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Detroit 29, Minnesota 27 – The Lions finally did it! They finally earned their first win of the season. It was a close one, to be sure. But they held on to finally get that win, so the monkey is off their back. My pick: Inaccurate
Philadelphia 33, NY Jets 18 – The Jets were playing fairly well early, and looked capable of pulling off what might have proven to be a big upset, and handed Philly a devastating loss. But the Eagles got things going before too long, and really were on a roll. The offense clearly found their rhythm, and the Jets defense simply had no answers to stop the Eagles explosive offense. Once Philly got on a roll, they just seemed unstoppable. The better team won this one. My pick: Accurate
Miami 20, NY Giants 9 – The G-Men played quite well on defense. This was a much lower scoring game than I had expected, personally, and a large part of that was because of how well the Big Blue defense played, stepping up in a big way. Still, it was not quite enough, as the Dolphins managed t win to stay hot. They have now won five straight games, and find themselves closing in on the reeling Bills for second place in the AFC East. My pick: Accurate
Tampa Bay 20, Atlanta 17 – This proved to be a tough game, and the Bucs really had tom work for this one. Still, in the end, they did what they had to do, and it was enough to win. Just enough to win, it should be said. However, with the win, the Bucs stay hot and extend their winning streak to three games, improving to 9-3 on the season, as they are edging ever closer to the NFC South title, which is just a formality at this point. For the Falcons, this loss really sets them back, as they would miss the playoffs if the season ended today. My pick: Accurate
Indianapolis 31, Houston 0 – Wow! If you are a Colts fan, this is exactly the kind of outcome that you wanted, and perhaps even expected. The Colts went on the road and completely dominated a weak Texans team in Houston. They scored a touchdown in each quarter, and completed a shut out for the Texans, who suffered the indignity of having this handed to them in front of their hometown fans. Indy was in complete command of this game from the first, controlling the ball for well over 41 minutes, piling up 389 yards of total offense, including 26 first downs. Contrast that with just 141 yards and nine first downs by Houston. The Texans suffered two turnovers, while the Colts just had one. This outcome really was never in doubt, as the Colts came out swinging, knocking the Texans down early, and just never really allowing them to get back up and make it close to being a really competitive game. Impressive win for the Colts, who remain very much in the playoff hunt. My pick: Accurate
Pittsburgh 20, Baltimore 19 – A loss here would likely have ended any realistic hopes for a division title, or even a playoff berth, or the Steelers. Instead, they squeak by the Ravens by a single point, and that coupled with the loss by the Bengals put Pittsburgh right back in the thick of things again. As for the Ravens, thy had been looking like a shaky top seed in the AFC playoff race, so this was not exactly a shock, or anything. They had been looking shaky, admittedly, for a while now. A loss felt like it was overdue, although even then, the Ravens very nearly won this one. These two teams will face one another again in the regular season finale, which will be hosted by Baltimore. My pick: Inaccurate
Arizona 33, Chicago 22 – The Cardinals took advantage of the things that they had to take advantage of. They faced a weaker team on the road, and in the cold weather of the Windy City, yet they took care of business and won. It could have been a dangerous game, a letdown, possibly, against a team with not much to lose and willing to take chances to keep their slim and flickering playoff hopes alive. My pick: Accurate
LA Chargers 41, Cincinnati 22 - Another outcome that I just did not see coming. The Chargers took this game by the throat early, and never really loosened their grasp. Each time that the Bengals seem to have taken a leap into top contender, they take a step backwards. This was a big one. What a win for the Chargers, though! My pick: Inaccurate
Seattle 30, San Francisco 23 – The Seahawks handed the 49ers a rather surprising loss. Not a shocker, exactly, because Seattle had, after all, beaten the 49ers earlier this season to show that they could do it. But as mentioned in the preview, these were two different trams back then. Fact is that the 49ers were on a real roll heading into this game. Meanwhile, the Seahawks had really been slumping, falling to 3-8 and, for all intents and purposes, looked altogether out of the playoff picture. But Seattle can be a tough place for road teams to play, and the Seahawks showed why in this one. The offense suddenly found their rhythm, and looked like they did last season, when they were among the relative elite teams in the regular season. With the win, the Seahawks improve to 4-8 on the season, although they remain pretty well out of the playoff picture, at least for the time being. As for San Francisco, this was a pretty devastating loss that ended a pretty decent winning streak. It sets them back a bit in the playoff race, although they still would qualify for the postseason if the season were to end tomorrow. There was one aspect of this game that was downright scary. It happened on the game’s very first play, on the opening kickoff. A 49ers player, running back Trenton Cannon, was accidentally hit by how own teammate, but it seemed to be a scary head and neck injury. He did not move, and an ambulance came right onto the field and took him to a nearby hospital. As it turns out, it was a concussion, and not apparently more serious than that, although it sure appeared to be at first. He stayed in Seattle overnight for evaluation, but it appears that he is going to be okay, for which we should feel grateful. Very scary moment. My pick: Inaccurate
LA Rams 37, Jacksonville 7 – This game featured the result that you would expect, and certainly what Rams fans wanted from this game. They needed a decisive, exclamation point kind of win in this one, and man, they certainly got it. The Rams held onto the ball for over 35 minutes and gained 418 yards and 24 first downs on offense. Compare that to just 197 yards and 14 first downs for Jax. Then add the two turnovers by the Jaguars, and none by the Rams, and you begin to understand how this game was so one-sided. Yes, the Rams completely dominated, especially in the second half. Of course, they went into the locker rooms at halftime with a commanding 16-7 lead, but they showed a definite killer instinct in the second half, with three unanswered touchdowns to not only put the game out of reach, but assure the blowout win. It was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Rams, who had snapped a three game losing streak. That, coupled with the loss by the 49ers this weekend, gives the Rams a little bit of cushion for the second place in the NFC West, as well as the playoff race overall. They have to be feeling a lot better about their season now than they did before this weekend, because they certainly got the job done in this one, at the very least. My pick: Accurate
