Pro Picks: Eagles will beat the
Rams in a playoff rematch
[September 18, 2025]
By ROB MAADDI
Saquon Barkley had to give the Los Angeles Rams nightmares
throughout the offseason.
Barkley had 460 yards rushing and four touchdowns against the Rams
in two victories for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, including
a playoff game.
Three of the four TD runs were 70-plus yards and the other was a
62-yard scamper. He ran for 255 yards in Los Angeles in the regular
season and 205 yards on a snowy field in Philly in January.
Yet, the Rams (2-0) came within 13 yards of eliminating the Eagles
from the playoffs in the divisional round before Jalen Carter sacked
Matthew Stafford on third down and forced him to throw incomplete on
the next play to secure a 28-22 win.
The Eagles (2-0) hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy after two more
lopsided victories.
The unbeaten teams meet Sunday at the Linc. The Eagles are 3
1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Stafford and Davante Adams have clicked but the Rams need a boost
from the run game. Their defense continues to be impressive.
The defending Super Bowl champs keep winning despite a sluggish
offense. Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown have responded whenever critics
attacked the pass offense in the past.
The Rams are 5-0 against the spread in their past five games and 7-0
ATS in their past seven road games. The Eagles are 9-1 straight up
and 8-2 ATS in their past 10 games against the Rams.
Pro Picks leans toward Philadelphia.
EAGLES: 27-23
Kansas City at New York Giants
Line: Chiefs minus 6 1/2
The Chiefs are 0-2 for the first time since 2014, Patrick Mahomes
has the first three-game losing streak in his career and plenty of
folks are proclaiming the end of Kansas City’s dynasty. Same people
did that to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots several times
before he led them to another three Super Bowls. Russell Wilson
showed he indeed can still play last week, Malik Nabers is a stud
and New York’s defensive line is disruptive.
BEST BET: CHIEFS: 30-17
Houston at Jacksonville
Line: Jaguars minus 1
The Texans (0-2) are struggling but they were in this position two
years ago when DeMeco Ryans was a first-year coach and C.J. Stroud
was a rookie and they still ended up winning the division. They have
to protect Stroud and be more productive in the red zone. The
Jaguars (1-1) missed an opportunity when the defense let Jake
Browning drive the Bengals 92 yards for a comeback win. The Texans
swept the series last season, but the Jaguars covered the spread in
both games.
UPSET SPECIAL: TEXANS: 23-20
Miami at Buffalo
Line: Bills minus 12 1/2
Tua Tagovailoa got Miami’s offense going but the defense and special
teams let the Dolphins (0-2) down. Josh Allen and the Bills (2-0)
have a balanced offense thanks to James Cook, and their defense
improved after a rough start. The Bills are 11-0 in their past 11
home games. The Dolphins are 3-7 in their past 10 road games.
BILLS: 34-16
Indianapolis at Tennessee
Line: Colts minus 3 1/2
The Colts (2-0) are off to their best start since 2009 behind Daniel
Jones. “Danny Dimes” has led the offense to 14 scoring drives and no
punts and Jonathan Taylor leads the league in rushing yards. The
rebuilding Titans (0-2) have held second-half leads against the
Broncos and Rams. They need to learn to finish. And, the offensive
line needs to protect Cam Ward, who has been sacked 11 times. The
Colts are 1-4 against the spread in their past five road games, but
5-1 ATS in their past six games vs. AFC South opponents. The Titans
are 0-9 ATS in their past nine home games.
COLTS: 19-16
Cincinnati at Minnesota
Line: Vikings minus 3
It's Jake Browning vs. Carson Wentz in a battle of backups. Browning
replaces Joe Burrow for the Bengals (2-0). Wentz takes over for J.J.
McCarthy for the Vikings (1-1). Browning was 4-3 as a starter in
2023 and led a comeback win after Burrow got hurt vs. Jacksonville.
Minnesota also won’t have running back Aaron Jones and could be down
to its third-string left tackle if Justin Skule (concussion) can’t
return. Wentz hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2022. The
Bengals have lost six in a row in Minnesota. The Vikings are 5-1 ATS
in their past six games played in September.
VIKINGS: 24-19
Green Bay at Cleveland
Line: Packers minus 8
Micah Parsons has energized the defense and Jordan Love is playing
error-free, efficient football for the Packers (2-0). The Browns
(0-2) are off to their worst start since 2018 and Myles Garrett is
tired of losing. Cleveland's defense has stopped the run, though.
The Packers are 7-3 ATS in their past 10 games. The Browns have lost
eight straight games, going 1-7 ATS.
PACKERS: 27-17
Pittsburgh at New England
Line: Steelers minus 1 1/2
Aaron Rodgers needs better protection. On defense, the Steelers
(1-1) have to improve against the run. Drake Maye and the Patriots
(1-1) rallied to give Mike Vrabel his first win with New England.
