Minnesota at NY Giants - The season has been over for quite a while for Big Blue. At this point in time, I am not even entirely sure if winning a game does not work against the long term interests for the Giants, particularly in regards to draft order. Either way, they face a Vikings team that has been playing extremely well, with two straight wins over NFC East opponents. Make it three straight after this one, most likely. My pick: Minnesota
NY Jets at New Orleans - Gang Green is back to loosing bad this season, after a temporary reprieve. They go down to the Big Easy to face the suddenly hot Saints, who have played spoiler for two consecutive weekends against division rivals, and should be feeling pretty good about themselves. Look for the Saints to win this one, too. My pick: New Orleans
Buffalo at Cleveland - The Bills look like they will make a serious run at the AFC East title. A road game in the city by the lake should not derail this mission. The Bills are determined and should find a way to take this one against the Browns, even with their tough defense. My pick: Buffalo
Tampa Bay at Carolina - Wow, this one is huge! Neither team seems to capitalize on opportunities to take the division lead, or clinch the division. But now they face one another, and someone has to emerge with a win, right? I mean, what are the odds that this one ends in a tie? That would muddy the waters even more. Then again, maybe that would be fitting for the NFC South, which sure seems like the NFL's worst overall division. However, I suspect that there will be a winner in this one, and it will likely be the home team. My pick: Carolina
LA Chargers at Dallas - The Cowboys have now been officially eliminated from postseason contention. Yet another season where Cowboys fans have their team pegged as Super Bowl champions in July, but in which their playoff hopes are extinguished by Christmas. They host the Chargers, and have a chance - a real chance - to play spoilers, at least to the division hopes for the Chargers. Should be interesting, because I feel that this will be a close one. Could go either way. My pick: Dallas
Cincinnati at Miami - No playoff relevance in this game. The Dolphins were eliminated last weekend, and the Bengals have been out for longer than that. But Miami was really coming on late in the season, and Coach McDaniels is making a real run at saving his job. Look for that to continue as the Bengals, with a defense that ranks pretty much at the bottom of the league, has a difficult time against the Fins and their high-flying offense. My pick: Miami
Kansas City at Tennessee - Well, it's all over for KC this season. Who would have expected the Chiefs Kingdom to be out of playoff contention heading into this game. Granted, no one is surprised that the Titans are out, and have been since about halftime in week one. But the Chiefs being out is a shock. However, they are still the better team, Although then again, who knows with Mahomes being out, and the wide receivers continually dropping passes this season? My pick: Kansas City
Atlanta at Arizona - Two of the NFC bottom feeders square off in yet another game with no playoff ramifications whatsoever. Both of these teams can make a strong case for winning, since the other team has so many holes. The Falcons are the better team overall, I suspect. Yet, the Cards are really overdue for a win. Going to be a tight one. My pick: Arizona
Jacksonville at Denver - Two first place teams battling it out in this one. The Broncos are closing in on what is beginning to feel like an inevitable AFC West title, and likely the top seed and home field advantage in the AFC. But the Jaguars have been coming on and need to win to stay ahead of the Texans, who are relentlessly on their heels. Going to be a big game, and a tough one to make a choice for. My pick: Denver
Las Vagas at Houston - The Texans are one of the hottest teams in the league, with a very solid defense. The Raiders have a surprisingly tough defense as well, but this team has been awful all season long. Going on the road to try to play spoiler in Houston, against this Texans team? I just don't see it. But hey, any given Sunday, right? Still, the obvious pick is the better overall team, which is clear enough. My pick: Houston
Pittsburgh at Detroit - The Lions are not the same team that they have been in recent seasons. And while the Steelers hardly look unbeatable, they have been tough and seem likely to take the AFC North. Still, the Lions are at home and need this win to stay relevant in the NFC playoff picture. My pick: Detroit
Sunday Night Football: New England at Baltimore - A huge gamed for both teams. The Patriots want to rebound from their collapse at the end of last week's game against Buffalo. Meanwhile, the Ravens absolutely need to win to keep their flickering playoff and divisional hopes (which seem to be one and the same at this point) alive. This is going to be a tough game. Should be really interesting. My pick: New England
Monday Night Football: San Francisco at Indianapolis - I would love to pick an upset here. Philip Rivers seemed to play well last week, and he can lead them to something special this week. However, the 49ers are one of the best teams in the league, and it is just a bit too difficult to picture the Colts winning this one, home field advantage or not. My pick: San Francisco
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