🏈🏈🏈🏈
Sunday Games:
Atlanta at Chicago - The Falcons are still hoping not only to qualify for the postseason, but to win the division. But those are flickering hopes right now. They would need a lot of help. Before all of the possible scenarios, however, they actually still need to find a way to take care of winning their own games. And the Bears should be tough, because they have been playing so much better in recent weeks. It's going to be a cold and blustery day in the Windy City. Not liking the chances for the Falcons here, truth be told. my pick: Chicago
LA Rams at NY Giants - The G-Men seemed to have dropped a couple of notches in terms of their level of intensity in the past couple of weeks. Meanwhile, the Rams seemed to have gone from a non-factor earlier this season, when it looked very much like they would miss the playoffs again, to now one of the hottest teams in the league. A win against a weak Giants team would almost assure the Rams of a playoff spot. Frankly, I doubt Big Blue prevents them from getting it. My pick: LA Rams
New England at Buffalo - The Bills looked like they were struggling most of the season. The playoffs seemed almost like a distant fantasy at one point, with quarterback Josh Allen even admitting once that the math did not look promising. Now, they have won three in a row and are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot. Not only that, but a win here, plus a loss by the Dolphins at Baltimore, would actually give the Bills a chance at winning the AFC East division title with a huge showdown against the Dolphins the following week. Not sure if they can win the division or not, but they should at least beat the Pats in this one. My pick: Buffalo
Miami at Baltimore - What a huge showdown! Enormous playoff ramifications here. The Ravens can clinch the number one seed in the AFC with a win, while the Dolphins can finally clinch a division title and take the lead for the top seed in the AFC if they manage to win. The Ravens are hot, having won five in a row, and beating the 49ers in San Francisco last weekend. But they need to not have a letdown in this one, because the division title itself might still be at risk. My pick: Baltimore
Tennessee at Houston - Not much riding on this one for the Titans, other than possibly playing the role of spoilers. As for the Texans, they still have a chance to reach the postseason. But they absolutely need to win this one. Good news is that the Titans are pretty terrible on the road, having compiled a 1-6 record away from home so far this season. Look for the Texans to take an early lead, and to win this well before the final gun sounds. My pick: Houston
Las Vegas at Indianapolis - Both of these teams still have playoff hopes, at least officially. But the Colts have a much better chance. In fact, if the season ended today, they would be in. But for that to remain the case, they pretty much need to beat the Raiders. Lose, and they will also lose control of their own destiny, as far as the playoffs are concerned. But I suspect that they do just enough to earn a win here at home in this one. My pick: Indianapolis
New Orleans at Tampa Bay - A huge showdown between two NFC South teams. It should be interesting. For Tampa Bay, the math is easy. The Bucs can win the division title outright with a win in this one. A loss, on the other hand, muddies the waters significantly. And the Saints could possibly produce the upset. They have been an inconsistent team. You never know which Saints team will show up from week to week. Still, the Bucs have been on a hot streak, having won four in a row now, and that is for a reason. They should be able to win this one to finally punch their ticket to the playoffs, and earn a home game at that, as a division champion. My pick: Tampa Bay
Arizona at Philadelphia - The Cards are kind of an unknown quantity at this point. They were eliminated from playoff contention long ago. But they have been better and more unpredictable with Kyler Murray back in the lineup. Still, the Eagles can inch their way closer to a division title with a win. They still even have a shot at home field advantage, but need help for that. Not sure if they will get it, but one thing is for sure: they control their own destiny in terms of winning the division. This should be a win for the Eagles. My pick: Philadelphia
Carolina at Jacksonville - The two expansion franchises from 1995 meet now in 2023. The Panthers are the worst team in the league, at least in terms of overall record. A large part of the reason for that is the simple fact that they have been the worst team in the league when playing on the road. They are the only team in the league who failed to win a single road game. So while the Jaguars have been struggling, having dropped four straight, they should bounce back and earn a win at home in this one. Frankly, this feels like a late gift for the holiday season for the Jaguars. My pick: Jax
San Francisco at Washington - The Commanders are just trying to play spoilers right now. But they have their work cut out for them. After all, they are a dismal 1-5 when playing at home, which is frankly astonishingly bad. Also, their current six game losing streak is the longest such active streak in the league. So it hardly seems like anyone should expect them to play the role of spoilers in this one. My pick: Washington
Pittsburgh at Seattle - Interesting game! Both teams are still very much in the playoff picture, but both are struggling and doing everything possible just to keep their chances intact. The Seahawks would be in the playoffs if the season ended right now. They also are very, very tough to beat when playing at home. Still, the Steelers looked very solid in finally bouncing back from an inexplicable three-game skid that saw them go from an almost certain playoff team to now, a team which needs not only to win their remaining games, but also needs a lot of help. Of course, they need only to focus on this game, because it will be tough. My expectations are that it will prove to be too tough, as the Seahawks at home should take care of business. My pick: Seattle
Cincinnati at Kansas City - These two teams met in the AFC Championship at Arrowhead in the two prior seasons. But barring a real miracle, they will not make it three years in a row this time around. Still, they meet on this day, and with high stakes. The Bengals are desperately clinging to their playoff hopes, while KC still has not managed to clinch the AFC West division title, or even a playoff berth, although both feel like just a matter of time. This is not the same Chiefs team that we have grown used to. KC's defense is tough, but the offense really has not gotten any kind of rhythm, as they have in past seasons. That might change in the final weeks, or in the playoffs, but it has been the case this season. As for the Bengals, they were among the hottest teams in the league, and appeared to have an excellent chance at qualifying for the postseason, until the Steelers beat them last week. Now, a lot of unlikely scenarios need to happen, and everything needs to be just so, if they are going to make it to the playoffs. But it begins with them winning. This will be a tough game, and I can see it being every bit as close and competitive as the meetings between these two teams have been in recent seasons. Remember, the Bengals not only are a dangerous opponent for the favored Chiefs, but they actually have been one of the few teams to enjoy regular success against KC, even at Arrowhead. That said, those games were with quarterback Joe Burrow at the helm, and he is absent due to injury, which is not some minor point. My pick: Kansas City
LA Chargers at Denver - A game with no playoff ramifications whatsoever, because neither of these teams is going to the playoffs. Russell Wilson's time in Denver appears to be at an end, as he has been benched for this game, despite having actually played well often times this season. As for the Chargers, they were eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, and just never seemed to take off this year. So we get a pretty much meaningless game like this in late December, between two teams going nowhere. Still, it will be played, and with home field advantage, it seems the Broncos should win. My pick: Denver
Sunday Night Football: Green Bay at Minnesota - A big game with playoff ramifications for both teams involved. Both of these teams are 7-8 presently, and neither would qualify for the postseason if the season ended today. The Vikings have home field advantage, but it might be a disadvantage for the Vikings this season, frankly, as they have gone a rather astonishing and abysmal 2-5 at home so far this season. Luckily for them, the Packers are not much better. The Vikings won the first meeting between these two teams, but both franchises now feel like they are in a different place. Still, I feel that the Vikings finally win a huge home game here in this one. My pick: Minnesota
No comments:
Post a Comment