Getting down to the nitty gritty! Lots of extremely important games in the next few weeks, especially in the NFC. Here we go.
GAME OF THE WEEK – Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) at Los Angeles Rams (9-3), LAR by 2.5 – Yet another big game for both of these teams. Philadelphia needs a win to keep pace for the #1 seed, and the Rams can work themselves into the picture for a first-round bye with a win here, as well. No longer are the Rams a pushover… their offense is firing on all cylinders, and their defense is vastly underrated. I think we’re in for an outstanding game, but it’s hard for me to pick against the home team. Rams 27, Eagles 24
THURSDAY NIGHT – New Orleans Saints (9-3) at Atlanta Falcons (7-5), NO by 1.5 – Another big game for the NFC. New Orleans can basically finish off Atlanta’s hopes for a divisional title here, and also knock them even further back in the wild card race. So there’s going to be a lot of desperation in Atlanta to pick up the victory. I think that desperation, combined with homefield advantage on a short week, gives Atlanta what they need to pick up a much-needed win, much to my Packers’ chagrin. UPSET! – Atlanta 30, Saints 24
Detroit Lions (6-6) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8), DET by 1 – Man, if Aaron Rodgers had been playing this past week, the Bucs probably would have lost by 30. What an awful performance. Just what the doctor ordered for the Lions, who basically need to win out to have a shot at the playoffs at this point. Lions 24, Bucs 13
Chicago Bears (3-9) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-8), CIN by 6 – John Fox now has the worst win percentage for all head coaches in Chicago Bears history. And that’s saying something, because the Bears have had some pretty bad coaches. Going on the road against a feisty Bengals team, it’s hard to see them picking up a W. Bengals 20, Bears 10
Indianapolis Colts (3-9) at Buffalo Bills (6-6), BUF by 4 – Fun fact: if the Colts’ games this season ended at halftime, they’d be 9-3. But they’ll lose this one. Bills 27, Colts 20
Seattle Seahawks (8-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4), JAX by 2.5 – This is an unusually important game for an inter-conference matchup. The last time these two teams met, the Seahawks were favored by three scores, the Jaguars were the worst team in the league and the Hawks were on their way to a Super Bowl title. How far Jacksonville has come! They’re playing incredible defense and “good enough” offense. The Seahawks are tough, but away from Seattle they’re not quite as scary. If the Jaguars win, this will be the biggest win this franchise has seen in some time. I’m pulling for em. Jaguars 24, Seahawks 21
Oakland Raiders (6-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-6), KC by 4 – So it’s come to this for the Chiefs. They blew an absolutely massive divisional lead, and are now in a three-way tie for the AFC West. Home field advantage matters a lot in divisional games, but I have to take the momentum into consideration here. UPSET! – Raiders 27, Chiefs 24
Minnesota Vikings (10-2) at Carolina Panthers (8-4), MIN by 2.5 – Yet another massive matchup for the NFC this week with major playoff implications. The Panthers have a really difficult closing schedule, assuming Aaron Rodgers is back for the Packers next week, so they really need this win here at home. But the Vikings have shown no signs of slowing down, and have been beating team after team, including very good competition, on the road. I think they do Green Bay a solid and take down Carolina. Vikings 26, Panthers 13
Green Bay Packers (6-6) at Cleveland Browns (0-12), GB by 3.5 – This is Cleveland’s best shot at winning a game, maybe for the rest of the year. But on the other hand, the Packers have to know what’s at stake. With Aaron Rodgers eligible to return next week against Carolina assuming he’s medically cleared, the Packers know they absolutely cannot sleep on the Browns if they want to have a shot at running the table to get into the playoffs for the second year in a row. It likely won’t be pretty, but they’ll handle their business. Packers 20, Browns 16
San Francisco 49ers (2-10) at Houston Texans (4-8), HOU by 3 – The Texans have been absolutely slaughtered by injuries, and Jimmy Garoppolo looked good in his first start for the Niners. Give me another Jimmy G win. UPSET! – 49ers 23, Texans 17
Washington (5-7) at Los Angeles Chargers (6-6), LAC by 6 – The Chargers have a ton of momentum and are looking like the future AFC West champs. I don’t see them dropping this one. Chargers 24, Washington 20
New York Jets (5-7) at Denver Broncos (3-9), NYJ by 1 – A 3-13 record by the Broncos would mark their worst ever record in a 16-game season. It’s looking like they could very well get there. Jets 30, Broncos 13
Tennessee Titans (8-4) at Arizona Cardinals (5-7), TEN by 3 – Big game for the Titans. While the Jaguars play Seattle at home, they have to travel to face an Arizona team that already took the Jaguars out in their stadium. Tennessee’s probably the better team here, but they have the same issue as Jacksonville in that they are a young, inexperienced team playing a team that still has some fight in it. I’ll go for the upset. UPSET! – Cardinals 28, Titans 20
Dallas Cowboys (6-6) at New York Giants (2-10), DAL by 4.5 – The Giants are finally free of the stain of McAdoo and Reese, but this year is still not going to end prettily. Cowboys 24, Giants 20
Baltimore Ravens (7-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-2), PIT by 5.5 – The Steelers will almost certainly win the division even if they don’t win this game, but it’s still an important one for the Ravens, who are scratching and clawing for a playoff spot. If the season ended today, they’d be the 6 seed, but they need to keep winning just in case a team in the AFC West or the Bills make a final push. But playing at home with a date with New England looming, the Steelers know they need to take care of business. Steelers 30, Ravens 20
New England Patriots (10-2) at Miami Dolphins (5-7), NE by 11 – Is anybody going to be able to stop the Patriots from winning yet another Super Bowl?! Patriots 34, Dolphins 17
