The trade deadline is almost here, and this week could be a big indicator for what moves are going to happen, including the destination of QB Deshaun Watson. My picks for the week are below. Last week I went 10-3, bringing my overall record to 69-38. After two straight weeks with 3 or less incorrect picks, I hope to keep it up.

Lock of the Week

I doubt this Texans offense will be able to get much done with DT Aaron Donald in QB Davis Mills’ face and CB Jalen Ramsey locking down WR Brandin Cooks. Meanwhile, I’m expecting QB Matthew Stafford to toss multiple TDs, continuing along on his MVP trajectory in this blowout victory.

Upset of the Week

Even without WR Corey Davis, I have the Jets pulling off an upset here. The Jets run defense has been awful thus far, but I could see improvement in this one against a lackluster Bengals o-line. Look for a big game out of RB Michael Carter to make a difference as well. QB Joe Burrow will put up a fight as usual, but fall short as the Bengals begin to fall back to Earth.

TNF (Posted to Social Media Thursday night)

Without WRs Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, it will be tough for QB Aaron Rodgers to put up a significant amount of points. Look for QB Kyler Murray to stay strong and lead the Cardinals to yet another victory under the lights. pic.twitter.com/TqOJxRf6j3

— Boston Sports Mania (@AndrewrBSM) October 28, 2021

The Other Games

	The Bills took down the Dolphins with ease in Miami. While I think the Dolphins will be able to make some adjustments the second time around, I still have the Bills coming out on top. QB Josh Allen and his receivers will be able to significantly outplay QB Tua Tagovailoa.
	This one could be closer than most people expect as the Browns continue to fend off the injury bug. I’m expecting a big game out of RB Najee Harris. However, I still have Cleveland winning a close one in the end as QB Ben Roethlisberger’s struggles continue.
	Without WR Julio Jones in the game, this Titans offense is much easier to shut down. Look for the Colts defense to come up big again as Indy continues to trend in the right direction and fight for a playoff spot.
	Look for the Lions to come close yet again, but I’m beginning to have doubts that the Lions have the talent to finish the job. Against an inexperienced Lions defense, look for QB Jalen Hurts and his offense to have a field day and outpace QB Jared Goff.
	Honestly, I feel that head coach Matt Nagy is holding this Bears team back. With Nagy dealing with COVID while the Bears face a young Niners secondary, I could see QB Justin Fields putting up a surprisingly strong game. I don’t think QB Jimmy Garoppolo will be able to keep up without his star TE George Kittle.
	Even without WR Calvin Ridley, I have the Falcons coming out on top here. QB Sam Darnold is really struggling without his star RB Christian McCaffrey, and the only thing that I could see saving him is McCaffrey’s return. QB Matt Ryan will have to rely on RB Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Russell Gage, and TE Kyle Pitts in Ridley’s absence, but it will be enough to outperform Darnold.
	Bill Belichick is always able to make it a close game. However, QB Mac Jones is not Tom Brady. I expect the Patriots to fall just short in LA. They were able to shut down QB Justin Herbert as a rookie, but this is an even stronger Chargers team than the Pats faced a year ago.
	I do not have much faith in these Seahawks without QB Russell Wilson. Under head coach Urban Meyer though, Jacksonville has not been much better. Look for QB Geno Smith to lead the Seahawks in a close one on their home turf.
	I don’t expect much of an improvement out of QB Teddy Bridgewater with WR Jerry Jeudy back. However, I do see Denver’s defense comfortably shutting down an ailing Washington squad. This will allow the Broncos to snap their skid at Mile High and jump back into the playoff race.
	The Saints defense should be able to keep this close against a Tampa Bay offense that’s missing WR Antonio Brown. However, I don’t think the Saints will be able to defeat Tampa until they get their own star WR in Michael Thomas back. Even then, a victory would be a tall task.
	I think the Vikings will come out on top here whether QB Dak Prescott plays or not. Look for RB Dalvin Cook to dominate against the Dallas defense, and I’m expecting a strong game out of QB Kirk Cousins to add to it. If Prescott does play, the Cowboys offense should put up a significant amount of points as usual, but I don’t see it being enough to win in Minnesota.
	The Chiefs defense has not lived up to expectations this year, but I don’t think that will be much of a problem against an ailing Giants team. Meanwhile, I expect QB Patrick Mahomes to return to form after suffering a mid-game injury last week.

That’s all for my picks this week. Stay tuned for more Boston and national sports content in the coming weeks.

