An interesting week in the NFL, as the weaker teams continue to root themselves out, while the stronger contenders show why they remain alive. The Broncos pulled off a major upset for a second straight week, while New England returns to their normal winning ways. The Eagles came back and outlasted the Giants, while the Packers lost to Minnesota, and are now in serious trouble.
Let's take a closer look:
Tampa Bay27, San Francisco 9 - This game was relatively close, until Tampa Bay began to pull away in the third quarter with a Peyton Barber touchdown run that game them a sizable lead. The Bucs never looked back from there, and ultimately won this game decisively. Jameis Winston enjoyed a solid game for Tampa, completing 29 of 38 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Mullens struggled for San Fran, completing 18 of 32 passes for 221, with one touchdown and two INT's. The Bucs stay alive for the playoffs, albeit barely. My pick: Accurate
Philadelphia 25, N.Y. Giants 22 - The Giants were doing very well early on, jumping out to a 12-0 lead. They even expanded that to a 19-3 lead with just over four minutes left in the first half. But then, the Eagles came alive, scoring a touchdown and adding the two-point conversion to pull within 19-11 by halftime. The rest of the game more or less belonged to Philly, and a Jake Elliot 43-yard field goal in the final minute iced the comeback win for the defending champions. Eli Manning completed 26 of 37 passes for 297 yards, with one touchdown and one INT. Saquon Barkley added 101 yards and one touchdown on the ground in 13 carries. Carson Wentz completed 20 of 28 for 236 and one touchdown, while Josh Adams gained 84 yards and a touchdown 22 carries to help lift the Eagles over the Giants. My pick: Accurate
New England 27, N. Y. Jets 13 - New England returned back to form, thoroughly beating Gang Green at the Meadowlands. In so doing, they strengthen their playoff positioning, as right now, they move ahead of the Steelers for that second spot in the AFC, which would give them that obviously desirable playoff bye. Tom Brady completed 20 of 31 passes for 283 yards and two TD's. Julius Edelman nabbed four of those passes for 84 yards and one touchdown. Sony Michel added 133 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. For the Jets, Josh McCown completed 26 of 45 passes for 276 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. My pick: Accurate
Buffalo 24, Jacksonville 21 - The Bills and Jaguars slugged it out, with neither team showing explosiveness on offense, but also showing tough, hard-nosed defenses. In the end, the Bills managed to win a second game for their home fans at Orchard Park. Josh Allen completed 8 of 19 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown. he also led his team in rushing, picking up 99 yards and one touchdown on J. Allen 13 carries. For Jax, QB Blake Bortles struggled again, completing 12 of 23 for 127 yards and one touchdown, with two INT's. Leonard Fournette added 95 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. My pick: Accurate
Seattle 30, Carolina 27 - The Panthers are on a bad slide right now. This was their third straight loss, and this losing streak has seen them fall from one of the elites in the NFC, and nipping on the heels of the Saints for first place in the NFC South, to being on the outside looking in as far as the NFC playoff picture is concerned. Meanwhile, the Seahawks keep clawing their way towards a playoff position. Seattle's Russell Wilson completed 22-31 for 339 yards, with two touchdowns. Chis Carson picked up 55 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries for Seattle. Carolina's Cam Newton completed 25 of 30 passes for 256 yards, with two TD's and one INT. Chistian McCaffrey had a monster game - albeit in a losing cause - for Carolina. He reeled in 11 receptions for 112 yards and another touchdown as a receiver, and had 125 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries on the ground. My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 34, Oakland 17 - The Ravens look like they might be getting a bit hot. They downed the lowly Raiders convincingly at home for a second straight win, and now have a winning 6-5 record, pulling ahead of the Bengals for second place in the AFC North, and looking like they have an excellent chance to make a serious playoff run. Baltimore's Lamar Jackson completed 14-of 25 passes for 178 yards, with one touchdown and two INT's, while Gus Edwards gave the Ravens a strong running game to rely upon, with 118 yards on 23 carries. In an effort that fell short for Oakland, Derek Carr completed 16 of 34 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown, as the Raiders get re-acquainted with losing again. My pick: Accurate
