Jacksonville at Atlanta
Mike Smith’s halftime speech against the Carolina Panthers had to be one for the ages. Not only did his team respond after halftime with 24 unanswered points to beat the Panthers, but Smith was also hospitalized after the game with chest pains. As fans, we tend to forget the amount of physical and mental stress that coaches and players are forced to handle throughout the entirety of the season. Off days are rare and there is so much pressure to succeed. In a time where the mantra is win or be fired, coaches are asked to go above and beyond their call of duty, non-stop, for half of the year. Coaches like Mike Smith who are energetic and fiery are often successful because of their dedication to the game. However, no matter how intense the pressure to win, coaches and players should remember that their long-term health is more important than an extra couple of hours of film study. Nonetheless, in this matchup of Thursday Night Football, both teams will need those extra couple of hours of film study on a short week. Matt Ryan has been electric in his last four games throwing for nine touchdown passes and only two interceptions, breaking the top ten in terms of quarterback rating this week. Even though the Jaguars have been stout on defense, expect Matty Ice to attack this depleted secondary with deep passes to Roddy White and Julio Jones.Atlanta- 42
Dallas at Tampa Bay
It is now only a matter of time before Raheem Morris is fired. All of the wheels have fallen off and the Buccaneers are completely lost. The “youngry” attitude and atmosphere that Morris attempted to bring has failed, bringing only chaos and confusion to a team desperate for discipline. Fortunately for the Bucs, there are myriad coaches available, such as Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, Jack Del Rio, and Jeff Fisher, who can instill the discipline needed. In speaking of discipline, the Cowboys secondary was a microcosm for a lack of discipline Sunday Night. If the Cowboys have any hopes for a playoff birth, they have to play better defensively against Tampa Bay and their remaining opponents. Playing against a team in complete disarray, Tony “Romocoaster” will carry his team to a much-needed win.
Dallas- 27Tampa Bay- 20
Carolina at Houston
Cam Newton should have learned three valuable lessons before, during, and after Sunday’s loss to the Falcons. Lesson #1: Do not talk badly about your own team. Newton stated earlier in the week that he is waiting for the rest of the team to play to “his level”. He needs to realize that “his level” just simply is not good enough yet. Lesson #2: Taking a sack is better than throwing an interception. Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson intercepted a pass that Newton threw lefty while falling to the ground. It was a pass that he simply should not have thrown. While the statistics he has put up this year are incredible, Newton has committed way too many turnovers. In the games where Newton throws an interception, the Panthers have a record of 1-8. This is a statistic that should resonate with Newton during the offseason as he reflects on his rookie year. And Lesson #3: A lesson in modesty as he needs to realize that there is always someone better than him. Matt Ryan showed the rookie quarterback that it is not about numbers; it is not about one quarter or one half, but about the number of wins at the end of the season. Meanwhile another rookie quarterback, T.J. Yates, led his team in a last minute, division championship sealing, comeback victory last Sunday. In this matchup of rookie quarterbacks, the team that commits the fewest amount of turnovers will win the game. In an upset victory, Cam Newton will learn from past mistakes, limiting the amount of poor decisions he makes, and show the league what we can expect from the Panthers in 2012.
Carolina- 27Houston- 24
Tennessee at Indianapolis
For the past decade, the AFC South has been dominated by the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning and the Colts offense continuously embarrassed division opponents in route to the division title six straight years from 2003-2009. Now, it is time for redemption. The remaining three opponents on the Colts schedule are the Tennessee Titans, the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. These three opponents will be itching to continue the Colts winless season. Meanwhile, it is surprising that Jim Caldwell has made it this far. He should have been fired long ago especially in an era when coaches get fired after one or two mediocre seasons. But this is just dreadful. Obviously, losing arguably one of the best quarterbacks of all time in Peyton Manning has not helped their cause, but the Patriots managed extremely well only three years ago. When the Patriots lost Tom Brady to an injury in 2008, Matt Cassel stepped up and led the Patriots to an 11-5 record. Not because Matt Cassel is a superstar, but because Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches of all time. Not only should Caldwell be ridiculed for the offensive play, but the horrific play of the defense should be an indication that this team has just given up on their head coach. The Colts run defense is allowing 144 yards per game. As they welcome the Titans to Lucas Oil Stadium, Chris Johnson will rush for over 200 yards in a rout of the hapless Colts.
