Miami 35, Denver 9 - Boy, the Denver Broncos really stink this year! Just like with my Giants, I am having a hard time recalling any year when they were quite this bad! Denver has now lost eight straight games, and have not won a single game in over two month! They started off the season looking promising, racing off to a 3-1 start, and looking like they could contend. Now, they are 3-9, and have been out of playoff contention for a long time. And they got absolutely blown out yesterday in Miami. They were not even competitive against a team that is itself struggling! The Dolphins indeed have suffered some difficulties this season, but they looked very much like what many felt they would be this season, which is a playoff contender. Remember, the Finns were in the playoffs just one season ago. They may or may not make it this season, but certainly, nobody can accuse them of not getting the job done yesterday when they needed to, as they made short work of the lowly Broncos. My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 44, Detroit 20 - Earlier this season, I was impressed by the Detroit Lions, and hoped that they would make the playoffs, and perhaps even win the division title. But their division title chances were essentially lost when Minnesota beat them on Thanksgiving. Now, they might have seen their realistic playoff chances end prematurely with this dispiriting loss. The Lions really needed to rebound after the loss at home to the Vikings, but instead, they get walloped in Baltimore. For the second straight game, the health of quarterback Matthew Stafford is in question, this time with his fingers. And Baltimore, a hot team which itself is fighting for it's playoff chances, soundly defeated a hapless and overwhelmed looking Lions team. A huge win for the Ravens, which keeps them on track to reach their goals. Meanwhile, a bad loss that might indeed spell the end for Detroit. My pick: Accurate
Tennessee 24, Houston 13 - The Texans may have won the division title the last two seasons, but you kind of got the sense that they had already folded this season. Too many losses, too much disappointment. And that was not going to change when they went on the road to Tennessee to face a fired up Titans team. The result was basically exactly what most people would expect. The Titans may have allowed Houston to draw first blood, but they persevered as the game wore on, and eventually came to win in convincing fashion, to keep in a first place tie with the Jaguars. Houston, in the meantime, continues a downward spiral in this disappointing season for them. My pick: Accurate
Jacksonville 30, Indianapolis 10 - You knew that Indy was not about to go down to Jax and pull off an upset here, right? Not with so much at stake for the Jaguars, and with them playing as great as they have been playing. Jacksonville took control early and basically dominated the game, not leaving any openings for the Colts. With the win, the Jaguars stay in a first place tie with the Titans, and they are the only two teams that still matter in the AFC South this season. The Colts have been out of the playoff picture for months, rather than weeks. Jax? They just might qualify for the postseason even if they do not win the division outright. My pick: Accurate
N.Y. Jets 38, Kansas City 31 - Oh, man! The Chiefs are in trouble! They have won only one game in their last seven games, after that incredible 5-0 start. Whatever momentum they had built at that time, they clearly have lost now. It was a tough loss, because the offense was finally clicking, after struggling for so long. But the defense let them down by allowing a Jets touchdown very late, as Gang Green snatched victory form the jaws of defeat! At this point, KC just needs to find a way to stop the bleeding! My pick: Accurate
Minnesota 14, Atlanta 9 - The Vikings are still looking red hot, and have beaten some serious competition this year! They look like a dominant team right now, quite frankly, and may threaten to run away with the best record in the NFC if things keep going the way that they went the last couple of weekends. The Falcons were a tough team, with a dangerous offense, but the Vikings kept them to under 10 points, and in Atlanta, to boot! So, we learned that the Viknigs can win in shootouts, as well as in slugfests. I am starting to think that they might be serious contenders to at least reach the Super Bowl, which will be played in their home stadium! My pick: Accurate
New England 23, Buffalo 3 - I am not sure what it is, but the Patriots always seem to play at their best up in Buffalo. They have beaten the Bills there six times in a row, and 13 of the last 14 times overall. It seems that Tom Brady specifically usually has great days in Orchard Park, and he did again yesterday, despite a much publicized spat with a coach. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 258 yards and although he threw no touchdowns and had one interception, he still walked off with an overall QB rating of 82.4 and, more importantly, a historic win. Why historic? Because with this win, Brady eclipsed Brett Favre's record of wins against an opponent. He also joined Favre, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to have thrown for at least 65,000 passing yards in total. And the New England Patriots keep on winning, notching an eighth straight win, as they edge ever closer to yet another division title, and possibly another playoff bye, with a real chance at home field advantage throughout, and you know the rest, because all of that could lead up to another AFC title, and if the Pats make it back to the Super Bow, then...well, you know. As for Buffalo? This was a hugely disappointing loss, and it is a big step back for a team that just desperately wants to qualify for the postseason for the first time in the 21st century. The Bills now need a lot of help, and it is not clear whether or not they will get that help, or even if they can help themselves enough that outside help will help them at this point. Wait, I confused myself there. Point is, this loss was critical, and might even prove fatal, to their hopes of qualifying for the postseason. My pick: Accurate
