Heading into the final week of the regular season there is still a good amount to decide when it comes to placement in the playoffs. Some teams can clinch byes or divisions, while others are looking to steal the division or a wildcard seat. It will be a fun week, as upsets will really make it an interesting story for playoff placement.
Well this is a big one. This is the battle for the NFC North title, as the Packers beat the Vikings earlier in the year. But the Packers have not beaten a division rival at home yet this season. Will they be able to end that streak? Going off last weeks defeat in Arizona, the Packers are not looking to sharp. The spread favors Green Bay by three, but I am liking Peterson and Bridgewater's chances. But a loss could mean an easier time in the playoffs visiting the Redskins. Vikings 31-27.
Jets (10-5) @ Bills (7-8)
You can bet Rex Ryan is looking forward to this Sunday and an opportunity to possibly knock his old team out of the playoff race. But the Bills have not impressed me recently. They are coming off a win, but that was against the Cowboys so you can't really get all that excited. The Jets have been a lot more clutch this year and with their defense they should be to handle a bit of a dinged up Bills team. Jets are favored by three so I am going to say New York 23-12.
Patriots (12-3) @ Dolphins (5-10)
The Patriots are coming off their loss due to the bizarre OT coin toss. Well they want to turn things around before the have their bye and they are playing a team that just wants the season to end. The Patriots are favored by nine, which may be a bit much as you can bet backups will come in once New England has a good lead. Patriots 24-16.
Buccaneers (6-9) @ Panthers (14-1)
The Panthers saw their perfect season come to an end last week, but that could be a positive thing as the stress is no longer there distracting them. The Panthers look to lock up the number one seed in the NFC but I am sure the Bucs would love to knock them down to the number two spot instead to finish off their season. Bucs have lost three straight which is why the spread is a solid 10.5 points, but I will predict a 27-20 Carolina win.
The Falcons are coming off a win to be proud of, but now they take on another division rival. Both these teams have been hard to predict this year, as they go from being hot to cold so quickly. If the Falcons are able to find Julio Jones for some great plays like last week, expect them to have fun against that Saints defense. But I am sure Drew Brees will make the Atlanta defense look poor as well. Spread is four favoring Atlanta, I am calling a 32-30 Falcons win.
Ravens (5-10) @ Bengals (11-4)
The Ravens impressed many with their upset win over Pittsburgh last week, but now they will be facing a team with much better defense though it will most likely be a lot of backups. The Bengals will stay hot going into the playoffs as they hope to get Dalton back and lock up a bye week. The spread is 7.5 favoring Cincinnati, I am going Bengals 28-17.
Steelers (9-6) @ Browns (3-12)
The Steelers tripped pretty badly last week handing their playoff pass to Jets in their loss to Baltimore. Now the Steelers need to take home the win in Cleveland and they need Buffalo to do them a big favor if they want to get back in the mix and reach the postseason. I am sure Roethlisberger will have plenty of space and time to find Brown, Byrant, etc for some TDs, while Cleveland looks to be playing without Manziel this week who had a concussion. The spread is 10 points and with Johnny Football out, I will take the Steelers 38-21.
Houston is just a win away from taking home the AFC South this season. A win over the Jaguars will put them in the playoffs or a Colts loss. Houston is starting Hoyer at the QB position as he is healthy again, though Weeden looked pretty good in week 16. The Jaguars have been really impressive offensively, so this wont be a blow out. The spread favors the Texans by 6.5, and I don't think Jacksonville will be able to put up 51 points against the Houston defense. Texans 24-17.
Titans (3-12) @ Colts (7-8)
The Colts need a lot of things to happen to get in the playoffs. But most important is taking home the win over the Titans. The Colts need to use another back up QB this week as Stephen Morris is getting the call. Don't expect to many points to be scored int his one, the spread is six favoring Indy so I am going to go Colts 17-10.
Raiders (7-8) @ Chiefs (10-5)
The Chiefs have been unstoppable as they look to possibly take the division after their terrible 1-5 start. If the Broncos lose then the Chiefs could take the AFC West if they can overcome the Raiders. Well I don't think they will let the Raiders ruin any of their plans. It is always the hot teams that do well in the playoffs, I expect a lot from Kansas City in a couple weeks. The spread is 6.5 favoring KC, I am calling it 31-23 Chiefs.
Redskins (8-7) @ Cowboys (4-11)
The Redskins have already locked up the NFC East and can't gain anything but momentum going into the playoffs. The Cowboys don't have anything to lose either and may want to make sure they get the best draft pick possible. I am guessing Washington will be using mostly backups which is why Dallas is favored by three, but I am going with 18-15 Washington.
Well both these teams are really disappointed in their seasons, as Philly has already gone ahead and fire Chip Kelly. It seems Coughlin will get tossed as well. This weeks game depends on who is really less of a disaster team right now. Beckham is back and the Giants are favored by three, so I am taking New York 24-20.
Lions (6-9) @ Bears (6-9)
NFC North showdown in Chicago where believe it or not, the Bears have been terrible this season. The Lions have heated up, but they were about two-three weeks to late to make any difference in the season hopes for the playoffs. Look for Detroit to expose the Bears weaknesses on defense and runaway with this one. Bears are favored by one, but I see it going Lions 27-13.
Chargers (4-11) @ Broncos (11-4)
The Broncos are looking to lock up the division coming off their big win against the Bengals. The last time these two met up in San Diego, Denver took it 17-3, but the Chargers have been showing better offense recently. If the Broncos defense can keep things together they shouldn't have an issue picking up the clutch win. The spread is 8.5 which may be tough to cover, but I am going Broncos 28-12.
The Seahawks are going to be a wildcard team, no matter what happens. So you can expect them to possibly rest some players. The Cardinals on the other hand can still grab the number one seat in the NFC if the Bucs come through for them. The spread is 6.5 favoring Arizona and after their blowout win over Green Bay it seems that shouldn't be much of a challenge. Cardinals 26-14.
Rams (7-8) @ 49ers (4-11)
The Rams defense has impressed me lately but they may be without Gurley this week. The 9ers really don't have any positive to look at coming out of this season besides maybe Gabbert and his performance at the QB position. The Rams are favored by 3.5 points, but without their RB don't expect much offense in this game. Rams 13-9.
Record: 149-91 (.621)
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