Only six more weeks of regular season football This is when the playoff picture really starts to become interesting, here in week 12. ESPN should be releasing its playoff machine any day now, which is always a blast to play with.
Here are this week’s games. REMEMBER: THREE FOR THURSDAY!
GAME OF THE WEEK – New England Patriots (10-0) at Denver Broncos (8-2), NE by 3 – No more Brady vs. Peyton matchups… the limelight in this one is going to be focused on Brock Osweiler and whether he’ll be able to do just enough in a big-time game at home to guide the Broncos to victory. This Broncos defense is still playing outstanding football, but holding Tom Brady’s Patriots, even with a severely limited offense due to injuries, is a tall task in any scenario. Still, I see the Patriots with an inevitable march toward another perfect regular season, continuing through Denver. Patriots 24, Broncos 23
THANKSGIVING DAY – Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) at Detroit Lions (3-7), PUSH – Oddsmakers are having a hard time determining which team sucks more, as am I. Neither of these teams have any business being as bad as they have been. I’m going to go with the riskier pick and take the Lions at home in front of their traditional Thanksgiving crowd against a floundering Eagles team. Lions 23, Eagles 16
THANKSGIVING DAY – Carolina Panthers (10-0) at Dallas Cowboys (3-7), CAR by 1 – Really interesting game here. This becomes entirely different with Tony Romo back in the lineup. I think the Panthers should absolutely be the favorites here, and have been perhaps the most impressive team in the last few weeks. But a short week on the road against a revitalized Cowboys team with some hope… man, call me crazy, but I’m taking the upset. I don’t see the Panthers winning every single game, and this is as good a time as any to pick against them. The better team doesn’t always win, and that’s sort of what I’m banking on here. UPSET! Cowboys 27, Panthers 24
THANKSGIVING DAY – Chicago Bears (4-6) at Green Bay Packers (7-3), GB by 9 – This game has been circled on the calendars of Packer fans everywhere since the year started. Thanksgiving football in Green Bay for the first time since the 1930s and the first time ever at Lambeau Field. The oldest rivalry in football. And to top it all off, Brett Favre’s number retirement ceremony and Bart Starr’s possible final return to Lambeau (he suffered a stroke and heart attack last year). This is going to be an emotional night, one Packers fans will remember forever. There’s no chance they lose this one. Packers 35, Bears 17
New Orleans Saints (4-6) at Houston Texans (5-5), HOU by 3 – Just a few weeks ago I was considering the Texans possibly the worst team in the league. Suddenly they’re tied for the lead in the AFC South and are playing surprisingly good football. At home against a disappointing Saints team, I’ll take them to win. Texans 20, Saints 16
Minnesota Vikings (7-3) at Atlanta Falcons (6-4), ATL by 2 – I don’t know why the Falcons keep getting the benefit of the doubt at home. They just lost to a Matt hasselbeck-led Colts team in the Georgia Dome. They’re soft as fuck. UPSET! – Vikings 28, Falcons 20
St. Louis Rams (4-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (8-2), CIN by 9 – The Rams are in a really shitty spot right now. Awful QB play has really doomed them the last few weeks. The Bengals are reeling after a couple losses and are now back home where they could really use a win. They'll get it. Bengals 23, Rams 10
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5) at Indianapolis Colts (5-5), IND by 3 – I'm going to take the upset here. The Colts went on the road and beat a soft as fuck Atlanta team, but with their injuries they're going to lose some winnable games. This Bucs team has some fight in it yet. And, oddly enough, they've played better on the road than at home this year. UPSET! - Bucs 24, Colts 17
New York Giants (5-5) at Washington Redskins (4-6), NYG by 2.5 – I can't make heads or tails of these teams. Both are maddeningly inconsistent. At home in a division rivalry game, I'll take the Redskins to sneak away with the win. UPSET! - Redskins 26, Giants 20
Oakland Raiders (4-6) at Tennessee Titans (2-8), OAK by 1.5 – Man, the Raiders needed that win in Detroit if they wanted to keep pace with the wild card race. This one in Tennessee is now a must-win. Raiders 28, Titans 10
Buffalo Bills (5-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-5), KC by 4.5 – Huge, compelling game here. Who would have thought that at 1-5 and without Jamaal Charles for the rest of the season, the Chiefs would reel off four straight wins and suddenly re-enter the playoff picture? We're getting to the stage where tiebreakers become increasingly important, and a lot of these 5-5 teams can help themselves both by getting a win and beating other potential playoff contenders. The way the Chiefs' defense looked against San Diego, I'm taking them at home against a solid but beat up Bills team on a short week. Chiefs 24, Bills 21
Miami Dolphins (4-6) at New York Jets (5-5), NYJ by 3.5 – Another very similar kind of game to that Chiefs/Bills game. Probably an elimination game here for one of these teams. The Jets have gone 1-4 in their last five games after an unexpected 4-1 start to the season. For whatever reason, they've lost their mojo. But I think they have just enough to deliver a knockout blow to Miami at home. Jets 23, Dolphins 17
San Diego Chargers (2-8) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6), JAX by 4 – Don't look now, but Jacksonville is a game out of their division race and two games out of the Wild Card. They're going against a team that's looked completely lifeless the last few weeks in San Diego. I think they manage to take it. Jaguars 30, Chargers 20
Arizona Cardinals (8-2) at San Francisco 49ers (3-7), ARZ by 10 – The 49ers are dead in the water. Blaine Gabbert at QB for the rest of the year and a franchise that's falling apart... that's a tough pill to swallow for Niners fans who only just got out of a decade of pathetic football. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are one of the three or four most impressive teams in the league, and they'll put that on display again this week. Cardinals 34, 49ers 13
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) at Seattle Seahawks (5-5), SEA by 4 – Seahawks fans truly hate the Steelers, so you know they'll be riled up for this one. They can drag themselves back into the NFC playoff picture with a win and a Falcons loss. The Steelers are banged up, but still manage to hang around. This one will be close, but playing in Seattle, I see the SEahawks taking it. Seahawks 17, Steelers 14
Baltimore Ravens (3-7) at Cleveland Browns (2-8), CLE by 2.5 - Man, which team is more of a disaster? Everybody on Baltimore is hurt, whereas the Browns are... the Browns. What a disappointing year for Cleveland. I'll take them simply because they're at least playing with most of their pieces in place but damn. Browns 20, Ravens 17