After a brief hiatus, my NFL picks are back for this week. My record is now 60-35 after going 11-3 in Week 6. I had 10 correct picks in a row before the later games broke that streak. Maybe a new streak will begin with this week’s games. There’s also been a lot of streaky NFL teams, but with lots of bye weeks occurring, it could impact the momentum of certain teams. Which teams will stay hot? Keep reading to find out what I think.

Lock of the Week

This Cardinals offense continues to improve. After losing TE Maxx Williams for the season, they went out to acquire an even better TE in Zach Ertz. Look for QB Kyler Murray to have a field day against a rebuilding Texans defense. The Texans won’t even be able to come close despite putting up some points.

Upset of the Week

The 49ers are still figuring out their QB situation, and I’m expecting even less from this offense without TE George Kittle and against a strong Colts run defense. QB Carson Wentz won’t have to do anything special to pull off the upset here.

TNF (Actual Result: 17-14 Browns)

With a good portion of the Browns offense including QB Baker Mayfield out, this could be close. The Broncos have yet to prove themselves capable of taking down contenders though. While I expect their run game to thrive, they will fall just short against a well-rounded Browns squad.

The Other Games

	Look for QB Mac Jones and his receivers to put up an impressive game against a young Jets secondary. Meanwhile, Bill Belichick will be able to outsmart another rookie QB, making it 3 wins over rookies despite none over veteran QBs.
	With several receivers missing, I think QB Tua Tagovailoa is going to have a hard time putting up enough points here. He’ll be no match for a well rested QB Matt Ryan and a fully loaded Falcons offense that already looked sharp headed into their bye.
	The Bengals have exceeded expectations thus far this season. While I expect the Ravens to win this game after establishing the run, Cincinnati will make this closer than usual. QB Joe Burrow and his reliable trio of receivers are fueling their explosive offense.
	Look for this Chiefs defense to rebound against QB Ryan Tannehill and a banged up Titans receiving corps. Meanwhile, I’m expecting both QB Patrick Mahomes and his speedy, reliable WR Tyreek Hill to meet their typical high standards.
	This Giants offense is really lacking the personnel to put up many points, regardless of opponent. I do not think we’ll see a full bounce back from QB Sam Darnold as RB Christian McCaffrey remains on IR. However, Darnold will put up enough points to outperform QB Daniel Jones with depleted surroundings.
	I don’t expect this to be an amazing game by Aaron Rodgers standards, but he’ll still put up a respectable amount of points as he relies on RB Aaron Jones and WR Davante Adams. It’ll be hard for Washington to compete with that trio as RB Antonio Gibson continues to deal with a shin injury and WR Curtis Samuel remains out.
	QB Jalen Hurts is likely going to help the Eagles establish the run. That will be enough to make it close in Las Vegas, especially if TE Darren Waller sits. However, I expect QB Derek Carr to come up clutch and hold on for another victory, keeping the Raiders in the race for this competitive AFC West.
	Look for QB Jared Goff to rely on TE T.J. Hockenson to stay in this game. Goff is still no match for his former team, now led by QB Matthew Stafford and his former head coach in Sean McVay. I’m expecting an explosive game out of Stafford as he turns to WRs Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods in a high scoring victory.
	QB Tom Brady will be missing some familiar faces in WR Antonio Brown and TE Rob Gronkowski. Look for WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to step up and allow the Buccaneers to remain comfortable favorites over the Bears. The Bucs secondary may have trouble against Bears WRs Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney, but there is still little chance QB Justin Fields can keep up with the G.O.A.T.
	WR Marquez Callaway was a preseason standout, likely due to light competition. Most of this year, he’s had to fend off star cornerbacks. However, this matchup against an inexperienced Seahawks secondary could allow him to finally blow up for a big game. Look for QB Jameis Winston and Callaway to connect for several big plays. The Seahawks offense will struggle to match that performance with QB Russell Wilson sidelined. Wilson is a big part of what makes these Seahawks special, so it could be difficult to win without him.

That’s all for my picks this week. Stay tuned for more content to come, both about the NFL and other sports.

There’s been a lot of teams that have been pleasant surprises this year. It’s not the Chiefs, but the Raiders and Broncos who started 3-0 to lead the AFC West. The last remaining undefeated team is not the Rams or Buccaneers, but the Arizona Cardinals. Things like this have made the season difficult to predict, but I might as well continue to try. Last week, I went 11-5, bringing my overall record to 38-26 (39-27 including TNF and the London game). This week, I’ll be predicting each game, as well as which of these strong starters will keep it up.

