It looks like the weather is going to wreak havoc on the NFL again this week. Fortunately, the Patriots-Dolphins game is in Miami, but the Seahawks are going to get a preview of what the Super Bowl might be like when they visit the Giants at the Meadowlands. We've also got Cleveland and Pittsburgh at home. But that crucial Ravens-Lions game on Monday night won't be affected because of Ford Field's roof. Last week, the snow actually led to a lot of high-scoring contests. I'm curious to see what it'll do this time.
Redskins (3-10) at Falcons (3-10): Atlanta-Last place in the NFC is at stake between two division winners from last season. The Redskins have shut RGIII down for the season, which I think is a good move (they're not going anywhere and he's been hurt all year, why risk it any further?), and Kirk Cousins will get the start. Both teams are a mess, but Atlanta is in slightly better shape. It really doesn't matter, but since the Falcons are less bad, I'm going with them.
Bears (7-6) at Browns (4-9): Chicago-I'm still incredibly confused about Chicago. This much I know, though, the Good Bears showed up Monday night against the Cowboys, keeping their playoff hopes alive in the process. Suddenly, the NFC North is once again very winnable. But they can't fall back into their habit of losing games that they should win. Matchups against the Browns fall into that category.
Texans (2-11) at Colts (8-5): Indianapolis-Coming into the season, we all thought this game might decide the winner of the AFC South. Well, the season has played out a little differently. Indy has already clinched the division and knows it'll probably host Kansas City in a wild card game, while Houston is playing out the string in a lost season, trying desperately to end an 11-game losing streak. The Texans are in the pole position for the No. 1 pick, and they've turned to Wade Phillips for the final three games after finally parting ways with Gary Kubiak. Phillips won't do much to improve his chances of getting the gig full-time this week.
Patriots (10-3) at Dolphins (7-6): New England-Denver's loss on Thursday night certainly changed things in the AFC. Suddenly, New England can take over the No. 1 seed with a win in Miami. That would also wrap up yet another division title for Bradicheck. However, a loss and a Bengals win drops the Patriots to the No. 3 seed. Very interesting possibilites indeed. Made even more interesting by the fact that the Dolphins have playoff chances themselves. This won't be your typical Patriots division game massacre. Miami usually plays them tough regardless, and I fully expect the Dolphins, who have a ton to play for themselves, to give New England quite a challenge. We'll probably see the usual result, though, and that's a Patriots win.
Eagles (8-5) at Vikings (3-9-1): Philadelphia-Thanks to their five-game winning streak, as well as the Cowboys' loss in Chicago on Monday night, the Eagles have a one-game lead in the NFC East. They need to keep it up, too, because they have to go into that Week 17 showdown with the Cowboys either ahead or tied if they have any hope of winning the division. They also know that Dallas has a much tougher game this week. The Eagles know they can't afford NOT to take care of business at the Metrodome.
Seahawks (11-2) at Giants (5-8): Seattle-Seattle missed its chance to wrap up a bye last week, but that's really just a mere formality at this point. In fact, a win and a Saints loss wraps up home field for the Seahawks. Considering how unbeatable they are at home, I wouldn't be surprised if the Seahawks are treating this game as a dress rehearsal for when they return (they hope) to the Meadowlands in February.
49ers (9-4) at Buccaneers (4-9): San Francisco-The Niners needed a win last week, and they got one. And after that big win over Seattle, San Francisco moved right back into playoff position. They know they're not going to win the division, which means they'll have to go on the road in the playoffs, which makes this a good game for them. The 49ers are the better team and they should win, but Tampa Bay's not a pushover and they have to travel cross-country for this game. They also end the season in Arizona, with a playoff berth potentially at stake. For that game to matter, San Francisco needs to win a winnable game against Tampa Bay.
Bills (4-9) at Jaguars (4-9): Jacksonville-This week's AFC installment of "The Bad Teams Have to Play Somebody, too." Coming into the season (even a few weeks ago), I had this tabbed as an easy Buffalo win. But Jacksovnille, amazingly, is the better team right now. They've won four out of five. Granted, it hasn't been against the cream of the crop, but it's still four out of five. Make it five out of six.
Chiefs (10-3) at Raiders (4-9): Kansas City-The Chiefs can clinch their playoff spot this week, and the AFC West is even suddenly back in play thanks to the Chargers. We've all known for weeks that Kansas City was going to make the playoffs, and the Chiefs have bounced back nicely after hitting that little snag. They're only 1-3 against the division, but that 1 was against the Raiders, and there's no reason to belive they won't beat their archrivals again.
Jets (6-7) at Panthers (9-4): Carolina-The Jets won last week and think they're playoff contenders again. They're still not. The Panthers, meanwhile, finally had their winning streak snapped with that humbling defeat in New Orleans on Sunday night. In the end, that's going to be good for Carolina in the long run. Now they know what they'll have to do to win in January. Becuase, unlike the Jets, the Panthers actually are going to make the playoffs.
Packers (6-6-1) at Cowboys (7-6): Dallas-Last week at the end of Sunday Night Football, Tony Dungy was trying to make the argument that the Packers aren't just going to make the playoffs, they're going to win the NFC North. His reasoning was that their tie takes them out of all the tiebreakers. That's true, but he forgot to consider a couple things: Green Bay's remaining schedule is very tough, and Aaron Rodgers is still out. If the Packers are going to make a run, they need him healthy. And he's not playing again this week against a Dallas team that has shown an incredible ability to bounce back this season. Considering how badly they got smacked on Monday night, I'm expecting Dallas to pull out a good one this week.
Cardinals (8-5) at Titans (5-8): Arizona-Here's where we get to start finding some stuff out about the Arizona Cardinals. Are they really playoff contenders? Their record says they are. But they also need to win games, especially road games, as favorites. This week's contest against the Titans in Nashville is one of those. I'm buying what Bruce Arians is selling, but I might be jumping off the Cardinals bandwagon if they can't figure out a way to win this one.
Saints (10-3) at Rams (5-8): New Orleans-St. Louis is the team that nobody good wants to play. The Saints, though, can wrap up their playoff spot this week, and they need to keep playing well if they want to hold off Carolina. If they play the way they did last week against the Panthers and not the week before against Seattle, New Orleans could be a Super Bowl team. The Rams will keep it close, but the Saints will win.
Bengals (9-4) at Steelers (5-8): Cincinnati-Cincinnati is inching closer to an AFC North title, and they can actually wrap it up this week with a win and a Ravens loss. They can even still get a bye if everything falls their way. The Bengals are THAT good, and very few people know about them. Well, they finally get a Sunday night audience against the rival Steelers to show everyone. Of course, Pittsburgh would love to play the role of spoiler, which is really all they've got left this season. Not gonna happen, though.
Ravens (7-6) at Lions (7-6): Baltimore-The game with the biggest playoff implications this week might be the one on Monday night. Baltimore currently has the lead for that second AFC wild card, but their remaining schedule is brutal (division-leading Detroit, division-leading New England, division-leading Cincinnati). I'm not entirely sure Baltimore comes out of that gauntlet unscathed. The Lions, meanwhile, are in a big-time fight for a division title themselves. They'll know coming in what their situation will be, and Detroit could even end up in third place at the end of this week's games. So, yeah, Monday night's important. As for the winner, I just have this feeling it'll be Baltimore.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 13-3
Season: 135-73-1
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