Indianapolis at Tennessee (Thursday)
Both of these AFC South teams are in turmoil, and it will be interesting to see how well they play with only three days between games. Former NFL MVP Peyton Manning has thrown 11 interceptions in the past three weeks. For a point of reference, he threw fewer picks than that in four entire seasons, from 2003-04 to 2006-07. To say the normally machine-like Manning is in a slump would be a severe understatement. Look for Manning to get back on track as the Titans lose their seventh game in a row.
Colts 27, Titans 10
Tampa Bay at Washington
The Bucs lost their best defender for the remainder of the year, as cornerback Aqib Talib, the defense’s unsung hero this year, went on injured reserve. This will certainly play a role in Tampa Bay’s playoff push, but the team’s young offensive trio of playmakers (quarterback Josh Freeman, wide receiver Mike Williams and running back LaGarrette Blount) will march all over the struggling Redskins’ defense. The Skins have lost four of five, allowing 37 points to Detroit, 31 to the New York Giants, and an astonishing 59 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Buccaneers 27, Redskins 14
Atlanta at Carolina
The Carolina Panthers seem to have given up on this season, as they come closer each week to securing the No. 1 pick in next April’s NFL Draft. The Panthers are 1-11 and do battle with the powerful Atlanta Falcons this Sunday, who should steamroll the Panthers in their push for home-field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs.
Falcons 38, Panthers 21
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
These two AFC North rivals are heading in opposite directions as they meet for the second time this year. The hapless Bengals have lost a staggering nine games in a row (including a Week 9 defeat against the Steelers), while Pittsburgh has rattled off three straight wins. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is proving to be one of the toughest to ever play the game, as he plans to play through a sprained right foot and a broken nose, just as he did last week in Pittsburgh’s victory over Baltimore. Say what you will about his off-field transgressions, but it is difficult to deny that Roethlisberger will do whatever it takes to get a victory.
Steelers 24, Bengals 13
Oakland at Jacksonville
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew is hitting his stride at the right time for the Jaguars, as they lead the AFC South by one game over both the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans. If Jacksonville wants to retain that lead, they will need to beat the Raiders at home. That means they will need to ride MJD, who has five consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He looks for his sixth straight against an Oakland defense that currently sits in the bottom third of the league in rushing yards allowed, so watch for Jones-Drew to run wild.
Jaguars 38, Raiders 23
Green Bay at Detroit
Though at first glance this looks like a blowout win in favor of Green Bay, there are several reasons for concern for Packers fans. Three of the Packers’ four losses have come on the road, and they only beat the Lions by two points when they played in Week 4. But the banged up Lions have Drew Stanton starting at quarterback, so all possibilities for an upset fly out the window. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Greg Jennings have found quite a rhythm over the past few weeks, as Jennings has totaled six touchdowns and over 470 yards over the past four weeks. Look for Jennings to again put the team on his back, as the Packers sweep the season series with the Lions.
Packers 31, Lions 24
New York Giants at Minnesota
The Vikings have been playing with a newfound fire ever since Leslie Frazier replaced Brad Childress as head coach. With back-to-back victories against the Redskins and Bills, Frazier is turning lemons into lemonade with a team that has been all but eliminated from playoff contention. On the other side, the Giants look to continue their two-game winning streak by flexing their running game’s muscles. Last week against division rival Washington, Giants running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs totaled 200 yards and four touchdowns. Expect the Giants to control the ball and the time of possession en route to a victory.
Giants 34, Vikings 17
Cleveland at Buffalo
Running back Peyton Hillis has been the lone bright spot for the 5-7 Browns this season, having scored at least one touchdown in all but two weeks so far. While Hillis has given Browns fans hope, the reality is that they need to go 3-1 over their last four games in order to avoid their third consecutive losing season. A win over the lowly Bills would be a good first step, but it’s tough to believe in a team led by Jake Delhomme. The Bills are not faring much better, fresh off of a loss to the Tarvaris Jackson-led Vikings. If the Browns stick to the ground and give Hillis plenty of carries, they should be able to squeak past the Bills.
