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Houston at Tampa Bay - The Texans took a huge step towards that elusive AFC South division title with that win at Tennessee last weekend. Now, they have another test against the suddenly hot Tampa Bay Bucs. No, the Bucs will not reach the playoffs. There are two teams each with double digit wins in the NFC West and the NFC North, which means that mathematically, the Buccaneers are already eliminated. But they bounced back from an abysmal start and have looked solid and dangerous, so this game is no gimme for the Texans. It is all too easy to see them missing yet another opportunity, and blowing this. But they really looked fantastic last weekend, and that should rub off at some point. If they win, and the Titans lose - a real distinct possibility - the Texans would finally officially clinch not only a playoff berth, but an AFC South division title, to boot. You can bet that they will be fired up. And with that defense, and an offense that has serious potential, but needs to avoid mistakes, I suspect that they get the job done and win on the road in this one. My pick: Houston
Buffalo at New England - For the Patriots, it is this simple: win this game, and win the division. They will improve to 12-3, and then would need a win against the Dolphins up at Foxboro on the final weekend to earn the number two seed (assuming that the Ravens do not inexplicably choke and lose their home field advantage). That would give them the playoff bye, which they could really use right now. That offense has been floundering lately, and it feels like they are showing their age. But the Pats have one saving grace, and that is their defense. However, the Bills also have a very tough defense, and it feels like unlike the Pats, the Bills seem to be getting better, growing more confident, with each passing week. That makes them a serious threat to New England in this game, and I really do think that they have a real chance to win this game. However, the Pats will clearly not make it easy for them. They have home field advantage, and that is still considerable with this team, usually. Also, they still Bill Belichick to get this team ready, and he is the most prepared coach out there, possibly even the most prepared coach in NFL history. He will find ways to give the Bills looks to confuse them, to attempt to disrupt their flow on offense, and to trick or get past that solid defense that Buffalo sports. Look for a close game, one that has a playoff atmosphere, and in which each mistake will be magnified. I still think that the Pats are capable of better than what they have been showing, and even though it seems unlikely that they will light up the scoreboard, another low-scoring, defensive slug-fest that ultimately just goes their way, like the win that they got earlier up at Orchard Park earlier this season when these two teams first met, would seem likely. That said, the Bills are the most serious threat to the Pats longstanding AFC East supremacy in quite some time, and this could be a changing of the guard kind of contest. What a game this will be! My pick: New England
L.A. Rams at San Francisco - If there was a point when you knew that something was wrong with this year's version of the Los Angeles Rams - last year's NFC Champions - it was the last time that these two teams met. They had dropped a seemingly inexplicable home loss to Tampa, and then got edged out by the Seahawks the following week. But when they returned home to face the then still unbeaten 49ers, they should have been angry and focused and determined to end the losing streak right there. They got off to a good start with an early touchdown for a 7-0 lead, but then never scored again. San Francisco took advantage and dominated the game, en route to a convincing 20-7 victory, handing the Rams their third straight loss. Los Angeles did not seem to recover until just recently, when they put together an impressive win streak, and seemed to get back into playoff contention. But the loss last weekend ended any realistic hopes that they may have had, and they not have lost what momentum they had. The 49ers, meanwhile, are focusing more on the showdown with the Seahawks, which will assuredly determine who wins the NFC West. They, too, are coming off a surprising loss, but that really does not hurt them in any major way. Hard to see the Rams winning this. My pick: San Francisco
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