All posts by 561983

LA Chargers at LV Raiders

Time: 7:20 PM (EST), Thursday, on FOX

Spread: LV -3.5

Total: 52

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Las Vegas Raiders is 7-6 and in second place in the AFC West, but it trails the first-place Kansas City Chiefs by five full games. This week the Raiders host the visiting Los Angeles Chargers as 3.5-point favorites per NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes. The over-under is set at 52 total points, and the game will kickoff at 7:20 PM (EST) on FOX Thursday night.

LV

The Las Vegas Raiders enter as losers of three of its last four. It suffered defeat to division-leading Kansas City four weeks ago, before then falling to the Atlanta Falcons, defeating the New York Jets, and then losing again 27-44 last week to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Raiders have only held one of its last four opponents under 30 points. Defensively, things are very bad. Las Vegas gives up 30.1 points per game on the season and ranks third-worst of NFL defensive units. Its offense ranking No. 11 in scoring at 26.9 per game has helped some, but even at one game over .500 the Raiders still possess a -3.2 point differential. Additionally, it possesses a No. 14 ranked pass offense and a No. 12 ranked Rush offense, but neither is blowing the lid off and keeping games out of reach for a defense that cannot seem to get it right.

The rush attack is bolstered by the talents of quarterback Derek Carr, who ranks No. 3 in rushing yards at 141 this season. Josh Jacobs does the heavy lifting with 219 of the team’s total 369 carries, but he averages under four yards-per-carry and he has fumbled the ball twice without recovery.

While his 48 first downs represent over one-half of the Raiders rushing firsts, Jacobs has to start cranking out more big plays, simply because no one else is. No. 2 backfield option Devontae Booker averages almost five yards-per-carry, but he has just three of the 15 touchdowns with Jacobs accounting for nine of the other 12. Carr has two, while Jalen Richard has one on his 20 rushes for 104 yards. The Raiders have averaged 4.2 yards-per-carry as a team.

Las Vegas has nearly three wideout options over 600 yards, paced by tight end Darren Waller’s 817 yards on 84 catches. Waller has nearly twice as many receptions as the No. 2 in that category (Hunter Renfrow’s 47), and he has seven of the team’s 24 receiving touchdowns. Jacobs has done a good job out of the backfield with his 30 catches for 200 yards, though he has yet to catch a TD pass.

LAC

The Los Angeles Chargers are just 4-9 on the season and it has lost two of its last three, though last week it knocked off the Atlanta Falcons 20-17. Los Angeles has made big improvements in its pass game, aided by the emergence of Justin Herbert. The Chargers rank No. 4 in passing yards at 270.4 per game and its rush attack ranks middle-of-the-pack at 112.6 yards-per-game. The overall picture still is not that great, as the Chargers manage just under 20 points per game while surrendering 27.8. The differential accordingly is -8 points.

Herbert has emerged as a top QB this season. He has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,467 yards and 25 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions and 26 sacks (2.15 per game). Herbert has a decent passer rating at 94.7. He has also been a good rush threat on the 41 occasions he’s carried the ball: Herbert averages 4.5 yards-per-carry and has three of the team’s eight rushing touchdowns. Lead running back Austin Ekeler has averaged 4.7 yards-per-carry on his 86 attempts with a touchdown.

Joshua Kelley leads the team in carries with 109, but he averages barely three yards-per-attempt and he has just 19 first downs, which ranks tied for No. 2, again despite the lead in carries.

Herbert’s top receiver has been Keenan Allen. He has nearly 1,000 yards this season and has caught 99 of 144 targeted passes with 60 of those 99 catches resulting in first downs. He also has recorded eight of the team’s 25 receiving touchdowns.

Time: 7:20 PM EST, NBC

Spread: CLE -7

Total: 44.5

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Cleveland Browns are 9-4 and in 2nd place in the AFC North, trailing the Pittsburgh Steelers by two full games. It travels to face the New York Giants as 7-point favorites in NFL action Sunday night at 7:20 PM on NBC. The over-under is set at 44.5 points according to NFL Oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.

