The NFL's penultimate week is here already! Hard to believe it's already gone by so fast. I hope you have had a great holiday season. It's now time for my weekly predictions. Last week I went 11-5 (again), bringing my total on the year to 158-85-1.
Cowboys vs Commanders (Christmas 1pm) Cowboys win 28-21
The Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention after an Eagles win. And the next day, they were embarrassed on home turf by the Chargers. The defense....what is there to say that hasn't been already said? They're terrible, and it makes you wonder why they got rid of Micah Parsons. Dak Prescott's had a pretty good season, but it's been overshadowed by a terrible defense. The Commanders have had an even worse year. After making the NFC Championship, the Commanders had high hopes. Those high hopes were quickly dashed after the team was decimated by injuries, including to quarterback Jayden Daniels. I don't think they can beat the Cowboys.
Lions vs Vikings (Christmas 4pm) Lions win 28-27
The Lions lost at home to the Steelers in a wild game. On the final drive, the Lions had a touchdown wiped away by a penalty that would've won them the game. Then they committed pass interference on the final play. It was an unbelievable sequence of events. Jared Goff played incredibly well, but the defense couldn't stop anything. The Vikings are on a 3-game winning streak even though they're out of the playoffs. However, JJ McCarthy is hurt, and they have to turn back to Max Brosmer, who threw 4 picks in his debut. He looked a bit better, but I don't think he's ready. Lions win.
Broncos vs Chiefs (Christmas 8pm) Broncos win 35-3
The Broncos lost for the first time since week 3 last week. Bo Nix had a good game, but the defense was terrible. Trevor Lawrence absolutely shredded them. The Chiefs had a rough week. They've now lost Gardner Minshew to a torn ACL also, so now their QB is Chris Oladokun, a 7th round pick in 2022. Yeah, Broncos win.
Texans vs Chargers (Saturday 4:30) Chargers win 28-20
The Texans squeaked by the Raiders in an ugly, ugly game. CJ Stroud was mediocre, and the offense as a whole wasn't the best. The defense wasn't much better. Ashton Jeanty ran all over them. The Chargers, as previously mentioned, blew out the Cowboys in Texas. Justin Herbert had 300 yards and 2 touchdowns and the offense was firing on all cylinders. The defense was solid, and while the Cowboys offense was good, the Chargers offense was better. I think that the Texans struggles against the Raiders is something to worry about, and I think we'll probably see that same Houston team here.
Ravens vs Packers (Saturday 8pm) Packers win 30-27
The Ravens lost against the Patriots in a game they should've closed out. Derrick Henry had a great game, but for some reason, he didn't get any carries in the game's biggest moment. So now, the Ravens have absolutely no room for error. They can't afford to lose either of these final two games. If they do, their season's over. Oh, by the way, Lamar Jackson is injured and won't play in this game. The Packers also had lost a game they should've had. They were up 16-6 in the final 2 minutes. They allowed a field goal to make it 16-9. Ok, but the Bears had to try an onside kick. Surely they've got this, right? Wrong. Romeo Doubs let the kick slip through his fingers. Chicago recovered, scored a touchdown on that drive, stopped the Packers on the first possession of overtime, and then marched down the field and scored to win the game. This should be interesting, but I am going to take the Packers with the game being in Wisconsin.
Buccaneers vs Dolphins- Buccaneers win 40-20
The Buccaneers lost to the Panthers in Charlotte. Baker Mayfield had a decent game, but the defense wasn't great, and Bryce Young had a good game. The Dolphins game was a trainwreck. Quinn Ewers had his first career start, and the first half wasn't too bad. Then the second half happened, and things went south in a hurry. The offense couldn't move the ball, the defense couldn't stop a nosebleed, everything was just terrible. I'd be shocked if the Dolphins won.
Patriots vs Jets- Patriots win 30-10
The Patriots, as previously mentioned, took out the Ravens in Baltimore thanks to mismanagement by John Harbaugh, and a great performance by Drake Maye. The offense was on a roll and the defense came up in the biggest moments. The Jets had another terrible performance. The offense was bad, the defense was bad, it was all bad. They're on their way to a high draft pick. I think the tank will roll on for another week. Pats win.
Steelers vs Browns- Steelers win 28-14
The Steelers had a controversial win in Detroit. The last drive was filled with penalties on the Lions and overturned touchdowns by the Lions. Aaron Rodgers had a solid performance, and Jaylen Warren was incredible with 143 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense was good, but the run defense was excellent, holding the Lions to FIFTEEN yards rushing. The Browns actually almost won against the Bills. The offense was alright, and the defense was okay. Myles Garrett is getting closer to the single-season sack record. They might actually win this game. I just don't think they will. I think the offense isn't good enough to pull off that kind of upset.
