Houston at Indianapolis
Forget about Andrew Luck. Forget about Peyton Manning. Dan Orlovsky is the answer in Indianapolis. Not exactly, but Orlovsky has played relatively well in the three games he has started this season. He is completing 63% of his passes, with 4 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. The real reason the Colts finally got their first win of the season though was the play of their defense. The defense forced three turnovers and held the Titans rushing attack to only 66 yards. A defense that has been giving up over 28 points per game, held the Titans to only 13 last Sunday. This same defensive effort will not be repeated on Thursday night against the Texans. They welcome a Houston team that has dominated this season because of a consistent rushing attack and ball control offense. Although T.J. Yates showed the first signs of being a rookie against the Panthers, all he will have to do against the Colts this week is turn around and hand the ball to Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Both runningbacks will go over the 100 yard mark on the ground Thursday night, as the Houston Texans improve their record to 11-4.Indianapolis- 17
Cleveland at Baltimore
Has there been a team with more disappointing losses than the Ravens this season? That is not to take away anything from what San Diego did last week, but the Baltimore Ravens have laid some serious eggs. It truly is inexplicable for this defense to lose to Blaine Gabbert earlier in the season and then to give up as much offense as it did Sunday night. There is no doubt that they will bounce back this week at home against the Browns, but this team has to find consistency especially on the road. The perfect cure for a tough road loss is an upcoming game with the offensively challenged Cleveland Browns. It seems as if the Browns have been in rebuilding mode for close to a decade now. Looks like they will have to start all over again after yet another disappointing season.Baltimore- 24
Minnesota at Washington
Both of these teams have shown glimpses of what they are capable of. The Minnesota Vikings offense led by Christian Ponder, runningback Adrian Peterson, and exceptional playmaker Percy Harvin can be scary. The Washington Redskins defense led by its linebacking core of Ryan Kerrigan, Brian Orakpo, London Fletcher, and Rocky McIntosh can shut down opponents. However, the most difficult thing to do in the NFL is stay consistent; something that both of these teams have struggled to do this season. The biggest disappointment for Minnesota has been the play of their defense. They have suffered serious injuries in their secondary, and are giving up an atrocious 29 points per game, which is last in the NFL. Unless Jared Allen manages to make every tackle, the Redskins rushing attack should allow them to dominate the time of possession and therefore dominate this matchup.
Minnesota- 20Washington -30
Jacksonville at Tennessee
With absolutely no pocket presence and awareness of defensive pressure, Blaine Gabbert proved last Thursday night that he is not the answer in Jacksonville. The experiment is over. The Jaguars need to find a new quarterback. They should look to what the Tennessee Titans did this offseason and its successes and failures during the season. The Titans brought in veteran Matt Hasselback to teach rookie Jake Locker what it takes to be successful in this league. Locker’s playing time has been limited, but he has played enough to gain the necessary experience to be successful next year. Titans head coach Mike Munchak has already declared Matt Hasselback the starter for this week’s game. This is a curious decision. The Titans playoff outlook looks helpless at this point, and Hasselback, who has fought injuries all season, was a major reason why the Titans were the first victims of the Colts last Sunday. Another reason the Titans collapsed against the Colts was because their defense allowed 205 rushing yards, 80 of those coming on a 4th quarter touchdown run by Donald Brown. That kind of rush defense does not bode well when Maurice Jones-Drew is coming to town. Another flaw in the Titans team is their lack of a pass rush as they are third to last in the league with 24 sacks. Three of the four victims of the Jaguars this season, the Titans, the Buccaneers, and the Colts, are in the bottom five in the league in sacking opposing quarterbacks. The Titans inability to threaten rookie Blaine Gabbert will allow for him to become comfortable in the pocket and we may see some positive signs from him. Maybe.Tennessee- 14
St. Louis at Pittsburgh
The Rams have to shut Sam Bradford down for the rest of the season. Not only because they have nothing to gain by playing him, but also because they have actually played better offensively without him. This putrid Rams offense will now travel to play a Pittsburgh team coming off a road loss to the 49ers Monday night. While the Rams should shut down Bradford, the Steelers should shut down Roethlisberger. He was completely ineffective in their game against the 49ers and needs to rest before the playoffs. Backups Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon have proved in the past that they are more than capable of putting this team in position to win games. All they have to do in this game is put their team in field goal position one time as the Rams will be shut out in Pittsburgh this week.Pittsburgh- 20
