More and more of these games have playoff ramifications. Games that might not have seemed particularly interesting earlier this season now have a lot of playoff ramifications. Who knew that the Bills might still have a shot to make the playoffs if they beat Miami this weekend, even though it is still admittedly a very long shot? Who could have guessed after the first month or so that the Colts would be the team looking like they are playoff bound, and that Jax would be the basket case entering their game this weekend? Two teams, the Vikings and the Chargers, are going on the road against very tough teams, yet both need to win to keep their slim divisional hopes alive.
All of that makes for an intriguing week.
So, let's take a closer look at the upcoming games for this weekend in the NFL:
Chicago at N.Y. Giants - So much for Beckham's prediction that the Giants would win out, huh? They got two straight wins against lowly teams, but fell short last weekend against the Eagles, assuring that this will, once again, not be a winning season. Now, they take on the Bears, who lead the NFC North and have every reason to play as well as possible in this game. Chicago has played inspired all season long. Granted, they have not been as good on the road as they have been at home, but New York has a 1-4 home record, so they do not qualify as a sure bet. My guess is that Chicago's defense frustrates and wears down the Giants offense, and that the O-Line starts to be a headache once again for the G-Men. And ultimately, the Bears pull that much closer to the division title. My pick: Chicago
Carolina at Tampa Bay - Both teams have offenses that can score. The major difference, statistically, is that while Carolina has a middle of the road defense, Tampa Bay's defense has been truly atrocious this season. The defense is likely the reason that this team, which has a very strong offense, has not found a way to win more games. Still, the Bucs are at home, and the Panthers have been a weak road team so far this season. Also, Carolina is currently on a three-game skid, which has dropped them from the ranks of elite NFC teams, to a team barely clinging to suddenly endangered playoff hopes. They absolutely need to win this game, and cannot afford to have the Buccaneers play the role of spoiler. My guess is that the Panthers manage to get it together just enough to pull this one off. My pick: Carolina
Denver at Cincinnati - The Bengals have a decent, if inconsistent, offense. But their defense has been consistent - consistently bad. They have one of the worst defenses in the league, and Denver should be able to take advantage through this day. This is a game between two teams heading in opposite directions. Right now, they are both 5-6, but the Bengals, remember, started off the season 3-0, and have gone ice cold since, losing their last three straight. The Broncos, meanwhile, also started off hot, at 2-0, and then went cold. But they have gotten hot lately, pulling off two upsets against two of the better AFC teams this year, the Chargers on the road, and then the Steelers at Mile High last weekend. The way that the Broncos are playing and, frankly, the way that the Bengals are playing, leads me to believe that this game should belong to the visiting team. My pick: Denver
Arizona at Green Bay - Not too long ago, these two teams met in some wild playoff games - twice! Both times, in 2009 and again in 2015, the Cardinals won in wild overtime games, although neither team is what they used to be. But the Packers have not dropped quite as sharply as the Cardinals have. It is almost impossible to believe that Arizona was 13-3 and went to the NFC Championship Game just three seasons ago, because they bear absolutely no resemblance to that team. They have the worst offense in the league, and despite the Packers offense struggles this season, this makes Arizona's hopes up at Lambeau, against a tough defensive team, just too much for it to make any sense to pick them for the win. Again, the Packers might not be what they used to be, but they are still very tough at home, having not lost a game there yet. Hard to see any reason why that changes this weekend against one of the worst teams in the NFL. My pick: Green Bay
Cleveland at Houston - The Browns are much better this season than they have been in quite some time. Enthusiasm is rightly running high, and the future looks bright. Indeed, they have managed to pull off some upsets. But they are not quite ready to manage a road win against the team with the longest active win streak in the league. Houston has caught fire, behind one of the best defensive units in the league. And their offense is clicking, at least generally scoring enough points to win. They are in charge in the AFC South, and should win the division title easily. But they cannot afford to drop games like this one, which is why it makes no sense to predict anything but a Texans win in this one. My pick: Houston
Indianapolis at Jacksonville - Earlier this season, it looked like the Jaguars were destined to reach the playoffs again, while the Colts looked like one of the worst teams in the league. Now, the two teams have done a complete role reversal, with the Jaguars having lost now seven straight game to bounce themselves well out of the playoff picture. Meanwhile, Indy has found their legs offensively, with the return of Andrew Luck, and they are generating yards and scoring points consistently, and ranking as one of the elite offenses. Plus, they have pulled off five straight wins, getting themselves in playoff position. The way that these two teams are playing, going in completely opposite directions like this, makes it hard to see why these trends for both teams will not continue. My pick: Indy
