NFL 2012: Week 17 -- THIS IS IT

With flex scheduling, the NFL can literally save the best for last s they have done with this year's 2012 schedule moving a game between two long standing traditional rivals to the Sunday Night nationwide telecast, the winner will be the NFC East champ.  If the Redskins lose, they can still make it in if some other teams fold. Dallas must win. It will be blazing hot football action in Largo, Maryland tomorrow night.

The 2nd NFC Wild Card and the NFC East are the only playoff slots where teams participating are yet to be determined. The remaining teams in the NFC teams have been selected with some seedings at stake like. Atlanta has the #1 seed and will have home field advantage through out.

The AFC teams are decided. Most final positions are still up for grabs.

Current Playoff Standings:
AFC
(1) Houston
(2) Denver
(3) New England
(4) Baltimore
(WC-1) Indianapolis
(WC-2) Cincinnati

NFC:
(1) Atlanta
(2) Green Bay
(3) San Francisco
(4) Washington
(WC=1) Seattle
(WC-2) Minnesota 
Chicago, Dallas, and the New York Giants are in the hunt.

For more information on playoff possibilities, check:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/standings/playoffrace

Farce on the field: New York Jets in Buffalo  -- Mark Sanchez should have lost his starting job. Tim Tebow is the #2 guy (supposedly).  For some reason, Rex Ryan refuses to start Tebow despite some of the most embarrassing offensive blowouts with Sanchez recently.  Tim Tebow will be playing elsewhere next year. Want to bet Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez will be gone too.


The Games:

Baltimore @ Cincinnati (-2 1/2)
Which Ravens will show up?  If it's the team that clobbered the NY Giants, it will be a tune up for the post season.  It's time for the Ravens to show they can dominate on the road or the Bengals will win.

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta (No odds)
Atlanta will work to stay sharp without getting hurt for their #1 seed.

New York Jets @ Buffalo (-2 1/2)
Do they have to play this one?  Buffalo does play well in spurts, but the Jets on-going soap opera is no longer entertaining.  Expect major changes there next year.

Chicago (-3) @ Detroit
The Lions should continue their slide back into inconsequential as the Bears must win to keep playoff chances alive.

Jacksonville @ Tennessee (-4 1/2)
Not much to look at here other than many Jags will be gone next year. Titans win.

Houston (-8.5) @ Indianapolis
This shouldn't be a must win for Houston, but it is. Their #1 seed is at stake. Meanwhile, the Colts can only get happier should they pull the upset.

Carolina @ New Orleans (-5)
The Saints will be glad to get this year over with a win before their home team.

Philadelphia @ NY Giants (-7)
This is likely Andy Reid's last game with the Eagles and Philadelphia will begin to reshape a team that was a horrible disappointment this year. The Giants must win to keep playoff choices alive after an embarrassing loss in Baltimore.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh (XX)
The Steelers should be glad to get this year over but must win to avoid a losing season. Meanwhile, the Browns will try to show what they hope is a brighter future having been a rather inconsequential team since their rebirth in their new stadium from 1999.

Miami @ New England (-10)
The Patriots need this win to maximize seeding possibilities and the Fish have little to show them.

Green Bay (-3) @ Minnesota
The Vikings will throw all they've got at the Packers to assure their playoff berth, but Aaron and the Pack will be ready.

Kansas City @ Denver (-16)
The Broncos and Peyton Manning are highly motivated to win to assure the highest playoff seed possible as KC ends a horrible season full of questions for 2013.

Oakland @ San Diego (no odds)
Will the Chargers show Norv Turner out in style. It's hard to say but they're better than Oakland.  It's hard to imagine Norv Turner will return nexy year, but folks must also be wondering about what's up with Phil Rivers.

Arizona @ San Francico (-16.5)
The 49er's need this one to assure their playoff spot with the surging Seahawks on their tales.

St. Louis @ Seattle (-10.5)
So how many points will the murderous Seattle offense post in this sure to be blowout?

Dallas @ Washington (-3 1/2)
The overrated Cowboys will try to steal the division crown from the upsurging Redskins, but the Tony Romo Cowboys always lose the big game. "America's Team"  -- baloney, not these Cowboy posers.

NFL 2012: Week 16: Pl-Pl-Pl-Playoffs??? Playoffs?? Did Somebody Say Playoffs???

