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Green Bay 24, Cleveland 22 - Predictably, the Browns season is pretty much over. Oh, they still have a chance, at least officially. But they are now too far behind in the AFC North to realistically have reasonable expectations to win the division title. Ditto for the final spot in the AFC playoffs. Those will go to other AFC teams. You just cannot keep screwing up, as Cleveland has done this season, and then expect a last minute miracle to happen.
Cleveland dropped their second straight game, although they did manage to keep it close. However, despite completing 21 of 36 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, Baker Mayfield also threw four INT's. That proved to be a killer on a day when the Browns offense actually had the Packers defense on it's heels otherwise. Cleveland held onto the ball for the better part of 32 minutes, outgained the Packers 408 yards and 28 first downs to just 311 yards and 19 first downs.
Still, it was the Packers who emerged victorious on what proved to be a wonderful night for Packers fans in Green Bay. Their team won a very important regular season meeting, and saw Aaron Rodgers set a new franchise record with his 443 touchdown pass, surpassing the old mark held by the man he replaced, Packers legend Brett Favre, who was there at Lambeau Field last night to congratulate the man who took his starting job as Packers QB.
For the Packers, a win here improves their overall record to 12-3 on the season, as they are now approaching that top seed throughout the NFC playoffs - not to mention the best overall record in the league - for a second straight season. They were the first team this season to clinch a playoff spot, and are the only team to have already clinched a division title.
As for the Browns, this second straight loss drops them to 7-8 on the season, as they fall even farther behind in both the playoff race and the division title hopes. Although they have not officially been knocked out, the feeling after this one was that this pretty much ended what flickering dreams they were desperately trying to keep alive.
My pick: Accurate
Indianapolis 22, Arizona 16- The Colts did what they do best. They played the most basic style of football, without trying to be fancy or cute. Just a tough, physical game, with Jonathan Taylor pounding out 108 yards on 27 carries.
Overall, the Colts held onto the ball for over 35 minutes, gaining 378 yards and 20 first downs. The Cardinals were not too far behind with 346 yards and the same number of first downs. Neither team committed a turnover in this game.
But in a game with some momentum swings, the Colts avoided allowing the Cardinals to go on any sort of run. They basically were in control for most of the game, dictating the tempo of the game. Nothing particularly spectacular. But it was enough to provide the Colts with a win, even though Indy was hardly at full strength. That was what made this victory particularly impressive.
Now, the Colts improve to 9-6 on the year, and look to be in very good shape to qualify for the playoffs. A division title seems unlikely, but the Colts will likely enter the postseason with momentum, and a sense of being that dangerous kind of team that nobody wants to have to face.
As for the Cardinals, they started this season off incredibly hot, racing off to an undefeated 8-0 start. But man, have they ever lost momentum since then! This was their third straight loss, and their fifth loss in the past seven games. That means two wins in the past almost two months, and the season is rapidly coming to a close. This time, they lost at home to a Colts team that was not even at full strength. In the process, they lost control of the NFC West, and now find themselves having to hope that someone does them a favor and knocks off the Rams. Either way, Arizona just is not looking especially solid right at the moment.
My pick: Accurate
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