CLE

Cleveland had won four straight leading into last week’s 42-47 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It had held three opponents of its last four under 25 points leading to surrendering 35 two weeks ago in a 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans, but the 47 points to Baltimore did prove unsurmountable for Cleveland. Lamar Jackson had a brilliant game in the loss, throwing 11 of 17 for 163 yards and a touchdown, in addition to rushing just nine times but gaining 124 yards and two rushing touchdowns, as well as a long rush of 44-yards. JK Dobbins rushed 13 times for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Gus Edwards added 49 yards on just seven carries. Mark Andrews had a big receiving game with 78 yards on his five catches, while Marquise Brown added a 44-yard catch and another with a touchdown on his six targeted passes.

The Ravens’ defense surrendered 355 passing yards and 138 on the ground, as the Baltimore Ravens were outgunned by a count of 385 to 493. The Browns were pleased with Baker Mayfield’s 28 of 47 passing and he had two touchdowns with one pick.

Mayfield dodged all sacks, and he rushed five times for 23 yards including a rushing touchdown. Nick Chubb had two rushing touchdowns and Kareem Hunt had another on his six carries for 33 yards. Hunt caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Rashard Higgins added the other touchdown on his six catches for 68 yards. Cleveland fell to 5-2 at home in the loss. The Browns are still five games above .500, and Mayfield has been mostly a huge positive with 222.7 yards per game on 62.3 percent passing, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions,. He has been sacked 17 times in 13 games and his passer rating is an outstanding 96.6.

Chubb has been great in the backfield and is averaging an exceptional 5.9 yards-per-carry on his 150 attempts with nine touchdowns and 44 first downs. Hunt has rushed for 4.4 per-carry on 177 attempts, a team-high, to go with five touchdowns and 41 first downs. Mayfield has done fairly decent, but he manages just 2.5 yards-per-carry on 41 attempts with one rushing touchdown. He can definitely work on extending his yardage as an area of focus for the remainder of this season. Jarvis Landry has thrived in Cleveland, leading the team with 60 receptions for 728 yards and two touchdowns, along with a team-best 39 first downs. Rashard Higgins has 468 yards, while Odell Beckham Jr. has played just seven games this season and ranks No. 3 in yardage. Tight end Austin Hooper has contributed 30 catches for 286 yards, two touchdowns, and 16 first downs.

NYG

The New York Giants are 5-8 and in second place in the NFC East, trailing the Washington Team by one game in the division standings. The Giants will look to potentially close that gap as it hosts the Browns as 7-point dogs. New York enters having lost its last outing 7-26 to the Arizona Cardinals but having defeated four straight opponents before that last loss. The Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington were all limited to 20 points or less, before giving up 26 last week in the loss.

The Giants overall rank excellent defensively, allowing just 22.4 points per game. The issue is an offense that manages just 18.3 per outing, ranking near the bottom in passing yards and middle-of-the-pack in rush offense. Heading the fifth-worst pass offense is the talent that is Daniel Jones. Jones has had issues adapting to the speed of the NFL, and he has thrown nine interceptions to his eight touchdowns, while also having been sacked over three times per game, with a passer rating of just 78.2

There are some positives. He has a solid 62.6 percent completion ratio and averages 238,8 yards per game, but overall he has a lot of work to do,. The backfield has had similar struggles, but Jones has done excellent in his 55 rushes this season, picking up over seven yards-per-attempt and having managed 17 first downs and a touchdown. Wayne Gallman averages 4.6 yards-per-carry and has six rushing touchdowns with his team-leading 561 yards. No other Giants are that effective, though Alfred Morris has shown promise in the six games he has appeared with 4.6 yards-per-carry, nine first downs, and a touchdown.

