🏈🏈🏈🏈
Green Bay at Minnesota – Aaron Rodgers was not really himself last week. Maybe his bout with Covid-19 took something out of him. Maybe it was the pushback that he received after his foolish comments that betrayed his rather astounding ignorance on a lot of matters in an interview that he gave a couple of weeks ago. One way or the other, the Packers need him to get back into top form if they hope to still remain atop the race for the top seed in the NFC playoff race. The Packers have scored a total of 24 points in their last two games. Prior to that, the Packers had scored at least 24 points per game in their prior seven games, all of which they won. So they need Rodgers to not only be in the lineup, but to be in top form. As for the Vikings, they just earned an important win in Los Angeles against the Chargers, which keeps their admittedly slim playoff hopes alive. They have some tough games in the second half of the season, and there is little margin for error. But I feel that Minnesota has been very inconsistent. At their best, they can certainly win a game like this. But you just never know which Vikings team is going to show up. Still, with the Packers seemingly playing less than they were before, and with the Vikings feeding off the momentum from their big win last weekend, I see them taking this one. My pick: Minnesota
Detroit at Cleveland – A few years ago, I made a post about how this would be my dream Super Bowl. Obviously, it did not happen then, and it will not happen this season, either. Yet, one of these teams is vastly improved, as Cleveland qualified for the playoffs and won a game last year, and they hope to get back again this season. The Browns are coming off a humbling blowout loss at New England. The Lions, meanwhile, earned their first…well, non-loss of the season. It was not exactly a win, but a tie. At least they did not lose, so that is something. However, if Detroit wants to win this one, they have to play their best game of the season to date. In particular, their defense will have to hold the potentially explosive Browns offense in check, much like the Patriots did last weekend. But Detroit is not New England, so that is a tall order. Also, their offense has to score some points, which has not been easy for them. Only one team in the league – the Houston Texans – have scored less points than Detroit has so far this season. I would love to see both the Browns and Lions enjoy success, and in fact, still hope to see them in the Super Bowl together someday. This game obviously is not that big, but it is big for the Browns, who still can realistically make it to the postseason. So they are my pick to win this one. My pick: Cleveland
Baltimore at Chicago – The Ravens are desperately trying to stay among the elites in the AFC playoff race, while the Bears are simply trying to remain even remotely relevant, and not simply hang it up in mid-November and start thinking about next year already. But the Bears have been terrible on offense in particular, and have also dropped four straight games now. True, the Ravens are coming off a loss, but Chicago just seems to have zero momentum as they head into this game. While the Ravens clearly have some problems, particularly relying far too heavily on Lamar Jackson on offense, they nevertheless are still in good position to compete not only for a playoff spot, but to remain atop their division and possibly even contend for the top seed in the AFC playoffs. They have more incentive, and just feel like the better team overall, which is why they should come out on top. My pick: Baltimore
Houston at Tennessee – When I saw this game, my first reaction was to think “Yikes!” Then again, that is my reaction when the Texans play almost anyone these days. They are lucky that they won the first game of this season against Jacksonville, because that prevented them from being winless at this point. They may very well be the worst team in the NFL, despite the existence of a winless team at the moment. It feels like the Texans mat actually duplicate what Jacksonville did last year, which is to win their first game and lose all the rest of their games this season. Obviously, the Titans should be able to win this one, and easily at that. They are arguably the hottest team in the league, and are heads and shoulders better than Houston. Of course, they have to guard against overconfidence, and cannot simply overlook the Texans. Still, Houston is so bad that the Titans could play far below the level that they usually play at and still find a way to win. My pick for this win should have been obvious from the first. My pick: Tennessee
Miami at NY Jets – A few weeks ago, the Jets would have been the clear choice for this game. But now that the Dolphins have seemingly found themselves and won two straight games, they feel like a dangerous team. The Dolphins defense has really stepped up in recent weeks, and that is bad news for the Gang Green offense, which ranks near the bottom on offense, and has not worked out the kinks yet. At least the Jets have home field advantage, which should help. I would like to pick the Jets in this one, and hope that they manage to find a way to win it. Unfortunately, I just don’t expect them to do it. My pick: Miami
Indianapolis at Buffalo – It was getting scary there for a while with the Bills. They seemed to have gone from the team with all of the momentum, and some had already crowned them the best team in the NFL. But then, they struggled quite a bit for a while, and lost to the Titans and Jags within a few weeks of one another. They lost a lot of their early season momentum, and seemed to have lost a certain swagger and confidence. Last week, however, they crushed the Jets, and looked solid in so doing. So they should feel better about themselves now. Their opponents will not make it easy on them, though. The Colts seemed to have the opposite kind of season to the Bills, as they stumbled out of the gate to an 0-3 start, and were 1-4 just a few weeks ago, before the turnaround. Since then, they have won four of their last five games to get back to an even record at 5-5. Most people figured them to be a playoff contender, and they are looking like they just might be. So that makes this a big game for both teams. The Bills want to build on the blowout win against the Jets and get back to elite form, while Indy wants to stay hot and keep the playoff push alive. Hard to tell which scenario will play out, and it would not be surprising no matter which team gets the job done here. But my job here is to make a prediction, and as I look at the Bills, and how they finally played well last weekend, and now return home where they often play their best, and figure that they should pull this one off. The weather is not supposed to be either too cold or severe, but still, the Bills should be able to find a way to win, as they really are the better, more talented team. My pick: Buffalo