N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…Unless you are a New York football fan. Neither the Jets or the Giants showed up for their week 15 matchups, making this week 16 New York showdown even more critical for these teams playoff hopes. This game will ultimately be determined by which defense best covers its opponent’s receivers. Last week against the Eagles, the man coverage the Jets usually play was picked apart by Michael Vick. Despite having arguably the best cornerback in the game Darrelle Revis, the Jets secondary looked extremely vulnerable when Vick had enough time to throw. If the Jets hope to win this matchup with the Giants, safeties Brodney Pool and Eric Smith will have to do a better job covering space in the middle of the field and their defensive line will have to put pressure on Manning. On the other hand, the New York Giants entire defense has been suspect for much of the season. They have not played a complete defensive game yet. One game their defensive line looks sluggish, the next game their secondary leaves wide receivers virtually uncovered. These things cannot happen if the expectation is for this team to make the playoffs. In a game where the loser will be left scrambling to make the playoffs, the Giants recent loss to the Redskins will provide a wake up call to their entire team, as Eli Manning and Jason Pierre-Paul lead the Giants to a crucial win.NYJ- 23
Denver at Buffalo
Buffalo – 20
Tampa Bay at Carolina
It is amazing how much the futures of these teams have turned around in this single season. The Buccaneers were supposed to be contenders and Josh Freeman was supposed to take the next step in his progression as a young quarterback. After a seven game losing streak and a complete collapse, there is no doubt Raheem Morris will be fired and serious changes will be made. On the other hand, the Carolina Panthers have competed in just about every game they have played in and no doubt have their quarterback for at least another decade. If the Panthers can get healthy and continue to improve their defense, this will be a scary team next year. Even though these teams are only playing for pride at this point, Carolina will want to prove to the Buccaneers that they are no longer the worst team in the NFC South. Carolina- 30
Arizona at Cincinnati
Both teams in this matchup need this game to stay alive in their respective playoff races. The Cincinnati Bengals recently took care of business against the Rams, but are only 2 and 4 in their last six games. Rookie Andy Dalton was in early contention with Cam Newton for rookie of the year, but has come down to earth in recent games. In the first eight games of the season, Dalton completed 61% of his passes, with 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. In the first six games of the second half of the season, Dalton is completing 55% of his passes with only six touchdowns and six interceptions. Specifically, when Dalton plays NFC opponents, his numbers drop considerably as his quarterback rating drops from an 81 to a 57. The Bengals opponent this week are from, you guessed it, the NFC. The Bengals will have to contain Larry Fitzgerald this week which has proved to be an almost impossible task for opposing teams. In a close, hard fought, down to the wire game, the Arizona Cardinals will continue their revival from a slow start and remain in contention for an NFC wildcard spot.Cincinnati- 21
Oakland at Kansas City
There are a number of Jekyl and Hyde teams this year, but the Kansas City Chiefs top them all. The Chiefs started the season losing three in a row, then won four in a row, then lost four in a row, and have now won two out of three. They defeated the defending SuperBowl champions and seemingly unbeatable Green Bay Packers, with a new coach in Romeo Crennel and a new quarterback in Kyle Orton. The real hero though was the defense led by Tamba Hali. With the slimmest of playoff hopes alive, the Chiefs welcome AFC West rival Oakland Raiders. The free fall for Oakland continued last week with a disastrous home loss to the Lions. A consistent pass rush from the Chiefs defense will cause Carson Palmer to commit multiple turnovers in a season-ending loss for the Raiders. Question for Hue Jackson; Now would you consider that trade for Palmer “the greatest in football”?
Oakland- 20Kansas City- 21
Miami at New England
Thank you Tom Brady. Thank you Bill Belichick. Thank you New England Patriots for finally quieting Tim Tebow and his colt. There are no doubts about how talented the Patriots offenseis, but questions remain with regards to the Patriots defense. Before Denver started to turn the ball over, the Broncos ripped apart the Pats D averaging over 10 yards per play throughout the first quarter. After three fortuitous turnovers for the Patriots, Tom Brady and company took care of business, extending the Patriots lead. However, the Patriots will not be so fortunate in playoff games as teams will not turn the ball over three or more times. This week against the Dolphins, Brady and the offense will continue to excel, but the defense will allow the Dolphins to stay in the game.New England- 35
San Diego at Detroit
Matthew Stafford led yet another miraculous comeback for the Detroit Lions last week. When hope is dwindling and all seems lost, Stafford seems to shine. What is curious is how the Lions continue to put themselves in situations where they are forced to perform miracles. They have an above average offense, an average defense, and an excellent turnover ratio. While the Lions remain a mystery, so do the San Diego Chargers. Once again, the Chargers find themselves in the thick of things in the AFC West after yet another second half comeback in their season. Much of their success can be credited to the excellent play of their quarterback Philip Rivers. In December, Rivers is completing 75% of his passes, with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. This is going to be an extremely fun game to watch between the Chargers and Lions. Both teams have high powered offenses and need this game to remain alive in their respective playoff races. The Chargers have been in this situation before, but the Lions have proved to perform well under pressure. The Lions get a dose of their own medicine this week, as Rivers leads a comeback win over Detroit to keep the Chargers AFC West hopes alive.
