We've got Saturday NFL games for the next two weeks (although, they always do the full slate on Saturday when Christmas is a Sunday). And we've finally got playoff clinching scenarios that are realistic. In fact, one berth has already been clinched, as Seattle locked up the NFC West while wearing those ridiculously hideous lime green uniforms on Thursday night. And we've got an NFL Network double-dip, with the Dolphins-Jets Saturday night special.
Dolphins (8-5) at Jets (4-9): Miami-Miami's in the playoff race. When was the last time we said that in December? So, of course, the Dolphins' next two games are visits to their AFC East rivals the Jets and Bills, two places where the weather is vastly different than it is South Florida at this time of year. Even still, they're better than the Jets. Even without Ryan Tannehill, that should be enough to get them to 9-5 and, depending on how New England-Denver goes, either in a playoff position or just out of one.
Browns (0-13) at Bills (6-7): Buffalo-So...not so much on that whole Cleveland beating Cincinnati thing. The Bengals jumped on them early and never gave the Browns a chance. Now their last best chance comes in Buffalo, where the Bills can still finish above .500 if they win out. If the Browns don't win this week, 0-16 is looking more and more likely. The Bills don't want to be the team that actually loses to them, though.
Packers (7-6) at Bears (3-10): Green Bay-Ladies and gentlemen, the real Green Bay Packers finally showed up last week. They've still got a lot of work to do, but if Green Bay plays like it did against Seattle over its final three games, don't bet against them. Of course, Aaron Rodgers' health is a concern, but I think I could play quarterback against the Bears and lead my team to a win.
Steelers (8-5) at Bengals (5-7-1): Pittsburgh-Is there any better quarterback in the month of December than Ben Roethlisberger? And now that the Steelers are in first place, there's no reason to believe they won't be in the playoffs. Especially since all they've got left is division games. This is their first trip to Cincinnati since the Bengals gifted them that wild card game last season. This is a much different Bengals team. The result won't be that close.
Titans (7-6) at Chiefs (10-3): Kansas City-Kansas City has perhaps the most direct clinching route of the weekend. They're the only team that can clinch with a win that's also playing at home. And they should be able to do it. The Titans are coming off that big win over Denver (who comes to Kansas City on Christmas night), and they're right in the thick of the AFC South race. The Chiefs are playing for a shot at home field, though. They won't waste it.
Colts (6-7) at Vikings (7-6): Minnesota-Adrian Peterson has hinted he'll return for this one (although I think it'll actually be next week against the Packers). That's music to the Vikings' ears. Because this is a much different team than the one that started 5-0. Minnesota is in a dogfight just to get a wild card, which is still possible. It won't be if they lose at home to the Colts, though.
Lions (9-4) at Giants (9-4): Detroit-Both teams have clinching scenarios, but they can't both clinch. Detroit's need for a win is a little more immediate, though. They play the Cowboys and Packers in their final two games. They've both got a little bit of a cushion, so a loss isn't the end of the world. It'll also be interesting to see the fourth quarter. Because they've both been great fourth-quarter teams all season.
Eagles (5-8) at Ravens (7-6): Baltimore-Talk about a team that needs a win. The Baltimore Ravens did not help themselves in Foxboro. It was a nice comeback, but the game was essentially already over by that point. Now the Ravens need to regroup and beat the Eagles. Because they can put their fate right back into their own hands in Pittsburgh on Christmas. If they lose to the Eagles, though, the Steelers are really in the driver's seat.
Jaguars (2-11) at Texans (7-6): Houston-As I've said repeatedly, Houston's critics love to say how the Texans aren't any good. And I continue to counter with the fact that they don't need to beat everyone else as long as they win their division games. And, as they've continued to show, they're the best team in the AFC South by a wide margin. They'll easily beat Jacksonville at home.
49ers (1-12) at Falcons (8-5): Atlanta-If not for Cleveland, we'd all be talking about how bad San Francisco is. The 49ers are not a good football team. At all. They had two "winnable" games in the last two weeks, yet somehow found a way to lose both. Only bad teams find ways to give games away against other bad teams. Atlanta's a good team, so they shouldn't have any issues with San Francisco.
Saints (5-8) at Cardinals (5-7-1): Arizona-Let's see how amped up Arizona gets for this one knowing that their playoff chances are all but gone. The same thing can be said for New Orleans, where Drew Brees hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in three weeks. One of them has to not lose this one, though. The game's in Glendale, so I'm giving the Cardinals the nod.
Patriots (11-2) at Broncos (8-5): Denver-Last year when they met on that snowy Sunday night, it was Brock Osweiler at quarterback for the Broncos' overtime victory. And it's because of that win that the AFC Championship Game was in Denver. This year has obviously been a little different for the Broncos, who are clinging to a wild card and have a brutal remaining schedule (Patriots, Chiefs, Raiders). There's no reason to think the Broncos win this game. Yet I'm picking them anyway. They're desperate and they know what it takes to beat New England.
Raiders (10-3) at Chargers (5-8): Oakland-Oakland's one win away from clinching its first playoff berth in 14 years. Is there any reason to believe the Raiders won't do it? The Thursday night loss was nothing more than a good game between two good teams. Yes, Derek Carr's finger is a concern, but not enough of one to make you think San Diego is going to spoil the clinching party.
Buccaneers (8-5) at Cowboys (11-2): Dallas-I thought the NFL played on Sunday afternoons. Yet, Dallas will have five consecutive games on either Thursday, Sunday night or Monday. You can see why NBC flexed this one into Sunday night, though. Dallas is undefeated against every team other than the Giants, and Tampa Bay is on a major roll since that Thursday night loss in Atlanta, which was a while ago. The Cowboys will know whether or not they can clinch the division this week before the game even starts. Even if they can't, a win over the Bucs puts them one away from home field.
Panthers (5-8) at Redskins (7-5-1): Carolina-When the NFL picked this one for the second-to-last Monday night, it looked like a good matchup between two division winners from last year. Well, we all know how 2016 has actually turned out for the Panthers and Redskins. Washington does still have an outside shot at a playoff berth, while Carolina is just looking to play spoiler the rest of the way. I think the Redskins' season will be the first one they spoil.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 13-3
Overall: 137-70-2
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