Time: 7:15 PM EST; Monday, Dec 21

Spread: PIT -15

Total: 40

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 11-2 and in first place in the AFC North, leading the Cleveland Browns by two full games going into Sunday night’s Browns showdown against the Giants–and the Steelers face the Cincinnati Bengals as 15-point favorites in Monday night football.

The over-under is set at 40 total points according to the latest odds at popular NFL oddsmakers 5dimes.

PIT

Pittsburgh won its first 11 games before dropping its last two to the Washington team two weeks ago and last week at a 15-26 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers will try to get back on track this week, but it is relying on better rushing. The Bengals give up 131.9 rushing yards per game, but Pittsburgh is the NFL’s fourth-worst rushing team at a mere 89.1 yards per game. The Steelers do manage a No. 16 ranked pass offense, and somehow the team ranks No. 12 in scoring at 26.8 points per game. That is more than enough considering it possesses the third-stingiest defense, allowing teams to put up just 18.2 per game this season. Overall, the result is a +8.6 point differential for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh relies almost too heavily on the talents of James Conner. Conner is the lead rusher at 155 attempts for 663 yards and five touchdowns, and he is also heavily used as a receiver, though he ranks just No. 6 in receiving yards with his 25 catches for 145 yards. Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all have better than 650 yards this season, and tight end Eric Ebron has been used heavily with 51 catches for 511 yards, four touchdowns, and 26 first downs.

The Steelers have averaged 9.5 yards per catch on 3,301 yards with 169 first downs. Comparatively, Pittsburgh manages just 3.7 yards-per-rush and has just 67 first downs via the rush this season. The attack is not that balanced, but to push out a No. 12 ranked scoring offense from that shows the execution has been good. The Steelers’ defense has been better.

It has not been the last two weeks, but NFL oddsmakers are still projecting a big win from Pittsburgh with the odds over two touchdowns in its favor.

CIN

The Cincinnati Bengals have lost five straight games to fall to 2-10-1 on the season, and it is in the last place in the AFC North. The Bengals began the season 0-2 before tying the Philadelphia Eagles, but little has gone well since that point. Cincinnati ranks No. 23 in passing yardage, No. 29 in rushing yardage, No. 29 in scoring and it has a defense that allows 26 points per game, leaving it with a -7.2 point differential. The Bengals starting quarterback is Joe Burrow, a player with the immense promise that has done fairly well in spite of the team’s struggles.

Burrow is completing 65.3 percent of his looks and has 13 touchdowns with five interceptions. More problematic are his 32 sacks for 231 lost yards, and the fact that he manages just 6.7 yards-per-completion. Burrow has rushed fairly well with a 3.8 yards-per-carry average and two touchdowns, and Joe Mixon has been consistent though mediocre. Mixon averages only 3.6 yards-per-carry and has appeared in just six games, but leads the team in yardage with 428 and leads it with 20 first downs.

Tyler Boyd has been a big-time as a receiver in the NFL, with 106 targetted passes for 78 receptions, 840 yards, four touchdowns, and 43 first downs. Tee Higgins trails him with 58 catches for 778 yards with five touchdowns and a tea-best 44 first downs. Bernard has come out of the backfield for 39 catches, 275 yards, and a pair of touchdowns.

The Bengals have the makings of a relatively decent offensive team, but the defense has been too bad for it to result in many victories. With some offseason tweaking and the addition of some defensive playmakers, this team could make a leap next season.

Time: 3:30 PM EST

Spread: NO -6.5

Total: N/A

Odds c/o 5dimes

The New Orleans Saints host the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day at 3:30 PM (EST) on FOX. The Saints s enter having lost its last two, and it is 6.5-point favorites on its home field. The over-under is not yet set according to the latest odds released by bookmaker 5dimes.

NO

The New Orleans Saints are 10-4 and in first place in the NFC South, but it must get back on track after losing back to back matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The Saints surrendered 32 points last week while managing just 29 itself, but ordinarily, its defense is a strength. The Saints are limiting teams to just 21.2 points per game this season, which ranks among the top-10 most stingy defenses. The offense ranks top-10 in scoring at 28.2 points per game, with a rush attack that ranks No. 7 in yardage at 131.8 yards per game.

