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Philadelphia at NY Giants - This is no ordinary meeting between two struggling teams. These two teams come from the NFC East, which may very well be the worst division in NFL history. The Giants almost beat the Eagles a couple of weeks ago, but lost in the final minutes. Had they hung on, this game would outright be for first place in the division. As it is, the G-Men find themselves a game and a half out of first place (they are tied with both Dallas and Washington), despite a dismal 2-7 mark for the season. That feels ridiculous, and unheard of, but such is the sorry state of the NFC East this season. Now, the rematch, in which the Giants enjoy home field advantage. How much that will benefit them is difficult to say, but I do not think it will hurt. They also should have the revenge factor on their side, and perhaps even some momentum, having won two of their last three games (and again, almost won that one against Philly). Still, the Eagles are the team that has been the cream of the crop in this division in the past three seasons, and they do have the lead in the divisional race right now. So, this should be a tough game, and likely a close one. The G-Men should be well aware of the fact that a narrow home win does not mean that the other team will lose on the road, since they themselves escaped with a narrow home win against Washington, and then managed to beat them on the road last weekend. For the Giants, this game really likely represents their last real chance to salvage something serious for this season. A win, and they are suddenly right in the thick of the division race. A loss, and they are suddenly down two and a half games, plus the sweep, which makes it feel like a lot more than that. In other words, they would sink to 2-8, an awful record, and with very little hopes of recovering. That means that this is a do or die game for the Giants, who simply cannot afford to lose. A tough game indeed, but I expect that Big Blue will pull through, albeit narrowly. My pick: NY Giant
Washington at Detroit – An interesting game. Again, neither of these two teams has a particularly impressive record. Yet, Washington is hoping to stay in the division race, despite a dismal 2-7 record, because the NFC East is just so bad this year. They head to the Motor City, to face a team that also knows a lot about struggling and disappointment and bad football. The Lions have some talent, and can be a dangerous team, particularly on their offensive end. But I figure that Washington, despite a bad record, is playing well, and should surely be fired up, which means that they may very well be ready to pull off a big road win to stay relevant in the NFC East. Another disappointment for Detroit fans. My pick: Washington
Jacksonville at Green Bay – Yikes! Talk about mismatches. One of the coldest and worst teams in the league, and a team used to warm weather to boot, heads up to Lambeau Field in mid-November, to take on Aaron Rodgers and the first place Packers, with that explosive offense. The weather calls for it to be cool, with a chance of rain and even snow possible. Football weather for the Frozen Tundra. The Jaguars have lost seven straight games, and it really is difficult to see why they would be able to end that with a win here. If Jax were to do it, it would surely be considered one of the biggest upsets of the season. Frankly, though, it is hard to imagine them doing it. The Pack just has too many weapons, and after a couple of disappointing losses, they seemed to get back on track at San Francisco last week. A home game against the lowly Jaguars means that they have to guard against overlooking a weak opponent, but I figure that Green Bay should win this one going away. My pick: Green Bay
Tampa Bay at Carolina – The Buccaneers were flying high entering a showdown against the Saints last week, They were 6-2, their offense looked explosive, and indeed, they were starting to look like perhaps legitimate contenders in the NFC. Then, they got absolutely humiliated, at home, against the Saints, who completed a season sweep, and cast a lot of doubts as to how good Tampa Bay really is. Now, there are a lot of unanswered questions, and this is the first test for the Bucs following that demoralizing loss. How will they take it? A loss like that can refocus a team, or it can be the thing that pulls apart a once promising season. The Panthers are tough, and usually play well, but they are not exactly unbeatable. So the Bucs have their work cut out for them. Hard to predict this game, but in the end, the Bucs are not likely to get blown out a second straight time, especially in a key divisional battle. So, I expect them to make a recovery, and at least edge out the Panthers in a tough game that comes down to the final quarter. My pick: Tampa Bay
Houston at Cleveland - Well, the Texans just do not seem to have any luck this season. They just won against the Jaguars, in only their second win of the season, and then they have to head up to Ohio. It is actually supposed to be mild for Cleveland for this time of the year, but it will be rainy. The Browns have been an up and down team all season long, but they are coming off a bye and should be refocused and well-rested, which should help them quite a bit. Also, the Texans seem to have made a habit out of losing. My guess is that they will lose again, and frankly, it is difficult to see how the reeling Texans can manage to win this game. My pick: Cleveland
