new england at ny giants
analysis : there is nothing standing in the way of the patriots from going 16-0, nothing except for a tom coughlin-coached team. in other words, nothing is standing in the way of the patriots from going 16-0.
the pick : new england
buffalo at philadelphia
analysis : it looks like the eagles finally have momentum as a football team. unfortunately, there aren't any more games left in the season. andy reid should plan better for this scenario next season.
the pick : philadelphia
cincinnati at miami
analysis : the bengals are slowly becoming the arizona cardinals of the afc; they have a lot of players who put up great fantasy numbers, but they aren't anything more than a mediocre team.
the pick : cincinnati
carolina at tampa bay
analysis : did vinny testeverde really need to announce his retirement? did he do that so the other teams wouldn't call and tempt him to play next season? i really can't see any other team calling vinny to see if he's available. well, i take that back. i could see the atlanta falcons doing that.
the pick : tampa bay
new orleans at chicago
analysis : the saints need to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive, which means that they well play poorly. the saints are simply not a good team, as their 7-8 record suggests. they have fallen short in every 'must-win' situation this year. there is no other reason to think that they will do otherwise against the bears.
the pick : chicago
jacksonville at houston
analysis : the jaguars are peaking at the right time, which means that they have a good chance to win their first round playoff game, only to get crushed by the colts or most likely, the patriots.
the pick : jacksonville
seattle at atlanta
analysis : for the falcons, this season couldn't end soon enough. they had a gutless coach who was replaced with a catatonic coach. they had their franchise player sent to prison who was replaced with a person who arguably plays the piano better than he plays quarterback. this is not right.
the pick : seattle
detroit at green bay
analysis : the packers must be glad that the bears didn't make the playoffs this year, as two of their three losses have come to them. the packers should put away the spiritless lions, who now have many players struggling with clinical depression after their second half slide.
the pick : green bay
san francisco at cleveland
analysis : it's interesting that the browns are currently the sixth seed in the playoff picture, but it doesn't matter if they win or lose in order to clinch a playoff berth. the only way they can clinch is is the titans lose. it's debatable that it's more important for the nfl that the 49ers win so that the patriots won't have as good of a first round pick in the 2008 draft.
the pick : cleveland
minnesota at denver
analysis : disregarding the possibility that games will end with ties, the vikings need to win this game and the redskins to lose in order for them to make the playoffs. fortunately, they are playing against a terrible broncos defense. if adrian peterson doesn't get somewhere around 35-40 carries, i will be shocked [except in the highly improbable case that this game is a blowout]. if brad childress deviates from this game plan, he will have learned a lesson the hard way, which is never trust tavaris jackson to win a football game.
the pick : minnesota
dallas at washington
analysis : as mentioned previously, if the redskins win, then they're in the playoffs. they will rely on todd collins at quarterback again this week, who has helped them win three straight games [including the game in which he replaced an injured jason campbell]. i'm not even sure how this has happened. at any rate, they get to play a banged-up cowboys team that has nothing to gain.
the pick : washington
pittsburgh at baltimore
analysis : the ravens are planning to start 2006 heisman winner troy smith. [remember him? no? give it a second. yes, that's right, he's the one that crapped the bed against the florida gators in last year's bcs championship game.] i'm not sure if this is going to end well for them.
the pick : pittsburgh
san diego at oakland
analysis : philip rivers has no place talking trash to anyone at any time. it would be as if brad johnson started jawing with opposing players. rivers has shown that he's a serviceable quarterback [at best], and he's not the reason the chargers win. they win because of ladainian tomlinson and a resurgent defense that is possibly/most likely fueled by performance enhancing drugs. that, and norv turner has finally figured out how to use a headset.
the pick : san diego
st louis at arizona
analysis : the cardinals have a strong tradition of disappointing fans, which means that they will play poorly in both their home finale and their chance to finish 8-8. [since 1985, the cardinals have only had one winning season at 9-7, and only one other season at 8-8. the rest of those years have ended in a losing season. yikes.]
the pick : st louis
kansas city at ny jets
analysis : i'm not even sure that either team want to play this game. i think time would be better spent if both teams just held a three hour self-esteem session at the hotel for the players.
the pick : ny jets
tennessee at indianapolis
analysis : the colts will not play their starters any longer than a few series, which is all the more curious as to why marvin harrison will start this game. the titans will treat this contest like a playoff game since their playoff hopes are dependent on its outcome.
the pick : tennessee
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