Arizona at L.A. Rams: Lots of mismatches this week, and another unanimous pick, 8-0, in favor of the Rams.
Philadelphia at New York Jets: The Jets’ defense is helping them to be respectable. I could see them making life miserable for Philadelphia and quarterback Jalen Hurts. But I can’t see them winning, and neither could anyone on the panel. The pick: Unanimous 8-0 for Philly.
Detroit at Tampa Bay: We’ll see this week if the Lions can take their show on the road and win in a pretty hostile environment. The pick: 6-2 in favor of Detroit, with myself and Fletch taking Baker Mayfield and the Bucs.
New York Giants at Buffalo: Um…. No. The pick: unanimous, in favor of Buffalo.
Dallas at the L.A. Chargers: Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception, and has been sacked nine times. The battle here will be won up front. If the Chargers can keep the Cowboys’ pass rush at bay, Dallas is in danger of losing a second straight game. The pick: Dallas, unanimously.
