It's not a bad week to be a bad team in the NFL. Both the Browns and 49ers are playing winnable home games this week. I also give the NFL credit for actually managing to make all of the primetime games this week worthwhile. They probably didn't know they'd luck into Chiefs-Raiders being as important as it was, but you can't go wrong with Giants-Cowboys, and that Ravens-Patriots game on Monday night is also one of the better matchups of the week. If things play out in their favor in the earlier games, Dallas and New England can both clinch the division this week, too.
Steelers (7-5) at Bills (6-6): Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh is back on track. The Steelers have won three straight to move into a tie with the Ravens for first place. Pittsburgh's fate is really in its own hands. This is their final non-division game. And, with the Ravens playing New England on Monday night, the Steelers could easily enter the home stretch in first place.
Bengals (4-7-1) at Browns (0-12): Cleveland-This might be the week! And I fear it might have to be. If the Browns don't win this one, 0-16 is a real possibility (although, they still have the Chargers at home, so there's a chance there). Cincinnati will do all it can to prevent a Browns win from actually happening, but Cleveland (which had its bye last week for some reason) will be just as fired up to finally put one in the win column.
Bears (3-9) at Lions (8-4): Detroit-There's just something about this Detroit Lions team. Week after week, they find a way to pull it out. It's more and more impressive each time, and it's really got me thinking that this isn't just a fluke. The Lions have a two-game lead in the division, and last week they had the lead for the entire fourth quarter for the first time this season. Are we really going to see a Lions home playoff game? We're gonna get another step closer to that being a reality.
Broncos (8-4) at Titans (6-6): Denver-With Kansas City and Oakland both sitting at 10-3, the Broncos know that they absolutely need this one if they have any hope of winning the AFC West. The Titans aren't going to make it easy for them, either. Tennessee's a scrappy team and Denver's in for a battle. But, just like last week in Jacksonville, I think the Broncos figure out a way to win.
Texans (6-6) at Colts (6-6): Houston-Houston has dropped three straight and now sits in a three-way tie for first in the AFC South. A lot of people don't think the Texans are that good because they can't seem to beat anybody outside of their division. That's a fair criticism. But division games are the No. 1 tiebreaker, which is how the Texans are holding a playoff spot right now. And, fortunately for them, three of their last four games are in the division.
Cardinals (5-6-1) at Dolphins (7-5): Miami-In perhaps the biggest game of the week, Arizona travels to Miami. Both the Cardinals and Dolphins are on the outside looking in at the playoff race, but this game has a major bearing on both the Seahawks and Patriots. Whichever team wins prevents their rival from a chance at clinching the division. The Dolphins had their winning streak snapped last week, but the Cardinals are traveling for an early kickoff.
Redskins (6-5-1) at Eagles (5-7): Washington-Since I don't have an early game this week, FOX gave me this one. Washington concludes a three-game road trip looking to get back in the win column after falling in Dallas on Thanksgiving and suffering that devastating one in Arizona last week. The loss to the Cardinals knocked them out of wild card position. They need to beat the Eagles if they don't want to fall any further back.
Chargers (5-7) at Panthers (4-8): Carolina-Carolina's going to continue the NFL tradition of the Super Bowl loser missing the playoffs the following season. Can we stop acting like they have a shot at making it? Because they won't. They were simply too bad for too long. And Sunday night in Seattle was embarrassing. This is weird because both teams flew cross country for this one. But it's the Panthers that have been sleeping in their own beds.
Vikings (6-6) at Jaguars (2-10): Minnesota-Terry Bradshaw thinks the Vikings are going to win the NFC North. I'm not sure how, seeing as they need the Lions to lose three of their last four in order to catch Detroit, but there's nothing Minnesota can do about that. All they can worry about is themselves. And if they lose to Jacksonville, they don't deserve to make the playoffs.
Jets (3-9) at 49ers (1-11): San Francisco-The NFL is doing all it can to make sure the 49ers get a second win. Last week they went to Chicago. Except it snowed, so there went that. Now they play another bad team in the Jets. And this one's at home. It became pretty clear on Monday night that the Jets are mailing it in, so why would anybody expect them to win after flying cross country on a short week?
Seahawks (8-3-1) at Packers (6-6): Green Bay-Seattle is virtually unbeatable at home. But the Seahawks are a very average team on the road. They're used to playing in inclement weather, so the snow at Lambeau won't affect them anywhere near as much as it did the Texans last week. The weather is one of the reasons why it's so hard to beat the Packers in Green Bay in December. And the Packers need this one.
Falcons (7-5) at Rams (4-8): Atlanta-We've got a tie in the NFC South! All because of an interception and defensive two-point conversion (no, I've never seen that before). I do still like them to win the division, but they need to win this one. They've already won twice on the West Coast this season, so the fourth trip out there shouldn't be too daunting. Especially since the Rams aren't nearly as good as the Raiders or Seahawks (where Atlanta played extremely well in a 26-24 loss).
Saints (5-7) at Buccaneers (7-5): Tampa Bay-For some reason, the Saints and Bucs haven't played yet, but they face each other twice in the next three weeks. With a trip to Dallas (flexed into Sunday night) sandwiched in between the two matchups with New Orleans, Tampa Bay really needs to take care of business here. The Bucs aren't just tied for the division lead, they're sitting on a wild card. Assuming they lose to the Cowboys next week, one here would drop them to 7-7, which would likely knock them out of a playoff spot.
Cowboys (11-1) at Giants (8-4): Giants-One point is all that separates Dallas and an undefeated record. That one point came courtesy of the New York Football Giants on Opening Day. Now for the rematch on Sunday night, and if the Cowboys make it 12 straight, they clinch the NFC East. The Giants laid an egg in Pittsburgh, which surprised me. Because they usually get up for big games. Like this one. Can they get the sweep and make Dallas wait a week to clinch the division?
Ravens (7-5) at Patriots (10-2): New England-Picking against New England seems to be a fool's errand, which is why I'm not going to do it. But if there's a week the Patriots are vulnerable, this might be it. Brady doesn't have Gronkowski, and Baltimore always gives them trouble. Remember the playoff game two years ago? They'll both know what they have to do based on what happens on Sunday, and you know the Ravens will be amped up to either go ahead of the Steelers or pull even with Pittsburgh.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 12-3
Overall: 125-66-2
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