Lock of the Week

Despite Minnesota’s record, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has consistently performed at an elite level this year. Against a struggling Lions defense, look for Cousins to blow up for over 300 yards and 4 pass TDs. Checkdowns to RBs D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams won’t be enough for Detroit to even come close.

Upset of the Week

This Colts defense came up big last week and I expect the momentum to carry into this week against Baltimore. The Ravens aging RB committee will be no match for DeForest Buckner, Darius Leonard and the Colts front seven. I don’t see QB Carson Wentz putting up a huge game, but it’ll be enough for an upset as the Indy defense performs at an elite level.

The Other Games

	The Patriots may be missing some offensive line personnel, but either way, I expect a pretty strong performance out of QB Mac Jones in this favorable matchup. Meanwhile, Bill Belichick should be ready to stop Houston’s rookie QB, Davis Mills. It’s been a rough start for the Patriots but this game could help them get back on track.
	With QB Tua Tagovailoa, WR Will Fuller, and others missing from this Miami offense, the Dolphins are no match for the defending Super Bowl champions. QB Tom Brady may be missing his trusted TE Rob Gronkowski, but he’ll have two other tight ends in O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate to rely on.
	Expect QB Aaron Rodgers to rely on RB Aaron Jones and WR Davante Adams and win this game in the end. However, with CB Jaire Alexander out, I expect the Bengals trio of WRs to put up big games and allow QB Joe Burrow to make this close.
	This is a battle of two fairly strong defenses, and also simultaneously a battle of two banged up QBs. I don’t expect much out of either offense, but look for QB Ben Roethlisberger to lean on checkdowns to RB Najee Harris and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster to win this.
	QB Trevor Lawrence and the Jags should show some promise against a lackluster Titans defense. It still won’t be enough to outpace RB Derrick Henry, who always tends to put up a big performance in Jacksonville.
	The Washington defense has disappointed most of the year, but I expect that to shift against an inconsistent Saints squad. Look for them to rely on this defensive performance as well as the run game in a home victory.
	The Panthers offense has quietly become one of the most dominant forces in football, and I expect them to put up another strong performance this week against Philly. Expect QB Jalen Hurts to rely on his legs and make this close, but I doubt he’ll be able to outplay a revitalized Sam Darnold.
	LA has been off to a strong start this year, but this Chargers defense is no match for Cleveland’s RB duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. I also expect QB Justin Herbert to face a lot of pressure in this one. Look for the Browns to succeed on both sides of the ball against SoFi Stadium.
	Despite last week’s loss, I don’t think the Raiders are an early season fluke. Look for QB Derek Carr and his receivers to bounce back against a Bears secondary that has lost a step over the last couple years. It’ll be hard for QB Justin Fields and the Bears to keep up with RB David Montgomery on IR.
	It’ll be hard for Dallas to stop a nearly healthy Saquon Barkley. However, I don’t see QB Daniel Jones doing much in the passing game here. He’ll be significantly outperformed by QB Dak Prescott and his receivers as the Cowboys hold on to the NFC East.
	I think there’s going to be some growing pains for QB Trey Lance, especially against a Cardinals squad that has dominated every opponent this season. Look for QB Kyler Murray to remain on an MVP pace against a struggling Niners secondary as he leads Arizona to a comfortable victory.
	This one is going to be a wake up call for the Chiefs: their defense needs help, and fast. I just don’t see this inexperienced Kansas City secondary stopping QB Josh Allen and his plethora of receivers. I expect an especially big game out of WR Stefon Diggs. QB Patrick Mahomes will toss the usual 3 TDs and make it close, but the Chiefs will fall just short once again.
TNF (Posted to Twitter Thursday Night)	These offenses are pretty much on par with each other, but QB Russell Wilson has to face an elite Rams D, while QB Matthew Stafford gets a favorable matchup against an underperforming Seahawks secondary. This will allow Stafford to put up better numbers than Wilson and lead the Rams to victory.
London Game (Posted to Twitter this morning)	The Falcons offense was already disappointing this year. As they travel to London without WRs Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage, their chances at outperforming the Jets are even slimmer. QB Zach Wilson has made a lot of mistakes this year, but should be more consistent in this one.

That’s all for my picks this week. Stay tuned for more NFL and Patriots content in the coming weeks.