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Indianapolis 27, Tampa Bay 20 - This felt like a meeting between two teams heading in the opposite direction. The Bucs have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, and with a weak division, their fast start this season raised hopes for success. Meanwhile, the Colts had a disastrous season last year, and nobody expected much from them this season, either. But the Bucs have not won much since that fast start, while the Colts earned their third straight win and appear to be in the thick of the AFC playoff picture at the moment with this win. My pick: Accurate
NY Giants 10, New England 7 - The G-Men won again. A serious question, though, is whether or not this is even such a great thing. After all, they are not a very good football team. And beating up on some really weak teams - and shockingly, the Patriots qualify as such - is possibly hurting their shot at a higher draft pick, and some serious help, perhaps especially at the QB position. This was an ugly win on a cold and miserable, wet day, so it was fitting in that regard. Still, a win is a win, and the Giants managed another one. My pick: Accurate
Jacksonville 24, Houston 21 - The Texans definitely had their chances. They seemed to be in position to possibly win this game, although Jax had played well throughout, and looked determined to win this very important divisional showdown. They hung on for an important road win, and now enjoy a comfortable two game lead over both the Texans and the Colts in the AFC South. As for the Texans, they are a team on the rise, but this felt like one of those inevitable setbacks. My pick: Accurate
Pittsburgh 16, Cincinnati 10 - Predictably, the Steelers earned a win against the weakened and much diminished Bengals. Cincy could not find much offense against the tough defense of the Steelers, and they just could not get anything going at the end, with the game on the line. They are in last place in the division, and their fortunes are sinking fast. My pick: Accurate
Tennessee 17, Carolina 10 - Hardly an electrifying win for the Titans. Yet at this point, with a season which has not gone at all the way that they had hoped, they will take what they can get. The Panthers fought and played tough, but they still own the league's worst record at the moment. My pick: Accurate
Atlanta 24, New Orleans 15 - This was more or less what most people would have expected from this one. Neither particularly high-scoring nor low-scoring. Nothing spectacular or even especially memorable. But a solid game at home for the Falcons leads to a win over the Saints. And a very important one, at that, as now the two teams are tied atop the NFC South with identical 5-6 records. These two teams will meet again in the final week of regular season, and it just might be for the division title. Meanwhile, what a solid win for the Falcons. My pick: Accurate
Denver 29, Cleveland 12 - Don't look now, but the Broncos suddenly are hot. They have looked very good in recent weeks, after a disastrous start to the season, which included that historic trashing at Miami, when the Broncos defense allowed ten touchdowns and close to a record 70 points. While they still are on the outside looking in, beating serious playoff contenders like the Bills and the Browns and the Chiefs really is showing that this team is not one that anybody should want to play right now. A dangerous team! My pick: Accurate
LA Rams 37, Arizona 14 - I had assumed - wrongly - that the Cardinals would be fired up to earn a win against the Rams in this one. Instead, they were dominated. Not sure if the Rams can actually qualify for the postseason or not. But this was nevertheless an impressive and important divisional road win for them, and obviously helps their chances. My pick: Inaccurate
Kansas City 31, Las Vegas 17 - The highlights from this game showed the Chiefs offense looking almost like poetry on the football field. Few teams have looked so graceful on offense that I can remember. This team may not have the highest scoring offense or the most intimidating defense. Yet, they are more or less the complete package, and wins like this show that they may just yet still be the team to beat. My pick: Accurate
Philadelphia 37, Buffalo 34 (OT) - For the first time that I can remember this season, the Bills actually looked like a good team in a losing effort. They played hard and pushed the Eagles all the way to the end of this game. Ultimately, the Eagles survive this scare and still maintain the league's best overall record at 10-1. Still, Buffalo played well, and showed what they are capable of, and how good and dangerous they can be. The problem is that they dropped too many games so far this season, and their playoff chances really are at risk now, so they have very little wiggle room. My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 20, LA Chargers 10 - It felt like the Ravens survived this one, because the Chargers seemed to be rallying towards the end. Yet in the end, Baltimore got the job done, and the Chargers did not. It was indicative of how the season has been going so far for both teams. A solid win for the Ravens, who own the AFC's best overall record at 9-3. The Chargers, meanwhile, lost their third straight and fell to 4-7 on the year. They are teetering dangerously close to being out of the playoff race. If they keep playing the way they have in recent weeks, it's just a matter of time. My pick: Accurate
Chicago 12, Minnesota 10 - This result took me by surprise. The Bears defense really showed up and came to play, forcing four Minnesota turnovers, and holding the Vikings to just three points total until well into the fourth quarter. In fact, when they finally scored, it appeared that Minnesota had saved themselves from a costly loss. The one and only touchdown drive also happened to be when the Vikings defense was suddenly forcing Chicago turnovers - particularly by forcing fumbles from Justin Fields. Still, Da Bears defense held, giving their offense one last chance late in the game, needing a field goal. To his credit, getting past those two fumbles, Fields had two crucial completions to D.J. Moore, one for 16 yards and the other for 36 yards. That helped set up a field goal attempt by placekicker Cairo Santos of 30-yards, which he absolutely nailed for the win, allowing Chicago to earn a rare, much-needed divisional win. Minnesota's defense did not even play that badly, not allowing the Bears to score even a single touchdown. Again, though, the Bears D really put on a clinic in this one. This one hurt the Vikings playoff chances, which looked strong when they went on an impressive winning streak that reached five games. Now, however, they have lost two straight games as they enter their bye week, and they are in desperate need of collecting themselves and refocusing in order to make that final push to the postseason. My pick: Inaccurate
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