Cleveland 35, Cincinnati 20 - A I thought that the Browns had a decent chance of pulling off this road upset win, but did not think that they would actually do it. My assumption - an obvious mistake - was that the Bengals would fight for their playoff lives and show some life, because they still entered yesterday's game in decent position to make a run, at the very least. After all, the Browns had a 25-game losing streak on road games heading into this one. But Cincy got blown out at home, and showed little fight or resolve to win, which is why they will not be going to the playoffs. A solid win for Cleveland, as they continue to make huge improvements and show signs of life and energy. The Browns can at least look forward to a seemingly bright future. The Bengals? Not so much. My pick: Inaccurate
L.A. Chargers 45, Arizona 10 - The Cardinals suck badly. They keep losing, and when they face a halfway determined team, they fold completely. They got absolutely blown out earlier this season, at home, to the Broncos. Now, they got blown out yet again, this time to the Chargers. Granted, the Chargers are a good team, and were hungry for a win after losing a disappointing home game last weekend to those same Broncos, ending a six-game winning streak. But at least Arizona could have put up a fight. Philip Rivers led his team with a phenomenal game, completing 28 of 29 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Kennan Allen caught seven of those passes by Rivers for 72 yards and one touchdown. Running back Melvin Gordon added 61 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Just a phenomenal showing by the Chargers, and another forgettable blowout loss by the Cardinals. My pick; Accurate
Denver 24, Pittsburgh 17 - Quite a game at Mile High! The Broncos seemed to be up early, only to see the Steelers take over, before the home team delivered a comeback win to snap Pittsburgh's six-game winning streak. In the process, the Steelers lost their second seed in the AFC playoff race for the moment, while Denver continues to surprise with their second straight win against an impressive opponent. They ended winning streaks for both the Chargers and the Steelers in consecutive weeks, and stay alive in the playoff race with this win. Case Keenum completed 15 of 28 passes for 197 yards and two TD's, with seven of those going to Emmanuel Sanders for 86 yards and one touchdown. Phillip Lindsay added 110 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for Denver. Ben Roethlisberger completed 41 of 56 passes for, 462 yards, with one TD and two INT's. Julu Smith-Schuster had 13 receptions for 189 yards and one touchdown. My pick: Inaccurate
Indianapolis 27, Miami 24 - The Dolphins were able to keep it close. Overall, they played well, even on the road. But in the end, this was another win for Indy, their fifth straight, as they now clearly move past Miami in the playoff race. The Fins lost this game, and lost their decent playoff position as a result, while falling almost hopelessly behind the New England Patriots in the process, because the Pats beat the Jets, and now own a three-game lead over Miami, with five games to play for each team. The Colts remain two behind Houston, but they strengthen their positioning for a playoff run. Andrew Luck completed 30 of 37 passes for 343 yards, with three touchdowns and two INT's. For Miami, Ryan Tannehill completed 17 of 25 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Night Football
Minnesota 24, Green Bay 17 - Well, Packers are likely done. This loss probably ended any realistic playoff hopes that they had, even if Aaron Rodgers was trying to remain upbeat in discussing how his team could still qualify for the postseason. It was a back and forth game, and to their credit, Green Bay managed to come close towards the end, but ultimately, Minnesota proved just a bit too much for them. Kirk Cousins completed 29 of 38 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns, while in a losing cause for Green Bay, Rodgers completed 17 of 28 for 198 yards and a touchdown, while Aaron Jones added 72 yards and one TD on 17 carries. The Vikings have the inside track on the top wildcard spot in the NFC right now, and still remain relevant in the NFC North race, although they have little margin for error behind Chicago. My prediction: Accurate
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