Saturday Games
Baltimore 23, Indianapolis 16 - Well, the Ravens managed to win this all-important game. At least, it was obviously very important for them, as they inch ever closer to the playoffs, and remain in control of their own destiny. Maybe they could have won this one more convincingly. But hey, a win's a win, and the Ravens have been doing a lot of winning lately. They have one more game left in the regular season next weekend against Cincinnati, and have an extra day to prepare for it. Sure, it's a bit too early to make my predictions for next weekend, but the Ravens show no signs of being fully able to seal the deal and clinch that number 5 seed, which they presently have. My pick: Accurate
Minnesota 16, Green Bay 0 - The Purple People Eaters just might be back! Somehow, the Vikings had not blanked an opponent since 1993, but they came close last weekend against Cincy. Now this weekend, needing to win to stay on Philly's heels for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, or at least a playoff bye, the Vikes easily handled their usually tough division rivals in Green Bay. The Packers were actually blanked in their home stadium, and that is quite an awesome feat for them! The Vikings indeed look like they can win in any style, with a shootout if necessary, or in a defensive slugfest, if it comes to it. Frankly, I am not sure that I would want to bet against this team in the NFC playoffs. They look like they are a real contender. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Games
Buffalo at New England - Late December in New England is not the most accommodating place to play. But, if there is a team right now that could possibly pull off an upset, it would be the Bills. Coming from Buffalo, they certainly will not be intimidated or adversely affected by the cold or bad weather, and they are familiar with the Pats. Also, they have a sense of urgency, because they need to keep winning in order to continue to control their own destiny for the playoffs. A loss might take that out of their hands, and obviously, that is not what they want. However, let us remember that the Patriots are the most successful team in the league in recent years for a reason. They do not always win, but they usually seem to win when they absolutely need to win. For example, they lost to Miami a couple of weekends ago, but won at Pittsburgh in the big showdown for what might determine home field advantage in the playoffs. It appears that they are focused and driven to get the home field advantage throughout, and that is why it would not be smart to expect them to lose this weekend in their comfortable home confines. My pick: New England
Atlanta at New Orleans - Huge game, and it very well might decide who wins the NFC South! The Falcons are red hot right now, playing probably their best football overall this season. But New Orleans is playing pretty damn well, too, and they are especially tough at home. The Saints have found ways to win all season long, and they need to win to keep the division lead that they have fought for all season long. Atlanta is tough, and so this will be a great game. It could go either way, but a slight edge to me seems to go for the home team. My pick: New Orleans
Cleveland at Chicago - The Bears definitely do not want to lose this game! How embarrassing would that be, handing the Browns their first, and likely only, win of the season? So, Chicago will be playing with all cylinders firing, presumably. Home field advantage should help them quite a bit, although we shall see about that. Obviously, the Browns are getting pretty desperate to win a game, because they do not want the indignity of failing to win even a single game. Still, Chicago has been an up and down team, but there is an energy with them when they play at their best. And I think the Bears will do that again today, because again, they do not want to be that team that loses to the Browns this season. My pick: Chicago
Denver at Washington - The Broncos have been playing some incredible football the last two weekends, after that massive two-month losing streak. Can they continue on that course, and take a third straight game in a row? Maybe, but Washington can be tough, particularly at home. But the Broncos seem to be playing with more pride, while Washington has been playing abysmally as of late. it could go either way, but I'll go with the hot team, for what it's worth. My pick: Denver
Detroit at Cincinnati - The Bengals have been done for quite a while now. The most that they can do is play the role of spoiler. The Lions still have a realistic chance at qualifying for the postseason, but it certainly will not be easy. A lot has to happen, as they do not control their own destiny. That said, however, it begins with them, and they need to take care of business in Cincy first. They are a decent team, and my guess is that they should get it done, and keep the pressure on those NFC South teams in so doing. My pick: Detroit
L.A. Chargers at N.Y. Jets - The Jets are finished, while the Chargers still have some life in them. That said, the loss last week in KC was devastating, and it is hard to imagine that the Chargers can just bounce back easily after that. Still, the Chargers are the better team, and road team or not, they should be able to produce a win and keep their flickering playoff hopes alive, because this is too important an opportunity for them, and it took too long to get to this point, just to see it end today. Not yet, come what may, because the Chargers should win this one. My pick: L.A. Chargers
