Fraser's Favorites Week 13

Philadelphia at Seattle

First the San Francisco 49ers are victims of the scheduling in the NFL, and now the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles played at home against the Patriots at 4:00 EST on Sunday and will have three days to travel to Seattle to play in a Thursday Night game. Not only do they only have three days to rest and prepare for the Seahawks, but they also have to take one of those days for travel. The Seahawks are fortunate enough to play at home two weeks in a row and catch the Eagles on such a short week. Andy Reid and the Eagles organization put together what was believed to be a dream team. With a record of 4 and 7, the only dreams for Andy Reid and the Eagles will be of lying beachside on the coast of Hawaii late in January.

Philadelphia- 21
Seattle- 25

Tennessee at Buffalo

In their game last week against the New York Jets, the Bills won the time of possession, had better efficiency on third downs, won the turnover battle, and won the field position battle. How did they manage to lose this game? Stevie Johnson. Stevie Johnson single-handedly lost this game for the Bills. Three dropped passes and an incredibly stupid penalty because he was mocking the Jets in a celebration cost the Bills this game. Chan Gailey really should consider benching Johnson for the display he put on in Sundays game. The threat of benching Chris Johnson seemed to have a positive effect on his play, and it should have the same effect on Stevie Johnson’s play. In Tennessee, Chris Johnson finally looked like Chris Johnson again. He evaded tacklers behind the line of scrimmage and made tacklers miss for the first time this season. The Bills are 28th in the league in points allowed per game allowing 25 points scored against them, and will struggle to stop Chris Johnson. With Matt Hasselback and the Titans offense hitting their stride, they could put enough pressure on the Texans to win the AFC South.

Tennessee- 24
Buffalo-21

Indianapolis at New England

For the last decade, the Colts and the Patriots is a game all football fans look forward to. Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady and usually these two teams would be battling for the number one seed in the AFC. This season, the Colts are winless and will no doubt continue to be winless after this matchup with the Patriots.

Indianapolis- 10
New England- 35

N.Y. Jets at Washington

In what some are considering the worst four touchdown passing performance in NFL history, many are forgetting the Jets got a key win last week against the Bills. Mark Sanchez looked downright horrible for the first three and a half quarters, but suddenly turned his play around and led the Jets to victory with a fourth quarter drive. In his postgame press conference Rex Ryan stated that “Mark Sanchez is not part of the problem, he is one of our strengths”. Rex, if “Sanchize” is one your strengths, there is a problem. Now the Jets travel to Washington to play what is a virtual playoff game for New York. Every game the Jets play in the rest of the season is a playoff game. If they lose, they crush their hopes at an AFC wildcard. The Jets and Sanchez will squeeze out another win in a close game as their defense forces Grossman into another multiple interception performance.

New York Jets- 23
Washington-17

Carolina at Tampa Bay

The first word that comes to mind when thinking about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is sloppy. They are always playing in turnover ridden games usually played in some type of unfavorable weather that end in ridiculous plays on either side of the ball. In their most recent game against the Titans, the ball popped loose from Josh Freeman’s hands on a quarterback sneak on a 4th and 1 as the Bucs were driving late in the fourth quarter. With the Bucs fifth straight loss, Raheem Morris is the latest coach in the league to appear on the hot seat. As the Buccaneers expected to be competitive this year, the Panthers knew they were preparing for the future. With Cam Newton exceeding already lofty expectations, the Panthers future is looking even brighter. The team that wins this game will limit turnovers and be dominant in their ground attack. If LeGarette Blount can hold on to the ball, the Buccaneers will win an extremely close game that should be a great rivalry for the next decade.

Carolina- 24
Tampa Bay- 27

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

While the Bengals got a much-needed win against the Browns, their schedule is clearly affecting their play. They came out flat against Cleveland because they were coming off two hard-fought games against the Bengals and Steelers. This last stretch for Cincinnati will be challenging and it starts this week when they travel to Pittsburgh where the “Terrible Towel” will be waving furiously. Ben Roethlisberger is no doubt the toughest player in the NFL. Not only does he seem to always have some type of nagging injury and play through that injury, but he also remains a top ten quarterback despite those hindrances. Big Ben is the epitome of the Steelers with a tough, never-quit attitude. That toughness and hard-hitting approach wears down on opponents and will wear down the Bengals this weekend. The Bengals fall to 7 and 5 and their playoff hopes continue to remain in question.

