Sunday’s NFL slate delivered plenty of drama across 12 games. The Tennessee Titans stunned the Indianapolis Colts 26-20 on the road, the New Orleans Saints topped the New York Giants 34-27, and the Arizona Cardinals edged the Los Angeles Rams 18-16 in a low-scoring surprise out West. The Houston Texans also pulled off a road victory in Jacksonville, 34-31, in a back-and-forth divisional battle. On the other side of the ledger, the New England Patriots handled the Jets 26-19, the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Chargers 22-6, and the Buffalo Bills stayed hot with a 33-30 win in Las Vegas. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers also came away with road victories to round out a day full of twists.
The XO Sports model finished 6-6 on the day, a tough but honest result given how unpredictable the slate turned out to be. Among the top picks, the model correctly called New England and Kansas City, but missed on Indianapolis and Los Angeles. The model also nailed Pittsburgh and Buffalo among its standard picks, while getting tripped up by Jacksonville, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Arizona. On a day where upsets were everywhere, the model’s 50% hit rate on top picks reflects just how volatile things got across the league.