December is the mad scramble in the NFL, as teams make a push to qualify for the playoffs, while the elite teams often try to secure their division title and solidify their seeding.
Home field can go a long way in the playoffs. Not always, and certainly in not every game. But the home team usually wins, and we usually see at least one of the two top seeds in the Conference Championship Games. So, it matters.
This weekend, there are a few games that have possibly huge playoff ramifications, as well as seeding implications. That may be especially true of the showdown between the 49ers and the Saints in New Orleans. Both teams enter that game with identical 10-2 records, and both teams also still have high hopes of winning home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, or at least earning a playoff bye.
In the AFC, the Chiefs and Pats will meet. New England started the season off in historically dominant fashion, but have since cooled off, losing two of four now, and looking much more regular during that stretch. Still, they are the Patriots, and right now, they still are ahead for that second seed in the AFC playoffs, although they are also in a tight race for the AFC East now. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are comfortably ahead in the AFC West, but if the season ended today, they would be the fourth seed. This would be a huge opportunity for them to move up in that regard, and to possibly stay alive for at least a playoff bye, with one of the top two seeds.
Plus, there are plenty of other big games with serious playoff ramifications, like the Seahawks and Rams, who meet again for a nationally televised night game.
Let's take a closer look:
Miami at N.Y. Jets – I am almost scared to try and make a pick for this one. On the one hand, I would like to see the Jets win, as they are my second favorite team. And really, they should win, because they are likely the better of the two teams, plus have home field advantage. But something tells me that their struggles last week in losing to Cincy might come back to haunt them. The Dolphins have been playing well after that almost disastrous start of near epic levels. They have begun to put things together a lot better, and that makes them a dangerous team. They showed that with Fitzpatrick at the helm, they are capable of scoring some points, as well. So, while I will pick Gang Green as the home team, there is some serious hesitation, because it is all too easy to imagine the road team stealing a win here. My pick: N.Y. Jets
Washington at Green Bay – Washington has been on a tear as of late, but that will likely come to an end when they travel out to the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field to face the Packers. Green Bay won last week against the Giants in the snow to help erase memories of the blowout loss at San Francisco just one week earlier. Now, beating up on another NFC East team will help to put those sour memories even farther back, and should help the Pack inch a little closer to the division title, and certainly will put the pressure on Minnesota to keep winning to still have a chance at the division title. My pick: Green Bay
Denver at Houston – As it stands right now, the Texans hold the third seed in the AFC playoffs, following a huge win against New England last weekend. They may even have an outside chance at a playoff bye, if luck is on their side. But for that to happen, or even for them to win the division and retain the third seed, they need to take care of business on their end and continue winning. This is a very winnable game, against a struggling, not so great Broncos team that was never really in the playoff race. No reason why the Texans should not win this one. My pick: Houston
Detroit at Minnesota - Well the Vikings are still very much in the playoff picture. And while they likely will get there, they still have to do what they need to do, what got them this far in the first place, and win games. This is one that they should win, against a lowly Detroit team that seems to have largely given up on the season. But the Lions have nothing to lose, which makes them a dangerous team. They would love to play spoiler here. Really, though, the Vikings have all the tools at their disposal, including home field advantage, to win this one. My pick: Minnesota
Carolina at Atlanta – The Panthers are basically out of the playoffs, and just got rid of their head coach, who has been in charge in Carolina for the better part of a decade. Indeed, the Panthers seemed to have unraveled as this season wore on, which makes it the second straight season that they have done so following a promising start. Now, far out of range of the playoffs and playing for pride for the duration of the season, you have to wonder how committed they are to winning. Meanwhile, the Falcons looked good for a few weeks, but they seemed to return to their regular losing ways last weekend. Hard to say who will come out on top in this one, but it will likely be the team that just keeps their problems and inadequacies to a bare minimum. Just guessing who that might be, but will go with the home team. My pick: Atlanta
Indianapolis at Tampa Bay – This game might have playoff implications. Maybe. Only if the Colts finally pull themselves together and start winning again now that it is crucial. They really should be better, with or without Andrew Luck. But they appear to be imploding this season. But the Bucs are obviously not great themselves, having been out of the playoff picture for most of the season. Hard to tell who wins this one. But, my guess is the team with a lot more riding on the outcome here finds a way. My pick: Indianapolis
San Francisco at New Orleans – Well, here is another huge match involving the 49ers. Last week, they had that big showdown at Baltimore. This time, they go up against another elite team when they go to the Big Easy to take on the Saints. New Orleans has been barely winning lately, but they still have mostly been winning, at least. San Fran should prove a much tougher test, and if the Saints seriously want to contend for the NFC title, then they will need to prove themselves in games like this. Not sure if they will, however, because I suspect that they have some flaws. The 49ers still look like one of the elite teams, and I have yet to be right when picking against them, except for last week. So, although I would like the Saints to win, my pick will be with the visitors from the city by the bay. My pick: San Francisco
