Would the people who keep saying the NFC East winner doesn't "deserve" a playoff spot or doesn't "deserve" a home game do me a favor and please shut up?! Just because one division is having an incredibly down year doesn't mean they need to overhaul the entire playoff system! Besides, it's only fans and the media who are making noise about it. There hasn't been any momentum from anyone in the league to change the status quo...and there shouldn't be. You win your division, you're rewarded with a home playoff game. Plain and simple.
The Eagles or Cowboys won't be the first 9-7/8-8 (or even 7-9) team ever to make the playoffs and won't be the last, and the Seahawks or 49ers won't be the first 11-5/12-4 wild card team to go on the road and face that team. In fact, both sub-.500 division winners in NFL history (2010 Seahawks, 2014 Panthers) went on to win their wild card game. As Chris Berman said on NFL Primetime last week, if they can't win that wild card game on the road, they're not winning the Super Bowl anyway.
And it adds a lot of drama to the last three weeks of the regular season, too. That San Francisco-Seattle game in Week 17 would mean a lot less if they were both guaranteed playoff home games. As it is, the loser will be the 5-seed and have to go on the road. That's a big difference! (And, frankly, I think that's what the NFL wants.)
Thursday Night: Baltimore (Win)
Patriots (10-3) at Bengals (1-12): New England-"On to Cincinnati!" That was the Patriots' mantra after they got smacked around by the Chiefs in Week 1 a few years ago, and it just so happens that after two straight losses (the second coming against Kansas City), it's "On to Cincinnati" again. Of course, it'll require another loss for New England to not get its league-mandated first-round bye, and that just doesn't seem likely. Not this week at least.
Buccaneers (6-7) at Lions (3-9-1): Tampa Bay-They're not going to make the playoffs this season, but Bruce Arians definitely has the Bucs positioned to be a team to keep an eye on next year. The Lions, meanwhile, are playing out the string and, potentially, the last few weeks of Matt Patricia's tenure as their coach. Look for Tampa Bay to get to 7-7 in its final road game of the year.
Bears (7-6) at Packers (10-3): Green Bay-If there's one team that benefited the most from last week's NFC results, it was the Green Bay Packers. Matt LaFleur became the first Packers coach ever to win 10 games in his first season, AND Green Bay moved into the 2-seed with the Saints' and Seahawks' losses. So, as long as they keep winning, they get a bye. While they're at it, they can take some extra satisfaction in knocking their archrivals out of playoff contention.
Texans (8-5) at Titans (8-5): Houston-Arguably the biggest game of the week is this battle for first place in the AFC South. And they haven't played yet, so they do it all again two weeks from now. These two games will decide the division. The Titans are on a roll since Ryan Tannehill took over as their quarterback, while the Texans followed up their win over the Patriots by getting smacked around by Denver. Houston is the better team, though. And...the Titans play New Orleans next week. Which is why I give the edge to the Texans in the division.
Broncos (5-8) at Chiefs (9-4): Kansas City-Kansas City sure seems to be peaking at the right time. They took care of the division with their win over the Patriots, and that gave them a decent shot at a first-round bye, too. Of course, they need to keep winning and get some help from New England's opponents for that to happen. And they need to keep taking care of their own business, starting with a home victory over Denver.
Dolphins (3-10) at Giants (2-11): Miami-Very few people care about this game between two of the worst teams in football. But...it might be Eli Manning's final game in a Giants uniform, which is enough to make it worth watching. And he looked like vintage Eli in the first half last week. Even though they lost, I like what Miami did last week, too. They might not have scored any touchdowns, but they marched down the field consistently against the Jets. And the Jets have a better defense than the Giants. As a result, I'm going with the Dolphins to win here.
