Pro Picks: Eagles will beat the Rams in a playoff rematch

By Canadian Press on September 17, 2025.

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. Texans swept the series season year, 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

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

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 it 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 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 points, 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 9 games on “Monday Night Football.”

RAVENS: 33-26

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Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here.

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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.

Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press