 |
| The Texans and Patriots will meet this Monday in one of the best games of the season. |
It's a beautiful thing, these last four games of the NFL season. In a league that already puts so much onus on their regular season, the final four contests represents some of the finest product the NFL has to offer. In both conferences the wild card playoff picture is about as clear as a San Francisco morning and that is absolutely what we want as NFL fans. We'll give you the top ten games left on the docket with not only wild card scenarios in place, but also in terms of playoff positioning.
10. San Francisco at New England, Sunday 8:20 PM (Week 15)
This one is more for Super Bowl preview's sake than anything else. New England has already clinched and San Francisco will most likely have clinched after this week (home vs. Miami). It will be interesting to see next week if this quarterback controversy has cranked it up another notch. Either way I think the Niners are an interesting matchup for the sizzling Pats because of their monster defense and specifically because they have the league's second best pass defense. But, as we know with Belichick, this one could get wild (or ugly) quickly. I think the circumstance of a Sunday Night prime time game will keep the two in-check and we'll be looking at a lower scoring game than the Pats are used to playing.
Patriots 31, 49ers 24
9. New York Giants at Atlanta, 1 PM (Week 15)
The Falcons will be looking to/already have clinched a first-round playoff bye and will be looking to seal the deal on the first overall seed while the Giants may be clinging for dear life on a playoff spot. If they fail to beat the Saints at home and the Redskins can pull another upset at home vs. the Ravens then this game could be enormous for the G-Men. I think this Giants team still has Super Bowl aspirations and will play that way against a Falcons team looking to clinch some secondary playoff positions. It should get wild in the Georgia Dome.
Giants 38, Falcons 35
8. Denver at Baltimore, 1 PM (Week 15)
Here will be a battle between the AFC West champs and most likely the AFC North champs, which means this will a playoff positioning battle. Peyton Manning is playing like an MVP and he'll most likely pick apart an injured Ravens secondary, no matter if Ray Lewis is back or not. I haven't really been sold on Baltimore since the start of the year, but they've got the experience to win big games like this especially at home. Still, I think Peyton has something to prove and this could be another notch on what might become his third AFC Championship belt. Denver comes in a gets a huge road win.
Broncos 28, Ravens 17
7. Baltimore at Cincinnati, 1 PM (Week 17)
We could be talking about a completely meaningless game this week if the Ravens win their next three and the Bengals self-destruct, yet I don't see either scenario happening. The Bengals have Dallas and Philadelphia this week and in Week 15, respectively and should be 9-5 heading into a pivotal showdown against the Steelers in Week 16. Whether they win that game or not doesn't make Week 17 meaningless for them in that scenario at all. In all honesty, they could be fighting the Ravens for a wild card spot or they could be looking to lock up the division. The AFC North race is one Baltimore-loss away from being unbelievable. I'm expecting a rocking Paul Brown Stadium to inspire the Bengals into the playoffs, whatever position it may be.
Bengals 21, Ravens 16
6. New York Giants at Baltimore, 1 PM (Week 16)
The critical Week 16 makes its first appearance in our top ten and it's going to be an exciting inter-conference matchup. Again, we could be looking at a Giants team holding on by their teeth and on the road against a Ravens team looking to seal the division. Either way, these two teams are extremely physical and will be playing their hearts out. While the Ravens do hold a distinct home field advantage at M&T Bank, the Giants are late season road warriors as seen by the last few years. Eli will put his stamp on this one, mark my words.
Giants 30, Ravens 27
5. Chicago at Minnesota, 1 PM(Week 14)
Last ditch effort for the surprising, but fading Vikings. The Bears are sitting a bit more comfortably at 8-4, but they lost an ugly game at home to a Seahawks team that rarely wins on the road. Also interesting to note that Chicago was once the league's best rush defense, while they now sit 10th. That could spell doom, especially facing the league's best running back and a potential MVP candidate in Adrian Peterson. If the Bears want to win this game against a team fighting for its life, then Jay Cutler's got to show up. However, that dome is one hell hole for quarterbacks because the noise seems to explode off the ceilings and walls producing a deafening effect. Communication problems will upset Cutler and the Vikings will pull off a hideous game.
Vikings 17, Bears 9
4. Indianapolis at Houston, 1 PM (Week 15)
I'm sorry but if anyone told me that a Week 15 matchup between the Colts and Texans would mean something for both teams I would call you crazy. Andrew Luck is on the verge of pulling off one of the greatest rookie seasons ever and temporarily erasing Peyton Manning's name from Colts fans' minds. First he'll have to take care of business against the Titans at home and if he does that then this could be a playoff clincher for them. But Luck will have to do so against a Texans team looking to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and will be equally hungry to stop the Luckapalooza train. I say train comes to a screeching halt here, but picks back up right after this one.
Texans 35, Colts 24
3. Green Bay at Chicago, 1 PM (Week 15)
Both teams will enter this game within at least a game of each other, making this a monstrous NFC North game with serious implications. Both teams have had their moments and both have had their stumbles, but I think we're looking at a much more experienced Packers team that doesn't have Mr. Inconsistency at quarterback. After dropping the game against the Vikings as I predict, I think the wheels will fall off for the Bears and they may even miss the playoffs. The Pack invade Soldier Field and grab a NFC North clinching victory.
Packers 24, Bears 13
2. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 1 PM (Week 16)
These next two weeks are setting up for an enormous AFC North Week 16 clash with both teams having winnable games. If both come in 9-5, we could be looking at a battle for not only a wild card spot but for the division as well. The Steelers already beat the Bengals once this season and if they do so again here then they'll pretty much have eliminated Cincinnati from threatening them in anyway. I do like the Bengals and think they have some mojo going this season, but Roethlisberger is supposed to be back and if he is then that will be the sole motivator necessary for the team and the Heinz Field crowd. Expect a monster game from the Steelers on both sides of the ball and I think they surprisingly destroy the Bengals here.
Steelers 31, Bengals 7
1. Houston at New England, Monday 8:20 PM (Week 14)
All things considered this could be the game of the year and a preview of the AFC Championship Game. It's hard to debate that you don't have two of the conference's best teams here and some of the league's best offensive players in Tom Brady, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson. Unfortunately the Pats will not have Gronk and I think the Texans strong rush defense will force Brady to go deep to the underachiever Brandon Lloyd or play West Coast ball with Welker underneath. I think the Texans will take advantage of a weak Pats defense and be able to slow down the Pats offense to their liking. Texans edge one out in Gillette.
Texans 28, Patriots 24
0 comments:
Post a Comment