San Francisco at Jacksonville – The end result for this game might not actually be as obvious as it seems. On the one hand, the 49ers just won a big game against an elite division rival and appear to be playoff contenders, and were in the Super Bowl – and damn near won it – just two seasons ago. Meanwhile, the Jaguars are 2-7, were the worst team in the league last season, and just recently overcame a historic losing streak that reached 20 games. They are clearly still close to the bottom of the barrel in terms of where they are right now and where this season is headed, with no serious chance at qualifying for the playoffs. So when you look at it from that angle, the Jaguars sure appear to be hopelessly overmatched here in this one. Yet, the Jaguars have been coming on as of late. They beat Miami to end that historical losing streak, and then just beat the Bills a couple of weeks ago for their first win against a winning team in what feels like forever. They also played the Colts tough last weekend, not giving up after Indianapolis took a big lead early, and they really made the Colts fight for it. Also, the 49ers are not quite what they were during that Super Bowl season, and have had their share of problems throughout this season. They can score some points on any given game, but they can also allow some points, as well. For the most part, they area difficult team to read, and thus to make predictions for. Still, they have an impressive 3-1 road record to this point in the season, and heading into this one, they sure feel like the better overall team. While an upset can happen, and I do expect the Jaguars to give the Niners a hard time, I still nevertheless have to go with the team that figures to find a way to win, even under difficult circumstances. My pick: San Francisco
Washington at Carolina – This is not necessarily as easy a game to predict as some of the others. Both of these teams have shown inconsistency this season. Carolina has been very streaky, and you just never know which version of the team you are going to get. Meanwhile, Washington won the NFC East last season, despite having a 7-9 record. But they have looked mostly dismal this season. Yet, they just pulled off a huge win against the defending champion Buccaneers, and so should feel good heading into this game. However, they are on the road, and they still have a lot of issues, especially on defense. The Panthers are hardly the most explosive team in the league, but with Cam Newton suddenly looking back in top form, and running back Christian McCaffrey had a monster day, even though he was battling an injury, and then sustained yet another injury in that game. Still, it seems like he will play, and if he is anywhere near as effective as he was last weekend, and if Newton plays the way that he did, the Panthers should be able to get past Washington in this particular game. My pick: Carolina
New Orleans at Philadelphia – Both of these teams are rather difficult to figure out. Neither has been very consistent, showing glimpses of brilliance one moment, then suffering disappointment the next. The Saints looked fantastic just two weeks ago, and potentially ready to compete as one of the NFC’s elites, having knocked off both the Packers and the Bucs. Then came two straight losses, first an upset at home to the Falcons, and then last week’s heartbreaker in Tennessee. Now the Saints are just 5-4, and suddenly even qualifying for the playoffs no longer feel so automatic. Then you have the Eagles, who looked largely dead in the water after a dismal start, but who managed to play well in their last three games, winning two of them. Suddenly, the playoffs no longer looked like a laughable prospect for them, as it did earlier in the season. That would be especially true should they beat the Saints, because then the Eagles would look positively hot, and would have gotten the best of a team that looked like a serious playoff contender. So this game is actually rather huge for both teams. Home field advantage should really help the Eagles here, at least in theory, although I am not entirely sure it is enough to push them over the hump. After all, the Saints have a winning record on the road to this point, while the Eagles remain winless through four home games so far. The weather is supposed to be fairly mild, so it is not like the weather should be too much of a factor. Something tells me that the Saints will find a way to pull this one off, somehow. My pick: New Orleans
Cincinnati at Las Vegas – Interesting game. Both of these teams looked solid earlier this season, and they both have since struggled and suffered disappointments. The Bengals are an improved team, going from a perennial doormat to a team that has some real potential to compete for a playoff spot. The Raiders were good a few seasons ago, and have been knocking on the door more recently. In fact, they entered a game two weekends ago in sole possession of first place in the AFC West. But that feels like a long time ago already, because after two straight losses, they are behind the Chiefs and tied with the Chargers for second, and only half a game ahead of last place Denver. Cincy is in much the same boat, one game behind the division leading Ravens, but also only half a game ahead of last place Cleveland. And this game could prove critical to the playoff aspirations of both teams. Not sure how much home field advantage will help the Raiders or not in this one, because they are 3-2 at home, while the Bengals sport an identical 3-2 record on the road so far this season. And it is not like weather will be a factor under that dome, one way or the other. So it seems like the hungrier team, the team that wants it more, will win. The Raiders are a streaky team, and you just never know which version of the Silver and Black will show up. Right now, they are coming off two straight humbling losses, which means that they will either come out determined and firing on all cylinders, or continue the process of imploding and seeing a once promising season go by the wayside. My guess is that it will be the latter, and that the Bengals pull off the crucial road victory. My pick: Cincinnati