The Saints have a bottom-third pass offense even with Drew Bree’s still being relatively consistent and great. Brees has 2,430 yards on 70.5 percent passing with 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has barely been sacked once per game (11 sacks in 10 games played) and his passer rating is an outstanding 107.4. Alvin Kamara is the key to the offense, though. The running back leads the team in rushing yardage at 777 yards this season with 10 touchdowns, and he also leads the team in receiving yards with 80 catches for 739 yards and five receiving touchdowns (which ranks No. 2 on the team behind Tight end Jared Cook).

Kamara leads the team in receiving first downs with 34 and he leads in rushing first downs with 49. Latavious Murray ranks No. 2 in carries (134), yardage (584), and No. 3 in touchdowns with four. Backup quarterback Taysom Hill has functioned mostly as a No.3 backfield option and is just shy of 400 yards with his six touchdowns and No.3 ranking 27 first downs. Hill has also caught six passes for 74 yards.

MIN

The Minnesota Vikings are just 6-8 and trail the Green Bay Packers by five games for the NFC first place spot. The Vikings trail No. 2 Chicago by just one game though, and Minnesota has lost its last two outings with Ls coming to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears.

The Vikings possess the eighth-worst defense, which allows 27.7 points per game, while it has a middle of the pack offense generating 25.7 points, good for a differential of -2.0. The Vikings rank No. 5 in rushing yardage at 147.7 per game, but its pass attack lingers at No. 18 generating just 239.4 yards per contest.

Of course, it is largely by design that the team is this imbalanced between the rush and pass. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been successful throwing the ball, and he has completed 67.6 percent of his passes, but Cousins also tallies 5.7 yards-per-carry on his 27 rushing attempts, and both the lead running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison has experienced success with good consistency. Cook averages five yards-per-carry with 15 touchdowns and a team-best 87 first downs.

Mattison has a 4.5 yard-per-carry average and 339 yards on 75 carries. Ameer Abdullah has not seen a lot of touches but fared well in the mere seven he got. This backfield has the depth to continue to improve into the type that can remain a top rushing unit for many seasons to come.

Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are the top-2 receivers with 1,182 and 771 yards, respectively. Running back Dalvin Cook ranks No. 3 in yardage and tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr rank No.4 and No.5, respectively, as pass options for Cousins. With three non-wide receiver options in the top-5 pass targets on this team, it is at least a more unconventional pass attack when the Vikings are not making their bread and butter with the run.

Time: NOON EST, CBS

Spread: EVEN

Total: 43

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Miami Dolphins are 10-5 and in second place in the AFC East. It trails its opponent Buffalo by two games in the standings, and it visits the Bills at Noon (EST) Sunday in a game with EVEN odds. The total is set at 43 points according to NFL oddsmakers at 5dimes.

MIA

The Miami Dolphins enter as winners of its last two games, having defeated the New England Patriots 22-12 two weeks ago and knocking off the Las Vegas Raiders 26-25 last week. It needed a 44-yard field goal from Jason Sanders to take the lead and win with just a second on the clock. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 9 of 13 for 181 yards, while Tua Tagovailoa came in to complete 17 of 22 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Tagovailoa was sacked three times for 23 yards lost, and he had a Quarterback rating of just 63.5. The Dolphins got 87 rushing yards from Myles Gaskin, and he led the team in receiving yards as well with 82 on five catches, along with two receiving touchdowns.

Miami ranks No. 15 in scoring at 25.2 points per game despite possessing the No. 25 ranked pass offense and the No. 22 rush attack. The Dolphins largely are efficient, take care of the football, and have the league’s premier defense, limiting opponents to just 18.8 points per game.

