Pro Picks: Bengals will edge
Steelers in battle for first place in the AFC North
[November 12, 2026]
By ROB MAADDI
Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers face Joe Burrow and the Bengals with
first place in the AFC North at stake.
The Sunday night matchup is the only primetime game in Week 9
featuring two winning teams.
Rodgers outplayed Burrow in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 victory in Week 3.
The Steelers (6-2) have won four straight and are coming off a bye.
The Bengals (6-2) also have won four in a row and are back after a
trip to Spain, where they beat Atlanta.
That’s an advantage for Pittsburgh.
Burrow is 4-4 in his career against the Steelers.
The Bengals are 3½-point favorites. Pro Picks sees a close game.
BENGALS: 24-23
WASHINGTON (2-5-1) at NEW YORK GIANTS (5-2-1)
Line: Giants minus 1½
The Commanders missed a chance to win the first meeting last month
because they screwed up the clock and settled for a tie. Jayden
Daniels is 3-0-1 against the Giants. He has to watch out for Arvell
Reese, who had three sacks last week against Philadelphia. J.J.
McCarthy makes his first home start for the Giants and Cam Skattebo
is expected to return from a hamstring injury. McCarthy hasn’t
thrown a TD pass in his two starts. The Giants lost 10 straight
games on Thursday nights before beating the Eagles last year.
GIANTS: 23-19
NEW ENGLAND (5-4) at DETROIT (6-2) in Munich
Line: Lions minus 2½
Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez struggled in a lopsided loss at
home to Green Bay. The Patriots need their QB and star cornerback to
play well to have a chance against Detroit. Jared Goff’s streak of
30 consecutive regular-season games with at least one TD pass ended
last week in a win at Miami. The Lions have won five straight games
after a 1-2 start.
LIONS: 26-22
BUFFALO (7-1) at NEW YORK JETS (2-7)
Line: Bills minus 8½
Buffalo has won five straight in this series and 10 of 12 since
2020. Josh Allen has 21 TDs combined passing and rushing this
season. The Bills have played much better defense the past two
weeks. Jets rookie edge rusher David Bailey has 7½ sacks and five
forced fumbles in eight games.
BILLS: 24-17
CAROLINA (3-5) at NEW ORLEANS (3-5)
Line: Saints minus 2½
Two losing teams battling for first place is common in the weak NFC
South. The Panthers are reeling following three straight losses. But
QB Bryce Young has played some of his best football this season.
He’ll face plenty of pressure from the Saints. Chase Young and Carl
Granderson have combined for 15½ sacks. New Orleans swept the series
last year after Tyler Shough took over as starting QB.
UPSET SPECIAL: PANTHERS: 23-20
HOUSTON (3-5) at CLEVELAND (5-4)
Line: Texans minus 4½
C.J. Stroud has 16 TD passes with only two interceptions and the
Texans have won three of four after an 0-4 start. A defense that
sacked Justin Herbert eight times could have a big day against an
offensive line that’s allowed 38 sacks. Shedeur Sanders played well
last week filling in, but Deshaun Watson will start. The Browns are
3-0 at home and begin a stretch of four straight in front of the
Dawg Pound.
TEXANS: 20-17
JACKSONVILLE (6-2) at TENNESSEE (1-7)
Line: Jaguars minus 10½
The Jaguars were aggressive at the trade deadline, bolstering a
defense that’s allowed just 15.1 points per game. Trevor Lawrence
leads an offense that’s fourth in scoring (28.6 points). The Titans
are coming off a bye following an impressive performance by Cam Ward
in an overtime loss to the Bengals. But they traded another top
defensive player, sending safety Amani Hooker to Buffalo. The
Jaguars swept the season series in each of the last two years.
JAGUARS: 30-16
KANSAS CITY (6-2) at ATLANTA (3-6)
Line: Chiefs minus 3½
Patrick Mahomes has a new receiver after the Chiefs acquired Josh
Downs. Kenneth Walker III has five 100-yard rushing games already
for Kansas City. The Falcons have All-Pro running back Bijan
Robinson, who leads the NFL with 880 yards rushing in one more game
played than Walker. Atlanta has lost four of five, traded Bates and
is coming off a game in Spain.
BEST BET: CHIEFS: 26-17
[to top of second column] |
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) celebrates scoring a
touchdown during an NFL football game against Atlanta Falcons in
Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
MIAMI (1-7) at INDIANAPOLIS (2-7)
Line: Colts minus 3½
Kyle McCord will make his first career start for the Dolphins, who
placed Malik Willis on injured reserve this week. The Colts traded
Downs and Keenan Allen but Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor remain
in Indianapolis. They’ll need some receivers to step up. Shane
Steichen is coaching for his job after losing 14 of 16 going back to
last season.
COLTS: 22-16
MINNESOTA (6-2) at GREEN BAY (6-3)
Line: Packers minus 3½
Kirk Cousins is back with the Vikings. He played for Kevin O’Connell
in 2022-23 so he knows the offense. Minnesota has a
championship-caliber defense and hopes Cousins can fix its offensive
woes. Jordan Love was nearly flawless last week at New England and
leads the NFL in passing. Green Bay’s Christian Watson and Matthew
Golden are Nos. 3 and 4 in yards receiving. The Packers are last in
the competitive NFC North despite a .667 winning percentage. The
Vikings won the first matchup in Week 1.
PACKERS: 23-22
LOS ANGELES RAMS (5-4) at ARIZONA (3-6)
Line: Rams minus 9½
Matthew Stafford won’t have Puka Nacua for at least a month and
Davante Adams is already out, so the Rams will need to rely more on
Kyren Williams and the run game along with a stout defense. Myles
Garrett had three sacks in his first game back and he’ll be going
against a QB making his NFL debut. Rookie Carson Beck replaces
Gardner Minshew, who was placed on injured reserve. Beck won’t have
top receiver Michael Wilson, who also went on IR. The Cardinals beat
the Rams 18-16 in Los Angeles last month but coach Sean McVay is
16-4 vs. Arizona.
RAMS: 26-13
SEATTLE (5-4) at LAS VEGAS (4-5)
Line: Seahawks minus 6½
Drew Lock fills in again for Sam Darnold while No. 1 overall pick
Fernando Mendoza makes his first career start going against the
defending Super Bowl champions. It’ll be a difficult matchup for the
reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Mendoza, who led Indiana to a
national championship, faces the league’s top-ranked defense.
SEAHAWKS: 23-13
SAN FRANCISCO (7-1) at DALLAS (4-5)
Line: 49ers minus 4½
The 49ers added another veteran receiver in Allen to join their
injury-riddled group that could start seeing guys return. That’ll be
a big boost for an offense led by Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffery
and George Kittle. The up-and-down Cowboys haven’t been consistent
enough on offense or defense. They can score plenty of points and
give them up, too.
49ERS: 30-27
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (0-8) at BALTIMORE (4-5)
Line: Ravens minus 4½
The winless Chargers have to win a game eventually. Justin Herbert
is having a miserable season but he’s too talented to go 0-17. The
Ravens have lost four straight and are turning to Jacoby Brissett
after losing Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to injuries and giving
Joe Fagnano his first career start.
RAVENS: 23-20.
Last week: Straight up: 14-1. Against spread: 10-5.
Overall: Straight up: 90-46-1. Against spread: 77-57-3.
Best Bet: Straight up: 6-3. Against spread: 5-4.
Upset Special: Straight up: 4-5. Against spread: 4-5.
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