New England at Buffalo: A Patriots win at Orchard Park, New York on Sunday, or a Jets loss at Chicago, will give the Pats home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They have 14 consecutive wins over Buffalo. As detailed by ESPN.com, Tom Brady has thrown 292 passes, 21 for touchdowns, with his last interception on October 17 against the Ravens. If he manages another 17 clean passes, he will break Bernie Kosar’s NFL record of 308. New England’s inexperienced defense is still vulnerable, and is ranked 28th in the league, having allowed 374 yards per game. There are some signs of maturity, as indicated in their forcing 14 turnovers in the last five games. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots have scored more than 30 points without a turnover in six consecutive games. That is a first in league history. The Pats beat the Bills by 38-30 the last time they met. Buffalo is 4-2 over their last six, after an 0-8 start. Although ranked last in run defense, the Bills held the Dolphins to 65 rushing yards last week, and a 3.4 yards per carry average, in their 17-14 win. Wide receiver Steve Johnson needs 57 yards to make it to 1000. With one more TD, he will equal Bill Brooks’ single-season franchise record of 11. The last defeat for New England,was to Cleveland on November 7, 34-14.
Patriots 33 Bills 23.
Jets at Bears: Chicago is in the playoffs, having won the NFC North, while the Jets can clinch a post-season spot with a win at Soldier Field on Sunday. Whether or not New York is focused remains to be seen, after the latest sideline story, pertaining to an on-line foot-fetish video involving Rex Ryan and his wife, Michelle. That followed the season long suspension of strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi, after he deliberately tripped a Dolphins player running with the ball, and ordered inactive players to form a sideline wall, according to ESPN.com. The Jets had a big win last week, with their 22-17 victory over the Steelers. Jay Cutler has a 130.9 passer rating. For New York, Brad Smith returned the opening kickoff against the Steelers 97 yards for a TD. He has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, and averages 29.1 yards on kick-returns, which is among some of the very best in the league. Although the Jets are 6-1 on the road, Mark Sanchez hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in three games, and has been picked-off four times. According to ESPN.com, Sanchez has a sore shoulder. If he is un-available, Mark Brunell would get the start. Chicago had 4 sacks against the Vikings, and knocked Brett Favre out of the game with a concussion. The Bears gave up 475 yards to New England , 351 through the air, in a 36-7 home loss. Chicago has the third best run defense in the league. although they are only ranked 26th in passing offense, and 25th in rushing the ball.
Jets 24 Bears 23.
Ravens at Browns: Baltimore can secure a playoff spot by beating Cleveland on Sunday. If the Ravens lose, they will need help from other teams to get in. Baltimore is still allowing teams to come back on them in the fourth quarter, as they did with the Saints last week. The Ravens rushed for 208 yards in that game, with Ray Rice getting a season high 153. The Browns run defense is only ranked 25th. Colt McCoy returned from a sprained ankle last week, and in his sixth career start, he was 19 of 25 for 243 yards and two touchdowns, in a 19-17 loss for the Browns against the Bengals. He has been sick this week, according to ESPN.com, and may not start. Peyton Hillis has an unspecified injury, and has not been practicing. Cornerback Eric Wright is also out with a left leg injury. Ravens tight end Todd Heap is back after missing two games with a pulled right hamstring. Baltimore is 5-2 in their past 7 games,since the bye week.
Ravens 34 Browns 20
Titans at Chiefs: The 9-5 Chiefs can win their division if they beat the Titans, and the Chargers lose at Cincinnati, which would seem unlikely. Matt Cassel was back from his appendectomy after 11 days, and led Kansas City to a 27-13 win over the Rams, throwing for 184 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Jamaal Charles gained 126 yards on the ground, with a touchdown on only 11 carries. Kansas City’s got the best ground game in the league, averaging 168.6 yards. Charles is third in the NFL with 1,303 yards rushing, and first with 6.4 yards per carry. The Titans have allowed 58.5 rushing yards in their last two games, compared to 123.4 in the first 12 games. Tennessee, 6-8, needs to win their final two games, and need losses from the Colts and Jaguars, in order to get into the playoffs. The Titans have won three of the last four matchups with the two teams. Randy Moss didn’t have a pass thrown his way for the second consecutive game last Sunday, but he does have three 100 yard benchmarks, to go along with six touchdowns in six games against the Chiefs. Kansas City has four wins in their last five games. Prior to their win over the Texans last Sunday, the Titans had lost six in succession.
