New England 42, NY Jets 10 - The Jets looked terrible from beginning to end in this one yesterday. New England quarterback Drake May was as near perfect as you could ask, completing 19 of 21 passes for 256 yards and a whopping five touchdowns.. Just an ugly game for Gang Green. With the win, the Patriots improve to 13-3 and are close to home field advantage. Meanwhile, the Jets fall to 3-13, and still look terrible so far this season. My pick: Accurate
Jacksonville 23, Indianapolis 17 - Throughout most of this game, I believed that this was one which I had gotten wrong. After all, the Jaguars were getting dominated, at least early. Yet slowly but surely, the Jaguars battled back and earned themselves an impressive comeback win on the road in a divisional game. In the process, they improve to 12-4 and still might have a chance at a higher seed. As for the Colts, this was their sixth straight loss, and they really need to stop the bleeding. My pick: Accurate
Cleveland 13, Pittsburgh 6 - The Steelers had the perfect opportunity to wrap up the AFC North title by winning on the road against one of the worst trams in the league. Instead, they scored a total of six points and were stunned by the Browns, preventing Pittsburgh from clinching the division title. Now, since they fell to 9-7, they will face the Ravens for a de facto winner take the division showdown against the Ravens. Should be a good one. As for the Browns, this was a solid home stand, although clearly not enough to save their season. My pick: Inaccurate
Miami 20, Tampa Bay 17 - The battle of the two original Florida teams did not go the way that I expected. The Bucs found a way to lose yet again, as the Dolphins managed to play spoiler. This was their fourth straight loss. Yet somehow, against all odds, they now fane the Panthers next weekend for all of the marbles. As for the Fins, they improve to 6-9 on the year. My pick: Inaccurate
New Orleans 34, Tennessee 26 - Man, if the Saints could have played like this all season, they might have a shot at the title. Instead, this was between two teams heading nowhere. The Saints overcame a first half, 13-point deficit and really came on strong after that. Their offense poured on the points, and their defense was strong when it had to be. As a result, New Orleans gets their fourth straight win to improve to 6-10 on the year. The Titans, meanwhile, fall to 3-13. My pick: Accurate
Cincinnati 37, Arizona 14 - The Bengals looked hot again with Burrow at the helm. The Cardinals could not stop the Cincinnati offense, as the Bengals cruise to a largely meaningless late season win between teams going nowhere. My pick: Accurate
Seattle 27, Carolina 10 - For a little while, it seemed like the Panthers might actually do something and give themselves a chance to win this game. This game was 3-3 at halftime, after all. But the Seahawks often seem to make good adjustments for the second half this season, and they did it again in this game. They came out swinging and put the game out of reach, earning an impressive and tough road win to improve to 13-3, as they now travel to California with the big showdown next week against the 49ers, with the winner taking the top overall seed in the NFC. As for the Panthers, another blown opportunity, as a chance to wrap up the NFC South eludes them. They fall to 8-8 with this loss, and will have a winner-takes-all" showdown themselves next weekend when they travel to Tampa Bay. The winner of that game wins the NFC South and locks up the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs. My pick: Accurate
NY Giants 34, Las Vegas 10 - Leave it to the Giants to find a way to finally snap a nine-game skid, and yet make their fans nervous and depressed and angry in the process. Yes, the G-Men handily beat the Raiders on the road in Las Vegas. Yet the win moves them out of contention for the first overall pick in the draft in spring. Sigh. Still, a win is a win, and that means that the Giants, despite obviously enduring a disastrous season, avoid matching, let alone surpassing, the longest ever losing streak in franchise history. They improve to 3-13, while the Silver and Black fall to 2-14, the worst overall record in the league.. My pick: Inaccurate
Philadelphia 13, Buffalo 12- The Bills were dominated for the vast majority of this game. The Eagles clearly came to play, and seemed to have this game well in hand throughout the first half, then the third quarter, and even well into the fourth quarter. But Philly's offense was not so hot, which opened the door of opportunity for the Bills. Sure enough, they came roaring back, to their credit. Two touchdowns in the final four or so minutes. But the placekicker was a big question mark. Two touchdowns, but no extra points. Buffalo took a gamble right at the end, going for the win with a two-point conversion. But it did not go through, preserving the win for the Eagles. Philly improves to 11-5 and remains alive for the number two overall seed. Meanwhile, the Bills fall to 11-5 and have lost any chances of winning the AFC East. If they can reach the Super Bowl, they will have to do it by going on the road in the AFC playoffs. My pick: Inaccurate
Sunday Night Football: San Francisco 42, Chicago 38 - The Bears played extremely well, moving the ball up and down the field and keeping up with the 49ers in this game. Yet when it came down to it, the Bears fell just short in the game's final minute. The 49ers played very well on offense - both teams did - yet their defense stepped up when needed and managed a solid win to improve to 12-4 and a winner-take-all showdown, most likely, at Seattle next weekend for the division title and the number one seed in the playoffs.. Meanwhile, the Bears fall to 11-5 and no longer have a shot at winning home field advantage. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football: Atlanta 27, LA Rams 24 - The Rams looked like a powerhouse team for most of the season, until they dropped two disastrous games in a row late this season, at about the worst time for it. Meanwhile, the Falcons looked like a miserable team for most of the season, until they began to pull off a number of stunning wins right at the end of the season. It looked like the Falcons had the Rams on the ropes early on, completely dominating them and jumping out to a 21-0 lead. In fact, once they made it 21-0, admittedly, I went into the other room to read for a bit, figuring this game was over. To their credit, the Rams battled back and made a game of it. When I came back, right at the end, it was a tied ball game at 24-24, very late in the fourth quarter. To their credit, the Falcons took a late drive and got within long field goal range, and the attempt was successful. Then the Rams had very little time, and could not get one single completion, thus falling short. Barring some unlikely scenarios, the Rams will be the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs, and will have to hear on the road to either Chicago or Philadelphia, depending on what happens next weekend. As for the Falcons, they look impressive, even if it comes too late for it to mean much of anything for this season. My pick: Inaccurate
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