NFL Picks Week 16: Will the Patriots and Falcons Face Off in the Super Bowl?
The 2010 NFL season has brought a wild and entertaining struggle for a spot in the postseason action. 12 teams are eliminated, but 20 remain locked in a close battle. Only 4 teams have clinched a sure playoff spot and only 1 team has secured their division. The outcomes of Week 14's games will solidify the playoff picture for many teams.
Here are my game picks and predictions for Week 14 of the NFL season.
Carolina Panthers (2-12) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)
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Somehow this doesn't strike me as a very difficult game to pick.
The Panthers' season is in the tank. While they surprised me last week with a win over the Arizona Cardinals to improve to 2-11, I don't foresee a similar result this game. Pittsburgh has a chip on their shoulder after a home loss to the New York Jets and will be looking to avenge it on hapless Carolina.
Anything can happen in the NFL, but it looks like Jimmy Clausen is in for a long night.
Final Predicted Score: Steelers 28, Panthers 17
Dallas Cowboys (5-9) at Arizona Cardinals (4-10)
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Jason Garrett has done great things for his team. The Cowboys have risen from the ashes of a miserable 1-7 record to stand at 5-9 on the season, thanks to the new head coach. They've been eliminated from the playoffs, but they are a much better team than their record and should thrash Arizona, who is looking to recover from a loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Final Predicted Score: Cowboys 38, Cardinals 10
New England Patriots (12-2) at Buffalo Bills (5-9)
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Under the leadership of great coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have done a great job this year of harnessing their potential to soar to an 11-2 record. Don't count out the Bills, though, who have played hard and played some close games this year. New England has had the problem of underestimating some teams and this may come back to haunt them, which should allow Buffalo to keep it close.
But when it comes down to it, the talent and the level that Bill Belichick's team is playing at should allow them to come out victorious.
Final Predicted Score: Patriots 33, Bills 24
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New York Jets (10-4) at Chicago Bears (10-4)
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This game has all the earmarks of a close, down-to-the-wire football game.
The Jets redeemed themselves after losing 2 straight by traveling to Pittsburgh and toughing it out against Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers. Meanwhile, the Bears, after a blowout loss to New England, recovered by trouncing the Minnesota Vikings in a resounding 40-14 win to clinch a playoff spot.
The home-field advantage leads me to go with Chicago, but the game could easily swing either way.
Final Predicted Score: Bears 27, Jets 20
Baltimore Ravens (10-4) at Cleveland Browns (5-9)
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With a win over the defending Super Bowl champs, Baltimore still has a legitimate shot at winning their division and quieted rumors about a struggling defense. The Browns are looking to improve from a 5-11 record in 2009, but will still have to be content with a sub-.500 season.
Cleveland has a shot if they succeed at running Peyton Hillis early, but the Ravens are looking to stay in contention for a division title, and will likely win this game.
Final Predicted Score: Ravens 31, Browns 20
Washington Redskins (5-9) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6)
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The Jaguars traveled to Indianapolis to play the Colts and came away with a loss, 34-24. However, they have a better record this year than they've had in either of their 2 previous seasons, and can be optimistic as quarterback David Garrard is posting career-high numbers in TDs (22) and completion percentage (65.2).
The Redskins are struggling as head coach Mike Shanahan unexpectedly benched QB Donovan McNabb in a loss to the Cowboys on Sunday. They're coming into Jacksonville with a 4-game losing streak and are already eliminated from postseason contention.
All in all, the Jaguars should take this game fairly easily.
Final Predicted Score: Jaguars 24, Redskins 16
Tennessee Titans (6-8) at Kansas City Chiefs (9-5)
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The Chiefs are pulling off a great season, only a year later from going a miserable 4-12 in 2009. The Titans have fallen short, but broke a 6-game losing streak by beating the Houston Texans on Sunday. Without Vince Young, they don't seem to have a real offensive identity and will probably take a beating from Kansas City.
Final Game Prediction: Chiefs 30, Titans 20
Detroit Lions (4-10) at Miami Dolphins (7-7)
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Dave Rayner's kick in overtime shattered the Lions' 26-game losing streak on the road, and in addition, gave Detroit a 2 wins in a row. The Dolphins have not put up a particularly good season and have to swallow a tough loss to the underdog Buffalo Bills.
Drew Stanton, 3rd-string Lions quarterback, is learning the ropes of this offense and could put together some good drives to help Detroit win this one.
