Miami at N.Y. Giants – Two of the worst teams in the league match up in this one, with absolutely no playoff relevance whatsoever in either conference. The Dolphins have been coming on as of late, and even though it sounds weird to use this word for either team, that makes Miami the hotter of the two teams. True, the Giants have home field advantage, and they played well against Philly last weekend. But so did the Fins against the Jets, in a game that they should have won. This week, I expect them to squeak out a win against Big Blue, as well, because that is how this season is going for the G-Men. My pick: Miami
New England at Cincinnati – Ah, the Patriots have yet another controversy on their hands, after having been caught cheating, spying on the Bengals. Will this fire up Cincy, get them to pull off what would be a pretty major upset? Maybe. But the Pats are still talented, they have a tough defense, and they have excellent coaching and discipline, which should help New England finally get a much needed win and stop the bleeding from what has been a bad spell that has, uncharacteristically, seen this team drop three of their past five games, and put their AFC East supremacy in some doubt. Look for the Pats to right their wrongs here. My pick: New England
Chicago at Green Bay – This is a big game between two division rivals with playoff hopes still alive in both cases. The 10-3 Packers are almost officially in the playoffs, although they are also trying to win the NFC North. They have home field advantage here, as well as enjoying a history of dominating the Bears in recent years, something that Chicago would need to overcome in this game if they hope to win and remain relevant in the playoff picture. For whatever the reason, it seems that the Bears, no matter how good or talented or hot, always seem to be pedestrian when facing their longtime tormentors, the Packers. Something tells me that they Bears really are hot right now, and that this might finally be the time that they rise up and above. Yet another part of me also feels like they and the Pack will make me regret this pick. But for now, I am taking the hotter of the two teams, even on the road, to pull off a stunning win and shake things up in the NFC North quite a great deal. My pick: Chicago
Denver at Kansas City – This one really feels like a no-brainer. Denver has been recovering from a disastrous start of the season. It is a testament to their recovery efforts that they are still technically alive for a playoff berth. But they have been too inconsistent all season to realistically entertain any real hopes of a playoff berth. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have also been inconsistent, but seem to be catching fire right at the right time. This win should keep them in the hunt for a playoff bye as one of the top two seeds, which would really help their cause tremendously. They already hammered the Broncos earlier this season, and that was in Denver. With home field advantage, and with a ton of momentum from their recent hot streak, this one should go to the Chiefs. My pick: Kansas City
Tampa Bay at Detroit – An irrelevant game in terms of playoff positioning. Still, it will be game on. Hard to pick either of these two teams with full confidence, since they both have been pretty bad. The Bucs are probably the better team, while the Lions have home field advantage. For what it;s worth, someone is bound to win this game. My pick: Tampa Bay
Philadelphia at Washington – Philly finally snapped their losing steak last weekend with a win against the Giants. Now, they take on the other very lowly team in the NFC East, although they have to go on the road to do it. Unlike the Giants, Washington has been paying fairly well as of late, really coming on. That should make it tough, but the Eagles just have a lot more to fight for in this one, which is why I am giving them the nod as the team that should prevail, and possibly take the lead in the NFC East. My pick: Philadelphia
Houston at Tennessee – Wow! What a huge showdown this one will be! This is the first of two games remaining between these two teams, so it cannot be said that this game will clinch the division for either team, one way or the other. But it might go a long way towards these ends now. The Titans are the hotter of the two teams, and they enjoy home field advantage. Like their tough defense and the ton of momentum that they enter this game with. Overall, they have a lot going for them, and that is why they are the team I will be going with. My pick: Tennessee
Seattle at Carolina – The Panthers are out of the playoff picture officially, while the Seahawks try to recover from a tough loss. Seattle has the better team, and they still could be hot, despite that loss. Plus, they have a hell of a lot more to fight for than Carolina does. And they just have the defense and the offense to get this done. Really, there is no reason why they should not win this one. My pick: Seattle
