Game of the Week:
New York Jets (3-10) at New England (13-0)- This is the one we've all been waiting for since week 1 when Eric “Not-so-Man-Genius” Mangini blew the whistle on Bill “I-can't-believe-we-got-caught-filming-their-crappy-signals” Belichick for taping his team's crappy signals. The relationship between the two is already frosty and this incident is just fuel for the fire of what should become an intense rivalry for years to come. The question here isn't “Will the Patriots win?” The question is “What scoring records will the Patriots break in the slaughter that is to come?” The most points scored in an NFL game occurred in 1940 when the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 to win the NFL title. That is also the greatest margin of victory in the NFL. Chances are Belichick knows this and will try to break it this weekend. Is 100 points out of the question?
Patriots 81 Jets 13
Game of the Week Part 2:
Jacksonville (9-4) at Pittsburgh (9-4)- Anthony Smith might want to keep his mouth shut in the future. He guaranteed a win against the Patriots and then was burned twice for long touchdowns. If the loss wasn't bad enough, the Steelers found out that stud defensive end Aaron Smith is out for the rest of the season with torn biceps. The Jaguars on the other hand are getting solid production from running back Fred Taylor who has three straight 100 yard games for the first time since 2004. While he won't get 100 this week, the Jags offense will prove too much for the Steelers hurting defense to handle.
Jaguars 24 Steelers 20
Dud of the Week:
Baltimore (4-9) at Miami (0-13)- Something has to give this week. Either the Ravens' seven game losing streak or the Dolphins 16 game losing streak. The Ravens' Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have too much pride to lose this game, but can that translate into some offensive success for the Ravens? The Dolphins continue to find new and interesting ways to lose their games, and I've become fairly certain that most Division 1-FBS teams could beat them... including Notre Dame. I'm pretty sure that Boston has sucked up all the will to win from Miami teams. The Marlins got rid of their only decent players, the Dolphins are one of the most inept teams ever to play in the NFL, the Heat have forgotten how to win, and Florida International University has gone over two years without winning a football game. This year in Boston, the Red Sox won the World Series, the Patriots are mowing through opponents, the Celtics are a stunning 18-2 and even the Bruins are on track to make the playoffs. Oh did I mention that Boston College nearly won the ACC title this year too? Conspiracy? I think so.
Ravens 27 Dolphins 13
Master vs. Apprentice:
Denver (6-7) at Houston (6-7)- There may be a little more love between Mike Shanahan and his former assistant Greg Kubiak than there is between Belichick and Mangini, but only one team can win this game and with the teams pretty evenly matched I'm sticking with the Master on this one. The Broncos are bad on the road, but Houston's running attack of Ron Dayne and Ahman Green doesn't scare me. Both teams are coming off nice wins last week- the Texans upset Tampa Bay last week and Denver blew Kansas City out of the water.
Broncos 28 Texans 24
How Did This Get Primetime?
Cincinnati (5-8) at San Francisco (3-10)- Cincinnati can salvage some dignity out of a pretty bad season by finishing with a four game winning streak to go 8-8. With San Francisco, Miami, and a home date with Cleveland, this isn't out of the question. The 49ers on the other hand, can look forward to a 3-13 record and a high first round draft choice that could help right the ship... oh wait, they traded that to the Patriots... damn.
Bungles 34 49ers 17
Sunday Night:
Washington (6-7) at New York Giants (9-4)- Woah woah woah- it's the middle of December and the Giants aren't choking? What's wrong with the league these days? No matter, the Redskins can make up for their second half collapse against the Giants in week three by going into the Meadowlands and stealing a victory to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Eli has found ways to win two close games lately, but his luck is going to run out here.
Redskins 26 Giants 21
Monday Night:
Chicago (5-8) at Minnesota (7-6)- San Fransisco managed to contain Adrian Peterson last week, but its nice to have a backup running back that produces the way Chester Taylor does. The Vikings will ride this two headed monster as far as they can in the playoffs. I'm not sure anyone wants to face this team right now, certainly not the Bears who are suffering from the Super Bowl loser's hangover.