Chiefs 31 Titans 17
49ers at Rams: It’s usually the NBA’s Eastern Conference that stands out among all professional sports, for teams making the playoffs, who would be more suited for the minor leagues. The NFL has two teams with sub-.500 records, that still have a chance to get into the post-season, in the less than spectacular NFC West. The Niners are 5-9, and the Rams are 6-8. San Francisco is out if they lose. St. Louis is tied with Seattle for top spot in the division. Troy Smith will be the starting quarterback, after Alex Smith started the previous two. Troy Smith played against the Rams on November 14, and threw for 356 yards and a touchdown in a 23-20 win. Coach Mike Singletary was quoted by ESPN.com, as saying that he might also use Alex Smith in this game as well. Sam Bradford has had his struggles as well. In last week’s loss to the Chiefs, he threw for 181 yards, and two interceptions. He has no touchdowns and five picks in December, after throwing for eleven TD’s and one interception in the six previous games. The 49ers are 1-6 on the road, while the Rams are 4-3 at home. San Francisco has won against the likes of Seattle, Arizona, and the Rams, and been pummeled by the Bucs, Packers, and Chargers over their last six matches. The Rams are 2-4 over their previous six games, and the losses were to the Falcons, Saints, Chiefs, and in overtime to the 49ers, 23-20.
Rams 26 49ers 24
Lions at Dolphins: Is there a more perplexing team in professional sports, than the Miami Dolphins ? Probably not. They are 6-1 on the road, and are 1-6 at Sun Life Stadium. This contrast has never been seen in before in NFL history. Chad Henne has nine interceptions in the last six games. As detailed in ESPN.com, Miami’s defense has done their part , and since November 14, they are the second best in the league, in terms of yards per game, at 267, and points, 14.3. The exact opposite is the case on offense. In the past three games, the Dolphins are averaging 11.3 points and 246 yards in December, both second-worst in the league. They have also made eight turnovers. Shaun Hill is likely to be starting this week, with Drew Stanton having hurt his shoulder in the Tampa Bay game. Detroit has averaged 158.5 yards on the ground the last four weeks. Maurice Morris had 109 yards against the Bucs on 15 carries. Calvin Johnson is tied for the NFC lead with 12 touchdowns, and is averaging 118 yards in his last four road games. The Lions are 1-6 on the road, and have impressively defeated the Packers, in addition to the Buccaneers, in back to back games.
Dolphins 23 Lions 20
Redskins at Jaguars: The Jags may have a hard time bouncing back from their 34-24 loss to the Colts, with Maurice Jones-Drew listed as doubtful on Friday, after missing three practices with knee problems. In spite of the troubles the Colts had stopping the run this season, Jacksonville was held to 67 yards rushing, of which Jones-Drew had 46. They now need Indianapolis to lose to either the Raiders or the Titans, and winning their final two games. Washington is allowing 163.7 yards rushing in their last six games. Rex Grossman will start again, after throwing for 322 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in the 33-30 loss at Dallas. Prior to the loss to the Colts, the Jaguars had won five of their previous six matches.
Jaguars 33 Redskins 24.
Chargers at Bengals: There is no margin for error in San Diego’s situation this week. They are one game behind the Chiefs in the division, and are two games behind the Ravens and Jets in the wild-card race. The Chargers play at Denver next week. Kansas City plays against the Titans and Raiders in their final two matches. Antonio Gates is not likely to participate in the final two games, with a tear in his right plantar fascia. He has been absent in the last two. For the Bengals, Terrell Owens had knee surgery Monday, to repair a torn cartilage. Chad Ochocinco missed practice Wednesday with a sore left ankle. He is uncertain for this game.
