No Thursday or Monday Night Football this week, just a pure Sunday filled with football. This our last week with all 32 teams playing for fun, a better seeding, or even a playoff spot. Some teams had the best year in a long time while others fell short of expectations. Like I said last year, it will get better for your team. There may be obstacles but without those, getting to the main goal would not feel as good. Browns fans, do not feel ashamed. You can get the first pick overall and select someone who can help your team in the future. Be very smart and support whomever they pick. This team will take time but they can be good someday. Ask the Cavs and Indians. Chargers fans, a move to LA may be what you need. A new coach also helps a lot too. Listen to the Rams and remember that a move takes time when you struggled in your previous home. Be patient, fans (talking to both Chargers and Rams here). Games to Watch: Carolina at Tampa Bay: Tampa needs to win (among many other things, check previous post) to make it to the playoffs. This could be Tampa's last game or it could be one of the steps to make it to the postseason. Carolina is not playing for anything but they do like to hurt teams' seasons (ask Washington, the other team in the hunt). Baltimore at Cincinnati: Like him or not, this is probably Steve Smith Sr.'s last career game. Smith is a great receiver and has remained so for 16 years. He is likely to be in the Hall of Fame, so this is going to be a big send off in football. New England at Miami: New England has home field advantage on the line here while Miami has fifth or sixth seed. Watching these two teams is always fun and we could see this again in the playoffs... or not. Games to Watch:
New York Giants at Washington: This game is probably the second most important in terms of the NFC playoffs and all that drama. This could be Washington's last game or it could be something more. Washington is hoping for Kirk Cousins to return at QB but this game could change his mind if it goes wrong (remember when some thought Osweiler would stay in Denver?). It also will feature Josh Norman vs. Odell Beckham Jr., one of the NFL's most famous rivalries. Sit back and watch what happens as Washington tries to make a case for the playoffs. Green Bay at Detroit: Last game of the regular season!! It could have not been planned more perfectly that the winner of the NFC North would be decided this way! Winner gets the better seed while loser gets a lower seed or risks losing their spot altogether. Will Rodgers continue to win? Will the Stafford that faced Dallas last Monday come back? Or will he improve? Find out on the season finalé of Sunday Night Football! NFCTwo teams remain in the hunt still! Let's go!! FAQsQ: How can Washington make the wild card? A: Washington needs to win against the Giants and Green Bay and Detroit CANNOT tie in their game against each other. Another way would be that Washington ties New York, Green Bay loses, and Tampa Bay loses or ties to Carolina. Q: How can Tampa Bay make the wild card? A: This one is much more complicated but stranger things have happened. Tampa Bay needs to win against Carolina, Washington needs to tie New York, Green Bay needs to lose, and Tennessee, Indianapolis, Dallas, and San Francisco need to win their games for Tampa to clinch the strength of victory tiebreaker. Q: What is the strength of victory tiebreaker? A: The strength of victory refers to the combined winning percentage of the teams that one team has beaten. Q: How can the Packers clinch a spot? A: Just win baby. If they do NOT win, then they need Washington to lose, OR Washington ties, Tampa wins, and Green Bay clinches the strength of victory over Tampa. Q: How about the Lions? A: Beat the Packers!! If they cannot do that, then tie them and Washington needs to tie or lose or else you cannot go to the playoffs!!! No pressure! AFCEveryone here made the playoffs but the seeding is what needs to be determined on Sunday. BreakdownNE: Win and get home field the entire playoffs OR Oakland loses and they get home field.
OAK: Get division title if they win or Kansas City loses. Need to win and have New England lose of they want home field advantage. KC: Win and an Oakland loss gives them the division. MIA: Gets fifth seed if they win and KC loses. THE CLEVELAND BROWNS WERE GIFTED THEIR FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! IT'S A MIRACLE! Happy Christmas week!!! This week will be much different since most teams are playing on Christmas Eve and only two will play on Christmas day. Good news is that the Christmas games will be on hours after you open your presents so you can fully enjoy your morning without yelling at the televison! Games to Watch: Tennessee at Jacksonville: You may think that a game with Jacksonville is not worth watching but Tennessee is the one worth watching here. Watch the rest of Tennessee's games because they beat Kansas City last week. This is a team on the rise and it's time to consider them relevant. Tampa Bay at New Orleans: Both teams are strong offensively and have rivalry between them. Old vs. Young is always a safe bet for a good game and Tampa, like Tennessee, is another team on the rise. It's nice to see both top picks from 2015 doing well with their franchises because that's what fans want from a draft. Games to Watch:
San Francisco at Los Angeles: One of these teams will finally get a much-needed win. Will this be Goff's first win?? Or will Kaepernick silence the haters (for a short time)? Cincinnati at Houston: If Houston wins, they can help distance themselves from Tennessee a bit. If they lose, they should get a little worried. Baltimore at Pittsburgh: Put away the presents. This Christmas, one of these teams will either tie or get closer to winning the division. Denver at Kansas City: Every time these teams face off, a good game results for the fans. Remember the OT from a couple weeks ago? Yep. This one is going to be fun. Detroit at Dallas: The Cowboys aren't playing on a holiday? What is this?! At least they get the best holiday off and allow fans to have late Christmas gift with this tough game with Detroit. Excited for tonight? How about an interim coach going against a team that was embarrassed last week? Sounds like good televsion! Still waiting for Goff to win an NFL game... the wait for Fisher to be fired and Goff to start is over so... Games to Watch: Green Bay at Chicago: Green Bay looks good right now which should be a warning to Detroit (division leader) right now. Green Bay has a good chance of winning but Chicago has looked better in the past few weeks. This may actually be good to watch! Jacksonville at Houston: If Houston loses this one that would be a major blow to their playoff chances. They need to rely on Kansas City on Sunday which leads us to... Tennessee at Kansas City: Can't decide between this and the others? If you like seeing one of the best teams in the AFC right now versus a young team on the rise, here you go! This game will be the perfect test for Tennessee because they WILL face these type of teams if they make it to the playoffs. Hopefully they won't flunk this too badly.. Detroit at New York Giants: Another good game at this time?! Can we even breathe?! New York is so high and mighty after beating America's darling Cowboys last Sunday. Detroit is doing an amazing job this year because they started to play better at the right time and overtook the struggling Vikings. They did not look like this last year (that statement applies to both teams!) which makes this an even better surprise! Games to Watch:
