Pittsburgh 27, Jacksonville 3 – Not exactly a shocking result here. The team with the best record in the league, and the longest active winning streak, and tore apart the team with the second worst record in the league, and the second longest active losing streak. The Steelers took care of business, on the road, against Jax. This result is exactly what most people would expect, with the Jaguars offense typically struggling, and the Pittsburgh Steelers playing well on both offense and defense. This one was a complete mismatch, regardless of the Jaguars actually enjoying home field advantage. My pick: Accurate
Carolina 20, Detroit 0 – This was one of those games that, quite frankly, very likely ended one team’s hopes of making the playoffs. When you are a team fighting to try and stay in the playoff race, and you go up against a team with a 3-7 record and an active five game losing streak, you have to play much better than the Lions did in this one. Getting shut out, and blown out, against such a team proves that the Lions, once again and rather typically, have no business being in the playoffs this season. My pick: Inaccurate
Houston 27, New England 20 – Speaking of games that very likely ended any realistic playoff hopes for one of the teams, how about this game? The Pats were just starting to look like they might be recovering from a very bad spell. This was their game, they needed to find a way to beat a struggling and lowly Houston Texans team that was suffering through a truly awful season. For New England to realistically make their way to the playoffs, they would need to find a way to win this one. And while the Patriots did not fail as miserably as the Lions did in Carolina, they still lost, and whatever chances the Pats had to recover and get back into the playoff race likely are lost along with this game. My pick: Inaccurate
New Orleans 24, Atlanta 9 – The Saints needed to keep winning to stay ahead in the NFC South, as well as the NFC playoff picture, in general. And while the Saints did not have their best game, they played well enough to win, and to do it convincingly. Yes, they won, and this was a great week for them also, because a lot of key teams for their interests lost. The Bucs lost on Monday Night Football, and the Packers lost, which gives the Saints the best record in the NFC right now at 8-2. They also have now won their seventh game in a row, which qualifies as the second longest active win streak behind the undefeated Steelers. A terrific weekend for football fans in the Big Easy. My pick: Accurate
Cleveland 22, Philadelphia 17 – The Browns did not play their best game here, yet they did just enough to win. They held off the Eagles, who still lead in the NFC East, but by the slimmest of margins, at only half a game now. No team in the NFC East seems to be excelling too much, but the Eagles, who have held the NFC East division lead for most of the season now, also cannot seem to get anything going. By now, they should have found a way to build a nearly insurmountable lead, but they just keep losing. As for Cleveland, this keeps their promising season still very relevant, even if they still look like they are struggling, particularly on offense. That said, their defense stepped up in a pretty big way, as they managed to win a relatively low scoring battle in a key game that they could ill afford to loss, as they now improve to 7-3. Quietly, they have positioned themselves to make a serious run for the playoffs as December looms near, which is impressive. With this win, coupled with the surprising loss by the Ravens, Cleveland are in second place in the AFC North. My pick: Inaccurate
Washington 20, Cincinnati 9 – Two losing teams facing one another, but the team that I thought would struggle wound up winning. Yes, Washington beat the Bengals, which means that they, and Dallas, who also won, move into a second-place tie with the Giants, each of whom are now 3-7. Not impressive records, to be sure, yet what is worse is that those teams are only half a game behind the division leading Eagles. A solid win for Washington, and yet another loss that serves as a learning lesson for the Bengals, who have a disappointing record of 2-7-1, yet who have nonetheless shown glimpses of getting better. My pick: Inaccurate
Tennessee 30, Baltimore 24 – Another surprising result (at least for me). I really did not expect the Titans to be able to beat the Ravens in Baltimore. Perhaps my own memories of how dominant they looked last season have been coloring my expectations of the Ravens, who really appear to be struggling right now. With a road trip looming for the Thanksgiving holiday to visit the undefeated Steelers, the Ravens had better hope to get things in gear in a hurry. As for the Titans, this was a mighty impressive win that should restore a little but of their seemingly elite status earlier this season, when they raced off to a 5-0 start. My pick: Inaccurate
