We have teams that clearly look elite at this point, with both Los Angeles teams, New England, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and possibly even Houston, all looking like serious title contenders at this point. Then, you have other teams that are really on the edge of falling into complete irrelevance, and some other teams, like my Giants, that are pretty much already there.
So, the season is shaping up, and we are starting to see the patterns, at least some of them. But certain teams will have a lot riding on the games this weekend, and cannot really afford to lose. Among them are Washington, Atlanta, Miami, Green Bay, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, and Philadelphia, and a few of these teams are facing one another!
That makes this week quite interesting! It always starts to get exciting when Thanksgiving approaches, and the weaker teams get weeded out. Now's that time.
Let's take a closer look at the games to be played this weekend in the NFL (note: the Monday Night Football game between the Giants and the 49ers will be done in a separate blog entry later on):
Washington at Tampa Bay - Washington suffered a terrible loss last week, one that got in the way of them potentially taking over comfortably in the NFC East. That makes this game, against a weak Buccaneers team, an urgent one. Washington's defense is tough, but Tampa Bay's offense is quite good, and can potentially be explosive. This could go either way, but I will go with the home team falling just short of pulling off the upset. My pick: Washington
Buffalo at N.Y. Jets - The two worst teams in the AFC East square off. The Bills have been atrocious, while the Jets have been bad. Of course, that is what most experts predicted from these two teams. But Gang Green have been a bit better, winning a bit more consistently and impressively when they do win. Plus, they have home field advantage, and that defense should be able to contain the extremely limited Buffalo offense. This should be the game where the Jets finally pull away from the Bills in the reverse race to the bottom for last place in the AFC East. My pick: N.Y. Jets
Arizona at Kansas City - Wow! One of the worst and least impressive teams this season, going on the road against one of the hottest teams in the league this season. That usually is not a recipe for a good game. The Cardinals do not have an atrocious defense, and in fact, it might be better than Kansas City's defense. However, they should more than have their hands full trying to contain the Chiefs unbelievable offense, and given how they have fared this season, there is just no real way to picture the Cardinals pulling what would be a truly amazing upset win in this one. My pick: Kansas City
Jacksonville at Indianapolis - The Colts are surging, while the Jaguars appear to be receding. This seems to be a battle between two teams within the same division, heading in exactly the opposite direction. The Jaguars started the season off looking like an elite team ready to follow up on last season's incredible success, while the Colts got off to a horrific start. But now, the Jaguars have lost four straight and looked dangerously inadequate on offense, while the Colts have won two straight and appear poised to fully leap over Jax in the division standings with this win, as Indy continues to find their offensive groove. My pick: Indianapolis
New Orleans at Cincinnati - The Bengals should be well-rested, and they do have home field advantage. However, those are the only two real advantages that Cincy brings to this game. Will it be enough? Cincy's defense has been near atrocious this season, and the Bengals just have not made believers out of people this season. Contrast that to the Saints, who are playing well on both sides of the ball, and have the longest active win streak in the league right now. Drew Brees might carve the Bengals defense up in this game. Hard to see why the NFL's hottest team would suddenly be cooled by a mediocre Bengals team. My pick: New Orleans
Atlanta at Cleveland - The Browns are imploding. The season that once was filled with promise is now chaotic and heading no place good. The Falcons, meanwhile, are getting hot, and have shown that this comeback effort after a dismal start to the season is serious. Their offense, led my Matt Ryan, is starting to get back into form. There is little reason to believe that they will not stay hot enough to pull off a fourth straight win, this time on the road, against a Browns team that just cannot seem to find stability. My pick: Atlanta
Detroit at Chicago - Both of these teams faced crossroads in October, and needed to find their way to remain contenders. The Bears, a young team with some serious talent to give them hope for a bright future, handled it by winning two straight when they needed it the most. The Lions, meanwhile, convincingly lost a home game to the Seahawks, and then followed that up with another loss at Minnesota last week. That suggests that these two teams are heading in the opposite direction, and it would be a feat if the Lions find a way to avoid falling deeper in a hole in this game. Frankly, it is hard to see them doing it, as the home team seems to be better on almost every level. My pick: Chicago
New England at Tennessee - New England has pulled off six straight wins, which is tied with the Houston Texans for the second longest active win streak in the NFL right now. They bring that to Tennessee, where the Titans have to be feeling good after dominating the Cowboys in Big D. But the Pats are not the Cowboys, and their offense, their coaching, and even their defense have been stepping up in a big way. The defense gives up a lot of points, although they are stingier when it comes to giving up points. That should help them to pull off a solid road win in this one, which is why I have to go with the away team in this one. My pick: New England
L.A. Chargers at Oakland - Jon Gruden might have predicted that the Raiders are building a championship team, and he may even be right. But they clearly are nowhere near that level this season, having just gotten blown out by the other losing team in the Bay area. The Chargers, meanwhile, are red hot, with a surprisingly tough defense, and a potentially potent offense led by veteran quarterback Philip Rivers. No real reason that I see why the Raiders would end the Chargers five-game win streak in this one. My pick: L.A. Chargers
Miami at Green Bay - The Dolphins would need this win really badly to stay within site of the Patriots in the AFC East, especially if the Pats do what most expect and win again. But Lambeau Field is a tough place to play, and it is expected to be cold on Sunday. The Packers also need this win, and badly, to keep their playoff hopes alive, and to pull their record back up to even on the season. And despite the Packers woes, they remain unbeaten at 3-0-1 at home, which makes them the fairly solid favorites to win this contest. My pick: Green Bay
Seattle at L.A. Rams - These two teams met a few weeks ago, and the Rams managed to hang on for a very tight win on the road in Seattle, which is never an easy place to play. Now, coming off their first loss of the season, the Rams can take solace in the fact that they played very well and showed strength of character in that loss, while also being surely pleased the Seattle also lost, so that they did not gain any ground on the Rams. The Seahawks have a decent offense, and the Rams big question mark is on defense, so that will be an intriguing match-up. But the big test will be for Seattle's defense, which will have to try to contain this highly explosive offense. In the end, the home team should win. My pick: L.A. Rams
Sunday Night Football
Dallas at Philadelphia - A big divisional showdown. The defending champions host the Dallas Cowboys, who just lost a crushing game against the Titans, also before a nationally televised audience. The Eagles still have enough tools in place to remain a contender, and possibly to catch Washington and win the division. Dallas, meanwhile, has to be feeling frustrated and vulnerable after that loss. They had been very good at home, but poor on the road, and this game, again, is in Philly. I like the Eagles to win this and to effectively deliver the knockout blow that ends the Cowboys season in disappointment. My pick: Philadelphia
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