The NFL season is coming down the home stretch and several teams still have a chance at a playoff berth, even if the odds are slim. The AFC in particular is intriguing as all four teams from the AFC North are still alive for a berth, although only two will likely make the playoffs.
Last week was a disaster for picks due to several upsets. The Panthers upended the Falcons, and while it was an upset, it was a game you could see coming for a while. The Falcons haven't been very dominant within their division and really should've lost the first meeting as well. Meanwhile, the Bears were falling flat agains the Vikings, the Bengals had several opportunities to put their game with the Cowboys away, the Steelers lost to a Chargers team that had been MIA for weeks, and the Bucs gave up a game-winning touchdown to the Eagles with no time left on the clock.
Speaking of the Steelers and Bengals, if either team misses the playoffs, both will look at week 14 as the reason. The Steelers were at home but were rolled by the Chargers, who had previously last shown signs of offensive life back when they led the Broncos 24-0 at halftime before imploding. The Bengals had chance after chance to put away the Cowboys, but between giving up sacks, interceptions, and dropped passes, they squandered a golden opportunity to put themselves in prime position to make the playoffs. Instead, all these loses keep hope alive for teams like the Jets and Browns, of which I don't think anyone would argue the Browns are the better team at this point.
In any case, the final push for the playoffs starts this week and nothing is guaranteed, especially after the beatdown the Texans received from the Patriots last week. Some teams have locked up a playoff spot, but seeding has to be settled still and the wild card spots in both conferences are wide open.
Hopefully this week shakes out better than last week. It was rough.
Thursday
Cincinnati (7-6) at Philadelphia (4-9) - 8:20pm NFL Network
The Bengals missed out on a big chance to strenghten their playoff positioning, but for some reason struggled against a Cowboys team that wasn't exactly playing inspired football until the fourth quarter. AJ Green had a couple of drops, Andy Dalton threw a bad interception and took a sack late that helped set up a scoring drive for the Cowboys, and what happened to the running game? The Bengals still have a shot at the playoffs, but they need to win and it starts tonight.
The Eagles needed that win, but let's be honest, it wasn't a sparkling performance to say the least. Andy Reid, unimpressed with Bryce Brown, dialed up pass after pass (granted, Brown's penchant for fumbling at the worst possible time could have something to do with it) and Nick Foles did his best against a poor pass defense. Give him credit for putting up big numbers, but more importantly throwing a winning touchdown pass with no time left. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Bengals defense is better than the Buccaneers.
Pick: Bengals 24, Eagles 13
Sunday
NY Giants (8-5) at Atlanta (11-2) - 1pm FOX
This was a tough game to pick. I like the Giants just because late in the season they always seem to ratchet the intensity up and pick up their play. They also seem to thrive on the road, although that game in Cincinnati would have you fooled. Last week they got a much-needed win, especially with the Redskins and Cowboys nipping at their heels. Eli Manning and company know what the stakes are if they win, but also if they lose.
The Falcons, they just underwhelm me. They've won 11 games, but several have required comebacks or have required they hold off a comeback. They easily could be 9-4 or 8-5, but give them credit where credit is due: they don't stop playing. I thought about giving them the edge with them being at home, but while Julio Jones and Roddy White are terrific receivers, nothing else really scares me about this team.
Pick: Giants 27, Falcons 26
Minnesota (7-6) at St. Louis (6-6-1) - 1pm FOX
If the Vikings make the playoffs, which is a possibility at this point, it will solely be on the shoulders of Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson, but mostly Peterson. You wouldn't know this guy blew out his knee and missed all of last season by the way he's played thus far, and it isn't out of the question him having another big game this week against the Rams. He's simply been on a mission. He simply refused to go down against the Bears, who had no answer for him. Unfortunately, his quarterback has regressed and looks completely lost without Harvin on the field, who's been hurt.