Chargers 36 Bengals 16
Texans at Broncos: The only thing worth watching in this game, is Tim Tebow making his second start. Against Oakland last week, he was 8 of 16 for 138 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 78 yards. The Texans Arian Foster leads the league with 1,345 rushing yards, and 15 total touchdowns. Houston is 5th in passing yards, 9th in rushing, 32nd against the pass, and 9th defending the run. Denver has lost five straight. The Texans have lost seven of their last eight games.
Texans 24 Broncos 20
Colts at Raiders: Can the Colts shut down the Raiders ground game, the way did to the Jags last week ? Oakland is averaging 157 yards, which is second best in the league. The Raiders Darren McFadden has recorded back to back 100 yard games, and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Peyton Manning has only visited Oakland once before, with a 21-14 win in 2007. As detailed by ESPN.com, Manning has bounced back from throwing 11 picks in a three game stretch, to tossing four TD’s and no interceptions in his last two games. The Indianapolis running attack contributed 155 yards last week against the Jags, which was an unexpected bonus for the Colts. With Joseph Addai returning after missing eight with a nerve injury in his left shoulder, this should help make up somewhat for the loss of Austin Collie to a concussion last week, after scoring two touchdowns. For the Raiders to get to the playoffs, they have to win their remaining two games, and hope the Chiefs lose and that the Chargers lose of their last two as well. Oakland is 0-5 against non-division opponents. Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha has a sore ankle, which is reported to be better, according to ESPN.com, and that is good news for the Raiders fifth ranked pass defense. Their run defense is on the other end of the scale, ranked 26th, which will no doubt excite Addai and Manning.
Colts 33 Raiders 27
Giants at Packers: The Giants can clinch a playoff spot with a win, while Green Bay can guarantee a post-season spot by winning their last two games. No one knows if New York will bounce back after blowing a 21 point lead with seven and a half minutes to go in the 38-31 loss to the Eagles. The Packers lost at New England 31-27 last week. They have lost the division race to the Bears. Aaron Rodgers will be back at quarterback, after sitting out with a concussion last week. He has four rushing touchdowns, which Tom Coughlin will be planning for, after getting burned by Michael Vick last week, and his 130 yards on ten carries. Rodgers also has 309 rushing yards. Eli Manning has a league leading 20 interceptions. Both team are tops in the conference in defensive play, with 42 sacks by the Giants, and 40 by the Packers. Green Bay has won nine of their last ten at Lambeau Field. As noted by ESPN.com, all six of their losses have been by four points or fewer.
Packers 28 Giants 24.
Seahawks at Buccaneers: The Seahawks can win their division, even with a 6-8 record. Tampa Bay has to win to remain in contention for a playoff spot, and need help from other teams as well. Matt Hasselbeck has ten interceptions in his last four games. He threw for 71 yards in last week’s 34-18 loss to Atlanta, and was booed off the field after being removed in the third quarter, as noted by ESPN.com. The Bucs defense has lost five starters to injury recently.Rookie LeGarrette Blount had 110 yards and a touchdown in the Tampa Bay 23-20 loss to the visiting Lions last week, and he has 747 yards along with five TD’s in his last nine games. Seattle is 2-5 as a road team. The Bucs are 3-4 at Raymond James Stadium.
Buccaneers 34 Seahawks 24
Vikings at Eagles: Joe Webb, the rookie very few have heard of, will probably start for Minnesota, with Brett Favre on the sidelines. Michael Vick and the Eagles, staged one of the most dramatic comebacks football fans have ever seen, with 21 points in the fourth quarter, and beating the Giants 38-31. This was the first game ending punt return in league history, which was executed by DeSean Jackson, in sprinting for a 65 yard score. Vick threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 130 yards, and ran for another score in the fourth quarter. The Eagles only need one win, or a Giants loss to clinch the division. The Vikings have been outscored 61-17 in the last two games. They are 1-5 on the road. Philadelphia is 4-2 at home.
Eagles 37 Vikings 16