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Buffalo 48, Denver 19 – The Bills finally managed to clinch their first AFC East division title since way back in 1995 with a blowout road win at the Mile High City against the Denver Broncos. Buffalo’s offense was on point, and performed a clinic. Their defense was not too bad, either. There was a sense of accomplishment among Bills players after the victory yesterday that cemented their status as division champions, which earns them a home game in the playoffs, something that was a major goal for this team since before this season began. The Bills have qualified for the postseason in two of the prior three seasons, but both were road games, and Buffalo did not manage to win either contest. This year feels different. The Bills now are obviously a very different group from the one of the nineties, back when the Bills were a dynasty that qualified for an NFL record four straight Super Bowls, and who also pulled off what still stands as the greatest comeback in NFL history. Th Bills won their sixth division title in an eight year span in 1995, but that was more or less the end of the dynasty. They made the playoffs after that, but have not won a postseason game since, and until they officially clinched last night, had not won a division title. It feels like an all new era for Buffalo football now. My pick: Accurate
Green Bay 24, Carolina 16 – The Packers did not win in spectacular fashion. But when you win even after failing to play your best, you might be reaching a point where you are really good. And that was how the Packers won this one. Not a goldmine of highlight reel kind of material or anything, to be sure. But they took care of business, and earned an important win that inches them still closer to obtaining the number one seed in the NFC, which would give them home field advantage, as well as a bye for the wildcard weekend, which obviously would be welcome. The Packers improve to 11-3 on the season with the win, while the Panthers fall to 4-10, and last place in the NFC South. My pick: Accurate
Sunday:
NY Jets 23, LA Rams 20 - The Jets won their first game of the season, even though it is now late December. No longer do they warrant discussion as literally the worst team in NFL history. Now, they are just really, really bad. To be sure, they got off to a record worst start of 0-13 before finally winning, and were seriously flirting with the possibility of a winless record. And they still might match the franchise worst record of 1-15, which was their record back in 1996, when Rich Kotite was the head coach. But there is a world of difference between a one win season and a literally winless season, which is especially demoralizing because it is so rare and stands out in such a glaringly obvious manner. The Jets looked incredible early on in this game, and held a 13-3 lead at halftime. Nor did it stop there, as they scored a touchdown early in the third to take a sizable 20-3 lead. Gang Green only scored a field goal the rest of the way, late in the fourth quarter, but it was enough. The Rams had an impressive rally to try and win, or at least tie, but for once, the Jets held, and won their first, and so far only, game of the season. In typical fashion, though, the Jets very well may have actually hurt themselves a bit in winning this game. If the season ended right now, the Jets would NOT have the first overall pick in the draft. That distinction would go to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who also share a miserable 1-13 overall record with the Jets, only they have lost their last thirteen, instead of having snapped a 13-game losing streak, like the Jets did in Los Angeles yesterday. So even in victory, the Jets may have shot themselves in the foot, on one level. Oh, well, just the kind of season that they are having. But what a win for Gang Green, as they nonetheless manage to avoid a historically bad 0-16 season, which only two NFL teams have ever had the dubious distinction of suffering through (Detroit Lions in 2008, and the Cleveland Browns in 2017). A solid win for the Jets, and frankly, an embarrassing failure for the Rams, who sure looked like a contender for the NFC West title before this game. This hurts their chances of their division title hopes, though. Clearly, they seemed to overlook the Jets, which was a costly mistake. Now, they travel to Seattle for a showdown against the Seahawks, and absolutely cannot afford to lose, or the ‘Hawks will officially clinch the division. My pick: Inaccurate
Cleveland 20, NY Giants 6 – The Giants were handed a golden opportunity on a silver platter, and blew it. With Washington losing (as well as the Eagles), the G-Men had a real chance to make up some of the ground that they lost from last week’s humbling loss to the Cardinals. Instead, they were handed yet another similar home loss, where for the second game in a row, the Giants were held to under 10 points. They scored a touchdown against Arizona, but only managed two field goals in this one. Cleveland’s defense was solid, and helped the team pull off an impressive win, despite a relatively lackluster performance by the offense. This was the fifth win in a six game span for the Browns. Cleveland improves to 10-4 on the season, having assured their best overall mark since they went 10-6 in 2008. Next, they will play the Jets at the Meadowlands again, before closing their season out by hosting the Steelers. A solid win for the Browns. As for the Giants, this was another disappointment in a season mostly full of them. They now have to travel to Baltimore to take on the suddenly hot Ravens, who simply crushed the Jaguars this weekend to earn their third straight season. The G-Men close out their season by hosting the Dallas Cowboys in the finale. Right now, it admittedly does not look like the Giants will be playing beyond that point, as their playoff chances are in serious jeopardy after two straight losses. My pick: Inaccurate
Baltimore 40, Jacksonville 14 – Not a real shocker here. The Ravens are the far better team, and are finally starting to gain momentum. The Jaguars, meanwhile, are likely the coldest team in the league, having dropped 13 straight. Now, they are tied with the Jets for the worst record in the league, and also have the dubious distinction of having the longest active losing streak, by far. Baltimore scored early and often, and cruised to a very convincing destruction of Jax, who simply had no answers on this day. With the win, the Ravens improved to 9-5 on the season, and are very much alive in the playoff picture. They next host the Giants, before closing out their season on the road against the Bengals. An 11-5 record is not out of reach, and if they keep winning, they might be one of the hottest and most dangerous teams entering the postseason. My pick: Accurate