The Rams just won't go away. They still have an outside shot at a playoff berth, but winning out is going to be required to do so. The offense won't wow you, but it has done enough in a couple games to get the win when least expected, especially against the 49ers. I don't think there will be a ton of offense in this game, but the Rams are at home and that should help.
Pick: Rams 23, Vikings 20
Jacksonville (2-11) at Miami (5-8) - 1pm CBS
The Jaguars can't catch a break. They had every opportunity to win their game against the Jets, but couldn't make the plays when they needed to and lost on a miscommunication between quarterback and receiver leading to Chad Henne's final pass being picked off. They hang around, but can't get over the hump. Except when they get blown out. I think they'll fight to the end in this game, but I can't see them pulling a win out.
The Dolphins are a team experiencing growing pains. They've looked promising at times, but at other times, they've looked absolutely awful on both sides of the ball. Ryan Tannehill has been the epitome of this issue, playing great games at one point, but also giving away games with rookie mistakes. His future looks bright, but they need to solidify the roster around him before they can make serious noise in their division. For one more week they'll keep their playoff hopes alive though.
Pick: Dolphins 20, Jaguars 15
Tampa Bay (6-7) at New Orleans (5-8) - 1pm FOX
The Bucs had a chance to solidify their playoff hopes, then promptly squandered it by allowing Nick Foles to throw all over their secondary. Now they have to travel to play the Saints, who are finally seeing the bounty-gate scandal get lifted from their season. It will take a much better performance this week to go into New Orleans and win against an angry Saints team.
Why are they angry? They scored 27 points and were blown out by the Giants. Drew Brees has been throwing interceptions left and right, but what choice does have when the defense is as bad as its been? It's sad to think the Saints could score 30 and lose regularly, but that's what they're facing each and every week. Luckily for Brees, they get to face the worst secondary in football.
Pick: Saints 37, Buccaneers 31
Denver (10-3) at Baltimore (9-4) - 1pm CBS
It wasn't long ago when many figured the Texans were the number one seed and everyone else could fight for the rest of the playoff spots. The Texans losing last week opened the door not just for the Patriots, but for the Broncos. There isn't a team hotter than the Broncos, but they will be the first to tell you they need to get better. Their red zone offense last week wasn't pretty and will have to get better against the Ravens.
The Ravens are close to spiraling out of control. The loss to the Redskins was hard to fathom, especially since they seemed to be controlling the game in the first half. Joe Flacco showed how inconsistent he is though. Brilliant in the first half, miserable in the second, and if it weren't for the Steelers and Bengals stumbling, we'd be talking about them losing the division more. Now they have to fight just to hold onto the fourth seed.
Pick: Broncos 27, Ravens 24
Indianapolis (9-4) at Houston (11-2) - 1pm CBS
The Colts are the story of the year. They have found way after way to win, and while it's easy to say it's because of their quarterback, Andrew Luck's numbers aren't that great. He's played like a rookie. The difference is he makes his mistakes early, then makes the winning play later on. This would be a tremendous game for them to win, but the Texans are going to be mad and will want to prove a point going forward.
The loss to the Patriots stung. There's no other way to look at it. Now they have to face their closest challenger twice in the final three weeks. They are going to want to send the Colts a message and it isn't going to be pleasant. It's almost the time for the Colts to return to the top, but not quite yet.
Pick: Texans 31, Colts 23
Seattle (8-5) at Buffalo (5-8) - 4:05pm FOX
The Seahawks won on the road two weeks ago, then completely dismantled a hapless Cardinals team last week. They get to play the Bills, who suddenly can't score a point when they need to. Needless to say, it could be a long day in Buffalo unless Ryan Fitzpatrick pulls one of those franchise quarterback performances out of his bag of tricks that he's occasionally known for.
Pick: Seahawks 20, Bills 12
Detroit (4-9) at Arizona (4-9) - 4:05pm FOX
The Lions were the talk of the NFL last year with all their come-from-behind wins. Now they can't hold a lead to save their season. Luckily, they play the Cardinals this week who could put an equipment manager at quarterback and not look any worse than have. Remember when they were 4-0? No one else does either.
