NFL picks 2019: Experts giving the Eagles, Ravens a chance to keep rolling

New year, new season, new picks! After 17 weeks of a few good games sprinkled in between a lot of crapfests, we have just four games this weekend, Saturday AND Sunday, that all look like very promising matchups, on paper anyway. And it’s the first week of the playoffs too. Our expert panel has reconvened to give you our can’t miss predictions for this weekend’s Wild Card action.

If you go by our picks, this is the toughest game to get a handle on this week. The panel is split on who’s going to win this one. The Colts squeaked by, 24-21, when these two teams played last month, in Week 14. If you buy into momentum, the Colts are riding a four-game win streak. The Texans, after an impressive nine-game win streak that started with an overtime win against these Colts back in Week 4, are 2-2 over their last four games.

But here’s a stat that should catch your eye: the Texans are 1-5 in their last six games at home against the Colts.

No human picks for the Cowboys. Is it really that much of a one-sided affair? Dallas is the favorite, according to the people who make the odds for these things. But that’s apparently not enough to convince our panelists.

Maybe it’s the Seahawks in primetime. Seattle is 11-2 in their last 13 primetime games. Plus, it’s hard to bet against Russell Wilson.

I don’t know how much stock you put in the picks from the OddsShark computer, but it apparently has tabulated that the Ravens will score 30 points. That seems like a lot, no? Baltimore has scored more than 30 points just twice this season, in Week 1 and most recently in Week 12 ... against the Raiders.

This is a rematch between these two teams. The Ravens narrowly won the last game, in Week 16, but that’s going to be tough to repeat. From Geoff Schwartz:

The Chargers could have easily beaten the Ravens a few weekends ago and won’t be fooled by their run game this time. They’ve also played extremely well on the road this season, beating the Seahawks, Chiefs, and Steelers away from Stub Hub Center.

Our panel has a clear lean to the Ravens to win this one, but we’ll see.

We’ve got a few believers in the Nick Foles miracle among our panelists. But he’ll have his work cut out for him against Chicago’s defense, which is holding opponents to an average of less than 15 points in its last 10 games.

The Bears are big favorites, but they haven’t played the toughest schedule in their last 10 games, except for an impressive win against the Rams. Philadelphia on the other hand came up big in their last three games, with playoff stakes on the line each week. Those three wins by Nick Foles and Co. include victories against the Rams and Texans to be here.

Alright, without further ado, here are the picks. Computer picks are from OddsShark.