Tennessee- 31Indianapolis- 17
Green Bay at Kansas City
When Pink Floyd asked in his 1980 song “Is there anybody out there?”, he was referencing the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback situation. Seriously, is there anybody out there that can play quarterback better than Tyler Palko? There has to be. This was a team with playoff aspirations and one that still had playoff aspirations going into last week. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the solution to the problem, Kyle Orton, lasted one play and then went out with a dislocated finger. However, the front office for Kansas City had to do more. Kellen Clemens should have been signed. They should have retained Tyler Thigpen. Brett Favre should have come out of, back into, and back out of retirement. But sticking with Tyler Palko knowing that you have no chance to win with him is ridiculous. They got destroyed by the New York Jets last weekend and now welcome Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers could be on the bench by halftime of this game. Kansas City-10
Seattle at Chicago
Marshawn Lynch should have a sign around his neck saying “Do Not Feed the Beast”. This man just refuses to go down and has therefore earned himself the nickname “Beast Mode”. Lynch is often found on the sideline after a tantalizing run eating Skittles. Skittles are certainly an interesting choice for a players choice for energy during a football game, but I’m sure young football players will be seen on the sidelines soon hoarding bags of skittles. Not only should Marshawn Lynch be considered beast mode, but so should that “12th Man” The energy the fans brought to the Monday night Football stage wanted to make me start cheering for the Seahawks. Now the Seahawks, with the slimmest of hopes still alive for the playoffs, will travel to Chicago. Chicago is the latest victims of the miracles of Tim Tebow and have all but eliminated themselves from the playoffs. The Bears will have to get pressure on Tarvaris Jackson and create points defensively from turnovers to win games. Caleb Hanie can not and will not get the job done as a starter. The defense of the Bears, led by long-time leader Brian Urlacher, and the pass-rushing abilities of Julius Peppers, will create enough short-field opportunities for Bears kicker Robbie Gould to win a field-goal ridden game. Chicago-16
Miami at Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills were off to a 5-2 start earlier in the season. They were so thrilled with their incredible start that they inked their “franchise” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a $59 million dollar deal for six years. The Bills have now lost six straight games and are battling the Miami Dolphins for the cellar dweller of the AFC East. While six games do not define a player’s future, the Bills have to be rethinking their decision to sign Fitzpatrick to such a contract. Their counterparts in this matchup, the Miami Dolphins, have been extremely quiet about their plans for their future quarterback and will not commit to Matt Moore. While Moore has been exceeding expectations thus far, he did have to leave Sundays game against the Eagles with an injury. The Dolphins front office took swift action after their disappointing loss to the Eagles firing Head Coach Tony Sparano. Not too long ago, Sparano made the Dolphins playoff-relevant again and introduced the “Wildcat” formation to the NFL. The Dolphins will now begin their rebuilding process on a sour note as Ryan Fitzpatrick demonstrates why he was deserving of such a large contract.Buffalo- 23
New Orleans at Minnesota
The media would be looking at the New Orleans Saints in a different light if Jake Locker and the Titans were able to get into the end zone at the end of last week’s game. While the Saints did manage to hold on, they have to be questioning their ability to win consistently in natural weather conditions. It is clear that the Saints, specifically their offense led by Drew Brees, are masterful inside and in a dome. However, all roads to the Superbowl will go through Lambeau Field in 2012. Not only will they have to defeat the best team in football in their own stadium, but the Saints will also have to deal with sub-freezing conditions, windy conditions, and the potential for snow. The Minnesota Vikings know all about snow and the dangers it can bring as a result of the Metrodome roof collapsing last year. It seems like as the roof collapsed, so did any potential for this team. In a game that will be all too close for the Saints liking, a key last minute turnover by their rookie quarterback will doom the Vikings to another loss.Minnesota- 23
Cincinnati at St. Louis
