We’re heading towards the halfway point of the NFL regular season and we’ve seen a lot of streaks swing both ways. Teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs have swung from hot to cold and back, and it’s getting harder to figure out who is a legitimate contender who is just playing pretend. Two of those teams will clash in another London showdown and lead the list of the most important games of the week.
Washington Redskins vs Cincinnati Bengals
Odds: Bengals -3
The 4-3 Redskins and 3-4 Bengals kick off Sunday’s action in London at Wembley Stadium and it could be the best game on the London slate. Why do they keep getting bad games?
At any rate, the Redskins lost 20-17 to Detroit on a late score while the Bengals have now won two in a row after beating Cleveland 31-17. Both teams are in the thick of playoff races in their respective conferences, so this should be an even matchup. The Bengals are 4-2 SU and 3-2-1 ATS (three straight wins in both) in six games with Washington.
Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers
Odds: Cardinals -3
The 3-3-1 Cardinals are coming off a 6-6 tie with Seattle on Sunday night in what was an extremely physical game. That bodes well for the 1-5 Panthers, who are coming off a bye and desperately need a win. Arizona seemed like they finally came to life with what should have been a win against Seattle, but they have to be very careful in this spot; they are still just in 10th place in the NFC standings and a loss would be a big setback. Starting this week, three of their next four games are on the road, including showdowns with two division leaders (at Atlanta and at Minnesota). They don’t have much room for error.
The Panthers are 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS (two straight wins in both) in their last 10 with Arizona, and in last season’s NFC title game the Panthers demolished the Cardinals 49-15.
San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos
Odds: Broncos -6
The Broncos play on Monday night against Houston, which is a game they suddenly need to keep up in the suddenly-tight AFC West. The Chargers are back in it at 3-4 after a 33-30 overtime win in Atlanta. They’ve won two in a row while the Broncos try to halt a two-game skid on Monday night. The Broncos are 8-2 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 with the Chargers, who covered both meetings last season.
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons
Odds: Falcons -3
The Packers beat Chicago 26-10 last Thursday night to go to 4-2 but it still wasn’t overly convincing. The Packers had to rely even more on Aaron Rodgers because of injuries to their running backs. The Falcons are 4-3 after back-to-back losses but they still sit atop the NFC South. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones should be licking their chops at facing a banged-up Packers secondary.
The Packers are 6-4 SU (four straight wins) in their last 10 meetings with the Falcons, who are 7-3 ATS (two covers in a row) in those games.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Odds: Cowboys -4.5
The NFC East is the place to be as the top two teams in the division square off in Dallas. The Cowboys are 5-1 and coming off a bye week while the Eagles are 4-2 and bounced back from a two-game skid with a 21-10 win over formerly-undefeated Minnesota. With the Redskins in London, and the New York Giants off for a week after their own England trip, this is a huge game for a division that is very close.
Both teams have split their last 10 meetings, both SU and ATS, so there isn’t a lot between the two and it could very well be the best game of the week.