Football expert Phil Steele is the owner and publisher of Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, regarded as the college football bible. Get in-depth coverage of college and pro football 24/7/365 at PhilSteele.com and follow him on Twitter @philsteele042.
TEXANS (-7¹/₂) over Rams: Last week, I chose the Rams here, but now there is value playing against them. Consider Denver’s line versus Jacksonville is one of the highest ever. The Broncos are outgaining foes by 74 yards per game while the Jaguars are minus-128 yards per game, a difference of 202 yards. The Texans are plus-131 while the Rams are minus-71, a difference of the same 202 yards. Houston is also coming off of three straight losses while St. Louis is off that satisfying win, making this a recipe for a blowout!
Packers (-2¹/₂) over RAVENS: The Packers are still looking for their first road win, having lost at San Francisco and Cincinnati. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense have the season’s best performance versus both teams, and the offense is averaging 453 yards per game this year. The Ravens return home from a challenging two-game road trip having split in games decided by a field goal against two AFC East teams that have not finished a season with a winning record since 2008. Joe Flacco has thrown two touchdowns and six interceptions in his last two games thanks in part to six sacks, and it will get no easier against a Green Bay defense that has nine sacks its last three games.
LAST WEEK (NFL): 2-0. SEASON: 5-5.