Cincinnati- 20
Pittsburgh- 24

Kansas City at Chicago

The Kansas City Chiefs have to be one of the most mysterious teams this season. After losing three games to start the season, they won four in a row and looked like they could compete in their division. They have now lost four consecutive games and look absolutely horrendous on offense with Tyler Palko at quarterback. Their defense did play well against the Steelers constantly putting pressure on Big Ben. As they travel to the windy city, their defense will have to be perfect to give the team a chance to win this game. While Palko has been dreadful for the Chiefs, Caleb Hanie was not impressive in his first start for the Bears. Not only did he throw three interceptions, but those interceptions came in key situations. Hanie has to be smarter with the ball if the Bears have any chance of competing for a wildcard spot. Against the Chiefs, Matt Forte will explode for 150 rushing yards and Hanie will be asked to do very little in a crucial win for the Bears.

Kansas City- 17
Chicago- 27

Atlanta at Houston

Just when the Texans looked like they would make a serious push for the playoffs and make a run deep into the playoffs, Matt Schaub and backup quarterback Matt Leinart are knocked out for the season. With the Titans not completely out of the AFC South race, the Texans will rely on T.J. Yates. The rushing attack and the defense will have to step it up more so than it has this season. The Texans now host one of the leagues most underrated defenses and the second best defense against the run in the league. The Falcons look like a playoff team again after winning five out of their last six games. Barring a major collapse, the Falcons should make the playoffs. However, their success in the playoffs will be determined by their consistency. If Matt Ryan can stay as consistent away as he is at home, the Falcons could be dangerous. With two talented defenses in this matchup, the better offense will win this game. The Texans will struggle with Yates at quarterback, and Matt Ryan and the Falcons will improve to 8 and 4, continuing to put pressure on the New Orleans Saints.

Atlanta- 28
Houston- 20

Oakland at Miami

The Dolphins have had multiple games this season where they have lost on opponent fourth quarter drives. The team has remained competitive and is a difficult win for any team that still has to play them. The biggest question for the Dolphins for the remainder of the season will be if Matt Moore can potentially be their franchise quarterback. We have seen several teams overpay quarterbacks way too soon or draft quarterbacks way too high without fully knowing if they can lead their team. While the Dolphins look for answers at the quarterback position, Hue Jackson and the Raiders have found their answer in Carson Palmer. He gives them the superior downfield passer that they have been looking for and makes them a serious contender in the AFC. Traveling to Miami this week will be an extremely challenging game for Oakland. The Miami defense has been playing well only allowing 10 points per game over their last four games. This will be defensive battle and an upset victory for the Dolphins.

Oakland- 17
Miami- 20

Denver at Minnesota

MVP! MVP! Think about it! Before the time of Tebow, the Denver Broncos were in a lowly place, were 1 and 4, and were in last in the AFC West. As the Broncos were losing 15-0 to the Miami Dolphins, John Fox made the call to put Tebow into the game. A miraculous fourth quarter comeback and four wins later, Tim Tebow has captured the hearts and minds of football fans across the nation. There are few articles and few highlights that do not have Tebow as the lead story. Now the question remains; is Tebow a serious MVP contender? Without him who knows how miserable the Broncos still could be. With him, not only does the offensive playcalling change, but more importantly so does the attitude and confidence of this team. It would be laughable if Tebow was in the MVP conversation, but it is truly amazing what he has been able to do as a running quarterback. As the Broncos defense continues to keep these games close, Tebow will continue to perform miracles in the fourth quarter.

Denver- 17
Minnesota- 16

Baltimore at Cleveland

Looking at the sidelines of most NFL teams, you will find players and coaches wearing various hats, gloves, and merchandise from their teams. When you watch a Cleveland Browns game, you have to wonder why anyone would want to wear Browns apparel. It is ugly, has no appeal, and quite honestly the team has been terrible for the past decade. The same applies for the Cleveland Browns offense. It is ugly, it has no identity, and will be this bad until the Browns acquire a playmaker. Without any semblance of an imposing offense, the Browns will be no match for the fierce Ravens defense as Baltimore makes their case for the best team in the AFC.