The Steelers are 1-4 ATS in their past five road games. The Patriots
are 2-3 ATS in their past five home games.
STEELERS: 20-17
[to top of second column] |
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) scores on a
touchdown run during the first half of an NFL football game against
the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo.
(AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Atlanta at Carolina
Line: Falcons minus 6
The Falcons (1-1) got Bijan Robinson going in Week 2 and rookie edge
rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker made an impact. The
Panthers (0-2) need to play the way they did in a second-half
comeback that fell short last week. Protecting Bryce Young got
harder, though, with injuries to two starters on the offensive line.
The Falcons are 2-7-1 ATS in their past 10 games. The Panthers are
8-3 ATS in their past 11 games.
FALCONS: 24-20
New York Jets at Tampa Bay
Line: Buccaneers minus 7
The Jets (0-2) with Aaron Glenn haven’t looked any better than with
any another coach. It's still too early. Justin Fields will miss the
game because of a concussion, leaving Tyrod Taylor at quarterback
for the Jets. Baker Mayfield has led the Buccaneers (2-0) to
consecutive victories on go-ahead scores in the final two minutes.
But the offensive line is banged up and the defense lost lineman
Calijah Kancey for the season. The Jets have lost 11 straight games
as underdogs in Florida. The Bucs are 15-1 at home against teams
coming off a loss.
BUCCANEERS: 26-16
Las Vegas Raiders at Washington
Line: Commanders minus 3 1/2
Geno Smith said he has to be better after throwing three picks. He
needs to be for the Raiders (1-1) to be competitive. The Commanders
(1-1) could be turning to Marcus Mariota if Jayden Daniels can’t
play because of a knee injury. That’s a drop-off. The Commanders are
7-2 against the spread as a home favorite under coach Dan Quinn.
COMMANDERS: 23-22
Denver at Los Angeles Chargers
Line: Chargers minus 3
Special teams cost the Broncos (1-1) last week in a game the offense
couldn’t put away and the defense didn’t do enough to prevent it
from slipping away. The Chargers (2-0) have been impressive and can
make it three straight division wins to start the season. The
Broncos are 4-4 ATS as road underdogs with Bo Nix. The Chargers are
9-1 ATS in the past 10 games as favorites vs. AFC opponents.
CHARGERS: 23-19
New Orleans at Seattle
Line: Seahawks minus 7 1/2
The rebuilding Saints (0-2) have kept it close, but have lost 14 of
their past 17 games. A balanced offense and opportunistic defense
helped the Seahawks (1-1) even their record. They were just 3-6 at
home last season. The Saints are 1-4 ATS in their past five games.
The Seahawks are 1-7 ATS in their past eight at home.
SEAHAWKS: 24-17
Arizona at San Francisco
Line: 49ers minus 1 1/2
The Cardinals (2-0) haven’t played their best football but are
undefeated. They’ve got some injury concerns in the secondary. Mac
Jones filled in for Brock Purdy and tossed three touchdown passes
for the injury-depleted 49ers (2-0). The Cardinals are 9-4 ATS in
their past 13 games. The 49ers are 4-12 ATS in their past 16 home
games.
49ERS: 24-20
Dallas at Chicago
Line: Bears minus 1
Thanks to Brandon Aubrey and Dak Prescott, the Cowboys (1-1)
overcame a pass defense that allowed 450 yards to Russell Wilson.
They’ve got to generate a pass rush to help the secondary. Ben
Johnson and the Bears (0-2) were embarrassed by his former team in a
return to Detroit. Can he get Caleb Williams and the offensive
playmakers on track this week? The Cowboys are 6-3 ATS in their past
nine games. The Bears are 2-5 ATS in their past seven games and have
lost six straight home games.
COWBOYS: 30-27
Detroit at Baltimore
Line: Ravens minus 5
The Lions (1-1) put up 52 points and 511 yards, silencing the
critics who thought losing Ben Johnson as offensive coordinator
would slow down the offense. The Ravens (1-1) only needed Lamar
Jackson’s arm — not his legs or Derrick Henry’s — to rout Cleveland
with help from a couple of defensive scores. Oddsmakers are
disrespecting the Lions with this line, especially with linebacker
Kyle Van Noy and cornerback Marlon Humphrey injured for Baltimore.
Jackson has a passer rating of 124.3 with 1,949 yards and 22
touchdowns in nine games on "Monday Night Football."
RAVENS: 33-26
___
Last week: Straight up: 12-4. Against spread: 10-6.
Overall: Straight up: 25-7. Against spread: 18-14.
Prime-time: Straight up: 6-2. Against spread: 4-4.
Best Bet: Straight up: 2-0. Against spread: 1-1.
Upset Special: Straight up: 2-0. Against spread: 2-0.
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