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NY Giants at Miami – I would love to predict my Giants pulling off a second straight win for the first time this season here. But the Dolphins are one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment, and that makes them a scary team. The G-Men may have enough to keep this one competitive. However, they will likely just not have quite enough offense to close out the deal. The Fins are just hot and playing some terrific football at the moment. That momentum, along with home field advantage, should help push them past the G-Men. I would like to say that Big Blue will win, but not this time. My pick: Miami
Philadelphia at NY Jets – I often use the term “Gang Green” for the Jets. But this is a battle of the two teams in green in the NFL. It is also a local rivalry, and these two teams I believe practice with one another, and always play a preseason game together every summer. So they are a bit more familiar with one another than most teams in different conferences would be. However, that does not necessarily give one or the other of these teams the obvious advantage. Home field advantage might help the Jets, but the Eagles seem to feel that the Meadowlands are almost like their second home, the loss to the Giants last weekend notwithstanding. Yes, the weather will not impact the visiting team too much, since they more or less come from a similar place, in terms of weather. And I am not sure how fired up Jets fans will be in December in a season where the Jets have been virtually eliminated from the playoffs since early November or so. Would love to pick an upset here, but I think that the Eagles are just the better team. They also have a greater sense of urgency, especially after suffering that loss last weekend in this very same stadium. I do not expect them to lose a second in a row here at the Meadowlands. My pick: Philadelphia
Indianapolis at Houston – The Colts have suffered some really painful losses this season, and these have pushed them to the edge. They really do not have much margin for error now, as the NFL enters the final full month of play. The loss last weekend at home to the Bucs was yet another painful setback. But this team should be able to recover this weekend, with one of the weakest teams in the league now to deal with. Of course, they cannot exactly think like that, especially since the Texans have actually been playing better in recent weeks, having pulled off a stunning upset in Tennessee, and then played well and competitive in an ultimately losing cause against the Jets. Still, the Colts just suffered through a disappointment, and they know how important each game, and each win, will be. And that is certainly what I personally expect from them this weekend a win. They are, simply put, the better team, and historically, they always seem to do well against the Texans. It would be surprising if Houston bucked that trend, so expect the same Indy dominance in this game. My pick: Indianapolis
LA Chargers at Cincinnati - Both teams really could use a win in this game. The Chargers are in an incredibly tight race in the AFC West. At their best, they can beat some good teams and surprise many people. However, they just do not seem to consistently play impressive football, which makes it difficult to pick them in games such as this. Cincy has really been coming on as of late, and at home, trying not just to improve their position in the playoff race, but with realistic hopes of winning the division, the Bengals should be able to take care of business in this home game. My pick: Cincinnati
Minnesota at Detroit - The Lions are getting desperate to notch that first win under their belt. Here we are in December, the third time since 2001 that this franchise has entered the final full month of regular season action still seeking their first win. This looks like it will be the seventh season since 2001 that the Lions will have posted three wins or less total in a season, which is frankly ridiculous, since that means that they have had among the very worst records in the league during those seasons. And many of the other seasons during that span were not particularly impressive, either, but were perhaps not quite as shockingly bad. Football fans in Detroit have suffered far too long, and deserve a better teams than this. It really is a shame that this team continues to struggle the way that they are struggling, year after year. Of course, they could put together their best game of the year and finally win one, which would be a nice early Christmas present for the home fans. However, predicting that would be madness at this point, as this team seems to get worse as the season has worn on. The Vikings are making a push to reach the playoffs, and barring a big letdown, they should be able to take the Lions here in this one. My pick: Minnesota
Tampa Bay at Atlanta - The Falcons are, rather shockingly, still in the thick of the playoff race in the weak NFC. After all of the losses and disappointments that we have seen from this team, the thought that they are still in contention for the postseason is indeed quite stunning. They may even be able to pull off upsets here and there, and maybe, just maybe, squeak their way in. This would be one of those games that would prove very helpful if they do indeed make a serious run for the second season. However, they just are not consistent enough to make picking them in this game feel like a wise choice. The Bucs are champions and in first place for a reason, and they should be able to remind everyone of exactly why this weekend. My pick: Tampa Bay
Arizona at Chicago - Yes, the Bears won on Thanksgiving Day, and yes, they are still in the playoff race in the NFC. However, that win snapped a losing streak of five games, and it was a narrow win against the league's only remaining winless team. The Bears have a lot of problems and weaknesses, and the Cardinals are, by contrast, one of the strongest teams in the league, and should be as well rested as they have been since the season started. This is one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL, believe it or not. And the Cardinals should beat the Bears in what used to be a hometown rivalry. My pick: Arizona
