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Chicago 16, Detroit 14 – The Lions really looked like they had this one. Once again, they were winning this game until the final play of the game. And once again, their opponents ended up winning with a field goal attempt that split the uprights. Yes, unfortunately for Lions fans, the Bears won this one. They did it with a dominant third quarter, where they outscored the Lions 13-0. That might not sound like all that much, except that these two teams have among the worst offenses in the entire league. So 13 points is a veritable explosion. Case in point, despite Chicago’s only points scored outside of the second quarter being that winning field goal on the game’s final play. Those 13 points in the second quarter, and the field goal in the final seconds, was enough to win it. Yet, despite the decidedly few points that these two teams put on the scoreboard, the Bears did come up with some impressive numbers. They held onto the ball for almost 33 minutes and produced 378 yards of offense, as well as 21 first downs. Compare that to just 239 yards of total offense and 14 first downs for Detroit. Andy Dalton led the Chicago offense, and he looked reminiscent of his Cincinnati days, completing 24 of 39 passes for 317 yards, with one touchdown, as well as one INT. Not Hall of Fame numbers, but certainly enough to push the Bears past the Lions in this one, and complete the season sweep. It also keeps the Lions winless, as they fall to 0-10-1 on the year now, and remain the league’s only winless team. Looking at their remaining schedule, it is really difficult to see where they might earn their first win of the season, because none of their remaining games look particularly easy. Perhaps at Atlanta on Christmas weekend, but even that is far from a given. As for Chicago, this win stops the bleeding for now, ending a losing streak that had grown to five games. They improve 4-7 on the season, and while they remain very much on the outside looking in for the overall playoff picture, this at least keeps their very slim chances alive, at least as we enter December. My pick: Inaccurate
Las Vegas 36, Dallas 33 (OT) – This was not the result that I was expecting. Also, it sure feels like the Cowboys are going through some major issues at the moment. After the disappointment in losing to the Chiefs in Kansas City, the 'Boys needed to rebound with a solid win, or at least a win. But they failed. It was a back and forth game, a shootout that was heavy on offense and a little too light for my tastes on defense. Surprisingly, despite being a back and forth game, the Raiders never railed at any point, although Dallas did manage to tie the game a couple of times in the fourth quartet, and they managed to keep it close when the Raiders were threatening to pull away. The Raiders held onto the ball for over 39 minutes including the overtime session. More impressively, they compiled a total of 509 yards on offense, and 28 first downs. Derek Carr completed 24 of 39 passes for 373 yards and a touchdown. The Dallas offense, meanwhile, held onto the ball for under 27 minutes including the overtime session, and earned 437 yards and 23 first downs. Dak Prescott completed 32 of 47 passes for 375 yards and two touchdowns, but it was obviously not enough. With the win, the Raiders stop a three game skid that was threaten2ing to push them too far behind to realistically stay in the AFC West race, and possibly even the AFC playoff picture, had it kept going much longer. They now rejoin the family of teams with winning records and realistic playoff hopes. As for Big D, this loss continues the trend of them showing signs of a lack of stability, as they have now dropped three of their last four games. They fall to 7-4, and while they remain comfortably ahead in the NFC East, they no longer as so far ahead of the rest of the pack that it is almost unthinkable to think that another team could possibly catch up, particularly the Eagles, who are two games behind, but host the Cowboys in the regular season finale. The Cowboys will also have to face rising Washington twice, and that no longer looks like a sure win for Dallas, either. Still, if the Cowboys correct their current problems and get back to winning football games, they should still be able to pull out the NFC East title, and rank among the elites in the NFC in terms of overall seeding come January. But they have to fix the problems that have prevented them from continuing their earlier level of success, when they raced out to a 6-1 start. My pick: Inaccurate
Buffalo 31, New Orleans 6 – This was the one game where I picked right. Yes, the Bills effectively crushed the Saints in New Orleans, which helps them get back on track a bit, despite the still worrying problems that they suffered through. The Bills really left no doubt in this one. The offense showed signs of life, and the defense pretty well shut down the Saints offense. Buffalo held onto the ball for over 34 minutes, gaining 361 yards and 21 first downs, to just 190 yards and 12 first downs for New Orleans. Yes, the Bills offense seemed to find itself a bit in this game, and their defense was really on point. In fact, they were pitching a shutout until the first play of the fourth quarter, when the Saints finally managed to get on the scoreboard. But it was not enough to get them back into this game, and yet another touchdown by the Bills in answer just a few minutes later pretty well assured not only that they would win, but that they would do so by blowout, as well. Not much good to take away for Saints fans from this game, but Bills fans can surely get excited about this big road win that gets the Bills back on track. Hopefully, anyway. At the very least, this was the tonic that they needed at this point in time. My pick: Accurate
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