Jaguars vs Colts- Jaguars win 35-7
The Jaguars upset the Broncos in their house, and they made their case as one of the best teams in the AFC. Trevor Lawrence had himself a day, with 279 yards and 3 touchdowns. The offense as a whole was firing on all cylinders. The defense wasn't bad, but the offense was just so good that it didn't matter what the defense looked like. The Colts played their first home game since dragging Philip Rivers out of retirement, and it was a fiasco. The defense was horrendous, allowing 5 touchdowns to Brock Purdy. Rivers was okay, but he did throw a pick six, so that kinda hurt him. I don't see this being a close one at all.
Saints vs Titans- Saints win 27-23
The Saints are on a 3 game winning streak, and they're playing their way out of a top 5 draft pick. Tyler Shough had a fantastic performance, with 308 yards and a touchdown. Chris Olave had a hell of a game with 148 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Titans won a game, finally. They beat the Chiefs! If you'd have told me that in September, I'd have laughed in your face. But the Chiefs are done, so it's not a big accomplishment anymore, unfortunately. I think the Saints are on a bit of a roll right now, and I think that continues.
Seahawks vs Panthers- Seahawks win 34-27
The Seahawks had an unbelievable win on Thursday Night Football. They were down 16 points in the 4th quarter. Then they had a punt return touchdown and a 2-point conversion to make it an 8-point game. Then they forced a 3 and out and got the ball back. They scored to make it a 2 point game. Then the two-point try happened. The Rams seemed to blow it up, and Zach Charbonnet picked the ball up in the end zone and handed it to the ref thinking the play was over. But replay showed it was a backwards pass, so Charbonnet was credited with a 2 point conversion. The Seahawks ended up winning the game in overtime. The Panthers win against the Bucs gave them the NFC South lead. Bryce Young played well, and the defense got the job done. The Panthers alternate between winning and losing, and I think that continues.
Cardinals vs Bengals- Bengals win 30-14
The Cardinals lost at home to the Falcons. Jacoby Brissett was mediocre at best, and the defense wasn't good. The Bengals won, but it's not an accomplishment beating Quinn Ewers. I do think they win here, but either way, it won't be a surprise.
Giants vs Raiders- Raiders win 17-13
Game of the week, baby! Both teams are 2-13 and fighting for the number 1 pick. The loser gets the number 1 pick and either Fernando Mendoza, Arvell Reese or Ruben Bain Jr. I'm flipping a coin here, and going with the Raiders.
Eagles vs Bills- Eagles win 28-21
Game of the week, baby! (for real this time) The Eagles clinched the NFC East for the second straight year, meaning for the first time in 20 years, the NFC East has a repeat champion. The last team to do it? You guessed it, the Philadelphia Eagles. The main concern I have with the team is Jake Elliot. He hasn't been good lately, and he needs to get better. The offense has picked it up a bit, but this will be their first test in a while. The Bills beat the Browns, but it was a much closer game than anticipated. Josh Allen was okay, but James Cook was the star of the show, with 117 yards and 2 scores. Either way, the winner of this game will not be a surprise to me. I am taking the Birds because the Bills struggled against a team they shouldn't have, but I could see the Bills winning this game because the Eagles just beat two scrubby teams.
Bears vs 49ers (Sunday night) Bears win 34-31
The Bears had a crazy come-from-behind win over the Packers, including an onside kick recovery. Caleb Williams had a damn good perfomance, with 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense came up big when they needed to in overtime. The 49ers killed the Colts, and Brock Purdy had 5 touchdowns. The defense was good, having a pick 6. George Kittle might not play (ankle), and if that's the case, I see the Bears getting the win here.
Rams vs Falcons (Monday night) Rams win 30-17
The Rams had a heartbreaking loss in Seattle. They blew a 16-point lead and relinquished control of the NFC West. Matt Stafford had a 457 yard performance, and Puka Nacua had 225 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he has gotten in trouble with the league about complaining about the referees. The Falcons are on a winning streak even though it's too late to save their season. Bijan Robinson had a good game receiving and rushing. I'd be surprised if they got the win. But crazier things have happened.
After this, there's only one more week of predictions. I know, I'm as sad as you are. I hope you all have a happy holidays and happy new year.
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