Tampa Bay 31, Atlanta 27 – This game may very well typify both teams. The Bucs experiment with former Patriots now in their lineup was faltering and looking decidedly shaky earlier in the season, and they looked quite vulnerable after falling behind, 17-0, in this one. But the Falcons have gained a reputation for collapsing after taking big leads for years now. They gave up a 17-point lead at home to the 49ers in the 2012 NFC Championship, and then infamously lost after taking a 28-3 lead against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. In recent seasons, they also reinforced this reputation that no lead that they managed to build was necessarily safe. This was just the latest collapse, as the Bucs came roaring back, ultimately managing to just squeak out an improbable comeback win to improve to 9-5 on the season with a second straight win. As of right now, they remain in solid position to qualify for the postseason, and with two straight losses by the Saints, have pulled to within a game of the Saints in the NFC South. It is unlikely that they can win the division, as they would have to win out, and hope the Saints lose the remainder of their games, because New Orleans won both of their meetings against Tampa Bay. Still, this has been an impressive stretch for the Bucs, as their remaining two games are winnable. They travel to Detroit next weekend, and then host these same Falcons in the season finale. My pick: Accurate
Kansas City 32, New Orleans 29 – The Chiefs won the big showdown. They did some things that really kind of surprised me, hanging onto the ball for over 41 minutes, which is one of the most lopsided advantages in time of possession that I can remember seeing. In the process, the Chiefs produced 34 first downs, to just 15 for the Saints. Yet, this game still was a back and forth affair, with the Saints able to keep it close until the end. Still, the defending champs proved to be just a little bit too much for the Saints, who dropped their second straight game, and likely losing their chances at the number one seed in the NFC in the process. KC improves to 13-1 on the season, and will close out their regular season with two home games, first next week against the Falcons, and then hosting the Chargers in the regular season finale. With the loss, New Orleans now falls to 10-4 on the season. The Saints will next host the Vikings, before going to Carolina for their regular season finale.
Chicago 33, Minnesota 27 – This big and brutal NFC North battle featured two teams who came in with identical 6-7 records. Statistically, they were pretty much even in most key categories, as well. Yet, the Bears were able to jump ahead to a decent lead early, and then hung on, not allowing the Vikings efforts to mount a comeback to be completed. The Bears hung on for their most important single victory of this season so far, beating the Vikings on the road and exacting a measure of revenge for their earlier loss this season to Minnesota at Soldier Field. The Bears improve to 7-7, and remain in the playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Vikings fall to 6-8, and are pretty much done after a decent recovery from a disastrous 1-5 start to the season. Now, it appears indeed that the disastrous start proved too much for them to recover from. They will not be in the playoffs. As for the Bears, they are still very much in the hunt, as they travel to Jacksonville next week, and then host a Packers team that very well may have locked up home field advantage heading into the regular season finale. Chicago’s playoff chances seem to be improving almost by the day right now. A huge win for Da Bears! My pick: Inaccurate
Arizona 33, Philadelphia 26 – Philly lost again, and now their chances of winning the division, which is the only way that they can really qualify for the playoffs, are virtually done. They actually hung onto the ball longer than did Arizona, and they had no turnover, while the Cards had three of them. But still, the Cardinals produced enough offense and points to secure a key victory that keeps them very much alive, and in good shape, to secure a playoff spot, should they continue playing at the level that they are playing. The offense under Kyler Murray is now a force, and the defense does enough to give the team a chance. The Cardinals improve to 8-6 with this win, and will next host the 49ers, before heading to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in the regular season finale. For the Eagles, this likely was the knockout blow that assures that they will miss the playoffs, and will need to rebuild during the offseason. My pick: Accurate
Miami 22, New England 12 – The Bills won the AFC East this season, but they are not the only AFC East that passed the Patriots – the traditional powerhouse of this division for almost two decades now - this season. Indeed, the Dolphins are a winning team, and very much making a serious playoff run. This has been a strong season, a reversal of their normally dismal fortunes of recent seasons, but there was one thing missing: a win over the Patriots. They lost their season opener in New England by ten points. So now, they managed to beat the Pats at home by that same 10-point margin. In the process, the prevented New England from reaching the end zone, and dominated the time of possession battle, holding onto the ball for over 37 minutes. Miami improves to 9-5, but this was their last game. They will go to Las Vegas next, before ending their regular season at Buffalo. My pick: Accurate
Dallas 41, San Francisco 33 – This was a back and forth game until late, when the Cowboys were able to just put this game out of reach. Tony Pollard, playing in place of the injured Ezekiel Elliot, was solid, producing 69 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns, ultimately helping to lift Dallas over San Francisco. For the 49ers, this was the final nail in the coffin of what has been a difficult season, with this effectively eliminating them from playoff contention. Turnovers plagued them, and their defense was not able to stop a Dallas offense that was explosive at least on this day. As for the Cowboys, they improve to 5-9 on the season, moving into a tie for second place with the Giants, and also pulling within a game of the division leaders, Washington, in the watered down NFC East. But since they got swept by Washington, they have to hope that Washington loses out, and that they win out, for any chance at a division title and a playoff berth. The Cowboys will host Philadelphia before traveling to the Meadowlands to face the Giants in the season finale. My pick: Accurate
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