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New Orleans at NY Jets – The Jets are suffering another bad season, justifying those who feel that J-E-T-S stands for Just End The Season. However, the Saints have seen a once very promising season spiral out of control pretty badly with an active losing streak that has now reached five straight games, and is threatening to knock them out of playoff contention altogether if they do not start winning in a hurry. But their playoff hopes are starting to feel slim and flickering. Frankly, they cannot be relied on to win any game, the way that they are playing. Then again, of course, neither can the Jets. They won a couple of weeks ago in Houston, but their season really has been nothing to write home about or want to remember. Overall, the Saints are still the better team, and they need this one far more than Gang Green does, since the Jets have been realistically out of the playoff picture since maybe late October, if not earlier. Look for the Saints to find a way in this one. My pick: New Orleans
Las Vegas at Kansas City – The Chiefs are not playing as well as perhaps we expected, and their record is likely not as solid as many had believed it would be. Yet, they are in first place, and appear to be getting hot, with four straight wins now. Despite some setbacks, they are nevertheless in sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Their offense has not looked as incredible as in recent seasons, yet their defense has been stepping up in a big way in recent weeks, allowing this team to continue excelling and winning. The Raiders, meanwhile, are going in the opposite direction. They were 5-2 just a little over one month ago, and themselves in sole possession of first place. But four losses in a span of five games have seen the Silver and Black on the cusp of irrelevancy, and they need to turn things around in a hurry. But they just cannot seem to find too much in the way of optimism, because neither their defense nor their offense shows up and plays well on a weekly basis. The defense played well against Washington, but the offense did not. Their offense, which earlier this season looked like an explosive unit, has reached the 20-point threshold once during this recent five game swoon, and that is just not good enough. The Raiders may prove to be more competitive than they were in the embarrassing 41-14 beatdown that they suffered at home when these two teams met last month, but they likely will not be able to nearly enough to pull off what would be a shocking win here in this one. My pick: Kansas City
Seattle at Houston – The Seahawks finally won a big game, which allowed this team to get a little bit of air and not have their playoff hopes choked out just yet. But they are on the edge of that abyss, and have really no margin for error. Luckily, they likely will not need too much to get past the Texans, who are one of the very worst teams in the league this season, having won just two games so far. The Seahawks have been struggling recently, but their offense finally looked sharp last week against the Niners. Look for the offense to look good once again, and for the Seahawks to pile it on a bit against a weak opponent. My pick: Seattle
Jacksonville at Tennessee – On any given Sunday, one team can beat another. And honestly, the Jaguars could play spoilers in this one. The Titans have dropped their last two games, and arguably, have not played very well since an impressive road win against the Rams, although that was over a month ago. But the Titans are rested, and they are at home against an opponent who is both familiar and weak. Those two things, coupled with the sense of urgency that the Titans are surely feeling, should help to lift them to a win here in this one. My pick: Tennessee
Baltimore at Cleveland – The Ravens were flirting with a loss that would knock them from their hold on the top seed in the AFC, and they finally did indeed lose. Now, they head to Cleveland to take on the Browns, who fought hard but lost in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago. They had a bye, and now get to host the Ravens, and try and hand their division rivals the first back-to-back losses for them this season. They can do it, too, but they better find a lot more offense than their have in their last three games, where they have scored a total of 27 points, which means that they have averaged nine points per game during that stretch. Look for a low-scoring game, with both teams having a chance late to win it. But in the end, the team that has shown more consistency still remains the Ravens, and that is why they are my pick in this one. My pick: Baltimore
Dallas at Washington – Now this is a huge game! Washington is one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment, with four straight wins. This streak has catapulted them from being one of those irrelevant teams seemingly destined to fight for a high draft pick to a team that sure seems headed to the postseason. Meanwhile, the Cowboys went from an impressive 6-1 start, and seemingly having the division all but officially locked up, to needing this win to continue to enjoy some margin for comfort. If they lose, a lead that once looked frankly insurmountable suddenly is down to one game, with a meeting between the two teams looming just two weeks later. So again, this game is really big, and has many implications for both the playoff picture, as well as the division race. And this is where I will pick my upset special, as the Cowboys seem overdue for a big win that might remind people of how explosive and solid they can be. My suspicion is that they come fully awake for this one, knowing how much is at stake, and they earn a huge win to once again make the NFC East belong to them. My pick: Dallas