It is unfortunate that such a phenomenal coach like Steve Spagnuolo will lose his job because of the lack of talent on his team. Sam Bradford has been dealing with nagging injuries all season, and the team itself has been riddled with players headed to the IR. The Seahawks blocked punt return for a touchdown was the epitome of a lost season because of injuries. Rookie Chris Smith was asked to take on special teams duties as a gunner. He got confused when the Seahawks went to an all-out punt block formation, missing his blocking assignment, and the punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown. There is not much that a coach can do when his team has inferior talent. A lucky team will acquire Spagnuolo this offseason and expect their defense to get drastically better because he truly is a defensive genius. The Rams play host this week to rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. While the Bengals have lost four of their last five to take the air out of what was an amazing season, it is important to point out that their opponents record in their last five games is 44-21. The Bengals will beat up on a hopeless Rams team and Steve Spagnuolo will have coached his last game at the Edward Jones Dome.St. Louis-14
Washington at N.Y. Giants
All of his life, Eli has been compared to big brother Peyton. Peyton won a Superbowl first. Peyton has always been the better quarterback. Peyton has always been the better leader. Eli always had to sit in the middle seat on family vacations. But Eli does not have to hear that at all this season. This season is different for the Manning family. Peyton has been sidelined with a neck injury, and Eli is flourishing under the spotlight. The younger brother is finally getting the attention he has deserved his whole life and can now be considered one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Not just any quarterback can lead their team to as many 4th quarter comebacks as Eli has. Not just any quarterback can lead his team to victory with just four minutes left, down by 12 in the most important game of the season. It takes an elite quarterback to do what Eli Manning did. Eli and the term elite should be synonymous with each other for the next decade. In the end, Eli will outdo his older brother Peyton by hoisting the Lombardi Trophy more than just one time.New York Giants- 33
Detroit at Oakland
Earlier in the season, the Detroit Lions were referred to as the luckiest team in football. Let me reiterate. The Detroit Lions can once again be considered the luckiest team in football. They hung on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings, but only because of a blown facemask call. What makes the missed penalty even more intriguing was that it would have added to an already extremely long laundry list of personal foul penalties against the Detroit Lions this season. If the Lions want to have any chance of an upset in the playoffs, if they make it there, they will have to play with more discipline. Discipline is also an idea that Carson Palmer should have drilled into his head after yet another multi-interception performance last week against the Packers. Four more interceptions last week gives Palmer 13 interceptions already. The expectation for the Raiders was to trade for the veteran Palmer and make a run deep into the playoffs. After going 3-4 with Palmer on the team, it looks like the Raiders will have to fight to keep their AFC West division championship hopes alive. With the pressure of the electric Raiders crowd, Matthew Stafford will crack under pressure, allowing Michael Bush and the Raiders to run past the Lions in a season-saving victory for the Raiders.
Detroit- 25Oakland- 28
Cleveland at Arizona
Now that Todd Haley was fired as the Kansas City Head Coach, the Arizona Cardinals should look to get him back as their offensive coordinator. With Haley, the Cardinals were able to make a run at the Superbowl with a limited rushing attack, and veteran Kurt Warner playing quarterback. Without Haley, and without Kurt Warner, the Cardinals offense is in the bottom third of the league in yards per game and scores only 19.5 points per game. While Arizona has had their fair share of injuries, re-hiring Haley could reignite this offense and vault this team back into competition in the NFC West. The real story with this team has been the phenomenal play of their defense and special teams over their last six games. The Cardinals defense has allowed only 17.5 points per game and their special teams, starring rookie Patrick Peterson, has scored on two punt returns in that six game span. The real reason the Cardinals have been playing so well defensively is because of the pressure they put on opposing quarterbacks. This defense has 10 sacks over its last two games and has eight players with two or more sacks over the course of the season. As the inept Cleveland Browns offense travels to play this Cardinals defense expect multiple turnovers by either Colt McCoy or Seneca Wallace, and a fourth straight victory for Arizona.Arizona- 24
New England at Denver
