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Saturday Games:
Tampa Bay (9-5) at Detroit (5-9) - Tampa Bay should be a playoff bound team, and this game should more or less cement that status. If the Buccaneers win this one, they are almost assured of qualifying for the postseason. And their chances of winning look really good. The Bucs seem to be better on the road than at home, which actually bodes well in this game. That is because Detroit has been a friendly place for road teams, as the Lions have only managed a dismal 1-5 record at home to this point. Tampa's offense, led by some veteran former Patriots players - most famously Tom Brady - should be able to score some points. After all, the Lions have allowed 30 points or more in four consecutive games, and eight times overall so far this season. Their offense is rather up and down, but even in most shootouts, it seems that Detroit falls short this season. Yes, this has become a rather typical season for the Lions, as they are well out of the playoff picture officially by late December, and were realistically mostly out of the playoff picture since they hosted their traditional Thanksgiving Day game. The Bucs have won their last two games, since they had to get serious about making a real playoff push. The Lions, during that same stretch, and with less margin for error, have lost two consecutive games. On top of it, the Lions have now fallen victim to the Covid-19 crisis, as some of their coaches will be unable to actually be physically at this game. All of that feels very much like it adds up in favor of the Buccaneers, which is why I am going with the road team in this one. Tampa Bay has not qualified for the postseason since 2007, and they have won a payoff game since their Super Bowl championship season in 2002-03. I will not be so bold as to predict outright that the Bucs will win at least one playoff game, but this sure feels like a season when the Buccaneers will at least qualify. My pick: Tampa Bay
San Francisco (5-9) at Arizona (8-6) - The Cardinals have been a streaky team this season, but they also have surprised many people this season with their often positive results. Indeed, they are on the brink of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season, so mostly, this has been a positive season for them. And all of that started a long time ago, way back on opening day, when they pulled off a rather shocking upset of the 49ers in San Francisco. Since then, Arizona has been on an unsteady course, sometimes looking great and promising, and other times looking vulnerable and weak, but they have reached a point where they are 8-6, and control their own destiny as far as the playoffs are concerned. Despite the complexities of an up and down, largely streaky season, the Cardinals can reach the playoffs if they win out in their final two games. That would mean beating San Francisco here this weekend, and then going to Los Angeles to try and beat the Rams on the road. Before the season finale against the Rams, though, they now host the 49ers, who entered this season fresh off a Super Bowl appearance that they very nearly won last season, making them one of the favorites this season. But the 49ers have suffered through a tumultuous season, riddled with injuries as well as distractions that were beyond their control. They will not reach the playoffs, but can play for pride. However, the Cardinals feel like a team that has taken positive steps this season, and they also appear to be playing better in recent weeks. They cruised past the Giants at the Meadowlands, and then held off the Eagles in a home game last weekend. Clearly, they want to win. And that is what I expect them to do on Saturday, too. My pick: Arizona
Miami (9-5) at Las Vegas (7-7) - Back when I first became a fan of the NFL, the Dolphins and the Raiders seemed to be the cream of the crop in the AFC. Each season, it seemed, they were among the elites in the conference, and indeed the league, and almost seemed to take turns, like a tag team, capturing the AFC title and keeping everyone else out. But those days are long over. The Dolphins have not won an AFC title since the last Miami appearance in the Super Bowl back in the 1984-85 season, and a seemingly young and rising quarterback named Dan Marino was at the helm. The Raiders won Super Bowl XVIII, which was their third title in a span of eight seasons. But they have only gone to the Super Bowl once in the over three and a half decades since, and they got pummeled in that one back in the 2002-03 season. The Dolphins have reached the playoffs twice since the rise of the Patriots dynasty, so they are not used to being in this position, as a legitimate playoff contender with two weeks remaining in the regular season. By contrast, the Raiders appeared to be on the rise, and for a long time, it looked like they would cruise into the postseason. But four losses in their past five games has knocked them out of the playoff picture. They can still hope to play the part of spoiler, even if reaching the postseason is now out of their reach. They do have home field advantage. Somehow, though, my suspicion is that their recent woes will revisit them against a determined and obviously talented Dolphins team, that just feels like a team on a mission that refuses to be denied in their goal of reaching the playoffs. My pick: Miami
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