Jacksonville at Oakland – Neither of these two teams has played well this season. The Jaguars are pretty bad, but they are not going through a total collapse quite like the Raiders have in recent weeks. Yes, the Raiders went from tied for first place in the AFC West to almost complete irrelevance as quickly as it could have been done. But they are bound to snap out of the funk at some point, right? With home field advantage and a weak Jax team coming to town, my guess is that they will a win. My pick: Oakland
Minnesota at L.A. Chargers – The Vikings have to keep winning if they want that chance to snatch the division title away from Green Bay. And they have a real chance, because they are so awesome at home, and the big showdown between those two teams will indeed be at the Vikings. But first, they need to win this game, to take care of business against a weaker team. This is tricky, because the Chargers can still play well. Remember, they blew out the Packers earlier this season, and can come back to life almost unexpectedly. But the Vikings are the better, more complete team, and they should manage a win. My pick: Minnesota
Cleveland at Arizona – The Browns are almost officially out of the playoff picture. They obviously have some talent on the team, especially on offense. But the early part of their schedule proved too much. Unfortunately, they also began to fall apart at the seam for a while there, before recovering a bit in the second half of the season. Too little, too late, perhaps, but it should help them to win this one. Might as well, since Odell Beckham seemingly wanting out of town suggests that there may yet be chaos and instability in the offseason to come. My pick: Cleveland
L.A. Rams at Dallas – A big game for both teams. The Rams are fighting for their playoff lives, and they have really been coming on as of late. It is hard not to wonder if maybe this is not too little, too late. But for now, they still are very much alive in the playoff race. So is Dallas, which is in a tie for first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys have not been playing well lately, and the Rams enter this game with a ton of momentum. But the Cowboys do have home field advantage, and that should make it tough for L.A., and should help the ‘Boys. Will it be enough, though? My guess is that the Cowboys are not feeling overly confident right now, and that the tough Rams get this win. My pick: Los Angeles Rams
Atlanta at San Francisco – The 49ers just had two very tough, high profile road games in a row. They dropped the first one at Baltimore, but then won a big game against the Saints. Now, they head back to the West Coast for a home game against a team that, frankly, the 49ers should beat. The Falcons have been pretty bad this season. I have said this before, but it bears repeating: Atlanta never recovered from the Super Bowl collapse against the Patriots. They have a lot of talent, but they never really seemed to put it all together since, and time is running out. Their chances this season are over, while San Francisco is surging and hoping for a chance to go far in January. Yes, San Francisco still has plenty to fight for, while all the Falcons can do is play for pride and hope to play spoiler. This really is a no-brainer kind of pick. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, the better team enjoys home field advantage and numerous other advantages, and all of this should help them to win. My pick: San Francisco
Sunday Night Football – Buffalo at Pittsburgh – Another very intriguing game, and a tough match-up for both teams. The Bills are clearly a tough team this season, but they have to go to a notoriously tough place for road teams to play in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are hoping to perhaps even steal the Bills status as the fifth seed, something that Buffalo has held for most of the season now. The Bills have a tough defense, but the Steelers also have that, as well as an offense that can be explosive at times. The Steelers are especially hot, having won 8 of their last 10 games, and so it will be tough for the Bills. However, they are actually playing for something higher, which would be a shot at the AFC East division title. That should serve as enough motivation for them to find a way to win. My pick: Buffalo
Monday Night Football - Indianapolis at New Orleans – The Colts are completely collapsing right now, and while they may yet play a solid game again this season just for pride, there no longer are any real stakes for them. They head to the Big Easy to face the Saints, who are still reeling from that bad loss to the Niners last weekend. The Saints have to win to stay in the race for home field advantage and, failing that, to earn that playoff bye, which this team could really use. And with the Saints trying to win, and enjoying home field advantage, it should be enough for them to pull past the Colts. My pick: New Orleans
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