Final Predicted Score: Lions 19, Dolphins 17
San Francisco 49ers (5-9) at St. Louis Rams (6-8)
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After a bumbling start, the San Francisco 49ers are trying to pick up the pieces after dark-horse Super Bowl predictions have failed for this team. St. Louis has recovered from a miserable 1-15 season in 2009 and is a contender in the very weak NFC West division. They will try to boost their playoff hopes by getting a division win and avoiding a sub-5.00 record.
In my opinion, the 49ers aren't a strong enough team to topple the Rams at home, but it should be a close and exciting game.
Final Predicted Score: Rams 27, 49ers 24
San Diego Chargers (8-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-11)
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The Cincinnati Bengals triumphed over divisional rival the Browns, but after winning the division in 2009, they were speedily outed from the playoffs and have collapsed in 2010 despite the antics of receiving duo Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens.
After starting at 2-5, Philip Rivers and the Chargers stand at 8-6 and are only one game behind the division-leading Kansas City Chiefs. They have played extremely well lately and should beat the Bengals handily on Sunday.
Final Predicted Score: Chargers 34, Bengals 20
Houston Texans (5-9) at Denver Broncos (3-11)
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There hasn't been a reason to celebrate for a while in Houston.
They have lost 7 of their last 8 games, devastating after a promising 4-2 start that included a victory over their division rival the Indianapolis Colts. But now they're faced with a 3-11 team that hasn't shown much of a spark at all this season, starting rookie Tim Tebow, who although he performed better than expected in his debut as a starter, hasn't shown the explosiveness in the passing game that is needed for an NFL quarterback.
Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson are a huge threat to the Broncos' D, and I don't see how Denver can hold off the Texans' high-flying passing attack.
Final Predicted Score: Texans 27, Broncos 19
Indianapolis Colts (8-6) at Oakland Raiders (7-7)
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The run defense of the Indianapolis Colts will face a huge test when they fly to Oakland to face Darren McFadden. He averages 5.2 yards a carry with 10 touchdowns. His two-dimensional combination of speed and power has steamrolled opposing defenses.
On the other side, Peyton Manning and the Colts' receiving corps, though injury-ridden, can't be taken lightly by Oakland's defense. However, if quarterback Jason Campbell can step up and complete passes to Jacoby Ford and Zach Miller, the Raiders can take advantage of an opportunity at home.
Final Predicted Score: Raiders 30, Colts 28
New York Giants (9-5) at Green Bay Packers (8-6)
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After a devastating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in which the Giants led at the half, 24-3, but unbelievably botched a huge lead, the Giants are coming to Green Bay to fight for their playoff hopes against the Packers.
Aaron Rodgers has returned from a concussion, but even if he is re-injured, Matt Flynn proved himself a quality backup option against the Patriots. The Packers played a good game in Gillette Stadium last week and have a chance to prove themselves at home.
Final Predicted Score: Packers 27, Giants 21
Seattle Seahawks (6-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
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One of the great comeback stories in the NFL this year, the Buccaneers have rebounded under head coach Raheem Morris from a 3-13 record last year. They are looking to come away with a win after suffering an OT loss to the Detroit Lions last Sunday.
The Seahawks are, unbelievably, the front-runner for their division despite their losing record, but they make too many mistakes and only have one win this season outside of Qwest Field.
Final Predicted Score: Buccaneers 24, Seahawks 17
Minnesota Vikings (4-10) at Philadelphia Eagles (10-4)
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Philadelphia proved that they can surmount the odds, as they ended up victorious Sunday after facing an immense deficit - in the hostile field of the Meadowlands Stadium. Now they get a beat-up Minnesota Vikings team coming to town.
The Vikings have struggled both defensively and offensively this season, and Philadelphia should pull off an easy one.
Final Predicted Score: Eagles 45, Vikings 10
New Orleans Saints (10-4) at Atlanta Falcons (12-2)
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The Saints and the Falcons are two teams almost equal in talent and in the same division. New Orleans is coming off a tough loss to Baltimore, while Atlanta played a good game and beat Seattle relatively easily. It's a tough matchup to call, especially since both teams have excellent quarterbacks - Matt Ryan is maturing, but has put up great stats and improved his team leadership in 2010, while Drew Brees has been consistently good and of course led the Saints to their first Super Bowl last year.
This game will be down to the wire, but I think New Orleans' team can win it if they utilize their rushing game and not allow the Falcons to sell out on the pass. However, it's incredibly tough to call this game and both teams have a legitimate shot at winning this divisional match.
Final Predicted Score: Saints 31, Falcons 27
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