Emory's Picks (4 Live)
Chargers have low voltage along the line of scrimmage, which is where Philly has more of a jolt.
Emory's Past Picks
Where Detroit has had some issues this season is in protecting Jared Goff, who isn't the most athletic in the pocket and will take some sacks. Combine that fact with how the Cowboys have bolstered their defensive line, and subsequently their defense, in the last three weeks, you can see where they have a bit of an advantage in this game.
Seattle's defense, and offense for that matter, gets a 'get-right' game vs the lowly Tennessee Titans. The biggest matchup for them in this game is their defense vs one of the worst offenses in the NFL. That means their high-octane offense will get multiple opportunities with the ball to make things happen. Expect that to be the case in Nashville.
Without one of their star playmakers on offense, the Bengals made themselves much easier to defend. On top of that, they're facing one of the best defenses in the NFL in the New England Patriots, which was going to be a tougher task in its own right. With the way the Patriots are humming offensively, expect them to find little to no resistance vs Cincinnati.
Chicago has a chance to create some distance between them and others in the NFC playoff race by getting a huge win at home vs a Steelers squad who will be playing with a banged up Aaron Rodgers. I would expect the Bears to be able to beat the blitz and pressure with their passing game, while their defense continues to make Aaron Rodgers, and his wrist, uncomfortable.
There's just not enough playmakers offensively on the Jets side of things, which gives the Ravens the edge in this ball game. Defensively, Baltimore is starting to play like they did the latter part of the season, when they were arguably the best in the NFL. Expect some fight from Gang Green, but not enough to cover the spread.
With the new additions via trade and with some guys coming off IR for the first time this season, the Cowboys may surprise the Raiders with how good they are defensively. I expect their defense to be a big reason why they cover this spread, and make things very interesting in the NFC playoff race down the stretch of the season.
Detroit will be coming into Philly looking to pull off the upset. And their offense seems to be in perfect harmony juxtaposed to what we're seeing and hearing from the Philadelphia Eagles. However, this is still a very good team on both sides of the ball and one that plays its best ball when things look bleak.
I like the Ravens to take care of business very early against the Browns. So much so that we'll see them pull some starters in the second half. Baltimore's defense vs a rookie QB who is struggling to put points up on the board is reason enough to trust them with such a large point spread.
Where this game gets a bit tricky for the Rams is along the offensive line. They'll have to keep QB Matthew Stafford clean in the pocket vs this relentless Seahawks pass rush. Yes, the same can be said on the other side, but I trust the mobility of a younger Sam Darnold than I do of the older Matthew Stafford, which could be the difference in this score here.
Going back to Week 1 of the regular season, the Bears were in complete control of this game until the 4th quarter. Fast forward to now and the Bears are surging in the right direction, while the Vikings are still sputtering on offense. Defensively they'll keep things close, but their inability to manufacture consistency with JJ McCarthy will ultimately be their undoing.
When you look at how the Bills play offense, it's a bit inconsistent outside of James Cook's running ability. Now, Cook will have a Cook-like day vs the Bucs, but defensively I like the scrappiness of the Tampa offensive attack. Look for them to play better than they did against the Patriots last week and keep this one close.