Fearless Rick & Coin Flip Week 6 NFL Picks

Week 5 Results: Rick 4-10-1; Flip: 6-8-1
Cumulative: Rick: 39-37-3; Flip: 43-33-3

Thursday, October 15

Seattle Seahawks (-2.5, 42.5) @ Denver Broncos (8:15pm, Amazon Prime Video) - Solid matchup between probable playoff teams to start the week. Seattle coms off a tough home loss to the 49ers in an error-filled, 32-29, game, while the Broncos handled the desperate, now 0-5, Chargers, 23-17

This game is also one of seven games this week with home underdogs/road favorites, a real test for football handicappers. Both teams have shown to be fairly adept on both sides of the ball and this should be a toss-up game, so let’s go with Denver at Mile High.

Coin Flip: Denver

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Broncos 26 Seahawks 21

Sunday, October 18

Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars (-3, 43) (9:30 am NFL Network, London) - Jacksonville continues to look like one of the top three teams in the AFC after winning over Philly, 19-17, last week in London. Getting back on home turf can only help their cause against a serious division rival.

Jacksonville, besides being 4-1 against 1-4 Houston, has statistical advantages on both offense and defense.

Coin Flip: Jacksonville

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Jaguars 23 Texans 16

New Orleans Saints (-1.5, 45) @ New York Giants (1:00 pm, FOX) - Coming off a 23-13 hot loss to the Vikings, it’s difficult to see how New Orleans can be favored on the road with a 1-4 record.

The Giants escaped with a 27-all tie at Washington last week and still sit atop the NFC East with a 3-1-1 record, though they might have been better. Jameis Winston has stepped up as backup QB and has the Giants believing in themselves.

Coin Flip: New York Giants

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Giants 27 Saints 17

Carolina Panthers (-1.5, 41) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1:00 pm, CBS) - Philly has lost three games back-to-back-to-back that might have shattered other teams, but their 2-3 record isn’t really indicative of the talent they possess, despite injuries. They are heavily banged up on offense, but overall are probably still a better team than the Panthers.

Getting points at home never hurts, especially when you have Jalen Hurts behind center. This could easily turn into a low-scoring, defensive struggle won by a late field goal.

Coin Flip: Carolina

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Eagles 20 Panthers 17

Baltimore Ravens (-5.5, 42.5) @ Cleveland Browns (1:00 pm, FOX) - While Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson is listed as questionable, the oddsmakers have chose to give the Ravens a big plus in this divisional road encounter with the Browns.

The trouble with that line of thinking is that the Browns are 2-0 at home (but the Ravens are 3-0 on the road). Something has to give, and its probably going to be Baltimore’s matador-style defense.

Coin Flip: Cleveland

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Browns 19 Ravens 17

Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5, 39.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1:00 pm, CBS) - Undrafted free agent signee, Jalon Daniels vs. future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers? All the money will go on the Steelers, despite their 0-2 road record.

1-4 Tampa Bay is fortunate to be in one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. A win here could set the stage for a solid return to respectability given Baker Mayfield should soon return.

Coin Flip: Tampa Bay

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Buccaneers 23 Steelers 20

Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts (-7, 44.5) (1:00 pm, FOX) - The Colts come off a disappointing 34-22 loss at Pittsburgh, but should preform better against one of the league’s worst teams.

The Titans will eventually win a game this season (maybe), but not this one.

Coin Flip: Tennessee

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Colts 30 Titans 16

Chicago Bears (-2.5, 50.5) @ Atlanta Falcons (1:00 pm, FOX) - The Falcons battled the Ravens all the way to OT Sunday night in a 30-23 loss and have proven to be one of the better teams in the league with Michael Penix Jr. at QB. Chicago was plastered by Green Bay, 31-7, but are expecting the return of QB Caleb Williams, but prospects for his return to action remain iffy.

Should the Bears really be favored on the road without their starting QB, and, even if Williams does play, will he be 100%?