Washington 17, Las Vegas 15 – Washington has played some fairly memorable games against the Raiders over the years. Of course, they played in a Super Bowl together, which qualifies as memorable. Washington were the defending champions and heavily favored, but the Raiders steamrolled them on that day. Some years later, the two teams met late in the 1992 regular season finale, with Washington again the defending Super Bowl champions and also again favored, and on the cusp of qualifying for the postseason. But the Raiders kept it close, and beat them on a beautiful touchdown very late in the game, although Washington still qualified for the playoffs, albeit by kind of getting lucky and backing in. Now, the two teams met again. Washington and the Raiders met when the Raiders were in Oakland, then in Los Angeles, then Oakland again, and now, for the first time, they met in Las Vegas. Both of these teams are legitimate playoff contenders. If the season had ended before this past weekend, Washington would already have qualified for the postseason, and the Raiders would have been right there, as well, just outside, but on the top of the list of teams. But Washington is on a tear right now, having won four straight after this Raiders game. They won again by controlling the ball for almost 34 minutes and taking better advantage of their scoring opportunities. The Raiders actually slightly outgained Washington and the two teams were fairly even in terms of first downs earned. Also, Washington committed a turnover, while the Raiders played turnover free. You might think that the Raiders should have won. Indeed, it was a tight game, and it probably really could have gone either way. But in an evenly fought contest, Washington’s momentum brought them success. The ball bounced their way in this game, and they were able to thwart a serious Raiders comeback attempt in the fourth with a very late field goal to put them up by two, then held on for the win to stay hot. They improve to 6-6 on the season and strengthened their playoff positioning in the NFC with this win, and the loss by San Francisco. As for the Raiders, they fall to 6-6, and now find themselves behind both the Steelers and the Colts in the AFC playoff picture. Hard to believe that they were 5-2, and one of the hottest teams in the league just weeks ago. A once promising season feels like it is slipping away from the Silver and Black. My pick: Accurate
SNF: Kansas City 22, Denver - This was more or less the kind of result we were expecting. Perhaps a little more offense from the Chiefs. Then again, let’s face it: KC’s offense has not really resembled the dangerous and explosive unit that we grew used to seeing in the past few seasons. Still, they showed signs of life right when they needed to and with the defense suddenly stepping up in a big way, it proved to be more than enough. Denver’s offense just did not really show much, and Bridgewater threw some key INT’s at critical times, preventing the Broncos from being able to mount a serious comeback. My pick: Accurate
MNF: New England 14, Buffalo 10 – Just when everybody thought that they were finally rid of the Patriots, they mount a six game winning streak, and then go into Buffalo and hand the Bills a truly devastating loss. Now, Belichick and the Pats have won seven straight games, and are presently the AFC’s number one seed. It almost feels like there was just that brief bit of interruption before New England begins dominating the AFC again, no? As for the Bills, they have had some disappointments this season, but nothing quite like this. Losing at home to the Pats, and now finding themselves fully a game and a half behind in a division race that, at one point, they seemed almost to be running away with themselves is pretty devastating. It felt like last season’s tremendously successful season trumpeted in a new era for the AFC East, in post-Patriots dominance. But now, that no longer looks like a certainty. The Patriots defense really put on a clinic in this one, holding the Bills potentially explosive offense to a pedestrian 10 points total. With the win, the Patriots improve to 9-4, the best mark in the AFC at the moment, and remain unbeaten on the road after six road games. They also will head into their bye week feeling very good, with a chance to rest before the final stretch, when they try to outright clinch the AFC East division title. As for the Bills, this was a disappointing loss, obviously, as they drop to 7-5. They will face the Patriots again in a few weeks, on the day after Christmas (Boxing Day in other English-speaking countries) and so their division hopes are not done. And at the very least, they certainly appear to be headed to the playoffs for what would be a fourth time in a span of five seasons. Still, this has to have shaken them up, to be sure. A devastating loss for the hometown Bills. The weather in Buffalo was brutal for this game, even by Buffalo standards. That’s saying something, because the Buffalo area is hardly known, of course, as a tropical paradise. With this loss, the Bills not only fall farther behind the Patriots, but drop down all the way to the seventh and final AFC playoff spot for the moment. They are going through a swoon, and it comes at a bad time, as not one, but two teams in their division are surging. The Patriots have won seven straight, which qualifies as the longest active win streak in the league. But the Dolphins have won five in a row, and what seemed truly unthinkable even just a few weeks ago – Miami catching Buffalo for second place in the division – is no longer beyond everyone’s wildest imagination. After all, the Bills once owned a 2 ½ game lead over New England, and lost it. They are still ahead of Miami, but only by a game and a half now, and the Dolphins will play the Jets and the Saints in their next two games which feel like very winnable games. They do have to go to Tennessee, but then host the Pats in the regular season finale, and if New England has already clinched everything that they can clinch going into that game, they might rest their starters, which would seem to make that a winnable game, as well. My pick: Inaccurate
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