San Francisco 15, Chicago 14 - Somehow, the 49ers usually seem to beat Chicago, even when the 49ers themselves are awful. It was a close game, and a very low-scoring one, which was not really much of a surprise. But San Fran managed to kick a game winning field goal to steal a win away from the Bears, who seem to have lost whatever momentum they had going there for a while earlier this season. But this game really did not count for much, except for pride. That said, Jimmy Garrapolo played pretty well for San Francisco. My pick: Inaccurate
Green Bay 26, Tampa Bay 20 (F/OT) - The battle of the bays was a bit closer, admittedly, than I expected it to be. But the end result was the same, as Green Bay managed to win, and remain relevant to the NFC playoff picture. As for the Bucs, their playoff hopes were long gone, anyway, although they played tough and well in this one, especially for a Florida team playing up in the frigid Frozen Tundra. But in the end, Green Bay proved just a bit too much for them. My pick: Accurate
L.A. Chargers 19, Cleveland 10 - The Chargers did not exactly obliterate their much weaker opponent, but they did win, and exacted a measure of revenge for that loss to the Browns last season in frigid Cleveland in December, which remains the only game that the Browns have won so far in the past two seasons combined. And that means that Cleveland is rapidly losing the chance to avoid a winless season this year. Maybe they will win a game to avoid that dubious distinction, or maybe not. Hard to tell. As for the Chargers, I suspect that they will soon grab the AFC West lead outright, and at this point, I would not bet against them making it to the playoffs as AFC West champs! My pick: Accurate
New Orleans 31, Carolina 21 - The Saints saved one of their best performances of the year for perhaps the most important game. The Panthers were really coming on, but New Orleans managed to complete the sweep, and are now in complete control of the NFC South, so they control their own destiny. A heartbreaking loss for Carolina, but the Saints running game in particular just proved way too much for the Panthers, and Newton and the offense just were not able to produce nearly enough points to keep up. My pick: Accurate
L.A. Rams 32, Arizona 16 - Two years ago, the Cardinals looked damn good, and seemed on the verge of breaking out into potential greatness. Then, they had a hugely disappointing season last year, followed by another one this year. Their last gasp, really, was with this home game. They were hoping to exact a measure of revenge for the blowout loss that they suffered against the Rams in Los Angeles. instead, they themselves got blown out again, as the Rams managed to complete the season sweep, and end what slim hopes the Cardinals still had. The Rams still have that big showdown against Seattle coming up, but this was an impressive win against a potentially tough opponent. As for the Cardinals, it's rebuilding time now. My pick: Accurate
Oakland 24, N.Y. Giants 17 - The Raiders did not exactly dominate this game, but they nevertheless did more than enough to secure a win against a very weakened and dispirited Giants team. Everything is going wrong for the G-Men, and we now know that Ben McAdoo is gone, along with Jerry Reese, who helped build those Super Bowl teams of the Giants, although those sure feel like they happened a long time ago! As for McAdoo, it really is no surprise, frankly. His reign as Giants coach, specifically this season, was reminiscent of Ray Handley's time as head coach of the Giants. Frankly, I would not mind them losing the rest of their games and going for a high draft pick. As for Oakland, they now find themselves in a three-way tie for best in the West, along with KC and the Chargers. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Night Football - Seattle 24, Philadelphia 10 - For just about two months, the Eagles just kept on winning, and seemed to have everything going their way. And then, just like that, one convincing loss ends their awesome win streak, and they find themselves behind the Vikings in the race for home field advantage in the NFC playoffs, and with some now questioning just how tough Philly is, and how far they can go, once the postseason rolls around. The Seahawks played as well as they could play, and they dominated Philadelphia. It keeps them very much alive in the NFC West, and obviously in the playoff picture overall, and it has to have provided a huge boost mentally for them. This was the Seahawks team that many of us expected to see, especially at home in Seattle, where they have suffered some surprising losses this season. As for the Eagles, they are good enough to rebound from this loss, but this had to be a sobering reminder that the rest of the league will not simply roll over for them. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football - Pittsburgh 23 Cincinnati 20 - The Bengals took a huge lead, and then blew it against the Steelers. This feels like it is a broken record. I watched their collapse at the end, with stupid penalties on both sides. There was a lot of classless play, too, with unnecessary roughness and stupid cheap shots from both sides. These two teams bring out the worst in each other in many ways, but in terms of results, Pittsburgh always seems to bring out the worst in Cincy. A very predictable outcome, and I can hardly contain my yawns with this one. The Bengals sometimes feel like a hopeless case whenever they have to face the Steelers. My pick: Accurate
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