Well, hard to believe, but Christmas has past for year another year.
Still, this is the weekend after Christmas. And while it is cold outside, the NFL playoff race is really heating up. There are three Saturday games this weekend, and they all have at least some playoff ramifications.
So let's take a look, and I will make my predictions:
Saturday Games Preview:
LA Chargers at New England - The Patriots proved that they could be dangerous when they stunned Buffalo early and came relatively close to pulling off what would have been a major upset. Clearly, they seem to want to play the role of spoilers. That is the Chargers have to be very careful in this one. They are traveling across the country, and playing a tough team on the road in cold and unaccommodating circumstances. However, the Chargers probably should be able to pull this one off. They are the better team, have everything to fight for, and should not be taken by surprise quite to the same degree as the Bills were in the first half last weekend. Also, the Pats do not have quite the same measure of familiarity with the Chargers as they clearly do with the Bills, a team in their same division. All of that adds up to a likely tough and tight win for the Bolts, but a win nevertheless.
My pick: LA Chargers
Denver at Cincinnati - This is the one game that will be played on Saturday in which both teams still have playoff hopes. The Broncos feel very much like they are heading to the postseason, while the Bengals, while hot lately with three straight wins, still need some help. While Cincy has indeed earned three straight wins, each of those wins were against teams that are obviously not heading to the postseason. In fact, what worries me about their prospects of pulling off a win here is that I noticed that they have not won a single game against a playoff caliber team this year. They cale close, but each time they played likely playoff teams - Kansas City, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Baltimore, the Los Angeles Chargers, and Pittsburgh - they lost. The Bengals were competitive in all but one of those games. The Eagles kind of blew the Bengals out, but otherwise, Cincy proved tough and competitive against all of those other teams. Yet, they lost all of those games, in the end. If you are keeping track, that's 0-7 against likely playoff opponents. So while I have been impressed with their recovery from a dismal 0-3 star to see them now having won three in a row, and seven of their last eleven overall, they still feel a little bit suspect as a playoff quality team. At some point, you have to prove that you can beat the good teams, as well, and this team just has not done that. Going into Mile High to face a Broncos team that itself was hot prior to a heartbreaking loss to the Chargers last weekend, and with that Denver team still needing to secure that playoff spot, it will be a tall order for Cincinnati to pull this one off. That is why I expect the home team to take advantage of the thin air and this opportunity. Look for them to get off to a hot start, and to hang on for this important win that will punch their ticket to the postseason.
My pick: Denver
Arizona at LA Rams - This could have featured two serious playoff contenders, had the Cardinals managed to win that game at Carolina last week. Instead, they lost, underscoring why they will miss the postseason this year. And while Arizona enjoyed a blowout win 41-10 win over the Rams earlier this season, neither of these teams are the same ones which took the field on that day. Specifically, the Rams have apparently overcome all of the issues that were plaguing them earlier this season. They have found a rhythm, and gutted out wins in tough games that they absolutely needed. The Rams stumbled out of the gate this season, getting off to a 1-4 start. Then, they turned things around in a big way. Dating back to mid-October, this team has won all but two games, and one of those losses was at Philadelphia, a team that ranks among the very elites in the league so far this season. Speaking of which, two of those wins which the Rams earned were solid wins over Minnesota and Buffalo, both of which those elite teams in the league. While the Rams have been getting hot at the right time, it feels like the Cards are kind of missing too many opportunities now, at this most crucial point in the season, when they really needed to show that they can step up. They lost that game at Carolina last week, lost at home to the Seahawks a few weeks ago, and barely missed pulling off a huge upset against the Vikings. But a miss is a miss, and it feels like this team surely has lost momentum. Maybe they can hope to make a statement this weekend. Maybe they will be fired up to try and play spoilers against the Rams. However, it feels like the Rams are absolutely surging, and that they likely will get a serious measure of revenge against Arizona for blowing them out earlier this year. Expect the Rams to come out swinging, and to earn themselves an important - as well as a convincing - win, en route to a likely NFC West title.
My pick: LA Rams
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