Yes, why don't we recall the elder coach, Jim Mora's famous words as the Indianapolis Colts under his charge years ago were limping into playoff contention. While a few teams look strong and ready for January, there are others for whom it appears the game can't giveaway spots as the usually mighty Pittsburgh Steelers look all but finished while their arch rival, Ravens, are beat up so badly, they might make the playoffs but almost surely need a faith healer and some Chesapeake Bay snake oil to be strong enough for a strong run in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the defending champs, the New York Giants, have practically stumbled out of contention with an identical record to Washington and Dallas in their division.

The AFC picture could be essentially decided Sunday with perhaps some travel plans to be decided on the final day. The Ravens need a win to capture the AFC north. The Indianapolis Colts look locked in as a wild card. The winner of the Pittsburgh/Cincinnati battle will get the second wild card seed. If Cincinnati runs the table and the Ravens lose Sunday - they'll host the Ravens two weeks in a row.

Houston's looking good to have the #1 slot w/ Denver in the 2nd slot. New England's in.

The NFC, Atlanta's the likely #1 seed and Green Bay second. San Francisco, possibly Seattle will take the west while it's a game of cutthroat for the NFC East. Dallas must beat an angry New Orleans team then travel to Washington while Washington visits Philadelphia before hosting the Cowboys. The advantage appears to belong to Washington.  The Giants need to beat Baltimore and Philadelphia.

The remaining teams in the fight are Chicago and Minnesota also 8-6 teams. Thus these two teams along with the East Beasts are all fighting for one Wild Card spot since the West owns two spots.

SATURDAY NIGHT:
Atlanta (-4) @ Detroit

The game should be a tune-up for the Falcons. No injuries, just play intelligent ball against the once again bottom feeding Lions.

SUNDAY: 
New Orleans @ Dallas (-3)

Dallas in hungry and motivated but no team can blow a important game like the "Boys."  It's hard not to give them the edge, but an upset is quite possible.

Indianapolis (-6.5) @ Kansas City

The Colts march on to a visit to most likely Baltimore in the playoffs.

Buffalo @ Miami (-4.5)

Take the seafood over the beef in a meaningless game.

Washington @ Philadelphia (no odds)

Washington, damaged QB or not, should beat the Eagles who are "already gone" like the Eagles rock band once sung.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-4.5)

Vegas seems a lot more certain than we do the Pitts win this one. We'd only say they're slightly favorted playing at home.

St. Louis @ Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay has the edge in another game that perhaps has early draft picks at stake. HO-HUM

Tennessee @ Green Bay (-13)

Message to Packers, don't get hurt, just win.

Oakland @ Carolina (-8.5)

Awful Oakland as Carolina is looking for signs of a team that simply didn't launch this year.

New England (-14.5) @ Jacksonville

What kind of Florida vacation is this?  New England plays a scrimmage in a big empty stadium.

Minnesota @ Houston (-7.5)

Minnesota would love an unlikely upset to enhance their playoff odds by Houston still needs to win to lock down home field advantages.

New York Giants (-2.5) @ Baltimore

Yeow, two super underachievers in 2012 except Baltimore is beaten and battered. Both teams have much at stake. Our home team bias forces us to pick the Ravens.

Chicago (-6.5) @ Arizona

The Bears must win to keep in the playoff hunt which given the Cardinals' performance most of the year should mean an easy win for Chicago.

San Diego @ New York Jets (-2.5)

This game could be downright comic, but nobody will be watching it. New York fans will be watching the Giants. This was to be the 8:00 pm game but who wants to watch the two most generous teams in the game for giving away games this year. Two coaches who are almost certainly fired with Phil Rivers, the interception king, playing the Jets' 3rd string QB which essentially ends the Tebow saga in Jersey.  Why did the Jets select Tebow if they were never going to play him?  The good news is it's hard to image the Jets playing worse than their last game.

San Francisco (-1) @ Seattle

Experience gives SF a slight edge, but this one should be seen as a wide open brawl for dominance in the NFC west.  How wonderful it is that the whole NFL world gets to see what could be a superb showdown as two former great PAC 10 coaches are now going for NFL glory.

NFL 2012: Week 15 -- AFC:: 8 Playoff Spots - 9 Teams Figting; -- NFC: Four Teams Outside Looking in -- Help Wanted!

The 2012 Playoff Seedings are as follows:

AFC: 

In:
1- Houston, 11-2  (South Division) clinched berth
2- New England, 10-3 (East Division) clinched division
3- Denver 10-3 (West Division) clinched division
4- Baltimore 9-4 (North Division)
5- Indianapolis: 9-4 (Wild Card #1, South Division)
6- Pittsburgh: 7-6 (Wild Card #2, North Division)

Contender:
7- Cincinnati: 7-6 (North Division)

The cutoff is clear since the next team is the 6-7 Jets. The Jets-Jets-Jets are going NOWHERE!!!!