Coin Flip: Atlanta

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Falcons 31 Bears 24

New York Jets @ New England Patriots (-7.5, 44) (1:00 pm, CBS) - New England has improved to 3-2 with consecutive wins at Buffalo (29-26) and last week’s ripping of the Raiders at home, 45.17, where they are 2-0 on the year.

The Jets have a road win this season, but it was at Tennessee in Week 1, a 23-10 triumph. Last week’s 17-12 win over the Browns was in New York, so this really favors the Patriots in a big way. Last season, New England took both meetings, 27-14, at home, and 42-10, in New York.

Coin Flip: New York Jets

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Patriots 28 Jets 13

Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams (-12.5, 51.5) (4:05pm, FOX) - While the Rams have plenty of talented players, they haven’t seemed to add up to much in the way of winning football games. Monday night’s setback at home to the Bills, 37-34, in OT, dropped them to just 2-3.

Arizona was outrun and outplayed at home last week by the Lions, a 45-21 rout, their fourth straight loss. They’re at the bottom of the division, a space they’re likely to occupy for the remainder of the season.

Coin Flip: Arizona

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Rams 40 Cardinals 10

Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs (-8, 42.5) (4:25pm, CBS) - Things appear dire for the Chargers, staring at 0-6 if they lose this divisional road showdown.

Hard to believe LA can drop out of the race so early. While they may not win at KC, they might manage to keep it close.

Coin Flip: Los Angeles Chargers

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Chiefs 24 Chargers 20

Buffalo Bills (-5.5, 53.5) @ Las Vegas Raiders (4:25pm, CBS) - Buffalo has every reason to whip the Raiders despite being on the road for the second straight week and having played Monday night. They defeated the Rams, 37-34 in overtime.

Vegas comes off a humbling, 45-17, loss at New England and are beginning to come back to reality, losing two straight after three wins to start the season. Buffalo may be Super Bowl bound, but the Raiders will be lucky to be playing in January.

Coin Flip: Buffalo

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bills 38 Raiders 24

Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers (-1.5, 54) (8:20pm, NBC) - Dallas continues to cope with the ailment that has plagued them the past three seasons: no defense. That’s not helpful playing at Lambeau, no matter the weather (which should be OK).

Green Bay got their offense in gear against the Bears last week and appears headed in the right direction. This is only their third home game this season, and Dallas is 1-1 in road tests this year.

Coin Flip: Dallas

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Packers 28 Cowboys 23

Monday, October 19

Washington Commanders @ San Francisco 49ers (-7, 50) (8:15pm, ESPN) - The 49ers improved to 5-0 with a wild win at Seattle last week, winning 32-29, in a game marred by turnovers and mental mistakes on both sides.

Speaking of mental mistakes, the Commanders blew a perfect chance to win in overtime against the Giants last week, allowing the clock to run out when they were well within field goal range. While a tie is better than a loss, Washington could have used the win and will do everything they can to get things right at San Fran.

Coin Flip: Washington

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Commanders 30 49ers 23

Fearless Rick & Coin Flip Week 5 NFL Picks

Week 4 Results: Rick 12-3-1; Flip: 9-6-1
Cumulative: Rick: 35-27-2; Flip: 37-25-2

Thursday, October 8

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys (-8.5, 47.5) (8:15 pm, Amazon Prime Video) - This is a tough call, only because the Buccaneers have yet to win a game. Tampa Bay will be pulling out the complete playbook against a still-suspect Dallas defense.

The Cowboys are likely to win, but Tampa Bay will fight until the end.

Coin Flip: Dallas

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Cowboys 31 Buccaneers 26

Sunday, October 11

Philadelphia Eagles vs Jacksonville Jaguars (-7, 42.5) (9:30am NFL Network, London) - Very tough spot for the 2-2 Eagles after their defense gave in against the Rams last week in a 24-20 defeat at home. A trip across the pond, multiple injuries and the retirement of right tackle Lane Johnson, adds up to a rough trip against one of the AFC’s best teams.

The Jags have lost just once this season, and that was to a quality Denver team on the road, 20-13, in Week 2. Jacksonville leads the AFC South and is likely to remain on top of the division for the duration of the regular season.