Atlanta at Carolina – Two teams with very little margin for error meet in what turns out to be a rather big divisional showdown. The Falcons have been a bit hotter as of late, although they still feel a bit suspect. There really have not been many games where you expect them to lose that they have actually won. They are better on the road than they are at home, for whatever the reason, and that should help. The Panthers looked really good a few weeks ago in handing the Cardinals a shocking loss in Arizona, so they have some talent and can beat teams when they play their best. However, they have lost two straight, and this could make it a third straight loss, which would likely be critical to their playoff hopes. This could go either way, and it should be a close, hard fought contest. My pick: Carolina
NY Giants at LA Chargers – The G-Men are suffering through a rough season. Their offense has not been good, and their defense has not always been able to make up for it. This team also has been particularly bad on the road, winning just one of their six road games thus far. Now, the Chargers are hardly unbeatable at home, as well, having compiled a .500 record in Los Angeles. But they are the better team, and have much more at stake entering this game, as they try to position themselves both for the playoff and division race. The hometown team should be able to pull off a win here in this one. My pick: LA Chargers
Detroit at Denver – Well, the Lions finally earned their first – and so far, only – win to this point in the season. But now, they go to the Mile High City to face a Denver Broncos team that is very much in the AFC playoff race, and even still possible contenders for the AFC West division title. The Broncos did not play especially well against the Chiefs last week, and they want to bounce back and get back to winning. Remember, the Broncos have earned some impressive wins, such as against Washington and Dallas and the Chargers. But they also have some losses that have made them look bad, as well. Still, don’t expect them to suffer a letdown here in this one, with all that is at stake for the Broncos. My pick: Denver
San Francisco at Cincinnati -This is one of the rivalries – if you can consider it a rivalry – that shaped my impressions of the NFL in the early years. The first Super Bowl I ever saw was between these two teams, and they met in the biggest game twice back in the eighties. It always seems like the 49ers have handed the Bengals some devastating losses. Indeed, if the Niners win again here, it would be yet another devastating loss that San Fran would provide in this rivalry. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses, but they both have realistic playoff hopes still. Big game for both teams, in other words, and neither can afford to lose more ground against teams in their own division. My pick: San Francisco
Buffalo at Tampa Bay – The Bills are having a rough go of it lately. This team figured to be one of the top contenders in the league, a team with a real chance at going all the way, getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time in decades, and this time, hopefully, winning it. But they sure do not look that great right now. They just lost a crushing defeat to their division rivals, and traditional tormentors, the New England Patriots. Belichick continues to enjoy some huge success when playing up in Buffalo. Now, it is gut check time for the Bills. If they are indeed legitimate contenders, it is time for them to show it, and put their problems behind them, before it is too late. It needs to start here, in Tampa against the defending champions, which would be a huge win. Unfortunately, Tom Brady has also traditionally tormented the Bills throughout his career, and it seems likely that he will do it again here. Would love to pick the Bills for the win here, but unfortunately, it does not feel like they are suddenly going to fix all of their problems, especially not with a team like the Bucs. My pick: Tampa Bay
SNF: Chicago at Green Bay – The NFL’s oldest rivalry gets renewed here. The Bears visit the Packers at Lambeau Field, where they never seem to enjoy any real success these days. Frankly, the way this season has been going for these two teams, that does not seem like it is about to change. Green Bay should have plenty enough to take care of a still relatively weak Bears team that is still just trying to find it's identity at this point. Should be a convincing win for the Pack. My pick: Green Bay
MNF: LA Rams at Arizona Cardinals – For the Cardinals, who host the Rams in this game, this very well might mean the NFC West division title. Maybe not officially, at least not yet. But if they beat the Rams here in this one, it will complete the season sweep of the Rams, and give them a prohibitive three game lead, plus the tiebreak advantage, with four games remaining, which would pretty much be game, set, and match. As for the Rams, they finally won an important game last week, but need to prove to themselves, if not others, that they can win a big game against a good team. They don’t get too much better than the Cardinals, who sport the best record in the league at 10-2 right now. They have that explosive offense, and a surprisingly tough defense, as well. They also beat the Rams in the first meeting of the season, at Los Angeles, and did so rather convincingly, to boot. Now they are at home. And while I do not expect a blowout, necessarily, a Cardinals win does seem likely. My pick: Arizona
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