NFC:

In:
1- Atlanta, 11-2 (South Division) clinched division
2- San Francisco, 9-3-1T (West Division)
3- Green Bay, 9-4 (North Division)
4- New York Giants, 8-5
5- Seattle, 8-5 (Wild Card #1, West Division)
6- Chicago, 8-5 (Wild Card #2, North Division)

Contenders:
7- Washington, 7-6 (East Division)
8- Dallas, 7-6 (East Division)
9- Minneosta, 7-6 (North Division)
10- St. Louis, 6-6-1T (West Division)

Warning: There is now buzz about EXPANDING the playoffs. Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league is looking into going to a 14 or 16 team field. EGADS, is this the NBA?  The current format works beautifully. Who needs teams with losing records becoming playoff teams?  Right now in the AFC, two wild cards have marginally winning records at 7-6 and one team outside at 7-6. That's just about right.  The balance of power has the NFC on top, thus more teams but again, no team with a losing record is a serious threat to may the post season.

The NFL is the one professional sport that appears to have the right math for its schedule. The 16 game regular season among 32 teams balances beautifully while there is clear logic behind the post season selection proccss. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!

This Week's Games:

Thursday Night:

Cincinnati (-4) @ Philadelphia
The butt-kicking will continue in Philadelphia after a one week reprieve last week. The Bengals will knock their teeth out.  The Andy Reid era is over. Fans dream of what comes next.

Sunday:

Denver (-2.5) @ Baltimore
This game will be a key test for Peyton Manning consolidating his reign over the Denver Broncos. Already seeded in the playoffs, a win over the Ravens, one of the nattiest home fields in the NFL would show the same kind of power he showed in his prime with Indianapolis. For the Ravens, this is a MUST win to stay in the hunt for a first round bye needing at least one win to ensure the Northern Division champ.  If the Ravens play like they normally play at home, they win. If they look like the confused mess of the last two weeks, Denver will slaughter them. The situation is urgent enough for the Ravens to have ditched offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron, who has been severely criticized by Ravens'fans all season. Jim Caldwell, once Peyton Manning's QB coach and head coach at Indy takes on calling the plays.

New York Giants @ Atlanta (-1.5)
The Falcons will be anxious to get back on the winning track after an embarrassing to Carolina. For Atlanta, this is a move to secure a first round bye and be in firm control of complete home field advantage. Meanwhile, the New York Giants must show dominance with Washington and Dallas a game back hunting for the division lead. Atlanta should win this one unless the Giants step up their game to a new level.

Green Bay (-3) @ Chicago
Green Bay needs this game to nail down the NFC north while Chicago could be fighting for playoff survival. Right now, the Bears don't seem to have enough game in them to handle this chalenge. Give it to Green Bay.

Washington @ Cleveland (no odds posted)
This is a tough game to pick. RG III is injured but practicing. The Redskins are fighting for a playoff spot. Cleveland has been quite impressive recently winning their last three games albeit it against a hobbled Pittsburgh, Oakland, and Kansas City. If RGIII is healthy and in good form, this one goes to the Skins.

Minnesota @ St. Louis (-3)
Both teams are fighting for a playoff berth, but St. Louis has looked stronger recently. One team stays in the playoff hunt. The other is wait for next year.

Jacksonville @ Miami (-7)
Ugh, if you like football in Florida in 2012, avoid the AFC. Miami wins, but who's paying attention?

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-3.5)
New Orleans season of misery continues. Gone from the playoff chase, they have one huge chip on their shoulders based on the bounty scandal punishments.

Indianapolis @ Houston (-8.5)
Houston seeks to regain form after a dreadful ass-whoopin' in New England. They should prevail at home while the Colts continue their surprise season probably not surprising enough to stage this upset.

Detroit (-6) @ Arizona
Here's a battle between the underachievers, but egads, after winning their four games including upending New England, they've been playing powder puff football ever since. Detroit, meanwhile, another 4-9 team hs once again secured its place among the mediocre and worse of the game, but they're strong enough to beat Arizona right now.

Carolina @ San Diego (-3)
Look out, here's San Diego's late season surge. Talk about "too little -too late." Okay, they beat Pittsburgh last week and could make it four in a row at the end of the season, they're playing chimps and chumps down the stretch.

Seattle (-5) @ Buffalo (in Toronto)
The NFL in the Skydome (aka Rogers Center) in what could be a permanent arrangement once 94 year old owner, Ralph Wilson, is no longer in the picture. Seattle, a team that's practically in another country, should win this international contest.

