Thursday Night Football - New Orleans at Atlanta - This is a huge showdown, with a lot of playoff implications. Following their completion of the season sweep over the Panthers, the Saints are now close to taking the division. A win in Atlanta could effectively make it almost a guarantee, and the Falcons have to be reeling following that loss last week to Minnesota. Meanwhile, New Orleans has to be feeling a bit of that swagger, after beating the Panthers to virtually secure the lead in the NFC South for the foreseeable future. If the Falcons are serious about trying to erase the memories of their epic Super Bowl collapse, then this might be their last chance to prove it. They absolutely need to win this game, because a loss puts them very much on the outside, and looking in for the playoff picture. This is a must win for them, and even though they will not officially be knocked out with a loss, it might just be too much of a setback for them to overcome. Tough call, as I see it possibly going either way. My pick: New Orleans
Chicago at Cincinnati - One of those late season battles between two already irrelevant teams. I know, the Bengals have not officially been eliminated, but that very predictable loss to Pittsburgh effectively ends their chances, as well all know. It is not a secret that the Bengals chances of qualifying for the postseason are, for all intents and purposes, already done. That said, they are a better than most teams who have basically already been eliminated, and should be able to get past the visiting Bears, especially with that home field advantage. Too bad it does not stand for much when the Steelers come to town, huh? My pick: Cincinnati
Detroit at Tampa Bay - The Lions are reeling after two straight, brutal losses that seriously compromised their playoff chances. They now go down to Tampa, to sunny southern Florida, to take on the struggling Bucs. This is an absolute must win for the Lions. They cannot afford to lose this one, under any circumstances, or what slim chances they have will effectively be over. The good news is that Detroit still is a decent team, and should have more than enough to beat Tampa, at least in theory. But there are question marks, including the health of star quarterback Matthew Stafford, and again, they simply need to get the job done this week, because they cannot under any circumstances have another letdown this coming weekend. My pick: Detroit
Green Bay at Cleveland - The Browns have a chance in this one. No, really, Cleveland has seemingly been getting closer to a win, and Green Bay is vulnerable. That is not to say that I am outright picking the Browns to get their first win here, I am just saying that it is much more possible than most people would think going into it, and it would not be surprising (to me, at least) if Cleveland were to get the win here. That said, the Packers seem to be finding somewhat of a niche in their life without Rodgers this season, and they will be fighting for their playoff lives. So, they will be tough, and let's face it, they are a better team than the Browns, and so should win this one. But do not be surprised if this proves to be a tough and tight game, with the Browns having a real chance. My pick: Green Bay
Indianapolis at Buffalo - Buffalo is a hard team to figure out right now. Two weeks ago, they managed to win a tough game in KC to keep their playoff hopes alive. Yet last weekend, with everything to fight for, they effectively got dominated by Belichick and Brady's gang. Yet, that is an exceptionally good team, but that is not the point. You just kind of figure that they should have at least fought tooth and nail for it, and instead, getting your butts handed to you in a one-sided contest when you have everything on the line cannot feel too good, and has to have affected their confidence. Still, they have a chance at the playoffs still, although they will need some help. First, though, they have to take care of business, and frankly, they had better, with the Colts coming to town. This is as close to a gimme as you can hope to get at this point in the season. My pick: Buffalo
Minnesota at Carolina - Yet another huge showdown for both teams! The Vikings just beat the Lions and the Falcons on the road in back to back weeks, and now, are easily the hottest team in the NFC, with a winning streak that has reached eight in a row. They are on the verge of clinching the NFC North, and for the time being, at least, they hold the top seed in the NFC. They travel to Carolina, to face a Panthers team that just lost a heart breaker to New Orleans. That probably will end any realistic hopes of taking the NFC South, but they still are in good shape for a playoff berth. They do have home field advantage, but Minnesota is clearly tough, with a lot of weapons. The question is whether the Panthers have enough left in the tank to take care of all of that, to handle themselves against such a tough team. This is the kind of a game that could go either way. However, if you have noticed, one of the most dangerous things to have right now is a serious winning streak. The Eagles lost their last weekend, the Saints lost theirs the week before, and the Rams lost theirs the week before that. This week, I figure it's Minnesota's turn. However, if the Vikings win, I suspect that it will mean they will be the top seed in the NFC, and might be on their way to the Super Bowl, as the road to the big game would go through their home stadium. My pick: Carolina
Oakland at Kansas City - This is a huge division showdown! The Raiders having been coming on of late, and they and the Chargers have caught up to the Chiefs, as there is a three-way tie for first place in the AFC West. Not to sound like a broken record, but the Chiefs have lost six of their last seven games, and they need to stop the bleeding. That losing streak is more than a little troubling if you are a fan of this team. The Raiders have been getting hot, and going into this game, it would appear that this is a battle of teams going in opposite directions. However, the Chiefs do have home field advantage, and they almost won last week's game at the Meadowlands against the Jets. Sooner or later, the Chiefs are going to win a game again, right? I suspect that it will not come in this game. My pick: Oakland
San Francisco at Houston - The 49ers won a big road game - their first road win of the season - last week in Chicago. Now, they take on the Texans in Houston, and it would appear to be a winnable game for San Fran. After all, the Texans are nothing special this season, despite having won back-to-back division titles in the two seasons prior. However, the Texans have played tough, and still have a solid defense and an offense that seems to be getting better. Plus, home field advantage should be significant, and the 49ers are not exactly an unbeatable opponent right now, either. In a game that has no realistic playoff ramifications, the Texans should come out on top. My pick: Houston