Washington at Las Vegas - Now this is an intriguing game. Washington is red hot, but they travel far out west to take on the Raiders, who are fighting for the playoffs as well as the possibility of taking the AFC West. However, the Silver and Black just have not shown consistency. Their offense has struggled at times this season, and they face one of the toughest defenses in the league in this game. I suspect an impressive road win for the visitors from the capital city. My pick: Washington
Jacksonville at LA Rams - The Rams have gone through a tough stretch, and their recent losses have dropped them from among the elites in the NFC, and forced questions about some of the seeming weaknesses within this team that their early 7-1 start perhaps had hidden. While the Jaguars definitely look like they are improving, they still have a lot of work to do. A road game on the West Coast against a talented team starving for a win to perhaps get back into the race for the NFC West or even the number one seed in the NFC is perhaps asking a little much from Jax. The timing of this game should feel like an early X-Mas gift for the home team. My pick: LA Rams
Baltimore at Pittsburgh - The Ravens are in first place, in their division and for the AFC's top seed. Yet, their hold on first place feels delicate. They seem to barely scrape by week after week, and a single loss would loosen their grip on first place almost instantly. So that makes their position precarious. They go on the road to play the Steelers, who have seen their own season get flipped with a three game winless stretch. They are still in the playoff picture, but if they do not manage to turn things around, and soon, that might not be the case for too much longer. These two teams are obviously familiar with one another. Traditionally, the Steelers seem to get the better of this rivalry. However, the Ravens feel like the better team, and certainly also seem like the team riding the high of momentum, which should help them escape another game with a narrow win here in this one. My pick: Baltimore
San Francisco at Seattle - When these two teams met earlier this season, the Seahawks handed the 49ers a loss at home. They meet today in Seattle, but the two teams are in vastly different places. The Seahawks, last season's NFC West champions, keep losing, and have one of the worst records in the NFC. San Fran, meanwhile, are hot, probably one of the hottest teams in the league. They are healthy finally, and they are on a roll. The Seahawks should be better than their present record suggests, but it just seems like they do not show how capable and talented they are on a week to week basis. It feels like they will fall short again this week as well. my pick: San Francisco
SNF: Denver at Kansas City - The Broncos and Chiefs meet before a national television audience at Arrowhead Stadium, and the stakes are quite high. KC maintains a hold on first place in the AFC West, but a loss here, and it is entirely possible that all four teams could be tied for both first and last place in the division. However, it seems unlikely that this will happen, and not just because it requires the other team AFC West teams to win. The Chiefs are well-rested, and after seemingly not being able to get things together and show just what they are capable of earlier this season, it feels like KC is now finding their footing, and beginning to gain momentum in their playoff run. With each week and each win, their old confidence and swagger from recent seasons in the not so distant past are starting to return. They should be able to win this one, as well, which should help strengthen their hold on the division, as well as the overall playoff picture. My pick: Kansas City
MNF: New England at Buffalo – This just might be the most highly anticipated game for this coming weekend. Certainly, it is a game that I will look forward to watching. The resurgent New England Patriots have won six straight games to take the lead in the AFC East. In fact, in the last few weeks, the Pats and the Bills have taken turns with the AFC East lead. Buffalo seemed to own the lead ever since week 2, until just a couple of weekends ago. The Pats temporarily took the lead with a win. Then the Bills retook the lead in the division with a Thanksgiving Day win, only to see the Pats once again retake the lead themselves with a win last weekend. Now, however, the two teams face each other for the first time this season, and sole possession of the AFC East lead for the winner hangs in the balance. Also, perhaps the inside track on taking a commanding lead in the division race that might – just might – last, especially if the Pats win, as they are currently half a game ahead of Buffalo, and get to host the Bills in the second meeting between the two teams just a few weeks from now. The Pats are surging, but this really feels like the toughest test that they have had since their rise this season. As for the Bills, they have been quite inconsistent ever since that devastating loss to the Titans. They have, at times, shown glimpses of the brilliance that they displayed earlier this season, when many felt that they ranked among the very best teams in the entire league, if not outright the best. Yet there are other times when it feels decidedly different, even discouraging, like when they lost to the Jaguars in a game where neither team broke through to score a touchdown. They had lost three of four before the win on Thanksgiving, but a win against New England would indeed go a long way towards helping complete their recovery, and giving them back a bit of that swagger from earlier in the season. On the other hand, should the Bills lose once again, then that would translate to four losses in a span of six games, and they will have given up still more ground to the surging Patriots. Clearly, that is not something that they want or perhaps even can afford, especially with the road trip to Foxboro looming for the second meeting between these two franchises. This game is a huge showdown, but it feels quite a bit more urgent for the hometown Bills, given the stakes. It really depends on how the Bills handle this, I think. This is a lot of pressure, and either they thrive and prove to the sports world that they still indeed rank among the AFC elites, or they continue their struggles considerably. These are exactly the kinds of games that make the end of the season so intriguing. My pick: Buffalo
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