Coin Flip: Jacksonville

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Jaguars 28 Eagles 16

Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets (-2.5, 40) (1:00 pm, CBS) - The Jets try hard every outing, but keep coming up short, now having lost three straight after an opening 23-10 win at Tennessee, a victory which doesn’t inspire confidence.

The Browns are tied with the Ravens at 3-1 atop the AFC North, and this appears to be a solid spot to extend their winning streak to four straight. After losing their opener at Jacksonville, 34-10, the Browns have knocked off Tampa Bay, Carolina and Pittsburgh, the last on Thursday night, giving Cleveland extra time off in preparation for their visit to the Big Apple.

Coin Flip: New York Jets

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Browns 27 Jets 17

Cincinnati Bengals (-7, 42.5) @ Miami Dolphins (1:00 pm, FOX) - The Dolphins have established the low standard for offense, thus far having scored just 46 points, or, 11.5 per game.

With the Bengals at 2-2 following last week’s humbling, 22-17, home loss to Jacksonville, Joe Burrow will come out firing, but he may be without two or three of his top receivers, including Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Cincinnati’s defense is about average, yielding roughly 20 points per game. Expect a better performance this week.

Coin Flip: Miami

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bengals 27 Dolphins 10

Las Vegas Raiders @ New England Patriots (-3, 45) (1:00 pm, CBS) - The Patriots rose up in an emotional win at Buffalo last week, 29-26, but may suffer a letdown here, despite being on home turf.

The Raiders fell just short of beating the Chiefs last week, surrendering a 30-27 decision at home for their first loss of the season. As long as Kirk Cousins keeps making plays, the Raiders are a threat every week and their defense is relentless. While the Patriots have evened their record at 2-2, they’ve not managed to find explosive, chunk plays on a regular basis, making this an iffy call.

Coin Flip: Las Vegas

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Raiders 30 Patriots 27

Houston Texans (-7, 37.5) @ Tennessee Titans (1:00 pm, CBS) - The Titans and Texans are two of the five NFL teams without a win this season, so somebody is going to get one, unless the game ends in a tie, which is possible considering the ineptness displayed by both squads.

Figure on this being an error-prone affair, and the Titans getting a boost from the home town fans and a few long field goals.

Coin Flip: Houston

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Titans 19 Texans 17

Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5, 44.5) (1:00 pm, CBS) - Battle of 2-2 teams with the Colts coming off a 30-13 win over the Commanders in London and the Steelers dropping a 27-24 decision at Cleveland last Thursday.

Pittsburgh seems to be just average, even with Aaron Rodgers running the offense, while the Colts have significant upside. Last season, they had run up an 8-3 record before QB Daniel Jones was lost for the season. Their first two losses this season were to Baltimore and at Kansas City, but have bounced right back with two straight wins and are looking to remain competitive in the AFC South.

Coin Flip: Pittsburgh

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Colts 31 Steelers 21

Chicago Bears (-3, 45.5) @ Green Bay Packers (4:25 pm, FOX) - The Bears won with Tyson Bagent being center last week, whipping the Jets, 23-12, in what was Chicago’s third straight home game. Caleb Williams remains out, but Bagent proved worthy of another start and will make life tough on the Packers’ defense.

Green Bay is healthy, but both offense and defense have been shaky at times this season. A loss here might erode the team’s confidence even more, but the Bears are a solid group in all phases. Their +47 differential is third-best league-wide.

Coin Flip: Green Bay

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bears 26 Packers 18

New York Giants @ Washington Commanders (-3.5, 43.5) (1:00 pm, FOX) - Coming off a serious drubbing in London, a 30-13 pounding by the Colts, it doesn’t seem right that the Commanders should have favoritism in this divisional clash, unless, of course, Jayden Daniels returns to start at QB, which is the plan for Washington.

In that case, OK, the Commanders get the points nod, but it needs to be understood that the Giants are 3-1 and Washington, 1-3. The Giants have lost four straight to the Commanders, so maybe things are going to begin evening out in the NFC East.