Pick: Lions 34, Cardinals 6
Carolina (4-9) at San Diego (5-8) - 4:05pm FOX
The Panthers finally saw the Cam Newton from a year ago and look what happened? They rolled the Falcons and finally had a reason to feel good about themselves. That secondary is still a mess though. It might need an exorcism. The Chargers finally won a game and did so in convincing fashion. It won't save Norv Turner his job, but at least he continues to get wins in December. Well, except against the Panthers.
Pick: Panthers 28, Chargers 24
Pittsburgh (7-6) at Dallas (7-6) - 4:25pm FOX
I bet when the schedule makers made this season's schedule out, they saw this as a matchup between two of the best in the AFC and NFC. It'll still be good with both teams fighting for a playoff spot, but some of the luster was lost when the Cowboys decided to play lousy for a few weeks, the Steelers couldn't hang on to the football, and the football gods laughed. The Steelers just don't seem the same as they usually do and the Cowboys have been pulling wins out of thin air. I had a hard time with this one, but something is just off with the Steelers.
Pick: Cowboys 19, Steelers 16
Kansas City (2-11) at Oakland (3-10) - 4:25pm CBS
If the Raiders can't beat the Chiefs, then the whole team should just be thrown off the field and forfeit the rest of the season and start from scratch next season. The Chiefs had a feel-good win after the tragedy that struck, then returned to previous form against the Browns. Brady Quinn is not the answer and Jamaal Charles deserves better. If the Raiders struggle, they should just give Terrelle Pryor a chance and see what happens. It can't possibly be much worse than we've seen.
Pick: Raiders 24, Chiefs 13
San Francisco (9-3-1) at New England (10-3) - 8:20pm NBC
After what I saw the Patriots do to the Texans at home and how the 49ers have looked at times this season, it's hard for me to go against the Patriots. Sure, the 49ers have been dominant at times, especially against upper echelon opponents, but this game has disaster written all over it. Colin Kaepernick's first time against a Bill Belichick defense? That usually isn't a good thing and the Patriots offense is cruising along. The Patriots also want that number one seed badly.
Pick: Patriots 34, 49ers 20
Monday
NY Jets (6-7) at Tennessee (4-9) - 8:30pm ESPN
Ladies and gentlemen, your lowest rated Monday Night game of the year! The Jets stink, the Titans can't play defense, but at least Jake Locker looks all right when he isn't throwing pick-six's from his two yard line. I can't even talk about the Jets though. I don't even know how they scored 17 points last week.
Pick: Titans 13, Jets 6
Browns Game
Washington (7-6) at Cleveland (5-8) - 1pm FOX
Consider this for a moment: two teams who were bad last year meeting up with rookie quarterbacks, both fighting for a playoff spot. I know, the Browns chances are slim at 5-8, but they're in the discussion. Did anyone think this possible when they saw the schedule? Sure, RGIII was going to make his first visit to Cleveland, but did anyone think there'd be a more compelling storyline?
The Browns have won three straight and five of eight. The Redskins have also been on a roll and are one game behind the Giants for the division lead. Brandon Weeden hasn't been spectacular all the time, but he's made plays when needed and has cut back on the bad decisions. Trent Richardson hasn't run for a ton of yards, but he's scored 9 rushing touchdowns. Alfred Morris has been another gem found in the later rounds by Mike Shanahan.
In other words, there's something on the line for both teams and it isn't just a roster spot for next season. This is a good test for both the Browns defense and RGIII, who's thrived against lesser defenses of late. If he gets out and makes plays with his feet, it could be a long day for the Browns. If they can contain him and Morris, the Redskins are in trouble. I think the Browns can do it.
Pick: Browns 27, Redskins 23
Last: 10-6
Overall: 113-43-1
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