Cowboys @ Lions (-3)

Amon-Ra St. Brown playing in this game was a surprise given his lack of practice time this week. It was thought he was definitely out.

CeeDee Lamb leaving this game in the second quarter may have been the key break Detroit needed to run away with the game in the second half. Not only was he far more successful against man coverage than any other Cowboy receiver, but him leaving the game allowed Detroit's secondary to relocate more coverage resources against George Pickens. With Pickens swamped, no other receiver could really step up - Flournoy and Ferguson were the only other receivers being targeted somewhat consistently besides Pickens, but neither really impressed.

I'm thinking Detroit lacks pass rushers outside Aidan Hutchinson. Alim McNeill is no longer the same force of nature he was last year. Marcus Davenport seems to be working his way back from long-term injury, though he did show some promise late in the game when he spelled Aidan Hutchinson. Al-Quada Muhammad is way too inconsistent to merit blue-chip designation, though he may still end up qualifying as a red-chip pass rusher before season's end.

Dan Campbell really loves to run the ball, doesn't he? Too many times did I see the Lions running the ball into a brick wall on first and second down when it was the passing game that was really bearing fruit for them all along.

Also worth noting that the Cowboys were without their best pass rusher in Jadaveon Clowney.

Texans @ Chiefs (-3.5)

This will be a game to watch. Last year, the Chiefs were able to beat the Texans by a healthy-enough margin. This year, on paper, they should be able to repeat that same feat. Not much has changed for either team. If anything, things have only gotten worse for the Texans as they'll be coming into this game without Tank Dell. But their hope is that they can compensate for Tank's absence through a combination of Dalton Schultz and Jayden Higgins. The problem is that the former is a known quantity and the latter has yet to really debut in top form, although the potential to do so is there. At least their run game looks better now that Woody Marks has been promoted to be the primary tailback on offense, though it's still not impressive.

Meanwhile, Kansas should be better off in this game considering Rashee Rice has unquestionably taken the mantle as the team's most productive pass catcher. Paired with Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt / Isaiah Pacheco, and a mobile quarterback, Kansas is coming into the game this year with an even better offense.

Bears @ Packers (-5.5)

Last year's main game between these two teams would imply the Bears are being criminally underrated. If anything, Chicago has dramatically improved this year in terms of coaching and offensive playmakers - the Packers haven't done much outside of their acquisition of Micah Parsons. So if Chicago was minutes away from upsetting Green Bay last year, one can only stand to reason that the Bears should outright win this time around, even if the venue is different. All the different ways Chicago leveled up over the year more than outweighs whatever benefit Green Bay can squeeze from playing at home. Even if the Packers are playing this game a bit more motivated than what one would expect, I still expect the Bears to cover.

Rams @ Cardinals (+8.5)

This is interesting. Last year's game between these two would have you believe these two clubs are going to be clawing at one another in an ugly affair. And if that's the case, Arizona should be the right side here spread-wise...especially because the team upgraded at quarterback several weeks ago when they handed over the reins of the offense to Jacoby Brissett.