Washington at NY Giants - So at this point, as a Giants fan, the questions are relatively few. Questions such as can the Giants win another game before the season ends? And if so, what does it matter? Will it do more harm than good, simply moving them back on the draft pick list? That said, however, a part of me still wants to see them win a game every now and then. And snap a dreadful losing streak which, if it last much longer, might start to challenge the longest losing streak in franchise history (which I believe stands at ten losses in a row, and was set just a few years ago). So both of these teams have had their season defined by their ineptitude and their failures. Washington was in the NFC Championship Game just last season, although that is hard to believe now. And the G-Men looked promising earlier this season, although that also largely has gone away. Both of these teams have colossal, active losing streaks. It will not be a surprise no matter who loses, and the winner will seemingly win by default, because the other team happened to be even worse. That said, I think that the Giants are overdue. Hardly a safe bet, but yeah, I'm going with the home team on this one. My pick: NY Giants
NY Jets at Jacksonville - Like with the Giants, the questions remaining for the Jets this season largely linger around whether or not they can win another game or two, and if it would do more harm than good, in terms of draft order in the coming spring. The Jets may or may not be better than the G-Men, but that hardly matters. Both teams have suffered through long and largely miserable seasons. But when I look at this game, where Gang Green travels to Florida to take on the Jaguars, who seem to be peaking and are surely brimming with confidence, it is difficult to find reasons to pick the Jets. Maybe they can play the role of spoilers, like the Saints and Falcons both did in consecutive games against another Florida team, the Tampa Bay Bucs. But the Jaguars are in a better position and likely a better team than Tampa, and they should be able to prove it by winning this one to remain ahead in the tight AFC South race, at least for not. My pick: Jacksonville
Buffalo a New England - This one might just be the biggest meeting of the weekend in the NFL. The Bills have become the dominant team in the AFC East in the past five or six seasons. But the Patriots are giving the Bills a serious challenge. They already defeated the Bills in Buffalo earlier this season. A win here ends the AFC East race, and will force the Bills to focus on having to go on the road throughout the AFC playoffs. It will also extend New England's current winning streak to 11, which is mighty impressive. However, I will admit here now that I am suspicious of some of the success by the teams that seemed to dominate the AFC this season. That included the Colts, and they are currently unraveling and, for now, outside looking in at the AFC playoff picture. Clearly, that is not the case with either the Broncos or the Patriots. However, my suspicion is that neither of those two teams are battle tested and ready for a deep run in the AFC playoffs. And here might be a surprising prediction: I expect that the Bills will expose the Pats a little bit in this one, and that the AFC East race is about to get a whole lot tighter after this weekend. My pick: Buffalo
LA Chargers at Kansas City - Most weeks, I have picked the Chiefs this season. This has led to a lot of wrong picks, because KC has lost many of the games I expected them to win. It's just that, when you grow so used to one team being so damn good, winning so consistently, for years and years as the Chiefs have, it is sometimes difficult to believe that all of that has suddenly come to an end. Now that said, I still suspect that KC is better than their record indicates, and I will not completely rule out the possibility of them qualifying for the playoffs, even if it requires a lot of help from other teams at this moment. But the Chiefs still feel like they are better than their record indicates, and could explode on any given weekend. Frankly, they are probably overdue. And I also suspect that the Chiefs would love nothing better than to have that kind of explosive, convincing, statement win this weekend, and expose the Chargers a little bit. Not that this would get KC into the playoffs, or prevent the Chargers from qualifying. However, I am a little suspicious of the Chargers. As impressive as they have been at times this season, they also have been a bit suspect at times, as well. Not sure that they will be up for a tough contest against a hungry Chiefs team in frigid Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, truth be told. So my pick is for the home team in this one. Maybe I will be proven wrong. Obviously would not be the first time, especially with the Chiefs this season. Still, they are the team I expect to come out victorious in this one. My pick: Kansas City
Arizona at Houston - The Texans are one of the hottest teams in the league. They also feel like one of the most dangerous teams, with a record-setting defense. So the Cardinals have a tough test. Not only do they face those Texans, but they have to do it on the road. On top of it, the Texans absolutely need this win to keep pace with the Jaguars and keep their AFC South division hopes alive. Frankly, the Texans feel like they are the much better team, and so they should be able to win this game, quite possibly going away with it. My pick: Houston
Cleveland at Chicago - The Bears just suffered a disappointing loss up at Lambeau Field. Yet, they still are very much alive for not only the playoffs, but still have realistic hopes of winning the division. They return to Soldier Field this weekend, where they meet the lowly Cleveland Browns, fresh off another disappointing loss last week to Tennessee. The Bears feel like the far better team, and have a lot more riding on this game. They should be fired up, and likely will emerge victorious. My pick: Chicago