Dallas at N.Y. Giants - The Cowboys appeared dead in the water heading into last week's showdown with Washington. But after Dallas won that one by a blowout, they might have more life to them then I initially thought. This week, they have the lowly G-Men, who have still shown amazingly little this season. The Giants got rid of McAdoo and Reese, and will apparently come in with a different approach, and perhaps a different attitude. Maybe, but I think it is too little, and much too late. The Cowboys should be fired up, and I imagine that they should have more than enough to get past the Giants in this one. My pick: Dallas
N.Y. Jets at Denver - The Broncos are just awful this year! I do not believe that I have ever seen them quite this bad, much like my own Giants. Usually, Mile High is a tough place to play, not least because of the high altitude. However, they have to have a good football team to take care of business, and right now, they have one of the worst teams in the league. What happened this season that made the Broncos so disastrous? Well, a few things, to be sure. But the quarterback situation is perhaps the most glaring. Gang Green has a tough defense, and even though the Jets do not have very realistic playoff hopes, you can bet that the players want to fight to win another game. Remember, New York was supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league this year, but they have surprised many. This is exactly the kind of game that the Jets have been winning this year, and I expect them to do the same in Denver this weekend. My pick: N.Y. Jets
Tennessee at Arizona - The Titans are hot, and they need to stay that way to keep pace with Jax in the AFC South. They want to avoid the trap of losing in Arizona, like the Jaguars did a couple of weeks ago. The Titans got back into a first place tie with Jax following that Cardinals win, and Tennessee certainly does not want to return that particular favor to the Jaguars by losing here this weekend. The Titans are 6-1 in their last seven games, so they are indeed hot. And Arizona just lost a dispiriting game against the Rams that basically has to end their playoff hopes. My suspicion is that the road team get the wins here. My pick: Tennessee
Washington at L.A. Chargers - The Chargers are one of the hottest teams in the league, having won three straight, but more importantly, having recovered from an 0-4 start to reach this point, where they are tied with the Raiders and the Chiefs for first place in the AFC West. Those two teams are having a big showdown this weekend, but the Chargers need to beat Washington in this one to keep pace with the winner of that contest. Washington's own playoff hopes were basically extinguished with the loss to Dallas last weekend, and it is difficult to tell how much they will show up for this one. But whether or not they do, my suspicion is that the red hot Chargers will not be stopped this weekend. My pick: L..A. Chargers
Philadelphia at L.A. Rams - Another big showdown for both of these teams, and another contest with enormous playoff implications for both teams! The Rams have faced both the Vikings and the Saints in recent weeks. They lost at Minnesota, but beat the Saints, and are one game ahead of the Seahawks in the NFC West race. Meanwhile, the Eagles were the hottest team in the league until they lost last week to Seattle. They do not want to make it two straight losses, although beating the Rams will be a tall order, especially out on the West Coast. The Rams have a tough defense, and their offense resembles the "Greatest Show on Turf" era offense of the Rams, which makes them incredibly tough. A big game for both teams, but I like the home team. My pick: L.A. Rams
Seattle at Jacksonville - This is a big game, and surely the biggest showdown between these two particular franchises to date! They rarely meet, but this game will have huge playoff ramifications for both teams. The Seahawks right now have the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs, but need to win to stay ahead of the competition, as well as to keep on the heels of the Rams, lest that team begin to run away with the division. Jax, meanwhile, also would be the fifth seed, but they are tied with the Titans for first place in the AFC South, and those two teams will be meeting in the regular season finale, so it obviously is urgent that the Jaguars at least keep pace with them. This is a huge game, with a lot of playoff implications for both conferences! My pick: Seattle
Sunday Night Football - Baltimore at Pittsburgh - The Steelers are on a nationally televised broadcast yet again. It feels like it is just every week that this team is in one of these games. It's understandable, since they have an awesome record of 10-2, and are almost assuredly going to be division winners. However, they are trying to battle New England for home field advantage, while the Ravens are fighting with everything that they have got to keep that last playoff spot, which right now belongs to them. Despite them being on the road, I have a feeling that the Ravens will find a way to pull off an upset here. My pick: Baltimore
Monday Night Football - New England at Miami - The Patriots are strong again. They are tied with the Vikings for the longest active win streak in the league, with eight straight, and are tied with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and, again, Minnesota, for the best overall record in the league right now. If they get another win here at Miami, they will clinch the AFC East officially, and can then set their sights on trying to gain home field advantage throughout the playoffs, which would be huge. After all, when they made the Super Bowl last year, and two years before that, and back in 2011, the road to the Super Bowl went through Foxboro. When they had to go on the road in 2013 and 2015 (to Denver both times), it was considerably more difficult, and they did not get to the big dance. So, home field advantage would be huge, and they will be traveling to Pittsburgh for a huge showdown in what possibly could be a battle for home field advantage. Even if they do not get home field advantage throughout, they should be able to earn one of the two top spots for a playoff bye in the first week, which should help them in a big way to earn what would be a record seventh straight AFC Championship Game appearance. But first, they need to win here at Miami, to keep up with the Steelers, and to officially clinch the AFC East. Frankly, there is no obvious reasons why they would not do so. My pick: New England
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