Pittsburgh (-2) @ Dallas
What a historic matchup this is, and though Dallas hardly deserves much hype in their present form is fighting for a playoff spot or perhaps even their division. However, the Steelers, suffering a weak season, are starting to regain health and are anxious to solidify their playoff chances. Slight edge to the Steelers.

Kansas City @ Oakland (=3)
Ugh, can they just flip a coin and call it a game. Vegas says Oakland (3 point advantage for the home team). We say KC. It doesn't matter.

San Francisco @ New England (-5.5)
Nationally televised games always get lots of hype and contrived story lines...POSSIBLE SUPERBOWL PREVIEW. Well, maybe...   Jim Harbaugh will need one hell of a bag of tricks to bat the New England team that flattened Houston last week.

ESPN MNF (Mostly Nothing Football)

NY Jets @ Tennessee (-1.5)
Okay it's the big market Jets, but what a ho-hum for a Monday Night game. Don't worry, the ESPN producers will come up with tons of contrived dialogue for a game that slightly favors Music City over Big City.

NFL 2010: Week 17 -- The Grand Finale

The 2010 season ends Sunday with the AFC north and central to be decided. While wild card selections, the south and west divisions are undecided for the NFC. The Patriots have all playoff advantages locked up while the Kansas City Chiefs have locked up the west. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and the New York Jets have secured playoff berths. Indianapolis or Jacksonville will join the field with the Colts in with a win or Jacksonville loss.

The NFC has Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New Orleans secured in the playoffs. Green Bay, the New York Giants, and Tampa Bay are in contention for the final wild card berth. St. Louis battles Seattle for the west title.

Teams that had playoff berths last year that will stay home are San Diego and Cincinnati replaced by Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Minnesota, Arizona, and Dallas will not return all three teams having tremendous difficulties in 2010.

Cincinnati @ Baltimore (-9 ½)
Batman and Robin’s absence actually seemed to help the Bengals last week in defeating San Diego. The Ravens cannot take this game for granted. It could be Marvin Lewis’s last game as head coach – a sad loss against the team that earned him his Super Bowl ring as defensive coordinator.

Chicago @ Green Bay (-10)
Green Bay must win this game to clinch a wild card berth.

Pittsburgh (-6) @ Cleveland
Pittsburgh needs this win. If they lose and Baltimore wins, Baltimore jumps to the #2 seed. The chances of a Cleveland upset are slight.

Jacksonville @ Houston (-1)
Jacksonville showed no enthusiasm against the Redskins last week but should they win and Indianapolis lose, they’ll take the division. Houston should prevail.

Dallas @ Philadelphia (-6 ½)
Philadelphia’s surprising self-destruction against Minnesota playing Tuesday night gives them less time to get ready against a Cowboys’ team that can be difficult. Philadelphia needs this game to assure the NFC East title. They should win.

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-8)
Tampa still is technically alive for a wild card if the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers lose. For New Orleans, if Atlanta loses and they win, the Saints win their division. New Orleans should take care of business with this game.

Carolina @ Atlanta (-14 ½)
Atlanta faces a must win against a miserable opponent who has functioned as the worst team in the NFL this season. They still have to play the game and win.

Tennessee @ Indianapolis (-10)
The Colts should have little trouble nailing down yet another AFC North title beating the Titans.

St. Louis (-3) @ Seattle (Sunday Night Game)
So who wants the NFC West besides perhaps St. Louis rookie QB, Sam Bradford? If St. Louis wins and they’re the slight favorite, they’ll win their division with a lowly 8-8 record. If they lose, Seattle wins the division with a losing record, 7-9

New York Giants (-4) @ Washington
The Giants lose, they’re out. The Redskins suddenly won last week against Jacksonville, so the Skins aren’t completely dead yet but it’s hard to see them beating the Giants.

Miami @ New England (-3 ½)
Don’t expect New England to rest despite having wrapped up every conceivable advantage. Justin Bieber, uhm, Tom Brady might get some rest to ease some aches and pains. New England will prevail. They don’t play light just because they’ve clinched.

Oakland @ Kansas City (-3 ½)
KC will play their division rival as a tune up for the playoffs likely against the New York Jets next week.

Buffalo @ New York Jets (-1)
Regardless of what the Jets do, they are the 6th seed in the playoffs. Mark Sanchez is not at full strength so it will be interesting to see how Coach Rex Ryan handles the situation. Regardless, the Jets still have the slight edge.

Other games:
Minnesota @ Detroit (-3)
The Brett Favre era ends with the gunslinger on the side lines with multiple injuries including a concussion. Here are two teams appearing headed in opposite directions and Detroit could finally escape the cellar next year.

