NFL 2023 Week 9 Prequel
Thursday, November 2, 2023, 8pm
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2 1/2) — Will Levis was very impressive in his NFL debut, throwing four touchdowns. Going into Pittsburgh is a tougher test. Both Mike Vrabel and Mike Tomlin like to win with a punishing physical style. This is one game where the home field could be key in a close game. Go with the home crowd. Steelers cover
Sunday, November 5, 1pm
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs (-2 1/2) — The Chiefs suffered a surprising beating at Denver last week. Now they face a Miami offense that is clicking on all cylinders. Yet the Chiefs have the better defense. Patrick Mahomes was not healthy last week. Andy Reid was designing a powerhouse offense while mike Mcdaniels was still in school. As well as the Dolphins are playing, look for the Chiefs to rebound, especially at home. Chiefs cover
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens (-5 1/2) – Both of these teams are playing very good football. The Seahawks seem to be overachieving. Geno Smith is competent, but he is not Lamar Jackson. The Ravens run the ball well. The Seahawks could make this a close game. Ravens win but fail to cover
Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns (-7) — The Cardinals are awful. They just traded Joshua Dobbs to Minnesota. The Browns have a seriously good defense. The Dawg Pound will be fired up, but the spread s too high given that the Browns tend to play close games. Browns win but fail to cover
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans (-2 1/2) — The Texans lost on the final play to a previously winless Carolina team. The Buccaneers have a leader in Baker Mayfield. CJ Stroud is competent. The teams both have a decent enough defense. The home field will not matter. The Buccaneers have better receivers. Upset special, Buccaneers win outright
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints (-6 1/2) — The Saints have the better defense. Derek Carr can stretch the field. Alvin Kamara runs well. The Bears have far less talent. Saints cover
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons (-4) — The Vikings season went down in flames went Kirk Cousin tore his ACL and is out for the season. The Vikings traded for Joshua Dobbs, a downgrade. The Falcons are uneven, but should take advantage of a dejected Minnesota squad. Yet the Falcons do not blow anyone out, even when they win. Falcons win but fail to cover
Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers (-2 1/2) — Both of these teams are playing bad football. Matthew Stafford is better than Jordan Love. The weather is not cold enough to be a factor. The Rams got obliterated last week at Dallas, falling behind by 30 points in the second quarter. The Packers are losing my closer margins. Go with those trends. Packers cover
Washington Commanders at New England Patriots (-2 1/2) — Both of these teams are losing, but the Commanders have been more competitive. Sam Howell is playing decent enough football. Mac Jones is not. Jones has regressed since last year. The Patriots run the ball well with Raimondre Stevenson. If the running game can get going early at home, the Patriots should be ok. Patriots cover
4pm
Indianapolis Colts (-2 1/2) at Carolina Panthers — The Panthers finally won a game last week. The first matchup between Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson will have to wait as Gardner Minshew fills in for the injured Richardson. Minshew is capable and Jonathan Taylor is running well. The Colts are young and improving, and they have enough to return the Panthers back to the loss column. Colts cover
New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders (-3) — Both of these teams have been dreadful, especially on offense. The Giants committed the unforgivable sin of losing to the Jets. Yet the Raiders finally fired Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler. That should provide a spark for one week as the team rallies together for the interim coach. Yet Jimmy Garoppolo has been benched. Aidan O’Connell is starting, which means the Raiders have quit on this season. The Raiders have not scored more than 21 points all season. Home field will not matter. Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams will light a fire under their team with everyone playing for their jobs. Raiders cover
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-3) — The Eagles are 7-1 and winning close games. The Cowboys blasted the Rams to pieces last week. The Eagles have the better defense. The home field matters in this rivalry. Jalen Hurts is better than Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have been exposed on the road against good teams. Eagles cover
8pm
Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals (-2) — These teams played two of the most emotional games in NFL history last year. The first game was suspended in the first quarter due to the Damar Hamlin scare. Yet in the rematch in the playoffs, the Bengals went into snowy Buffalo and won convincingly. The Bengals got off to a slow start, but their win over San Francisco was impressive. The Bills are a complete team, but go with the home field. This could be an AFC Title Game preview. Bengals cover
Monday, November 6, 8pm
Los Angeles Chargers (-2) at New York Jets — Justin Herbert is far better than Zach Wilson. The Jets have the better defense. Robert Slash is a real football coach. Brandon Staley makes terrible decisions. Nobody loses winnable games like the Chargers. The Chargers on paper are the better team, but the Jets are winning some games in miraculous fashion. Upset special, Jets win outright