L. A. Rams at Detroit - The Lions appear to be suffering another disappointing season. They have the Rams, the teams with the very best record in the league at 10-1, coming to town. Obviously, the Rams offense has just been off the charts good, and they just seem to keep winning. Detroit's defense has been decent at times, but clearly this modern version of the "Greatest Show on Turf" will test them, and stretch them thin. And the Lions have really been too inconsistent on their offense to try and keep up in a shootout. Unless L.A. has a letdown, this should really be a win. My pick: L.A. Rams
Baltimore at Atlanta - Baltimore's defense is the toughest unit in the league, ranking tops in terms of both yards and points allowed. Yes, the Falcons have a very talented offense, and usually, they have been tough at home. But their offense has struggled more than expected this season, and their defense ranks close to the bottom. Atlanta has lost three straight, at a crucial time, while the Ravens have won two in a row to suddenly look very much alive, when not long ago, they appeared to be largely irrelevant in the AFC playoff picture. All of that points to the Ravens having a wonderful opportunity to win a big, important game here against a weakened and struggling Falcons team, and take another step towards the playoffs. My pick: Baltimore
Buffalo at Miami - The Bills have won their last two games, while the Dolphins have lost their last two games. Buffalo has a horrible offense, as we all know, yet Miami's defense is hardly an elite unit. Nor is the Dolphins offense one of the best in the NFL, and they will be facing a very tough, physical Buffalo defense, which I believe should be the difference in this one, whether Miami has the home field advantage or not. It feels like a bit of madness to be picking the Bills to win this game, yet that is what my instincts are telling me. My pick: Buffalo
N.Y. Jets at Tennessee - This game is almost, but not quite, in the "Who even cares?" category. The Jets have been abysmal for a few years now, while the Titans are not looking like they will repeat their playoff appearance and run from last season. Neither team has shown an ability to light up the scoreboards with any kind of consistency, although the Titans have the benefit of a serious defense, at least. That defense should be able to contain the generally limited production of the Gang Green offense, and with home field advantage, it is difficult to predict anything but a Titans win here. My pick: Tennessee
Kansas City at Oakland - The Chiefs should be well-rested, and fired up to go out and win this road game against a terrible team, while they main rivals, the Chargers, are in a tough road game against on the best teams in the league. Should the Chargers lose, the Chiefs are presented with a golden opportunity to take a commanding lead of two games in a tight divisional race. With that offense, and with a weak Oakland defense that really does not have the tools necessary to keep the Chiefs in check, it should be a fairly easy win for KC. My pick: Kansas City
San Francisco at Seattle - Both of these teams have had surprising seasons thus far. The 49ers strong performance to end the regular season last year had some believing that they would be a playoff team this year, and some even had Super Bowl expectations for this franchise. But injuries have really hampered any chances that they once might have had. Meanwhile, many expected Seattle to be terrible this season. Instead, they have been playing solid defense, and their offense has been surprisingly consistent. It has been enough for the Seahawks to position themselves to make a serious run to qualify for the playoffs this season. At home and in a must win against a 2-9 49ers team that has yet to win on the road, there is no reason that the Seahawks should allow a letdown here. My pick: Seattle
Minnesota at New England - If the Vikings hope to win the NFC North, this would be a great time for them to pull off a major upset. Their defense is solid, but will they be able to disrupt New England's balanced and potentially very dangerous, steady offensive approach? New England's offensive capabilities are more solid than the Vikings, but how much can Minnesota throw the Pats "D" off in this game? One of the key factors, potentially, is home field advantage. The Vikings have not been great away from their dome in Minneapolis, while the Pats are unbeaten, and very, very tough, at home. They almost always are. With all that is at stake, it would be hard to go against the experience and coaching that historically give the Patriots quite a few advantages in these kinds of situations. My pick: New England
Sunday Night Football
L.A. Chargers at Pittsburgh - Two of the better, more consistent AFC teams do battle. The Chargers have a seasoned veteran at quarterback, leading his team to a surprisingly solid season. Pittsburgh also has a very experienced quarterback with one of the best offenses in the league. In fact, in terms of the offensive numbers, there is little to choose between the two teams. Both have strong defenses, to boot. That makes this a difficult game to predict, as either team could take it. They clearly both want to win this one. But my guess is that home field advantage helps lift the Steelers. My pick: Pittsburgh
Monday Night Football
Washington at Philadelphia - Suddenly, this is a truly huge game! All season long, the Eagles have looked far less than what they were last season. And all season long, until Thanksgiving approached, Washington looked like easily the best team in the NFC East. But a major winning streak by Dallas coinciding with a major losing streak by Washington, as well as the loss of their starting quarterback, means that Philly suddenly has a chance to kind of leap over Washington and take over second place in the NFC East, to remain relevant in both the divisional race, as well as the NFC Wildcard race more generally. The Philly defense is still a relatively elite unit, and so they should be able to contain Washington's limited offense, although the Eagles offense could go either way. On this day, with home field advantage, I believe that the defending champs should take it. My pick: Philadelphia
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