Miami 16, Washington 13 (OT) from Madrid, Spain) - This was not going to be an easy game to predict, and the two teams played a game that was different from what I had expected. Honestly, my thought process saw the Dolphins scoring more points. But they survived a surprisingly tough, defensive slug fest, and it took until overtime. But they win nonetheless to improve to 4-7. Washington, meanwhile, falls to 3-8 with their sixth straight loss and are out of the playoff picture before Thanksgiving. My pick Accurate
Green Bay 27, NY Giants 20 - The Giants seem to keep playing - and barely losing - to some relatively elite teams. They lose again to fall to 2-9 on the year, but it feels like they are better than that record might suggest. Meanwhile, the Pack won a tough one on the road, to their credit, as they improve to 6-3-1 and half a game behind the Bears in the NFC North. Just as an aside, why can't the Giants wear the uniforms that they wore for this game for all of their games? Bring back these vintage uniforms from the 1980's and 1990's, which included the Salad Days of Super Bowl wins, with Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms and a coaching staff that included Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, and Tom Coughlin. Yes, the Giants are losing, but at least they looked good while doing it. My pick: Accurate
Houston 16, Tennessee 14 - The Texans finally got back to even following that awful 0-3 start to their season. The Titans made them work for it, as this was a bit more competitive than I had expected it to be. Still, Houston managed to hold on for the win to improve to 5-5, the first time all season where they did not have a losing record. That said, they have some tough ones coming up, as they host the Bills next weekend, then travel to Indy to take on the first place Colts. As for the Titans, they fall to 1-9 on the season. My pick: Accurate
Jacksonville 35, LA Chargers 6 - Yikes! Man, I got this one really, really wrong. Overestimated the Chargers and their success this season, at least heading into this game. Also overestimated the Jaguars struggles while underestimating their abilities. In short, the Jaguars absolutely put on a clinic, taking the Chargers apart and winning this in blowout fashion. The Jaguars improve to 6-4 with this win, while the Chargers fall to 7-4 on the season, now fully two games behind Denver in the AFC West. My pick: Inaccurate
Chicago 19, Minnesota 17 - For the first time in what feels like forever, the Chicago Bears are in sole possession of first place in the NFC North. When was the last time that we could say that? They did it by surviving a tough one in Minnesota, ultimately preventing a furious rally by the Vikings from 16-3 down to a narrow 17-16 lead late in the fourth quarter to be the final say. Chicago managed to get in field goal range, and then stole it from the Vikings on the final play with a successful conversion. They improve to 7-3, while Minnesota falls to 4-6 and is teetering dangerously on the edge of irrelevance before Thanksgiving. My pick: Accurate
Carolina 30, Atlanta 27 (OT) - The Panthers took care of business in this one. It was not an easy game, and the Falcons were fighting to keep their severely flickering playoff hopes alive. But Carolina most likely extinguished those flames, winning a tough, back and forth contest in overtime to improve to 6-5. Meanwhile, the Falcons fall to 3-7, so they are likely out of the playoff picture before Thanksgiving even rolls around. My pick: Accurate
Buffalo 44, Tampa Bay 32 - So the Bills have not been as consistent this season as they were in some other recent seasons. Still, they win the most important games when they absolutely need to, it seems. And so it was they survived a tough scare from the Buccaneers, proving that they can beat some tough teams. They have beaten the Chiefs and Bucs in recent weeks, so this remains a quality team, despite the inconsistencies, and improve to 7-3, still a game behind the Pats in the AFC East. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay falls to 6-4. My pick: Accurate
Pittsburgh 34, Cincinnati - 12 - No surprise here. The Steelers dominated the Bengals, avenging that earlier season loss. They needed to win, and left no doubts in this one, as they improve to 6-4 and remain a game ahead of Baltimore for first in the AFC North. As for the Bengals, their season turns more disastrous, as they fall to 3-7 and pretty much out of the playoff picture before Thanksgiving. My pick: Accurate
LA Rams 21, Seattle 19 - It felt like this was a good news/bad news sort of a game for the Seahawks. Yes, they lost, so obviously that is the bad news. But they played extremely well, nearly stealing a win right at the end, which is the good news. That should give them confidence to believe that they can win the second meeting between these two teams in a few weeks, when they meet in Seattle. Still, the loss drops the Seahawks to 7-3, while the Rams improve to 8-2 and alone atop the NFC West at the moment. Also, they are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for best overall record in the NFC right now. My pick: Accurate
San Francisco 41, Arizona 22 - This was the less hotly anticipated NFC West meeting this past weekend. The 49ers thoroughly dominated and won convincingly, improving to 7-4. Now they are merely half a game behind the Seahawks. As for the Cardinals, their nightmare season continues, as they fall to 3-7, and pretty much out of the playoff picture. My pick; Accurate
Denver 22, Kansas City 19 - A lot of people are making too much of this result, I think. No, it was not shocking to see the Broncos win this one. After all, they have been red hot as of late, having won eight straight now, improving to 9-2 on the year. Meanwhile, KC has been unusually weak and vulnerable, and fall to 5-5 with this loss. What this loss almost assures is that the Chiefs will very likely not win the AFC West division title for what would be a 10th straight time. That said, I still have trouble imagining that KC will somehow miss the playoffs. They still have Patrick Mahomes at QB, and Andy Reid as head coach. I would not bet against them playing well into January at least, and possibly making a very deep run. As for the Broncos, they stay hot and have the best overall record in the AFC, and indeed the entire NFL, as of right now. My pick: Inaccurate
Baltimore 23, Cleveland 16 - This was the result most people were expecting. The Ravens continue to stay hot, winning their fourth in a row following a 1-5 start to the season. They have now pulled even to 5-5 and remain one game behind Pittsburgh for first in the AFC North race. As for the Browns, this disastrous season continues to spiral out of control as they lose a third straight to fall to 2-8 on the year. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Night Football - Philadelphia 16, Detroit 9 - Another big showdown, and another win for Philly. Their defense remains one of the elite units. That's a good thing for them, too, because their offense looked dismal, geriatric. They will need to pick it up a bit more than that, most likely, if they hope to enjoy another deep run through the playoffs, and possibly defend their title. As for the Lions, this clearly isn't the team that seemed so dominant during the 2024 regular season, already doubling the amount of losses this regular season, with seven games left. Philly, meanwhile, improves to 8-2, tied with the Rams for the best overall record in the NFC. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football - Dallas 33, Las Vegas 16 - This was pretty much the result that most people would have expected. The Cowboys offense had a decent night against the often tough Raiders defense. Also, the Cowboys defense - hardly an elite unit - nevertheless managed to keep the lowly offense of the Silver & Black in check. Cowboys improve to 4-5-1 and remain relatively relevant in the NFC playoff pictures. Meanwhile, the Raiders fall to 2-8 on the season. My pick: Accurate
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