Gaskin has become the team’s most versatile offensive weapon. He caught more passes last week than the previous entire season (5 vs. 4) and he has 564 rushing yards at a 4.2 yard-per-carry average. Fitzpatrick leads the team in yards-per-attempts at 5.0. The Dolphins have a 4.0 yards-per-carry team average and 13 touchdowns via the rush. DaVante Parker leads the team receptions (56), yardage (677), and ranks No. 2 in touchdowns with four (Mike Gesicki has six).

BUF

The Buffalo Bills are 6-1 at home where it faces the Dolphins this week. The Bills have won five straight games with victories over the Chargers, 49ers, Steelers, Broncos, and Patriots. Buffalo ranks No. 6 in scoring at 29.7 points per game, with its passing attack ranked No. 2 at 282.9 yards per game. Credit much of that improvement to the great season by Josh Allen.

Allen has completed 4,320 yards at a 69 percent clip with 34 touchdowns to just nine picks. His passer rating is an outstanding 106.4. Allen has also been a rush threat. He has carried the ball 100 times for 418 yards and a team-best eight touchdowns. Devin Singletary leads in rush attempts (153), yardage (680) but ranks No. 3 in TD rushes with just two. Zack Moss has four touchdown carries and the team’s best yard-per-carry average at 4.3.

Allen’s premier targets have been Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and Gabriel Davis. Diggs leads the team in receptions (120), yardage (1459), and touchdowns (8). The Bills have 36 receiving touchdowns on the season and have seven players possessing two or more TD passes. Dawson Knox and Tyler Kroft each have three touchdowns and have combined for 46 catches from the tight end position.

ATS Trends:

Time: NOON EST, CBS

Spread: BAL 14.5

Total: 44

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Baltimore Ravens are 10-5 and in second place in the AFC North. It trails the Pittsburgh Steelers by two games. The Ravens travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals as 14.5-point favorites at noon on CBS. The over-under is set at 44 points according to NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.

BAL

The Baltimore Ravens possess the NFL’s No. 1 ranked rush offense, generating 177.8 yards per game via the rush. It ranks near the bottom in passing yardage at just 174.5, but the Ravens overall possess the 8th most potent offense, generating 28.7 points per game while holding opponents to just 20.0 per. The Ravens have a +8.7 point differential.

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has been transcendent. He has 2,644 passing yards, but he has really wrecked havoc rushing the ball. Jackson averages over six yards-per-carry with 908 yards on a team-high 148 carries with seven touchdowns. Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins both average better than five per, and that tandem has contributed 13 rushing touchdowns. Even Robert Griffin III has seen great rushing usage with 5.8 yards per carry on his lone 12 attempts.

The top passing targets have been wide receiver Marquise Brown and tight end Mark Andrews. Brown leads in yardage (728) and targeted passes (92) but Andrew has more receptions (54) and leads the team in touchdowns with seven, while Brown has six. Willie Snead IV functions as the third receiver with 33 catches for 432 yards and three touchdowns.

Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker has hit 25 of 28 field goals, and two of his three misses have come from beyond midfield.

Trends:

Ravens are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.

CIN

The Cincinnati Bengals have won its last two to improve to 4-10-1, and it is in the last place in the AFC North. The Bengals began the season 0-2 before tying the Philadelphia Eagles, but little has gone well since that point. Cincinnati ranks No. 23 in passing yardage, No. 25 in rushing yardage, No. 26 in scoring and it has a defense that allows nearly 26 points per game, leaving it with a -5.2 point differential. The Bengals starting quarterback is Joe Burrow, a player with the immense promise that has done fairly well in spite of the team’s struggles.

Burrow is completing 65.3 percent of his looks and has 13 touchdowns with five interceptions. More problematic are his 32 sacks for 231 lost yards, and the fact that he manages just 6.7 yards-per-completion. Burrow has rushed fairly well with a 3.8 yards-per-carry average and two touchdowns, and Joe Mixon has been consistent though mediocre. Mixon averages only 3.6 yards-per-carry and has appeared in just six games, but leads the team in yardage with 428 and leads it with 20 first downs.