Baltimore- 27
Cleveland- 13

St. Louis at San Francisco

After being swept in the season series by the Arizona Cardinals, the St. Louis Rams have officially hit rock bottom. They have won only two games, miraculously beating the Saints at home and beating the Browns in week 10. They are scoring less than 13 points a game, rushing for less than 115 yards per game, and throwing for only 190 yards per game. These are disastrous numbers for an offense that was looking to build on Sam Bradford’s sophomore season. They travel to the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers who are coming off a difficult loss to the Ravens in the “Harbowl”. Even though the 49ers have no doubts about making the playoffs, a potential flaw was illustrated that could hurt them in the long run; their inability to consistently protect Alex Smith. Terrell Suggs and the Ravens defense was all over Smith on Thanksgiving night. They have to protect Smith each game to give him the opportunities to complete those short to intermediate passes that he has all season. Justin Smith and Aldon Smith will to do Sam Bradford what Suggs did to Smith last week and the 49ers will roll to their 10th win.

St. Louis- 12

San Francisco- 21

Green Bay at N.Y. Giants

As the saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. After looking like a top team in the NFC for much of the season, the Giants have officially fallen and fallen hard. The strength of this team is undoubtedly their defensive line and their ability to put pressure on the quarterback. That strength has been non-existent in the last three weeks which has factored in to the Giants three game losing streak. On offense, the Giants seriously miss running back Ahmad Bradshaw because it is obvious that Brandon Jacobs and Danny Ware cannot get the job done. As the Giants move further out of the playoff race with each loss, they have to be kicking themselves for losses to the Redskins and Seahawks earlier in the season. Another loss this week to the MVP Aaron Rodgers could spell an end to the Giants playoff hopes. In other news, and in what is great news for NFL history, Mike McCarthy recently stated that even after the Packers lock-up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, they will not shy away from the talks of an undefeated season. The Packers have proven they are the beat team in the league, but it should be interesting to see how they handle the pressure of a perfect season.

Green Bay-38
New York Giants- 30

Dallas at Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals are suddenly a respectable team. Not a good team, but definitely not bad and not one that other teams want to play. Patrick Peterson is a rookie that could compete with Von Miller and Aldon Smith for rookie of the year. He has electrified the league with his returning abilities and has been making spectacular defensive plays all season. The Dallas Cowboys have to be careful as they travel to Arizona this weekend. With three division match-ups in their final four games, two against the Giants still remaining, the Cowboys cannot overlook the Cardinals. If the Cowboys can contain Beanie Wells and Patrick Peterson, they should be able to stay on track and in first place in the NFC East.

Dallas- 28
Arizona- 22

Detroit at New Orleans

Oh when the Saints, come marching in, Oh when the Saints come marching in! Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints marched all over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football at the Superdome. As usual, Brees looked unstoppable at home and executed the gameplan to perfection. Fans got an inside look at a pre-game meeting between Head Coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees, and Offenive Coordinator Pete Carimichael Jr. This inside look illustrated that it takes not only superior skill to be successful, but also a vast intelligence for the game and an incredible understanding of the offense. As the Saints marched on the Giants, Ndamukong Suh marched on the Packers Evan Dietrich-Smith. Suh will now get a “Suhspension” of two games which is completely ridiculous. Suh should be suspended for the remainder of the season because he is a repeat offender. Without Suh, and with the Lions hope to make the playoffs slipping away, the Saints will dismantle the Lions.

Detroit- 28
New Orleans- 42

San Diego at Jacksonville

It seems like each week football fans get to watch one crummy night game. This week that crummy game is the Chargers at the Jaguars. The Chargers are victims of their last five games and were “Tebowed” last weekend. The Chargers defense has been respectable, but the major flaw has been the offense. Philip Rivers was well on his way to becoming an elite quarterback and has instead regressed drastically this season. In speaking of offensively challenged teams with questionable quarterback play, the Jaguars offense has been abysmal. They managed to score only 13 points last week with seven of those points coming on a first quarter fumble return for a touchdown. They have to be questioning their first round draft pick Blaine Gabbert. He looks frightened in the pocket and collapses to the ground when pressure is remotely close. The Jaguars will continue to regret such a high draft choice and the San Diego offense will finally show some signs of life this week.

San Diego- 26
Jacksonville- 13