Buffalo at Arizona – The Bills are doing extremely well this season, and are in first place in the AFC East with an impressive 7-2 record. But they now go down to the desert to face the Cardinals in Arizona. The Cards are a difficult team to get a measure of. They have talent, and are improving. But while they play quite well for stretches and pull off big wins, they also seem to have inexplicable lapses where they play poorly and lose. So, it really is a question of which Cardinals team will show up for this game. Arizona has allowed 34 points in both of their last two games, which could be a sign that their defense is a bit leaky, and Buffalo has a potentially explosive offense in their own right. This could go back and forth, and it is a difficult game to predict. But if I have to put money on it, I think home field advantage helps the Cardinals to outlast Buffalo in the desert. My pick: Arizona
Denver at Las Vegas – The Broncos are reeling, and one more loss at this point would likely take them out of any serious discussion of playoff contenders, realistically if not officially yet. Meanwhile, the Raiders keep playing just well enough to win, like how they eked out that win against the Chargers, a game which they very nearly lost. Jon Gruden has his team going in the right direction, and they should be able to get past the Broncos in this one. My pick: Las Vegas
LA Chargers at Miami – Wow. Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. The Chargers have been one of the weakest teams in the league. They keep suffering these bad losses in haunting ways, just like they lost to the Raiders last weekend. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are looking amazing, like one of the hottest teams in the league. Who knows how long that will last, but frankly, it is hard to see the Chargers, of all teams, somehow putting an end to their good fortune, especially on the road in southern Florida. My pick: Miami
Seattle at LA Rams – A big showdown in the NFC West! The Seahawks, once again, are threatening to pull well ahead in the NFC West if they win, especially is Arizona loses. So this is obviously a very important showdown for both teams. The Seahawks lost a disappointing game at Buffalo last week, but that also could be a wake-up call. The Rams, meanwhile, should be well-rested, coming off a bye week. They enjoyed a high energy win against the Bears a few weeks ago, but then suffered a bad loss that was a real setback in Miami. Both teams know how big this one really is, and the Rams just cannot afford to lose this one, because not only would it make winning the division unlikely, but indeed, would make even qualifying for the playoffs seem like a big question mark, at best. Home field advantage will not likely decide it, but it should help the Rams. My pick: LA Rams
San Francisco at New Orleans – Last season, the meeting between these two teams was huge! Both teams ranked among the elites, and the late season game figured to go a long way in helping to decide which team would gain home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. It did, as the 49ers won a wild one, and went on to finish the season with a league best 13-3 record, and dominated in the NFC playoffs, very nearly pulling off an upset against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Saints, meanwhile, seemed to lost some of their luster. They too finished 13-3, but had to settle for a third seed, and an extra game. They hosted the Vikings in that game, and lost in heartbreaking fashion. So the Saints, who appear to be one of the hottest teams in the league right now, know just how important this game is. They have the revenge factor on their side, and the 49ers are reeling, struggling through a difficult, very challenging season where they cannot seem to stay healthy. The Saints should be particularly motivated to win this game. My pick: New Orleans
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh – The Bengals have improved as the season wears on, and they could be a dangerous team. But the Steelers appear to be one of the best teams in the AFC, and an apparently serious challenge to the Kansas City Chiefs for supremacy in the conference. Yes, Pittsburgh is the only undefeated team at 8-0, and they already have set the record for best start in franchise history, eclipsing the 1978 Steelers, who started 7-0, going on to win the Super Bowl. Does that mean that these Steelers will be hoisting the Lombardy Trophy? Well, I would not go quite that far just yet. However, it does mean that they are very tough to beat, especially at home. The Bengals are improving, but this would be too tall of an order for most teams, which makes this an easy game to pick: My pick: Pittsburgh
Sunday Night Football: Baltimore at New England – This used to be a classic rivalry, one of the best in the league. Maybe not quite like the Patriots and Colts in the 2000’s, or the Cowboys and 49ers in the 1990’s, but it was not that far, either. But the Pats have fallen under hard times. They just are not playing well, and the Ravens, meanwhile, still look like one of the elite teams in the league. True, Foxboro has historically been one of the toughest places for road teams to play in recent seasons, but that seems to have largely disappeared this season. Also, the Ravens are just a better team, it seems. My pick: Baltimore
Monday Night Football: Minnesota at Chicago – A few weeks ago, I would have suggested that the Bears win this one, perhaps easily. But the Vikings feel like a team turning things around, and they have a real chance to get into the thick of the playoff race with a win. The Bears, meanwhile, cannot afford to lose, because they enter this game reeling, having dropped three straight. Where they looked solid after a 5-1 start, they now are being questioned, having fallen to 5-4. They do have home field advantage, and that is something. But the Vikings should nonetheless manage to pull this one off, as they seem to have the hot hand, especially against teams in their own division. And right now, the Bears look like a team in some disarray. In fact, this feels like a game between two teams heading in opposite directions, and my guess is that they will each continue on their respective courses. My pick: Minnesota
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