Tyler Boyd has been a big-time as a receiver in the NFL, with 106 targetted passes for 78 receptions, 840 yards, four touchdowns, and 43 first downs. Tee Higgins trails him with 58 catches for 778 yards with five touchdowns and a tea-best 44 first downs. Bernard has come out of the backfield for 39 catches, 275 yards, and a pair of touchdowns.

The Bengals have the makings of a relatively decent offensive team, but the defense has been too bad for it to result in many victories. With some offseason tweaking and the addition of some defensive playmakers, this team could make a leap next season.

Trends

Time: NOON EST, CBS

Spread: CLE -10.5

Total: 43.5

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Cleveland Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers as 10.5-point favorites in NFL action noon Sunday on CBS. The betting total is set at 43.5 total points according to NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.

CLE

Cleveland had won four straight leading into last week’s 42-47 loss to the Baltimore Ravens three weeks ago. It had held three opponents of its last four under 25 points leading to surrendering 35 two weeks ago in a 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans, but the 47 points to Baltimore did prove unsurmountable for Cleveland. Lamar Jackson had a brilliant game in the loss, throwing 11 of 17 for 163 yards and a touchdown, in addition to rushing just nine times but gaining 124 yards and two rushing touchdowns, as well as a long rush of 44-yards. JK Dobbins rushed 13 times for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Gus Edwards added 49 yards on just seven carries. Mark Andrews had a big receiving game with 78 yards on his five catches, while Marquise Brown added a 44-yard catch and another with a touchdown on his six targeted passes.

The Ravens’ defense surrendered 355 passing yards and 138 on the ground, as the Baltimore Ravens were outgunned by a count of 385 to 493. The Browns were pleased with Baker Mayfield’s 28 of 47 passing and he had two touchdowns with one pick.

Mayfield dodged all sacks, and he rushed five times for 23 yards including a rushing touchdown. Nick Chubb had two rushing touchdowns and Kareem Hunt had another on his six carries for 33 yards. Hunt caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Rashard Higgins added the other touchdown on his six catches for 68 yards. Cleveland fell to 5-2 at home in the loss.

The Browns are still five games above .500, and Mayfield has been mostly a huge positive with 232.9 yards per game on 62.7 percent passing, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He has been sacked 22 times in 13 games and his passer rating is an outstanding 95.9. He has suffered five sacks in the last two games.

Chubb has been great in the backfield and is averaging an exceptional 5.4 yards-per-carry on his 176 attempts with nine touchdowns and 52 first downs. Hunt has rushed for 4.3 per-carry on 188 attempts, a team-high, to go with six touchdowns and 44 first downs. Mayfield has done fairly decent, but he manages just 2.5 yards-per-carry on 48 attempts with one rushing touchdown. He can definitely work on extending his yardage as an area of focus for the remainder of this season.

Jarvis Landry has thrived in Cleveland, leading the team with 67 receptions for 789 yards and 3 touchdowns, along with a team-best 43 first downs. Rashard Higgins has 544 yards, while Odell Beckham Jr. has played just seven games this season and ranks No. 3 in yardage. Tight end Austin Hooper has contributed 42 catches for 398 yards, three touchdowns, and 23 first downs.

PIT

Pittsburgh won its first 11 games before dropping its last two to the Washington team two weeks ago and last week at a 15-26 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers will try to get back on track this week, but it is relying on better rushing. The Bengals give up 131.9 rushing yards per game, but Pittsburgh is the NFL’s fourth-worst rushing team at a mere 89.1 yards per game. The Steelers do manage a No. 16 ranked pass offense, and somehow the team ranks No. 12 in scoring at 26.3 points per game. That is more than enough considering it possesses the third-stingiest defense, allowing teams to put up just 19.2 per game this season. Overall, the result is a +7.1 point differential for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh relies almost too heavily on the talents of James Conner. Conner is the lead rusher at 160 attempts for 684 yards and six touchdowns, and he is also heavily used as a receiver, though he ranks just No. 6 in receiving yards with his 30 catches for 190 yards. Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all have better than 750 yards this season, and tight end Eric Ebron has been used heavily with 57 catches for 772 yards, eight touchdowns, and 36 first downs.