Baltimore at Buffalo – Here is yet another game with playoff implications. Baltimore just finally emerged as the leader in the race for home field throughout the AFC playoffs with a huge win over the 49ers last weekend. Yet, they get little time to rest, before having to pack their bags and take a trip to frigid Buffalo to take on the Bills, with that tough defense. Last time we saw the Bills, they had just earned an impressive, and largely dominant, win in Dallas on Thanksgiving. Now, they return home to face an even tougher test, as the Ravens look like the hottest team in the league right now. Both teams have plenty to fight for at this point in the season, and they both can still aim for the top seed in the AFC. What a great game! My pick: Baltimore
Cincinnati at Cleveland – Numerous games this weekend have a lot of playoff implications. But not this one. Yes, the two Ohio teams are irrelevant once again. Neither will be seen when it counts most in January, much less February. But the season goes on. So, who will win? The Browns are the better team, and enjoy home field advantage in this one. That makes them the team likely to win. My pick: Cleveland
L.A. Chargers at Jacksonville - Another game with no playoff relevance whatsoever. Both of these teams were far too inconsistent to make a serious run at the playoffs this season. They both showed glimpses at times, and can be capable of playing big games and pulling off upsets. But they do not seem to have any way to maintain that, and so both teams have also lost bad games this year. In a game that largely does not matter, I like the Jags at home. My pick: Jacksonville
Kansas City at New England – What a huge game! It will be up in Foxboro, where the Patriots have not lost in a very long time. You have to go all the way back to October 1, 2017 - well over two years ago now - for the last time that a visiting team managed to get the better of the Patriots in Foxboro, when the Panthers edged them, 33-30. Just a few weeks earlier, however, the Chiefs beat the Pats at Foxboro, as well. Plus, KC and New England played two close games last season, although the Patriots won both times. Those two losses were with Patrick Mahomes, who obviously has added explosiveness to KC's offense. Will the Chiefs finally be able to get the better of the Pats? Or will the old guard hold them off once again? My guess is that the Patriots defense, experience, and coaching, coupled with the home field advantage that seems to mean so much to them, helps them defeat the Chiefs once again. My pick: New England
Pittsburgh at Arizona – The Cardinals are inconsistent. They have looked good at times, but they seem to be skidding and out of control right now. Meanwhile, the Steelers are looking very strong, having recovered from a dismal 0-3 start to the season to be in solid position to make the playoffs. Home field advantage or not, the Steelers should win. My pick: Arizona
Tennessee at Oakland - Both of these teams are still playoff contenders. But that said, they are also going in decidedly opposite directions. The Titans are red hot, and suddenly find themselves not just surging as the playoffs near, but in serious contention for the division title. Meanwhile, the Raiders suddenly have fizzled when it matters most, with two straight blowout losses. Sure, they are returning home, and that should help. But the Titans have a lot more incentive, not to mention momentum, which should help them pull through. My pick; Tennessee
Sunday Night Football - Seattle at L.A. Rams – Another nationally televised game for the Seahawks. Seattle seems really hot, and they appear especially hot on the road, of all things, this season. At the moment, the Seahawks also have the top seed in the NFC, with a 10-2 mark, and the tiebreaker over San Fran for the NFC West. So, they obviously have every reason to be motivated to win this game. But the Rams finally looked a lot more like the team that we expected them to be this season in their blowout win last weekend. Was it too little, too late? If the season ended right now, the Rams would miss the playoffs. One of the reasons for that is a tough loss by a single point the last time that these two teams met. Perhaps the Rams should have won, but they did not. Probably, they feel like they should have won, and also feel that they have something to prove, to show that they can beat Seattle. They really have very little margin for error for the rest of this season, if they want to make a serious run at the playoffs. So clearly, they also have every reason to be motivated to win this game. Only one of these teams will emerge victorious. What a game this should be! My pick: Seattle
Monday Night Football - N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia – Sometimes, the NFL fixates on a certain match-up, and keeps having these nationally televised games with this match-up time and time and time again. Frankly, it can be annoying. I will speak of the Giants, because they are my favorite team, and my memory of their games tends to be stronger. It was the case with the Giants and 49ers back in the mid- to late eighties and into the early nineties, although that was actually an awesome rivalry. But in recent seasons, the Giants are always featured on nationally televised games against the same damn teams, in the same damn places. They always seem to open the season in Dallas, and more often than not, in a nationally televised game. And then, at some point in the season, they always play another nationally televised game at Philadelphia. They used to beat the Cowboys in Dallas, but not in recent years, since they started sucking bad. But the G-Men have always had a very difficult time in Philly, seemingly. It is hardly a mystery to me who should win this game, because the Giants are just so awful at the moment, and asking them to win a game in Philadelphia is a tall order. So, it will likely be yet another embarrassing, demoralizing loss that will interest few, because the domination usually runs throughout the game. I wish the NFL might come up with some better games in the future, if they are going to feature the Giants, and not always have them playing either Dallas or Philly every single time. Frankly, this is growing tiresome. My pick: Philadelphia
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