San Diego- 38Detroit- 35
San Francisco at Seattle
How can you not like the Seattle Seahawks? They have an unbelievable fan base, an energetic head coach, and a young, fiery team. With another win last week, the Seahawks improved to 7-7 and kept their playoff hopes alive. This week they welcome their division rival, the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers are coming off a huge statement win against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Monday night. Despite two power outages at their own stadium, the 49ers defense continued to shine holding a one-legged Ben Roethlisberger and company to only three points. It is incredible that this defense has not allowed a rushing touchdown yet this season. They are the first team to begin the first 15 games of the season without allowing a rushing touchdown since the Decatur Staleys in the 1920’s. Enter Marshawn Lynch. Lynch, given the energy to perform by Skittles, has been an unstoppable force in the last several weeks. What will happen when the unstoppable force of Lynch meets with the 49ers immovable defense? Seahawks win.Seattle- 21
Philadelphia at Dallas
We knew that the NFC East was going to come down to an interesting and crazy finish, but not this crazy. The Eagles, somehow, someway, are still alive and now they are looking scary. They absolutely demolished the New York Jets last Sunday and looked like the team we had expected all season. In the Eagles last two wins, against the Jets and Dolphins, their defense has caused seven turnovers and sacked the opposing quarterback 13 times. Leading the defensive charge has been defensive end Jason Babin who has 13 sacks over the last four games and needs only 4.5 sacks to tie Michael Strahan’s season sack record. The Cowboys also got a much-needed win last week, but against a less formidable opponent. As the play of the defense for the Eagles has improved, it has made it that much easier for Michael Vick and the offense to be successful. The Eagles remain in contention for the NFC East title as Babin adds two more sacks, and the Eagles defeat the Cowboys.Dallas- 33
Chicago at Green Bay
Some quotes from Rocky IV to summarize the Green Bay Packers loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this past Sunday. “You see? You see? He's not a machine, he's a man, he's a man.” Aaron Rodgers appeared to be less of a machine against the Chiefs completing less than 50% of his passes and throwing for only one touchdown. “He's cut, he's cut, the Russian's cut and it's a bad cut, and now it's Rocky Balboa coming after Ivan Drago”. The loss to the Kansas City Chiefs exposed a “cut” and a “bad cut” in the Green Bay defense and Green Bay offensive line. The Packers offensive line seemed exceptionally vulnerable and could provide an opening for a Green Bay upset in the playoffs. They still have two regular season games and a bye week in the playoffs to fix, or at least improve upon, their weaknesses. Meanwhile, the Bears now look for answers from their third string quarterback Josh McCown. In his first start of the season, McCown gets to play the defending champions who are now angry after their first loss of the season who also still need to lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Good Luck, Josh.Green Bay- 30
Atlanta at New Orleans
This has been one of the better rivalries in the NFL over the past four seasons. The New Orleans Saints have controlled the matchup since 2008, going 5-2 against the Falcons. Five out of the seven games have been decided by four or less points, and the total point differential in the seven games is only three. The Saints defeated the Falcons in overtime earlier this season after a questionable decision by Mike Smith gave the Saints incredible field position for a game-winning field goal. The Falcons are not getting enough attention in this particular game. Too much attention is being paid to Drew Brees’ quest for a record setting season and the Saints six game win streak. The Falcons defense has played respectably well over the last few weeks and are now getting back their best cornerback Brent Grimes. Expect Matt Ryan and Drew Brees to throw touchdown after touchdown throughout this entire game. The outcome of this game will be determined by which defense is able to hold its opponent late in the game. The Falcons defense outplays the Saints defense in another classic NFC South showdown.
Atlanta- 31New Orleans- 27
