Caleb Wilfinger

For all intents and purposes, the Ravens appear to be a broken team at the moment. After all, Baltimore just lost back-to-back games against AFC North foes to squander its position at the top of the division and suddenly put itself in real jeopardy of missing the postseason. Lamar Jackson is clearly playing through some kind of injury, and his supporting cast has not exactly been helpful in recent weeks, either. To make matters worse, the defense is regressing a bit after about 6 weeks of improved performance following a slow start to the season. Despite all of that, I’m actually going to hold my nose and back Baltimore as a short road favorite in Cincinnati this week in what is essentially a must-win game for John Harbaugh’s team.

A few weeks ago, Cincinnati went into Baltimore and comfortably dispatched of the Ravens in Joe Burrow’s first game back in the lineup. However, the Bengals were pretty fortunate to win that game, as Baltimore finished with a whopping 5 turnovers, including a game-changing fumble from Isaiah Likely as he was about to cross the goal line late in the first half. The Ravens were the clear better team in the box score against Pittsburgh last week, as Baltimore outgained the Steelers by more than 100 yards and controlled the time of possession, but ultimately struggled to convert in the red zone and was even stripped of a crucial touchdown by a questionable overturn from the replay booth. Just about everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for Jackson and company in recent weeks, so there should be some positive regression coming Baltimore’s way on Sunday. Additionally, Cincinnati’s defense has been a mess in the ground game and against tight ends, which spells good things for Jackson, Derrick Henry and the stable of capable Ravens tight ends. And while Joe Burrow and the Bengals just scored 34 against the Bills a week ago, it’s unclear if Tee Higgins will be in the lineup for an offense that has to score 30+ every week to put itself in position to win. I’ll back Baltimore to bounce back in this spot.

Ravens vs Bengals prediction: Baltimore Ravens -2.5 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

If you’re looking for a new sportsbook, check out Bet365, the world’s #1 sportsbook. They have an amazing sign-up offer where you can INSTANTLY receive $150 in bonus bets from a $5 wager, regardless of whether that bet wins or loses! There’s no catch, it’s really that simple. Join Bet365 right now ⏰ in time to fade or follow our experts’ Ravens vs Bengals predictions.

One of the most important matchups of the weekend in the NFL comes in Kansas City, where the Chiefs will host the Chargers in what is now a de facto elimination game for Kansas City. A season ago, the Chiefs were basically perfect in 1-score games all season long, until they reached the Super Bowl and were embarrassed by the Eagles. Since that point, Andy Reid’s bunch has floundered in close games this season, with much of their current predicament stemming from the fact that they are just 1-6 in games decided by 1 possession. Unlike the 2024 campaign, this Chiefs team is actually due for some positive regression, and I’m of the opinion that Kansas City’s bid for another playoff berth will continue for at least a few more weeks.

Despite their rampant offensive line issues and a run game that has basically been nonexistent for most of the year, this is still an offense led by Patrick Mahomes that is surprisingly 4th in DVOA on the season. They’re also finally in a good situational spot this week against a Chargers team that is coming off the biggest win of their season and will be traveling to Kansas City on a short week. Given the fact that temperatures are expected to be well below freezing and we should see some sustained wind in this game, it’s hard to see Justin Herbert seeing much success with his broken left hand in the blistering cold. The Chargers offensive line is a revolving door at the moment, and they just allowed a whopping 72% pressure rate against the Eagles on Monday. That doesn’t bode well for a matchup against a Kansas City defensive front that is coming off a very strong game against Houston a week ago. The Chargers’ game plan is one that is going to involve a heavy dose of the run game and a ton of deep shots, and Kansas City has done very well in both of those areas of late — with the Chiefs ranking 8th against the run over the last 5 weeks. All things considered, this should be a game where Kansas City flexes its muscles en route to a victory by at least a touchdown at home.

Chargers vs Chiefs prediction:Kansas City Chiefs -4.5 available at time of publishing. Playable to -5.5.

If you’re looking for a new sportsbook, check out Bet365, the world’s #1 sportsbook. They have an amazing sign-up offer where you can INSTANTLY receive $150 in bonus bets from a $5 wager, regardless of whether that bet wins or loses! There’s no catch, it’s really that simple. Join Bet365 right now ⏰ in time to fade or follow our experts’ Chargers vs Chiefs predictions.

This is an instance where I’m bullish on a higher-scoring game than what the market is expecting. On one side, the Buccaneers offense isn’t what it was earlier in the season, but Tampa Bay has a pretty favorable matchup on Thursday against an Atlanta defense that has been trending downward in recent weeks. In fact, the Falcons have surrendered 28 points per game over the last 7 weeks, and Atlanta has allowed 30 or more points in 4 of those contests.

On the other side, the Falcons offense has shown flashes of life with Kirk Cousins back at the helm in recent weeks, and Tampa Bay’s defense (20th in EPA per pass) just struggled against Tyler Shough and the anemic Saints offense a week ago. With that in mind, let’s roll with the over on TNF.

After a long and eventful college football regular season, the most wonderful time of the year is finally here. Bowl season might not be as essential across the college football landscape as it once was, but it still presents bettors with a plethora of games to handicap and wager on. The first matchup of college football’s unofficial postseason features a couple of strong programs, as the Boise State Broncos will take on the Washington Huskies in the LA Bowl on Saturday. Both teams are expected to be mostly intact in this game, and we shouldn’t see either side impacted all that much by opt-outs and potential transfers. With that in mind, I’m going to eschew taking a side on the spread and focus on the total in this contest.

For starters, Washington has been able to work through its injuries over the last few months and the Huskies should be healthier coming off a bye week. Furthermore, it looks like Washington is motivated to play in this game, as star running back Jonah Coleman and future NFL wide receiver Denzel Boston should be in the lineup on Saturday. Head coach Jedd Fisch recently stated that he expects all of his starters to suit up in this game, outside of those with long-term injuries. With that in mind, this offense is extremely dangerous, especially with quarterback Demond Williams playing behind an offensive line should be healthy for the first time in well over a month. Washington has shown that it can score with anybody when healthy (5th in success rate, 15th in EPA per play, 17th in points per drive), and it shouldn’t face much resistance against a Boise State defense that is 117th in points per quality drive allowed and has struggled against the run all season long.

On the other side, the Broncos offense should be largely intact for this game — including quarterback Maddux Madsen and the dynamic running back trio of Dylan Riley, Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod. Latrell Caples and Chris Marshall should be able to generate success on the outside against a Washington pass defense that has struggled when stepping up in class this season. Both of these teams don’t play at an extremely fast pace, but given that it is the final game for a lot of key contributors on both offenses, I can’t imagine either unit taking their foot off the gas in a spot where they’ll both have a favorable matchup against their opponent. With nothing troubling in the weather forecast on Saturday, this game should finish in the mid-50s. Let’s start off bowl season with plenty of points.

Boise State vs Washington prediction: Over 52 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 52.5.

You can bet on our Boise State vs Washington pick with BetMGM, where right now new users can activate your new BetMGM account ⚡ and receive $150 in bonus bets INSTANTLY if your first $10+ wager is a winner!