Coin Flip: New York Giants

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Commanders 27 Giants 20

Minnesota Vikings (-1.5, 42.5) @ New Orleans Saints (1:00 pm, FOX) - The Vikings have been winning with defense, the Saints have been losing without having one, making this one of the easier picks of the week.

Minnesota has allowed a league-low 51 points and are 4-0. New Orleans doesn’t have a defense. They gave up 45 Monday night to the Falcons, at home, and, even though they get a second straight home game, they’re not going to stand up against the Vikings. The Saints have allowed 128 points, worst in the league.

Coin Flip: New Orleans

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Vikings 24 Saints 14

Denver Broncos (-3.5, 42.5) @ Los Angeles Chargers (4:05 pm, CBS) - These two split their regular season meetings last year, each winning at home, and, despite the Chargers’ 0-4 start, that figures to be the way it will go in 2026.

The Chargers aren’t scoring a lot, but neither is Denver, and the Broncos are coming off a 24-14 loss at San Francisco and are on the road a second straight week, which often takes its toll. Wouldn’t bet the house on this, but the Chargers are probably better than their 0-4 record might suggest.

Coin Flip: Los Angeles Chargers

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Chargers 30 Broncos 20

San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks (-3, 47) (4:25 pm, FOX) - Even though it’s only week 5, this game is highly important to both teams, not only because the winner claims first place in the division, but also in terms of playoff tie-breakers.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the ‘Niners won this game because they’ve won the last four meetings in Seattle and seem to have the Seahawks’ number and a way to quiet the Seattle fans.

Coin Flip: Seattle

Fearless Rick’s Pick: 49ers 26 Seahawks 24

Detroit Lions (-5.5, 54.5) @ Arizona Cardinals (4:25 pm, FOX) - Detroit’s defense - or lack thereof - will be their undoing. The Lions have allowed 127 points in four games, second only to New Orleans (128). Arizona isn’t far behind, having yielded 117, so look for plenty of scoring.

This is only Arizona’s second home game of the season. They lost the first one, 31-7, to Seattle in Week 2, but, the Lions are a miserable 0-2 on the road, with losses at Buffalo and Carolina, last week’s 32-26 loss to the Panthers dropping them to 2-2. Cardinals might bounce back from their 36-24 loss at the Giants last week, the final score somewhat misleading, as the Cardinals were driving late in the game before the Giants ended it all with a pick-6.

Coin Flip: Detroit

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Cardinals 40 Lions 31

Baltimore Ravens @ Atlanta Falcons (-3, 43.5) (8:20 pm, NBC) - Possibly the toughest call of the week, as the Falcons are on a two-game roll and Baltimore, at 3-1, appears to have lived up to the billing as the team to beat in the AFC North.

Clouding - or perhaps clearing up - the issue will be the absence of Ravens’ starting QB, Lamar Jackson, apparently out with an ankle sprain. Makes it a lot easier to go with hot-handed Atlanta.

Coin Flip: Atlanta

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Falcons 35 Ravens 21

Monday, October 12

Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams (-3, 54.5) (8:15 pm, ESPN, ABC) - Expect this game to go well over the posted O/U, possibly the highest-scoring game of the weekend. Neither team has demonstrated stoutness on defense, but the offenses are humming.

Buffalo is coming off its first loss of the season, a 29-26 defeat at home to division rival, New England. The Rams rallied to win at Philly, 24-20. These two last met in 2024, with the Rams coming away with a 44-42 home win.

Coin Flip: Los Angeles Rams

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bills 41 Rams 38

Fearless Rick & Coin Flip Week 4 NFL Picks

Week 3 Results: Rick 9-6-1; Flip: 9-6-1
Cumulative: Rick: 23-24-1; Flip: 28-19-1

Thursday, October 1

Pittsburgh Steelers (-3, 38.5) @ Cleveland Browns (8:15 pm, Amazon Prime Video) - Apparently, Aaron Rodgers can still spin it. Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three TDs in Pittsburgh’s, 30-27, home win over the Bengals, leaving all four AFC North teams with identical 2-1 records after three weeks.