L.A. Rams at Tennessee - Big game for both teams, although not as big as their epic Super Bowl clash. Remember when many people were suggesting that that was the best Super Bowl ever, at the time? Well, most still rank it highly, but not probably the best. But this has the makings of a good game, because a lot is riding on it for both teams. The Titans need to win, having lost two in a row, and they cannot afford to lose a third in a row, because they will definitely be out of the division race, and likely will be out of the playoff race, too. But the Rams want that chance to possibly earn a playoff bye, and at the very least, want to clinch the third seed. So, serious playoff ramifications either way with this one. My pick: Tennessee
Miami at Kansas City - The Chiefs suddenly are hot, having won two in a row, both times at home. Well, they are in KC again, and that is good, because today will likely be the day when this team finally, finally clinches the AFC West division title, which they seemed to own all season long until quite late, only to recover with two straight wins that, for all intents and purposes, get them back to the verge of winning it again. Not sure if they will do much in the playoffs, but I very much doubt that they will fail to qualify, or will fail to clinch the division title. They should blow by the Dolphins and clinch the AFC West in this one. My pick: Kansas City
Tampa Bay at Carolina - The Bucs have nothing to play for save pride, while the Panthers have a tremendous amount at stake. After all, Carolina may find themselves alone in first place if they win this, and New Orleans loses to Atlanta, which is not beyond the realm of possibility. So, for the Panthers to be in sole possession of first place heading into the final weekend of this regular season would be huge, but they need to take care of their own business first, and that is to win this very winnable game. No reason that I can see why they shouldn't. My pick: Carolina
Jacksonville at San Francisco - The Jaguars are alone in first place, and can outright clinch the division title with a win in either of their next two games. So, they want to win this one, and end any suspense and any chance of the Titans coming back to take the division away from Jax. However, San Fran has been playing extremely well themselves, and so any notion that this would be an easy win for the Jaguars is unrealistic. Still, the Jaguars have managed to surprise many by playing so well, and my guess is that they should be able to win this one, albeit not easily. My pick: Jacksonville
N.Y. Giants at Arizona - I'm a Giants fan, but really, what's the point of this game. Both of these teams had very disappointing seasons, and they will meet with both playing for pride, but no higher stakes. And yes, I am quite sure that the Giants will play poorly, because that is pretty much the story of this season for them. Arizona is not great, but they seem to be particularly tough at home. That alone should be enough to lift them enough in this one, But again, who cares? My pick: Arizona
Seattle at Dallas - This is as big a game as you could probably ask for this weekend. The winner stays alive in the playoff hunt, while the loser surely goes home and prepares for a long offseason. Neither team looks are good as they have in recent seasons. It looks increasingly obvious that the Seahawks not only never recovered from the Super Bowl loss to New England a few years ago, but that they seem to be getting worse and worse with each passing season ever since. And the Cowboys are not as good as they looked either in 2014, or last season, when they finished 13-3, and were the top seeded team in the NFC playoffs. Obviously, they will not be anywhere near that level this season. Yet, both teams are alive for the time being, although both need help. But before we really should dissect any scenarios, these teams need to win this game, which is almost a de facto playoff game. The winner stays alive, and the loser is done for this season. I could see this going either way, but home field advantage might be enough. My pick: Dallas
Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh at Houston - The Steelers travel to Houston to take on one of the worst teams in the league. What exactly happened to the Texans during the offseason, anyway? Not that I expected them to be great or anything. After all, even though they had won the AFC South title for two years running, they had done so with mediocre 9-7 marks, and were not especially impressive in the playoffs. But it was surprising that they turned this bad, this quickly. They are really only barely ahead of the Colts, and do not look much better than the Giants. Hard to see how they pull off a shocker against the Steelers here, since only one team in this game has a lot at stake. And it ain't Houston. My pick: Pittsburgh
Monday Night Football - Oakland at Philadelphia - The Eagles might just luck out in this one, as the Raiders really have nothing to play for, and have not been playing very well at all the last couple of weeks. Philly already clinched a first round playoff bye, and they would need to win this game to stay ahead of Minnesota in the race for home field advantage. How will they do without Wentz at the helm? Can they stay hot without him? These questions begin to be addressed on this Christmas evening game, as the Raiders obviously provide a much tougher challenge than the Giants did last weekend. It could go either way, but it would be difficult to pick against the team with a lot riding in this game, so I'm going with the road team here. My pick: Philadelphia
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