Vikings 38 Bears 20
All the rest:
Atlanta (3-10) at Tampa Bay (8-5)- Atlanta lost coach Bobby Petrino Tuesday when he resigned and signed on to be head coach at Arkansas. This ends any hopes of a Petrion-Brian Brohm reunion in Atlanta next season, but that doesn't mean the Falcons should pass on drafting Brohm this year. With Vick locked away for 23 months, they need a viable option at quarterback. Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich are not those options. The Buccaneers on the other hand were embarrassed by Houston last week and need to come back strong here because New Orleans still has a shot at winning the division.
Buccos 24 Falcons 14
Seattle (9-4) at Carolina (5-8)- Vinny Testaverde was the starter again in Carolina last week and David Carr's career is likely over as he was dropped to third on the depth chart. I kinda feel bad for the guy, he never got a chance to play with a team that had anything that resembles an offensive line. If God really hates him, Carr will be starting for St. Louis next year. The Seahawks meanwhile have wrapped of the NFC West and is in good position for the third seed in the playoffs if they keep winning. Games against teams like the Panthers help.
Seahawks 31 Panthers 7
Green Bay (11-2) at St. Louis (3-10)- The Packers are pretty much locked into the second seed in the NFC and a first round bye, but an upset loss to the Rams could make things interesting. It won't happen though because the Rams most likely won't have Marc Bulger back for the game. Call me crazy, but I don't trust Gus Frerotte or Brock Berlin (who the hell is he?) to lead the Rams to an upset. Here's the funky stat of the week: even though the Rams started 0-8, they weren't officially eliminated from the playoffs until their loss this past Sunday. Any takers for the NFC being mediocre?
Packers 38 Rams 24
Arizona (6-7) at New Orleans (6-7)- Well the Cardinals playoff hopes took a huge hit last week in Seattle thanks in part to Kurt Warner's FIVE interceptions. Therefore, he has won my “I'm doing my best Rex Grossman impression” award this week. The Cardinals better find a win this week, or they can kiss the playoffs goodbye. The Saints want this game bad, with Tampa Bay losing last week, they have an outside shot of winning the division for the second year in a row. Funky stat of the week #2: The Cardinals haven't been above .500 in week 13 of the season since 1986. I wasn't even born then. How's that for futility.
Saints 27 Cardinals 24
Buffalo (7-6) at Cleveland (8-5)- This is the first time since the 1980's these two teams have played a meaningful game. This game will go a long way towards determining who's in and who's out of the playoffs this year. The winner of this game has the inside track to the final wild card spot.
Browns 34 Bills 28
Tennessee (7-6) at Kansas City (4-9)- The Titans all but killed their chances when they blew a two touchdown lead late in the 4th quarter to San Diego last week. However, even though they're traveling to Arrowhead Stadium, they should be able to handle the Chiefs and keep their playoff hopes alive for another week. A loss here and they're done.
Titans 27 Chiefs 14
Indianapolis (11-2) at Oakland (4-9)- The Raiders made the Super Bowl in 2002 and haven't recovered since. They haven't won more than 4 games in a season since then and are looking at their 4th 4-12 finish in 5 seasons. The Colts on the other hand have had only one season with more than 4 losses since 2002 when they went 10-6. They're also looking at their second 14 win season in 2 years.
Colts 44 Raiders 7
Detroit (6-7) at San Diego (8-5)- 10 wins went out the window last week with a last second loss to the Cowboys. The Lions did, however, show two things last week. They're not dead, and they know how to run the football. The Chargers have finally gotten back to the power rushing style of play that made them so successful last season and had a nice come from behind win last week against Tennessee. This is gonna be a good one, but in the end the Chargers should pull it out again.
Chargers 24 Detroit 20
Philadelphia (5-8) at Dallas (12-1)- The Cowboys look pretty unstoppable right now. Tony Romo has orchestrated two last second wins this year and the Cowboys will wrap up home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win this week. The Eagles are stumbling again after a mid season push that brought them to .500. They could easily finish the year 5-11 with a six game losing streak since they have an away game in New Orleans next week and finish out the year against Buffalo at home. Both of those teams are fighting for their playoff lives and the Eagles will suffer from it.
Dallas 41 Eagles 27
Last week: 14-2Overall: 31-15
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