Tebow Time is becoming a national phenomenon. Despite the horrors of the Broncos offense for the first three quarters, a switch is turned in the fourth quarter. Not only does Tim Tebow play at a completely different level, but so does this entire Broncos team. Something also has to be said for the poor luck opposing teams seem to have in the fourth quarter and overtime of games. Defenders start to fall down, passes go right to defenders, Marion Barber fumbles in overtime, and divine intervention is a plausible answer. The questions remain as to whether or not Tebow can be a long term solution for the Broncos. Those answers will come this week because Tebow will be forced into a shootout with Tom Brady. Brady and the Patriots, vying for home field advantage in the playoffs, managed to sneak passed the Redskins last week. Brady has had no problems scoring this season, continuously hooking up with unstoppable tight end Rob Gronkowski. Pre-game media discussions will be laughable this week as Brady and Belichick answer questions about Tebow. Tom Brady and Bellichick will not allow this craziness to happen to the Patriots as they dismantle Tebow and the Broncos. Denver- 16
N.Y. Jets at Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Eagles can still make the playoffs. It’s not probable, but it’s possible. They would need a lot of help and have to win their remaining three games to improve to 8-8, but crazier things have happened in the NFL…If the Eagles, and Eagles fans, are truly thinking that their team has any shot at making the playoffs, they’re more like the “Dream-ING” team and not the dream team. The Eagles offense can obviously be explosive when their stars are healthy, but the real questions with this team all season have been on the defensive side. The statistics and numbers are glaring. In the Eagles five wins this season, they have given up only 13 points, 13 points, 7 points, 10 points, and 10 points last week to the Dolphins. In Eagles losses, the defense is giving up an average of 30 points per game. The Eagles next matchup will be against Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets. Although at times Sanchez looked shaky this season, he does deserve credit for leading his team back into playoff contention. At 8-5 in the tight AFC wildcard race, the Jets cannot afford to take any games off. Because of a fierce Eagles pass rush in the “Wide 9” defensive approach that accounted for nine sacks last week paired with the offensive attack of Michael Vick and Desean Jackson, the Jets will suffer a season-changing deFeet. A Freudian slip and misspelling in honor of Rex Ryan...
New York Jets- 21Philadelphia- 28
Baltimore at San Diego
In regular Chargers fashion, this team has found its stride in December. However, with Tim Tebow running the show in Denver, this year will be different in the AFC West as there will not be enough time for a late season miracle by the Chargers. Philip Rivers and the offense is finally meeting its potential though and could play a role in shaping the playoff seeding. This is a crucial week in the AFC playoff race and this is one of those key games. The Baltimore Ravens are hoping to lock up the one or two seed in the AFC and maintain home field advantage through a majority of the playoffs. With four teams currently sitting at 10-3 in their conference, the Ravens will have to win this game to keep pace in their division and in the conference. In order to do so, they have the daunting task of traveling across the country through three different time zones to face a Chargers offense averaging 37.5 points in their last two games. The last time Joe Flacco traveled to the West Coast, he averaged 4.9 yards per pass attempt, threw for only 1 touchdown and an interception in a loss to the Seahawks. The Chargers will continue to put pressure on the Broncos in the West as Flacco throws three interceptions to put a dent in the Ravens division championship hopes.
Baltimore- 23San Diego- 30
Pittsburgh at San Francisco
The blueprint to defeat the San Francisco 49ers was laid out by the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving Night; Get to Alex Smith. Although the obvious goal of any opposing defense is to get to the quarterback, it is even more important against the 49ers. With the run-first, short passing attack of the 49ers offense, it is imperative that they stay on track. If Smith gets sacked, or the timing with the receivers is thrown off, the offense stalls. This is exactly why the Arizona Cardinals managed to upset San Francisco last Sunday. The Cardinals defense sacked Smith five times and hit him a total of nine times. The San Francisco offensive line does not get much of a break this Monday night. They welcome the number one passing defense and a talented pass rusher in Lamar Woodley. Both teams need to win this game to keep pace in their respective conference standings. Despite the difficulties of traveling across country and injuries to Big Ben, the more talented Steelers team will be the first to score a rushing touchdown against this defense and beat the 49ers at Candlestick Park.
Pittsburgh- 24San Francisco- 20