Baltimore at Cincinnati - As poorly as the Ravens began the season at 1-5, everything seemed to be falling back in place for them as they reeled off five straight wins. They were tied for first, and seemed to be one of the hottest teams in the league. Then they faced the Bengals, with quarterback Joe Burrow returning to the lineup, and everything fell apart for them again. They suffered a shocking loss, and then followed that up with another crucial loss to the Steelers last weekend. Now, they are back on the ropes, and have little to no wiggle room left. If they want to reach the playoffs, they almost assuredly will have to do it by winning the AFC North, which means that they have to keep pace with the Steelers. Yet, the Bengals seem to have found new life with Burrow there. I know that I have said this before, but they are such a different team with him, that it still amazes me just how different they are when he is there. That makes them very dangerous. Feels like the Ravens are on the cusp of a very dangerous slide, one that may likely knock them out of the playoff race altogether this time. My pick: Cincinnati
Las Vegas at Philadelphia - The Eagles are treading on dangerous ground right now. The recent three game skid has taken them almost entirely out of the race for the top seed in the NFC. In fact, the NFC East title, and possibly even the playoffs, are suddenly in question. Fortunately for them, they have a very winnable game with the Silver and Black Raiders coming to town. True, the Raiders can be surprisingly tough at times, and they would love to play the role of spoilers here. However, I suspect that the Eagles find enough answers to find a way to win this absolute must win game. If not, the problems are far more serious than even I thought, and then Philly might really truly be on the verge of another epic collapse, as they suffered back in the 2023 season. They need to find a way to win this game and stop the bleeding with these final weeks approaching. My pick: Philadelphia
Carolina at New Orleans - The Saints managed to pull off a huge upset in Tampa last weekend, playing the role of spoilers. In that sense, they helped the Panthers, as did the Falcons on Thursday night. But now, the Panthers cannot rely on luck. They have to get the job done when they go to the Superdome in New Orleans. This is a golden opportunity which they have been handed to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC South and, along with it, to control their own destiny as the final weeks of the season approach fast. They sure feel like the better overall team, and so I expect them to find a way to win. My pick: Carolina
Tennessee at San Francisco - Granted, the Titans beat the Browns last weekend to earn their second win of the season. But the 49ers are quite a bit better than Cleveland, and they are still fighting not only for the playoffs, but for a shot at the NFC West title. Remember, they are only one game behind the Rams and Seahawks, who are tied atop the NFC West currently. So expect the 49ers to be fired up and earn a solid win over the struggling Titans. My pick: San Francisco
Green Bay at Denver - What a game this one should be. Two of the best teams in the league, and a possible Super Bowl preview. The weather in Denver should be absolutely beautiful, with sunshine and warm temperatures. Not sure if that helps the Broncos, although the altitude usually does. Still, the Packers are tough and should be flying high with confidence after that big win over the Bears last weekend. This one should be close all the way through, but I feel like the Pack are ready to come up with another huge win. My pick: Green Bay
Detroit at LA Rams - Both of these teams can be hard to figure out sometimes. The Rams look like goliaths at times, but then suffer some losses that make you frankly scratch your head. Yet, the same is even more true for the Lions. Clearly, this is not the same Lions team that we saw in the past couple of seasons, because they just cannot win as consistently. It should be even more difficult in this game, as they have to travel to the West Coast to face a tough Rams team that absolutely needs to win to keep pace with Seattle in the NFC West. Expect the Rams to find a way to win. My pick: LA Rams
Indianapolis at Seattle - The Colts went from one of the AFC's best and hottest teams just a few weeks ago, to suddenly outside of the playoff picture and hoping desperately to find ways to win to stay in the postseason hunt. Unfortunately, they do not have easy teams on their schedule. This week's opponents are no exceptions. The Seahawks are very tough, and having to play them in the Emerald City is a particularly daunting task. Probably a little too daunting. Not sure who will be at the helm at quarterback for the Colts, but expect the unraveling by Indy to continue. My pick: Seattle
Sunday Night Football: Minnesota at Dallas - The Vikings absolutely crushed an NFC East team last weekend and would love nothing better than to do it again on the road in Big D this weekend, to play spoilers. However, the Cowboys urgently need to win to keep their flickering playoff and NFC East title hopes alive. The Eagles are struggling, but they play a weak opponent. So the Cowboys cannot hope for continued help by Philly, and they need to take care of business. This is gut check time. Expect them to do just enough to get past the Vikings. My pick: Dallas
Monday Night Football: Miami at Pittsburgh - Quite an intriguing match-up for this one. The Dolphins once looked dead in the water early this season. Now, they have gotten hot and have a shot at the playoffs, although they probably need a lot of help. Still, they have to keep winning for those hopes not to be extinguished. And while the Steelers have hardly been a model of consistency this season, they win more often than they lose and are especially tough at home. This should be a tough game, and it could conceivably go either way. But I expect the home team to come away with it in the end. My pick: Pittsburgh
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