New England at Denver: New England still is the top of the AFC and continues to win, even after those numerous mistakes against Baltimore last Monday. Denver is holding on to the last playoff spot and needs to keep winning to keep that dream alive. Tampa Bay at Dallas: It may be primetime which makes it an obvious choice but who could resist the Bucs vs. Cowboys?! The Bucs are on another level this year (same with Cowboys) and it's a weird thought. They still hold the LAST playoff spot right now and need to actually hope that Carolina beats Washington on Monday night, so if they lose then Washington will still fall behind. No more bye weeks! It's time to really focus on whether your team will make the playoffs or not. Some teams already know about if they are having an early off season or not but there are others that don't know.. Make sure to watch tonight's game because it will definitely be good! Games to Watch: Washington at Philadelphia: Ah, divisional rivalry! Poor Philly had a hot start but is now being bumped back in their race. Washington has to deal with both Dallas and New York because they need to finish second and hope another team does worse so they can get in. Dallas will likely win the division and it is already confirmed that we will see them in the playoffs. For this week, Washington fans need to cheer hard against Philadelphia and *dare I say it* swallow their pride to root for Dallas because New York cannot get any better. Denver at Tennessee: Tennessee is surprising this year. If Houston keeps on falling, they could silently get in, but only if they keep winning. They need to keep winning before they can focus on Houston because Houston has a good chance to win this week (I mean, Indianapolis, really?). Denver also has their playoff hopes on the line because Kansas City and Oakland are fighting over the top spot in the division and the wild card. Only one spot will probably be left and Denver has to fight for that. Games to Watch:
New Orleans at Tampa Bay: Both teams are good this year and this game will show who is more deserving to go to the playoffs (Tampa has a better chance right now). Jameis Winston was able to successfully come back last week in San Diego and that shows improvement (even though San Diego is not known for holding leads in games this year). Winston is doing great and could take his team to the playoffs this year. Dallas at New York: This game was picked beforehand as the primetime game only because of the status of the two, but this game actually lives up to its billing! Dallas is great this year and we've heard that so many times but New York is also good. One thing that improved was their defense which is very huge. Defense wins championships, right? They could go to the playoffs this year and surprise teams. They also play in the toughest division in the NFC so they are trained for the long run. Another Thursday with the Cowboys? And Vikings? Okay then. If the Vikings want to stay alive in their division and beat the best team in the NFC, tonight is their night! Do I think that they can do it? Strange things can happen (doesn't Dallas have a problem with December?) but I feel that Dallas will still win this one. Just watch last week's game against Washington, a closely-matched team, and you can see why they are picked to win. Games to Watch: Kansas City at Atlanta: Did you see Kansas City defeat the Broncos in OT?! That's exactly why you need to watch them this week (and the next and the next...) Just watch every team in the AFC West this week because they will give you a good game. Also, Atlanta is leading their division right now and they need to keep winning to keep that lead. Both teams want to keep the playoffs in their near future and these upcoming games are crucial. Miami at Baltimore: Same deal here! Miami is winning right now and they can't stop unless they want to miss the playoffs. I don't think they do but I also think that Baltimore will give them a challenge because they're tied with Pittsburgh in the two horse race in the AFC North. Keep your eye on the AFC North because it's going to go down to the wire. Games to Watch: San Francisco at Chicago: Want to watch two teams fighting for a draft pick being forced to win? Here's your game! Don't know who to root for? Go for the Bears since their third string QB (now starter!!) Matt Barkley is searching for his first NFL win. Everyone loves a good underdog story and this game sure has one. Denver at Jacksonville: Always go for a team in the AFC West. If Chiefs lose and Denver wins, they can get right back to second. They need to win games like these to prove they deserve to go to the playoffs. Detroit at New Orleans: Detroit is a good team but New Orleans is coming off a high from beating Los Angeles to the ground last week. This should be close since both are contenders, with Detroit trying to break away from the rest of their division and New Orleans trying to be relevant in their tight division. Games to Watch:
Buffalo at Oakland: They keep winning. Nothing can stop them. They are the Buffalo Bills. I'm kidding! I meant the Raiders! Last week Derek Carr dislocated his pinkie during the game but still managed to come back and win! How?! I really don't know. They have the most penalized offense but yet they still win games thanks to their offense. Weird and unorthodox way to win but it's working... New York Giants at Pittsburgh: Two classic teams face off with two famous quarterbacks in a once every four years matchup. The thing about the Giants this year is that their defense looks better than before. Can they hold the great Antonio Brown and Le' Veon Bell? We shall see. Tampa Bay at San Diego: Both teams are winning right now but one must stop and put their playoff hopes in danger. Will Jameis and the Bucs put pressure on Atlanta? Or will San Diego say that they are still alive despite being in a tough spot? Again, time will tell. |
AuthorI just really like football. Archives
November 2017
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Gerry Dincher