Eagles (6-7) at Redskins (3-10): Philadelphia-Last week had potential to be disastrous for the Eagles. A week after losing to Miami, they were down 17-3 at halftime against the equally terrible Giants. But they rebounded to win in overtime and keep their fate in their own hands. They win out, they win the division. And it's only division games left, too. The Redskins are about the same caliber of their last two opponents, so the Eagles go into that matchup with Dallas with a 7-7 record.
Seahawks (10-3) at Panthers (5-8): Seattle-Seattle was briefly the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but dropped back to No. 5 after losing to the Rams on Sunday night...yet still control their own fate in the division. This NFC West race really is crazy! The Seahawks' last two games are at home, too. You know they'd prefer it if this was their final trip to the East coast this season. Although, a win here makes them 7-1 on the road, so they'd probably feel good about it either way.
Jaguars (4-9) at Raiders (6-7): Oakland-Why is the final game ever at the Black Hole against Jacksonville? The Raiders have such a long, rich history in Oakland, yet their last home game before moving to Las Vegas is against the Jaguars of all teams?! Why not one of their AFC West rivals? Anyway, I can see no possible way for the OAKLAND Raiders' final game in Oakland to end other than with a Raiders win.
Browns (6-7) at Cardinals (3-9-1): Cleveland-It's fitting that on the weekend the Heisman Trophy was handed out, the last two Heisman winners face off for the first time in the NFL. The advantage has got to go 2017 winner Baker Mayfield and the Browns, though. Cleveland, believe it or not, still has a chance at the playoffs. It's a stretch to think they'll get there, but the fact that they can get back to .500 after they were 2-6 is impressive enough.
Vikings (9-4) at Chargers (5-8): Minnesota-Believe it or not, the Chargers actually won a blowout last week! It sure was odd to see them not lose a close game for a change. Of course, it's too little too late for a team that's essentially out of playoff contention. This is a big game for the Vikings, though. They've got the Packers next week, so they need this one if they have any hopes of winning the NFC North. They've got the Rams breathing down their necks, too, so if they don't want to blow their playoff spot like they did last year, a win here is imperative.
Rams (8-5) at Cowboys (6-7): Rams-Dallas is 4-0 against the NFC East and 2-7 against the rest of the league. The Cowboys haven't beaten a team with a winning record all season. Yet, they're in the driver's seat in the NFC East. They won't be if they don't beat the Rams, though. And the Rams have done the exact opposite of Dallas. Unlike the Cowboys, they look like they actually want to make the playoffs. I see them getting to 9-5 and giving that inside track in the NFC East to the Eagles.
Falcons (4-9) at 49ers (11-2): San Francisco-San Francisco ran that Green Bay-Baltimore-New Orleans gauntlet unscathed and impressed a lot of people in the process. Many consider the 49ers to be the NFC's best team, if not the entire NFL's. And the Rams did them a huge favor by giving them a one-game cushion over the Seahawks (which is rendered meaningless if Seattle beats them again in Week 17). As of right now, though, they're the No. 1 team in the NFC. That won't change after they beat the Falcons.
Bills (9-4) at Steelers (8-5): Buffalo-For the first time in 12 years, the Bills are playing on Sunday night. Fun fact--the last time they played in one, I was there. They played the Patriots at home, and I went with my man Shades. After New England crushed them, I said, "Watch them go undefeated and lose the Super Bowl." Of course, the fact that it was the Giants who beat them that made it so much sweeter! Anyway, after their loss to the Ravens, that adds to the urgency here. Buffalo cliches with a win, but drops to the 6-seed with a loss (and goes to Foxboro next week). After the great season they've had, it would be terrible to see the Bills drop out of a playoff spot.
Colts (6-7) at Saints (10-3): New Orleans-In my opinion, the Saints are still the best team in the NFC. They can't give up 48 points a game, though! And they've gotta do something about that secondary between now and the playoffs. Of course, now they need a Packers loss in order to avoid playing on Wild Card Weekend. They need to take care of their own business, too. Which means Drew Brees setting more records on Monday Night Football.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 124-84-1
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