Dallas at Kansas City – This might just be the biggest and most highly anticipated game for this weekend. The Cowboys just might be the best team in the NFC right now, and certainly appear at the very least to be one of the NFC elites, along with the Packers and Cardinals and possibly the Rams. As for the Chiefs, everyone knows what they have achieved in the last three seasons, even though they hardly looked the part for much of this season. Yet, they finally seemed to have found some proper footing. They have their first winning streak of the season, now at three games, and they also finally scored some points last week, which made it feel reminiscent of the team that we got used to seeing in KC, and the team that most of us expected them to be this season. They scored 41 points, which is the second highest total so far for them this season. To put that in perspective, that is one more point that they managed to score in the three prior games combined, even though they won two of them. Now, whether or not that marks a real turnaround for this team, time will tell. But this is a huge test for them, as well as for the Cowboys. After all, Dallas has looked incredible thus far this season. They have shown that they can win no matter how they need to do it, whether in an offensive shootout or in a low-scoring, physical, defensive slugfest. Yet, some people have their doubts still about Big D, and those doubts will not be quieted should the Cowboys lose this one. So the stakes really could not be bigger for a mid-season game between two teams that not only are not in the same division, but not even in the same conference. Still, this game is big, because it is not unthinkable to think that this just might be a Super Bowl preview. Home field advantage should help the Chiefs, but it is not necessarily going to be the deciding factor. This is a really tough game to call, because either team could prove to be the stronger one. Both are very talented. For the Chiefs, this will be a tough test to show whether or not this recent turnaround is for real, or if it is simply just a brief glimpse of what could have been in a season that otherwise is heading towards disappointment. As for the Cowboys, a loss here would be the second one in a span of three games, and again, it would raise some serious questions and concerns. Statistically, the Cowboys appear to have the better defense, but of course they will have their hands full against the Chiefs offense. Technically, Dallas has the league’s best rated, highest-scoring offense heading into this game, so obviously the KC defense will be put to the test. Difficult as this game is to judge, my suspicion is that the Cowboys will find a way to achieve a huge win on the road that solidifies their status as one of this season’s true elites, and a Super Bowl favorite. My pick: Dallas
Arizona at Seattle – A big NFC West showdown. The Cardinals have had a couple of humbling losses recently, and so they would love to get back to playing as solidly as they did during that impressive 7-0 start to their season. The Seahawks, meanwhile, have suffered through a disappointing season. They entered it as the defending NFC West champions, and obviously hoped to win the division again, and at the very least, to get back to the playoffs. So far, it just is not looking promising, and they really have no more wiggle room left, if they want to realistically contend for the postseason. They are in dead last place in the division, and almost hopelessly behind the Rams and especially the Cardinals. The defense has not played too poorly, but the offense has been problematic all season. This is the first of two meetings between these two clubs, and I expect that the Cardinals come out swinging, and then hold off a Seattle rally, as their comeback attempt falls just short late in the game. My pick: Arizona
SNF: Pittsburgh at LA Chargers – An interesting game here. If this were being played in the Steel City, in the cold, it would feel like the home team should win. But this one will be played in LA, where weather is not a factor. The Chargers have a dangerous, potentially explosive offense, but you never know if they are going to really be on from a week to week basis. Also, they have not had a particularly impressive home record to date this season, and it makes you wonder just how well they will play in this one. They just suffered a sobering home loss last weekend to the Vikings, and so they need to find a way to win and get back on track to keep their course for the playoffs. A loss here would really begin to make their postseason aspirations questionable. As for the Steelers, they had to settle for a tie last week against the Lions, but it is important to remember that this team has not lost a game in well over a month now. They feel like the hotter team coming in, and my expectations would be for them to stay with the hot hand and pull off an impressive road win. My pick: Pittsburgh
MNF: NY Giants at Tampa Bay – The Giants return from their bye week, but they have to go to Tampa Bay to take on Brady and the defending champion Buccaneers to get back into the swing of things? Not easy. True, Tampa has lost to in a row, first at New Orleans and then, last weekend, at Washington. But they return home, where they have yet to lose a game this season. And you better believe that they will make adjustments. Also, the Giants are improving a bit, but they still suffer some lapses on both offense and defense. They have not shown much of a capacity to win on the road so far. The last time these two teams met in Tampa, the G-Men won a big one, overcoming an 18-point deficit. This time, however, it seems unlikely to expect a repeat. Look for the Bucs to get back on track, possibly in a big way. My pick: Tampa Bay
No comments:
Post a Comment