Whenever the Redskins win their final game before a Presidential election, the incumbent party wins. Whenever they lose, the White House changes hands. But what about when the election comes right after their bye week? And what if their final game before the bye is a tie? How are we supposed to know whether Trump or Hillary is going to be our next President come Tuesday night?!
Washington's tie last week is actually going to affect the season a lot more than the Seahawks-Cardinals tie will. Seattle is probably going to win the NFC West, and Arizona doesn't look like they'll be in the mix for a wild card. But that half-game in the NFC East/wild card standings could determine who's in and who's out. Remember a few years ago when Donovan McNabb didn't know the rules and the Eagles ended up with a tie, that's what got them into the playoffs...because they ended up 10-5-1 and out of all the 10-6 tiebreakers, which they would've lost.
And, it's gotta be said. After back-to-back weeks with a tie, hopefully those are done for the 2016 season. Maybe we're done with the Sunday Night game going to overtime, too. Although, with an outstanding Broncos-Raiders matchup, I can easily see that trend continuing.
Cowboys (6-1) at Browns (0-8): Dallas-Finally Jerry Jones came out and said that he wants Dak Prescott to remain the starter after Romo comes back. That's the right move. Because Dallas is the second-best team in football right now, and there's no reason to mess with what's working. Cleveland, on the other hand, is the worst team in football. This is the biggest mismatch of the week.
Jaguars (2-5) at Chiefs (5-2): Kansas City-Kansas City is the one of only seven teams in the NFL with one or two losses, yet they're only in third place in their own division! So is the plight of being in the AFC West this season. Andy Reid's club has continued to be the quiet killers, though. They just go out there week after week and win. Playing at home against Jacksonville, this week should be no different.
Jets (3-5) at Dolphins (3-4): Jets-Last year's Dolphins "home" game against the Jets was in London. (Sidebar, I'm not sure how many people noticed this in the press release last week in the announcement that they're playing the Saints in London next year, but Miami was required to host one in its Super Bowl contract. So, the NFL is basically forcing them to give up a home game.) Miami is playing its fourth! consecutive home game and has won the last two. The Jets are also looking for their third straight win. The winner here brings their record back to respectability at the midway point.
Lions (4-4) at Vikings (5-2): Minnesota-I think people have figured out the Minnesota Vikings. After that 5-0 start where they looked unbeatable, they had their bye and haven't won since. Last week's loss in Chicago was inexcusable, and they only stayed in first place thanks to the Falcons' last-minute touchdown against the Packers. Detroit finally played a road game last week and had its three-game winning streak snapped. They're on the road again this week, so I'll say the Vikings get back on track.
Eagles (4-3) at Giants (4-3): Philadelphia-Why are the Giants and Jets playing at the same time? The NFL only started doing that a couple years ago, and I hate it when they do. Because it's completely unnecessary. Anyway, this is a big game for both the Eagles and the Giants. The winner moves into second and is still within striking distance of Dallas. The loser, despite being 4-4, will be in last place in the ultra-competitive NFC East. So, yeah, it's a big game for both. Philly seems to have the Giants' number, though, so I'm going with the Eagles.
Steelers (4-3) at Ravens (3-4): Pittsburgh-There's nothing like a good rivalry game to get the blood pumping. We'll get to see what the Steelers are really made of over the next couple weeks while they don't have Ben Roethlisberger. But we've seen Houston hold its own without J.J. Watt, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Pittsburgh do the same. That's why I'm calling what would technically be an "upset" and a Steelers victory.
Panthers (2-5) at Rams (3-4): Los Angeles-Carolina finally got a win! That's a feeling the Rams haven't had in a month. After starting 3-1, they've lost three straight. They haven't played at the LA Coliseum since Week 5, though. We'll see if the comforts of home make a difference. Fun fact: this is Carolina's first-ever trip to Los Angeles. The Rams' first year in St. Louis was the Panthers' first in the league.
Saints (3-4) at 49ers (1-6): New Orleans-The battle of the gold helmets! San Francisco's not a good team. I think we can all agree on that. The 49ers won on the opening Monday night, but have lost six straight since then. During the Thursday night game, they threw up a graphic about the scoring in the NFC South. Cris Collinsworth accurately said that all the scoring makes for a fun division to watch, but the lack of defense could be a reason why. Well, the 49ers don't have a defense or an offense, so New Orleans should leave the Bay Area with a win.
Colts (3-5) at Packers (4-3): Green Bay-Green Bay is one of those teams that you just can't put your finger on. Are the Packers elite or not? You think they are, then they go allow a last-minute touchdown to lose to the Falcons and drop to 4-3. I really am confused by this team. I do think Aaron Rodgers will have a field day against the Colts defense, though, which should give Green Bay the edge, especially at Lambeau.
Titans (4-4) at Chargers (3-5): San Diego-Both of these teams, Tennessee especially, have surprised this season. The Titans, in fact, are only one game out of first in the AFC South. In fairness, though, all four of Tennessee's wins have come against teams you wouldn't exactly call "elite." That's not their fault, of course. They're just playing the teams on the schedule. One of the teams on that schedule is San Diego. You know this about the Chargers: they'll be in the game and probably have the lead in the fourth quarter. Will they finish the job this time?
Broncos (6-2) at Raiders (6-2): Denver-How often does a Sunday night matchup look great on paper at the start of the season, then end up not even being the best game that week? Well, that's not the case this week. This is perhaps the best Sunday Night matchup of the season, and it's the first Sunday night game in Oakland in God knows how long. They're both 6-2, tied for first place. I don't think they need to prove to anyone that they're for real, but this the Raiders' chance to make a real statement. Denver wants to make a statement of its own, though. This is the Broncos' division until somebody takes it from them. They'll want to remind everybody of that.
Bills (4-4) at Seahawks (4-2-1): Seattle-None of the four teams that has a tie is playing on Sunday. Three are on their bye (of which we again have six this week), while the Seahawks host the Bills on Monday night. An interesting Monday night selection to say the least, considering there's no history between these teams and the Bills are flying cross-country for an interconference game. We all know how tough Seattle is at home and Buffalo tends to not play its best in primetime. As a result, I'd be very surprised to see the Seahawks lose this one.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 7-5-1
Season: 76-43-2
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