Inconsistency runs rampant in the NFL.
It seems like every time we think we know how a team will perform, they do a complete turnaround on both sides of the ball and get blown out. That was exactly the case for some of these teams, as they hope to rebound in Week 13 of the NFL regular season.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Chargers were upset last week by their division rivals, the Denver Broncos. It wasn’t just a loss though, as they were stomped on. Los Angeles were the far and away better team in that matchup yet were beaten on both sides of the ball. It looked like they didn’t come ready to play. Unlike the Cincinnati Bengals, as they romped the Pittsburgh Steelers, putting up over 40 points on them and limiting Pittsburgh to 10. These two teams are separated by just one game record wise, but they have been playing differently every week. It’s hard to judge two inconsistent teams, but I think the Bengals have just been better as of late. I’m picking Cincinnati to win this ball game, expect it to be high scoring as both offenses have already shown an ability to run the score up.
Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The Baltimore Ravens had their worst game of the season and yet still walked out with a win over the Cleveland Browns. Lamar Jackson threw four interceptions and the team scored less than 20 points, but it didn’t matter. The Steelers, as we talked about previously, had themselves a rough week to say the least. Ben Roethlisberger looked atrocious throwing the football and with key pieces missing on defense they couldn’t stop Joe Burrow whatsoever. This is going to be a stiff test for that defense, and they will need to recover quickly without TJ Watt. Watt was placed on the COVID list earlier in the week, so he won’t be able to get going for this contest. Baltimore on the other hand has to get Jackson back on track passing the ball. It looked like there was a ton of miscommunication throughout the night for him and his receivers. We all know this historic rivalry is incredibly competitive every time they play, and this won’t be any different. This is going to be a lower scoring type of physical game that gets decided in the last few moments. I am going to pick the Ravens on this one, as Pittsburgh is free falling down the rankings.
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots are on an absolute tear right about now. Winning six straight games and looking dominant in all of them. Mac Jones is far and away the best quarterback out of the draft class this season. He has solid weapons in the receiving game, a great offensive line, and a stacked backfield. We also can’t forget about this defense that is only allowing about 10 points per game during this second half of the season. As for the Bills, their offense has been good but inconsistent. Last week they finally started to run the ball and look how it worked out for them. They stomped the injury riddled New Orleans Saints and only allowed six points defensively. This division battle is going to be the game of the week without a doubt. Usually, I would pick the Bills here, but the Patriots have been so good as of late that it is probably better to go with them here.