Cleveland stunned Carolina, 21-18, in their home opener. The Browns likely have a better defense than the Bengals and should pester Rodgers into a couple of costly mistakes. These two split their season series last year with the Browns winning at home, 13-6.

Coin Flip: Cleveland

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Browns 23 Steelers 16

Sunday, October 4

Indianapolis Colts (-3.5, 47) @ Washington Commanders (9:30 am, NFL Network, London) - The Colts found their winning ways last week at home, holding off Houston, 19-17, to go to 1-2 on the season, ending a nine-game losing streak extending back to week 12 of last season. The Commanders shocked everybody by knocking off Seattle, 33-31, in DC.

Being played across the pond makes for an interesting matchup, though the Colts seem to be better prepared - and with their regular starting QB, Daniel Jones, as opposed to Marcus Mariota filling in for the injured Jayden Daniels - for the trip abroad.

Coin Flip: Indianapolis

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Colts 30 Commanders 21

New York Jets @ Chicago Bears (-3.5, 42.5) (1:00 pm, Fox) - While the Jets have looked better than they did in 2025, they’re still not quite up to many of the other NFL teams. Their lone win this season came at Tennessee, which is neither surprising nor inspiring.

The Bears got an exceptional performance from fill-in QB, Case Keenum, in their 27-7 rout of the Eagles Monday night. The quick turn-around at home shouldn’t bother the Bears. They appear to be one of the top three teams in the league at this juncture, even without Caleb Williams.

Coin Flip: New York Jets

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bears 31 Jets 10

Arizona Cardinals (-1.5, 44.5) @ New York Giants (1:00 pm, CBS) - The Giants traded with Minnesota to add QB J.J. McCarthy as a backup to Jameis Winston, who is starting in place of injured Jaxson Dart, likely out for the season. He’s not going to help and the Vikings were happy to let him go.

The Cardinals are off to a 1-2 start to the 2026 campaign. Despite their record, the losses have been to Seattle and San Francisco, with the win over the Chargers in Week 1. They are likely to find it tough going against the stout Giants’ defense, which needs to carry the day until the offense finds some answers.

Coin Flip: New York Giants

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Giants 23 Cardinals 17

Los Angeles Rams (-3, 44) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1:00 pm, Fox) - Neither of these teams have lived up to expectations thus far. The Rams are 1-2 and the Eagles, 2-1, after a miserable performance against the Bears on Monday night.

While this may eventually serve as a precursor to some playoff matchup, the main interest is in seeing which team screws up less, and, at this point, it seems the Eagles have a lock on making poor decisions. Miss this fiasco if at all possible.

Coin Flip: Los Angeles Rams

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Rams 24 Eagles 14

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills (-7, 48.5) (1:00 pm, CBS) - Drake Maye has not come through for the Patriots as well as he did in 2025, while the Bills are one of five remaining teams without a loss.

The way the Bills are going, and especially being at home against a hated division rival, this could very well be a blowout performance. Buffalo is one of the top three teams in the league. Even their defense is improving.

Coin Flip: New England

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bills 38 Patriots 17

Tennessee Titans @ Baltimore Ravens (-11.5, 43.5) (1:00 pm, CBS) - Face it, Tennessee fans, Cam Ward is a complete bust. The team has generated just 37 points in three games, Ward has thrown just two TD passes on one interception and the coaching staff is second rate.

If the Ravens don’t completely dominate Derrick Henry’s former team, the universe is cockeyed. No way anybody in their right mind would take the Titans on the road, even with 14 points.

Coin Flip: Tennessee

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Ravens 30 Titans 6

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5, 51.5) (1:00 pm, CBS) - Her’s a solid matchup between teams that are going to be vying for playoff spots and probably division crowns throughout the season, barring injuries.

While Joe Burrow has gotten most of the positive press in recent years, he’s been outplayed by Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, who also has managed to stay healthy for his 5+ seasons with the Jags. Jacksonville is coming off a big, 35-6, win over New England, and are currently cooking red hot. Cincy lost at Pittsburgh last week, 30-27. The Bengals’ defense probably won’t hold up here.

