The NFL mandates that games played on the season’s final weekend be divisional games. That approach maximizes playoff-spot drama. For me, the drama is almost over. Last week I hit 75%, which pushed my season record to 152-87-1 (64%). With one week left, I’m shooting to clear the table!
(NOTE: All games will be played on Sunday afternoon unless otherwise noted.)
Baltimore 27, Pittsburgh 10: The Ravens will be resting front-line players, having clinched the #1-seed. But I think second-stringers should be able to outclass a Steeler team that couldn’t beat the lowly Jets. With a victory, the Ravens will set a new team record for wins. The team has already broken 500 points in a season for the first time.
Cincinnati 23, Cleveland 10: With the season-ending, it’s time to see if my preseason predictions are going to come true. Before the year began, I had the overrated, overhyped Browns gong 5-10. If the Browns indeed lose this game, they will be 6-10.
Dallas 30, Washington 9: The Cowboys had seemingly righted the ship in time to take the NFC East for the third time in the last four years. Instead, they were awful in the loss at Philadelphia. This week, the Cowboys are better than the Redskins–in every way, shape, and form.
Philadelphia 27, New York Giants 20: Both of these clubs have hope for the future. The Eagles have a talented roster, and the Giants have a young signal-caller in Daniel Jones. But Sunday is now, not in the future. Philly is playing for a divisional title and a playoff spot. Philly in this one.
Buffalo 33, New York Jets 20: The Jets have shown promise as the season wore on. Buffalo showed it’s a playoff-caliber team, including claiming double-digit wins for the first time in 20 seasons (no typo). Which would you take? Promise or Performance? Buffalo is home, too.
New England 38, Miami 16: The Patriots could probably put its third-string on the field and win this game. The sad commentary here is that Miami is a predictably bad team that has struggled through yet another predictably lousy season.
Houston 23, Tennessee 17: When you thought you had the Titans figured out, they turned back into a pumpkin. This team’s inconsistency will likely cost them again. If so, they’ll stay home for the winter.
Indianapolis 26, Jacksonville 7: The season hasn’t ended well for the Colts, but the stretch run has been even less kind to the Jaguars. Bottom line: the Colts should be commended for staying in playoff contention as long as they did this year after Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement.
New Orleans 35, Carolina 17: The Saints are just another reason why the NFC is stacked this year. That’s bad news for the Panthers. At least they’ll end the season at home.
Tampa Bay 31, Atlanta 20: The Buccaneers flirted with the .500 mark, but (let’s face it) this is a below-average team with a flighty QB. The good news is that Coach of the Year candidate, Bruce Arians, gets to play the Falcons at home. There’s hope!
Green Bay 24, Detroit 6: The Lions have home-field advantage, but that means very little to a team that’s hardly a team. Even with votes of confidence given to the head coach and general manager, Detroit is a bad team playing a good team. Translation: It will be another long day in Motor City.
Minnesota 27, Chicago 10: The Vikings rode a strong defense and a multi-faceted running game to the playoffs, while the Bears were inconsistent and unimpressive, especially on offense. The Vikings are home. Minnesota wins.
Kansas City 29, Los Angeles Chargers 3: The hard-luck Chargers lost some brutally-close games in midseason, and then limped down the stretch. For the season finale, they get a booby prize–playing at Arrowhead Stadium. KC finishes the regular season with a bang.
Denver 17, Oakland 13: On Sunday, the curtain will go down on that 60-year soap opera known as the Oakland Raiders. It’s a road game with their longtime rival, the Broncos. The Raiders lost their home finale, so I think there’s nothing left in the tank.
Los Angeles Rams 26, Arizona 17: The Rams rose steadily last year and found themselves in the Super Bowl. This year, the team has been up-and-down, with playoff hopes dashed last week, Still, though, I think they should be able to finish off the Cardinals.
San Francisco 23, Seattle 20 (Sunday night): This is the GOW! A lot is on the line: the NFC West title and– quite possibly–home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. That’s high stakes! The 49ers will avenge an early-season loss and split the year with the Seahawks.
