NFL trends, predictions: Lions, Packers, 49ers big teams in big games

Bruce Marshall is a handicapper for WagerTalk.com. He provides the Review-Journal with NFL notes and trends.

New England vs. Detroit (at Munich): Lions are 4-0 SU and 3-1 against the spread over their last four games, and have gone under in their last three. The Patriots have not covered in their last four games and have gone over in their last six entering Munich. Edge: Lions and slight lean to the over, based on team and totals trends.

Kansas City at Atlanta: The Chiefs have failed to cover their last three road games. The Falcons are 1-4 SU and against the spread in their last five games. Atlanta is also on a 2-6 ATS skid at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since mid-2025. The Falcons, however, are 11-6 to the over in their last 17 games with Michael Penix at quarterback. Edge: Slight lean to the over, based on totals trends.

Houston at Cleveland: The Texans might be stirring, with wins and covers in three of their last four games. Remember, Houston won 10 straight outright down the stretch last season. The Texans are 7-2 ATS in their last nine road games and 4-1 to the over in their last five. The Browns have an interesting pattern: They are 3-0 SU and ATS, winning all three games as underdogs. Edge: Slight lean to the over and Texans, based on totals and extended trends.

Minnesota at Green Bay: A rematch of the Vikings’ 39-22 win on opening day, though note that the home team has won and covered the last four meetings, three of them by Minnesota. The Vikings have gone under in all seven games since that opener, but now with Kirk Cousins at quarterback, we’ll see if that trend continues. The Packers are surging, going 5-1 SU and 6-0 ATS over their last six games. Edge: Slight lean to the Packers, based on recent trends.

Jacksonville at Tennessee: The Jaguars have won and covered all four meetings over the past two seasons. Jacksonville is on a 13-3 ATS run since mid-2025 and has also covered nine straight games as a favorite in the continental United States. Tennessee is 4-3 ATS but 1-3 ATS at home and 2-5 ATS in Nashville since late last season. Edge: Jaguars, based on team and recent series trends.

Miami at Indianapolis: The Colts have won and covered this matchup in each of the past two seasons. Indy, however, has also lost five straight games outright, going 2-3 ATS in those contests. The Dolphins remain competitive, having covered four straight before last week’s loss to the Lions, which was a competitive defeat. Edge: Slight lean to the Dolphins, based on recent trends.

Carolina at New Orleans: The Saints have won and covered four of the last five meetings and are 5-1 SU in the last six meetings. The Panthers enter on a three-game losing streak, failing to cover in all three. Carolina is also on a 5-1 over run. Edge: Over and Saints, based on totals and series trends.

Buffalo at New York Jets: The Bills have won and covered the last five meetings. Buffalo is also 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS. The Jets have no SU wins in their last four games and no ATS covers in their last three. Buffalo is on a 10-4-1 over run since mid-2025. Depending on when bettors placed wagers last week, the Jets could also be on a four-game over streak, as the total in the Chiefs game closed as high as 47.5 before the 35-12 final. Edge: Bills and the over, based on series and totals trends.

Seattle at Las Vegas: The Seahawks are 3-0 SU and ATS with Drew Lock at quarterback, as he gets credit for the opening win over New England. Seattle has also gone under in four straight entering this weekend. The Raiders are on a 1-5 SU and ATS skid as they make a quarterback change to Fernando Mendoza. We’ll see if they can maintain their recent over trend, having gone over in seven straight games. Edge: Seahawks, based on recent trends.

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona:The Cardinals won an 18-16 upset over the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 18. Arizona, however, is 0-3 SU and ATS at home, with no covers in its last seven home games and no SU wins in its last 11 as host. The Cardinals are also 1-10 ATS at home since 2025. The Rams are 8-1 SU and ATS in their last nine trips to State Farm Stadium, with five of the last six going over. Edge: Rams and slight lean to the over, based on team and totals trends.

San Francisco at Dallas: The 49ers have won and covered the last four meetings dating to the 2021 playoffs. San Francisco is 6-1 SU and ATS in its last seven regular-season road games. The Cowboys have not won back-to-back games outright since mid-2025 and have not recorded back-to-back ATS covers during that span. Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last five home games since late last season. The Cowboys are also on a 12-2-1 over run since mid-2025. Edge: 49ers and the over, based on team, series and totals trends.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: The Steelers won and covered the first meeting, 30-27, on Sept. 27. Pittsburgh has now won and covered four straight since its Oct. 1 loss at Cleveland. The underdog is 5-1 in the last six meetings. The Bengals have won four straight outright but are only 2-2 ATS in those games. Cincinnati is also on a 5-1 over run. Edge: Steelers and the over, based on recent and totals trends.

Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore (Monday): The Chargers are now on an 11-game SU losing streak and are 0-10-1 ATS during that stretch. Los Angeles went over last week against Houston but is 13-3-1 to the under since mid-2025. The Ravens are 0-4 SU and ATS in their last four games but will welcome Jacoby Brissett, who could help solve their quarterback issues this week. Edge: Ravens and the under, based on Chargers and totals trends.