Friday 8 December 2017 18:12, UK
In Week 14, WWE star Baron Corbin is the challenger taking on Richard Graves in NFL predictions...
Can Corbin end Graves' three-game winning streak and six-week unbeaten run? His latest victim was Sky Sports Golf presenter Rob Lee, with a 12-4 record good enough to get the job done.
This week he goes up against former NFL player turned WWE superstar Corbin, who is preparing for the WWE Clash of Champions with another titanic tussle of epic proportions against Graves.
Corbin is set to defend his WWE United States Championship belt in a triple threat match against Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler in the Clash of Champions on December 17, which you can watch live on Sky Sports Box Office.
But before joining the WWE in 2012, Corbin spent three years in the NFL, with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, though his loyalties still lie with his home team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I grew up going to games in Kansas City and tailgating there," says Corbin "The atmosphere is amazing and the fans are die hard. That's where I really wanted to play and I thought I was going to get my chance, but I ended up first in Indianapolis.
"I'm a Chiefs fan for life. But I also have a soft spot for Arizona because I've got good friends that still play there, and I always support my friends.
"The NFL is a gruelling sport, very physical and you're fighting for your job every single week. It's no different from the WWE, it's a lifestyle and your life has to be dedicated to being the best there is.
"It's a surreal feeling running out of a tunnel with fire shooting behind you and 90,000 fans screaming for your team. That's also one of the things I love about WWE. The feeling is addictive."
Here's a look at Corbin's, and Graves' Week 14 predictions...
Graves: What a clash this has become! The Chiefs have collapsed in the last two months from their perfect 5-0 start, losing five of their last six games. They now sit in a three-way tie for the lead in the NFC West, with the Raiders.
There's simply no explanation for the Chiefs dramatic loss of form. An offense which had become stagnant last week rediscovered its explosive plays, only for the defense to capitulate in a 38-31 lost to the Jets. Now the Raiders roll into town, with wide receiving duo Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree both likely to return after injury and suspension and eyeing up the division title. Promisingly for Oakland, running back Marshawn Lynch also showed signs of returning to his old self.
PICK: RAIDERS
Corbin: Chiefs. ALL. DAY. LONG. That's my hometown team. Plus, I hate the Raiders more than anything. They have the most brutal and ruthless fans in the league. Then you look at Kansas City - we have the most passionate fans you can find, and our stadium is the best imaginable. Only thing is, we have to wake up and get back to winning.
PICK: CHIEFS
Graves: Seattle don't have cornerback Richard Sherman, they don't have safety Kam Chancellor, but they do have Russell Wilson at quarterback! As long as he's on the field, they have a chance to win any game. Even with their injury-depleted secondary, they held the NFL's No 1 ranked scoring offense, the Eagles, to just 10 points last week. And, since Wilson entered the league, Seattle are an impressive 20-5 when playing regular season games in December and January!
That record will be tested this weekend at a resurgent Jaguars team. Like Seattle, they stand at 8-4 and know a win, combined with other results going their way will secure a playoff berth for the first time in a decade. Expect the Seahawks to load up against the run on defense and force Jacksonville to put the ball in the hands of QB Blake Bortles. But, it's on defense where the strength of this Jaguars team lies - leading the league in sacks with 41, there's a good reason the team's Twitter handle has been renamed "Saxonville"! Against a porous Seahawks offensive line, they will look to feast.
PICK: JAGUARS
Corbin: Jaguars. My buddy Calais Campbell is having a great season, playing lights out as a defensive end over there. I used to play against him every day at practice, while with the Arizona Cardinals. He is not a fun guy to try and block! I know he's got it in him to win this game.
PICK: JAGUARS
Graves: An argument can be made that this is this is the match-up of Week 14. These are two of the NFL's in-form teams right now, doing battle in the AFC North - the Steelers, riding a seven-game winning streak hosting a Ravens team who have won three straight themselves. If Pittsburgh win, they clinch the division title. If Baltimore win they remain in pole position for a wild card berth and keep them slim hopes of overhauling the Steelers alive.
It's the NFL's No 1 team in takeaways, Baltimore, against the NFL's hottest receiver, Antonio Brown, who leads the league in receptions with 88 and receiving yards with 1,296. However, it's not just Brown they have to keep quiet on Sunday. The Steelers also boast the NFL's leading rusher in Le'Veon Bell.
PICK: STEELERS
Corbin: I want the Ravens to win, as the Steelers beat the Chiefs earlier this year and caused our downfall. We were undefeated until we faced them, and ever since it's been an absolute disaster. Sadly, I think the Steelers will win though.
PICK: STEELERS
Graves: Remember back in September when the Patriots stood at 2-2 and we wondered if this might beginning of the end to their dynasty? How foolish we were! Eight straight wins later and no one in the NFL has a better record than their 10-2 mark.
Tom Brady has again got this offense firing on all cylinders, while defensively this side is unrecognisable from that which leaked like a sieve in the first month of the season. Once again they stand alone on top of the AFC East and victory over Miami on Monday night will see them again crowned division champions.
PICK: PATRIOTS
Corbin: Patriots. Brady is obviously the best there is. He has got a good team that surrounds him, and the best coach in the NFL in Bill Belichick. What more can you say about them?
PICK: PATRIOTS
Graves: The Saints swept NFC South rivals the Panthers with an impressive victory in the Superdome on Sunday. If they do the same against the Falcons in their two meetings over the next four weeks, the division title is likely theirs.
While veteran QB Drew Brees continues to pull the strings, it's the twin threat of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara out of the backfield that has caused a huge headache for opposing defenses - it's easy to see why the Saints offense is now ranked second overall and fourth in scoring, averaging over 29 points per game.
Of course Atlanta's success is also predicated on a high octane offense but, if New Orleans can get highly-rated rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore back on the field after injury on Thursday night, a Saints team which is already high on confidence will feel they have the kryptonite to handle the threat posed by Atlanta's star receiver Julio Jones.
PICK: SAINTS
Corbin: I gotta go with the Saints, I think they're an underrated team. Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I used to watch his tape when I was in the league - he throws some of the best passes I've ever seen.
PICK: SAINTS
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