LA Chargers 34, NY Jets 28 – Well, the Jets did recover a bit towards the end of this game, even making a game of it. But the end result was that a very poor beginning to the game proved too much for them to recover from, and they lost yet another game. Right now, the Jets have the worst record in the league at 0-10, and the rest of their schedule does not look promising. They have three homes games against Miami, the Raiders and the Browns, and three away games, at the Rams, at Seattle, and finally at New England to close the season. Frankly, no obvious great chances for wins there, as almost all of those teams are serious playoff contenders. In the case of the Patriots, whether or not they recover enough to make any kind of a playoff run, they surely would not want to suffer the indignity of being the team that gave the Jets their first and only win of the season, if indeed Gang Green would approach that game with an 0-15 season. But we shall see. As for the Chargers, this was a solid win, and their offense looked solid. A good win that surely must feel overdue, as they lost some real tough, close games. My pick: Accurate
Denver 20, Miami 13 – Another surprise, and this might be a hit for Miami’s playoff chances. I do not think it is a fatal blow to their chances. I mean, let’s face it: they should recover next weekend when they play the Jets. Still, there were expectations for them to be able to win against a struggling Broncos team, even in the Mile High City. This was a golden opportunity for them to finally catch up to the first place Bills in the AFC East, but this loss really set their hopes for a division title back. As for the Broncos, this was an impressive win that should make them feel good. Not sure that it will be enough to allow them to recover to make a run at the playoffs, but it is a solid win, no doubt. My pick: Inaccurate
Indianapolis 34, Green Bay 31 (Final OT) – Two division leaders from different from different conferences had a big meeting this weekend. The end result? The Colts, the team in the far tighter division race. Yes, the Colts managed a solid comeback, overcoming a 28-14 halftime lead for the Packers, and completely dominating in the second half and, ultimately, in the overtime session. It was a solid comeback, and Indy managed to win, although admittedly not quite in the way that I expected. But a win is a wain, and this one improves the Colts to 7-3 on the season, while dropping Green Bay also to 7-3. My pick: Accurate
Dallas 31, Minnesota 28 – Here is yet another game where a team seemingly emerging as a serious playoff contender losing a game that they could ill afford to lose. Yes, the Vikings started the season off 1-5, but then managed to win three straight games, and looked impressive in so doing. But then, when they were presented an opportunity to finally move ahead of the Lions, who lost, and officially tie the Bears, who had a bye week, to tie for second, and move within a couple of games of the Packers, who also lost, the Vikings instead blew it. Yes, when you have all of that going for you, there is no excuse for losing at home to a 2-7 team who had a four-game losing streak entering this one. This loss likely realistically ends the chances for the Vikings of actually recovering from that poor start to qualify for the playoffs. You just cannot lose a game like this at home, when you have all the momentum, and when the other team is suffering through a disastrous season themselves. This one came as a surprise for many, myself included, and it likely ends any realistic chance for the Vikings to make the playoffs. Again, if you cannot win in these circumstances, then yeah, you really don’t belong in the playoffs. As for Dallas, this win gets them right back in the thick of things in the rather pathetic NFC East race, where each team has won three of their ten games. My pick: Inaccurate
Sunday Night Football: Kansas City 35, Las Vegas 31 – The defending champs survived a tough test on the road in Las Vegas, and ultimately, they produced just enough to get the win. In the process, they avoided the season sweep, getting revenge for the earlier season loss in KC by handing the Raiders a home loss. Patrick Mahomes still stays hot, producing great numbers, and the Chiefs almost effectively locked up the division, improving to 9-1 on the year, and dropping the second place Raiders to 6-4, which looks like a nearly insurmountable lead with six games left in the season. More or less, this was the result and the kind of game that most people likely expected. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football: LA Rams 27, Tampa Bay 24 – It seems that there are indeed limits to Tom Brady’s magic and greatness. The Bucs still look like a good team, but the humiliating blowout loss at home to the Saints a couple of weeks ago, mixed with this loss, also at home, to the Rams, shows that Tampa Bay may very well be more vulnerable than they appeared to be earlier this season, when they were red hot. As for the Rams, this was a very impressive game. Their offense looked good, while their defense looked great often times. One thing that I noticed, for the second time this season when watching the Rams, is that their sideline has an enormous amount of energy in support of the players on the field. It seems like the team feeds off of this energy, and it is a good sign to show life and enthusiasm like this. My suspicion is that the Rams may be a force to be reckoned with in not just the NFC West race, but in the playoff race, to boot. Remember, they were in the Super Bowl just two short seasons ago. Another run deep into the playoffs is not unthinkable. My pick: Inaccurate
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