Coin Flip: Cincinnati

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Jaguars 31 Bengals 17

Dallas Cowboys @ Houston Texans (-2.5, 47.5) (1:00 pm, Fox) - Dallas somewhat snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last week in Rio, losing on a last-second, 56-yard field goal by the Ravens after tying the game just seven seconds earlier. No fault but their own, Dallas actually played a solid game against a talented team.

Houston, on the other hand, still has problems too numerous to count. They can’t sustain drives and the defense is sloppy and prone to missed coverages, which might turn deadly against Dallas.

Coin Flip: Houston

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Cowboys 34 Texans 18

Green Bay Packers (-3.5, 39) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1:00 pm, Fox) - Here are another two teams still searching for the winning formula. The Packers are 1-2; Tampa Bay has started the season 0-3 and one has to wonder how much not signing QB Baker Mayfield prior to the season has affected the overall tone in the locker room and play on the field.

At this juncture, Green Bay appears to have fewer issues than the Bucs, though after their 35-14 home loss to Atlanta, one wonders if they can bounce back to win on the road. Tampa Bay is desperate for a win and this one might be it.

Coin Flip: Tampa Bay

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Buccaneers 23 Packers 14

Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings (-12, 38.5) (4:05 pm, Fox) - Believe it or not, the Vikings are leading the NFC North with a 3-0 record. The Vikings may have the best defense in the NFL and they continue to prove it every week. Getting a very weak Miami team at home makes them 4-0.

Miami might be the worst team in the league, though Tennessee might press them on that account.

Coin Flip: Miami

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Vikings 20 Dolphins 10

Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5, 47.5) @ Las Vegas Raiders (4:25 pm, CBS) - This turns out to be a battle for first place in the AFC West, both squads sporting 3-0 records. While the Chiefs look like their usual awesome selves, the Raiders made wholesale changes in the offseason to turn things around in a hurry.

Wins over Miami, the Chargers and the Saints may not sound like much, but, for the Raiders, they are the essence of finding ways to win. The Chiefs may not find the atmosphere in Las Vegas to be friendly and heads-up play by the Raiders may produce the upset of the week.

Coin Flip: Kansas City

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Raiders 26 Chiefs 24

Denver Broncos @ San Francisco 49ers (-3, 46.5) (4:25 pm, CBS) - The 49ers are off to a 3-0 start after dispatching Arizona last week, 36-30, a somewhat sloppy performance by a banged-up San Fran defense.

After their opening week loss to the Chiefs, Denver has won two straight and looked very positive doing so. Last week’s 30-26 win over the Rams was no fluke. Denver has athletes and attitude.

Coin Flip: Denver

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Broncos 28 49ers 14

Los Angeles Chargers @ Seattle Seahawks (-7, 42) (4:25 pm, CBS) - Seattle’s defense got a little surprised in last week’s 33-31 loss at Washington, but they’re likely to put things together against the Chargers, a team that hasn’t shown much at all this season, and, if they go to 0-4, they might as well forget about the playoffs and maybe another Harbaugh gets fired.

Seattle, being the reigning champion of the league, gets every team’s best shot. Unfortunately for the Chargers, that shot may be a blank.

Coin Flip: Seattle

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Seahawks 41 Chargers 14

Detroit Lions (-3.5, 50.5) @ Carolina Panthers (8:20 pm, NBC) - Detroit still has one of the more explosive offenses in the league, which usually carries the Lions to victory, but the defense is very lacking on most aspects.

RB Chuba Hubbard of the Panthers may have a breakout game against a soft Detroit run defense.

Coin Flip: Carolina

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Panthers 34 Lions 24

Monday, October 5

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints (-3, 48.5) (8:15 pm, ABC, ESPN) - solid divisional matchup with two teams that are improving, though both have records of just 1-2, making this a very pivotal contest.

Tyler Shough has been on target for the Saints and actually may emerge as one of the league’s top QBs this season. Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. led the Falcons to their first win of the season with a 35-14 win over the Packers last week. Give Atlanta a slight edge in an emotionally-charged game.

Coin Flip: New Orleans

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Falcons 26 Saints 19