Browns 16, Bills 13
Seattle at San Francisco
The 49ers are 4-8, but sit only two games out of first place in the NFC West. If they win against the Seahawks and the Rams lose to the powerful New Orleans Saints, then they would be just one game out. The most incredible part of the NFC West is that a team with an 8-8 or even 7-9 record might make the playoffs, so everyone (except the atrocious Arizona Cardinals) is still within striking distance. The 49ers play well at home, as quarterback Troy Smith has proven to be calmer and more patient in Candlestick Park. The Seahawks will try to run with Marshawn Lynch, fresh off of a three-touchdown day against the Panthers. The 49ers have a fairly stout defense and will force Seattle to the air, which is a huge weakness for them due to injuries at the wide receiver position.
49ers 17, Seahawks 13
St. Louis at New Orleans
Come December and January, the Superdome starts buzzing with excitement during Saints home games, especially now that the team is relevant again. Though Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford will most likely run away with the NFC Rookie of the Year Award, he has still shown signs of being rattled in big moments, and the Superdome crowd is likely to do just that. The Saints have won five consecutive games, but last week’s victory over the Bengals was by the slimmest of margins. This should be viewed as a potential warning sign, but the Saints should still rally behind their home crowd for the victory.
Saints 27, Rams 23
New England at Chicago
The marquee matchup this week takes place at Soldier Field, where the 9-3 Chicago Bears host the 10-2 New England Patriots. This is a battle between the AFC and the NFC, as both teams are currently looking at top seeds in their conferences. Though the AFC is widely considered as the better conference this year, Chicago’s home-field advantage may play a role in this one. Unfortunately for the Bears, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is playing at an MVP level, coming off of a 45-3 shellacking of the division rival New York Jets. Brady has not thrown an interception in nearly two months, so the Bears will be hard-pressed to force a passing mistake.
Patriots 24, Bears 16
Denver at Arizona
This game is a battle of two teams that have already been eliminated, playing for either pride or a higher pick in next year’s draft. The Broncos fired head coach Josh McDaniels Monday, becoming the third team to fire their head coach this season. Both of the other teams (Dallas and Minnesota) won their next two games, so maybe the change will light a fire under the Broncos players. McDaniels’ replacement is former running backs coach Eric Studesville. For Arizona, the main question continues to be their quarterback play. Derek Anderson and Max Hall are both injured this week, so the Cardinals will turn to either John Skelton or Richard Bartel, neither of whom had ever played in an NFL game prior to last week. If these teams continue to play the way they have so far this year, then this will be one of the ugliest games we will see all season.
Broncos 23, Arizona 3
Miami at New York Jets
The Jets are coming off a 45-3 thumping at the hands of the New England Patriots, and now they do battle with another division foe. The Jets beat the Dolphins 31-23 when the two squared off in Week 3. This game includes a matchup of two young quarterbacks, both of whom appear to be among the next generation of NFL starters. New York’s golden boy Mark Sanchez had been quietly rolling along until the Patriots speed bump, while Chad Henne has looked terrible since getting injured in Week 10. If the Jets want to be considered as a Super Bowl contender in the AFC, then this is the type of game that they need to win.
Jets 20, Dolphins 13
Kansas City at San Diego
Just when we thought we might have the AFC West figured out, the Chargers lose at home and the Chiefs quarterback has a potentially serious surgery. San Diego, the defending division champions, fell to a .500 record after getting blown out last weekend by the Oakland Raiders. The Chiefs, on the other hand, currently lead the division with an 8-4 record, two games ahead of both the Chargers and the Raiders. Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel, who had seen quite a resurgence so far this year, had an appendectomy on Wednesday. His status for Sunday’s game is unknown at this time, but it would be impressive if he returned that quickly.
Chargers 23, Chiefs 20
Philadelphia at Dallas
Trap game alert! The Eagles have a huge matchup against the New York Giants next week, and both teams are tied for the NFC East division lead at 8-4. The Eagles cannot afford to look past the resilient Dallas Cowboys this week, who would like nothing more than to play spoiler to the Eagles’ playoff hopes. The Cowboys have won three of their four games since head coach Jason Garrett took over for Wade Philips, and the Cowboys memorably beat the Eagles in back-to-back weeks to end Philly’s season last year. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick needs to prove he can handle the pressure of a playoff-like atmosphere if Philadelphia has any hopes for a Super Bowl push.
Cowboys 28, Eagles 27
Baltimore at Houston (Monday)
Baltimore is coming off of a tough, grind-it-out kind of game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which they ultimately fell 13-10. It will not be as difficult for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to put up points against the porous Texans’ secondary, which has allowed the most passing yards per game in the NFL. The Ravens need this victory to stay in the AFC playoff race, so watch out for a blowout on Monday Night Football.
Ravens 31, Texans 14