The Steelers have averaged 9.5 yards per catch on 3,812 yards with 193 first downs. Comparatively, Pittsburgh manages just 3.6 yards-per-rush and has just 76 first downs via the rush this season. The attack is not that balanced, but to push out a No. 12 ranked scoring offense from that shows the execution has been good. The Steelers’ defense has been better.

It has not been the last two weeks, but NFL oddsmakers are still projecting a big win from the Cleveland Browns in this matchup.

Time: NOON EST, FOX

Spread: MIN -4

Total: 54

Odds c/o 5dimes

MIN News & Notes:

The Minnesota Vikings are just 6-9 and trail the Green Bay Packers by six games for the NFC first place spot. The Vikings trail No. 2 Chicago by just 2 games though, and Minnesota has lost its last two outings with Ls coming to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears.

The Vikings possess the fifth-worst defense, which allows 29.3 points per game, while it has a middle of the pack offense generating 26.2 points, good for a differential of -3.1 The Vikings rank No. 6 in rushing yardage at 143.9 per game, but its pass attack lingers at No. 18 generating just 241.7 yards per contest.

Of course, it is largely by design that the team is this imbalanced between the rush and pass. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been successful throwing the ball, and he has completed 67.6 percent of his passes, but Cousins also tallies 5.7 yards-per-carry on his 27 rushing attempts, and both the lead running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison has experienced success with good consistency. Cook averages five yards-per-carry with 16 touchdowns and a team-best 91 first downs.

Mattison has a 4.5 yard-per-carry average and 339 yards on 76 carries. Ameer Abdullah has not seen a lot of touches but fared well in the mere seven he got. This backfield has the depth to continue to improve into the type that can remain a top rushing unit for many seasons to come.

Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are the top-2 receivers with 1,267 and 868 yards, respectively. Running back Dalvin Cook ranks No. 3 in yardage and tight end Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr rank No.4 and No.5, respectively, as pass options for Cousins. With three non-wide receiver options in the top-5 pass targets on this team, it is at least a more unconventional pass attack when the Vikings are not making their bread and butter with the run.

DET News & Notes:

Well, one certain thing about this matchup between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, is that one of them will end a losing streak. The Lions have lost its last two games and four of its last five, overall. What perhaps is more disconcerting, is that the Lions have not been close in any of those losses. The lone victory was over Washington. Things are hardly rosy, and that all comes after a respectable enough 3-3 start.

The Lions rank No. 11 in passing yards with 254.4 per game, but its rush lingers as one of the worst, ranking No. 30 and managing just 91.3 yards per contest. Overall, it does not stack up well either: The Lions score just 22.8 per game, while its defense surrenders over 32. It all adds up to a -8.3 point differential, which is befitting of its 5-10 record, anyway.

Matthew Stafford has continued to be a good quarterback, but his lack of success certainly caps him from being “Great.” Stafford has 3,791 yards at a 64 percent clip, but he has eight interceptions and 37 sacks (2.5 per game) for a total loss of 249 yards. His passer rating of 95.2 is decent. Overall, it is just not enough, not with the backfield producing so little.

Veteran running back Adrian Peterson seems to have hit the wall of his career, managing just 3.6 yards-per-carry on his team-high 149 attempts. No. 2 back D’Andre Swift has been more productive, but he has just 102 carries to Peterson’s massive load. Swift tallies 4.6 yards-per-carry and he has a team-best seven touchdowns. Stafford has been decent, with a 3.8 yard-per-carry average; but he has no touchdowns. There are certainly some bright spots in Detroit, but they are the same bright spots that have dotted this team’s continued mediocrity.