San Diego (-3 ½) @ Denver
One has to wonder after last week’s loss and a poor start earlier in the year, what the fate of Norv Turner as head couch of the Chargers will be. The Chargers were a strong playoff choice at the year’s beginning. Meanwhile, Florida Gator, Tim Tebow, will continue his maturation in his second NFL start. This is a tough call. San Diego’s the stronger team, but Tebow has more energy than the NFL can imagine.

NFL 2010: Week 15 -- 'Tis the Season, Playoffs in Sight

With two weeks to go and wrapping around the Christmas holidays, week 15’s slate has several high impact games for teams still in playoff contention. Remarkably thus far, only one division has been decided and three additional teams have clinched playoff spots; however, it’s pretty obvious several other teams will be there minus a titanic scale meltdown.

For the record, Chicago has clinched the NFC north, while Pittsburgh (AFC north), New England (AFC east) and Atlanta (NFC south) have landed playoff berths. In the AFC, Baltimore (AFC north) and the New York Jets (AFC east) are well positioned as the wild card teams. Indianapolis has the tie breakers over Jacksonville keeping the AFC south in contention. Kansas City enjoys a one game lead over San Diego in pursuit of the AFC west.

The NFC is still wide open aside from Chicago’s feat. Either Atlanta or New Orleans as a long shot could win the NFC south. Atlanta has a two game lead. The teams go face-to-face this weekend. Philadelphia leads the New York Giants after the Giants’ shocking loss last weekend. The “Who Wants It?” sweepstakes have St Louis and Seattle tied at an embarrassing 6-8 with San Francisco still in the chase at 5-9. New Orleans is almost certainly an NFC wild card, while Green Bay, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants battle for the remaining spot. The Giants have a one game lead.

Week 15 Picks:

Games with Playoff Consequences…

Carolina @ Pittsburgh (=14 ½)
This will be a rest up and get healthy game for the Steelers. No way has Carolina had a chance in this one.

Baltimore (-3 ½) @ Cleveland
Never an easy game for the Ravens playing in the city that hates them most, they must beat Cleveland to maintain a shot at the AFC east.

Washington @ Jacksonville (-7)
The Jaguars should have little trouble keeping their playoff hopes in tact versus a miserable Redskins team piloted by journeyman QB Rex Grossman. In what was to be a turnaround year for the Burgundy and Gold has turned out to be far worse than imagined in the Nation’s Capital. Can Daniel Snyder, boy genius owner, find the maturity to have the right football men build a new team? Mike Shanahan and his boy have failed horribly as coaches.

Tennessee @ Kansas City (-5)
A must win for the Chiefs to sustain their run at the AFC west crown. With the confusion over QB’s resulting from Vince Young’s demise and Randy Moss’s situation, the Titans are too messed up to be a threat.

Seattle @ Tampa Bay (-6 ½)
Both teams are fighting for playoff spots. Tampa Bay must win to stay alive. If Seattle and St. Louis both lose, a team with NINE losses could win the division.

Minnesota @ Philadelphia (-14 ½)
The Vikings are a hurting mess as Philadelphia’s playoff run is fired up. The 2010 season has truly been the Vikings worst nightmare.

New England (-6 ½) @ Buffalo
Merely a tune up game for the playoffs for New England.

San Francisco @ St. Louis (-2 ½)
Who would believe a team with a 5-9 record meeting a division rival with a 6-8 record could be fighting for a division crown? St. Louis has the slight edge. Unbelievable.

New York Jets at Chicago (-1)
The Jets need this game a lot more than Chicago does, but can the Jets sustain the energy that defeated the Steelers? Go with “da Bears.”

Indianapolis (-3) @ Oakland
The Colts will win when the chips are down. They have to have this one to stay in the playoff hunt.

New York Giants @ Green Bay (-3)
A battle for the NFC wild card, the unpredictable Giants face a team with a head-clubbed QB who missed the last two games with a concussion. This is a tough pick but the Packers appear to have more guts than the Giants.

San Diego (-7 ½) at Cincinnati
San Diego must and should win at Cincinnati. A loss ends their hopes for the playoffs.

New Orleans @ Atlanta (-2 ½)
Not the big game it was poised to be earlier in the season, this year’s final Monday night game has New Orleans visiting Atlanta who has a two game advantage over New Orleans for the NFC south lead. Having seen how the Ravens tore apart New Orleans, Atlanta should prevail.

Wait ‘til next year division….

Dallas (-6 ½) @ Arizona
A contest on the NFL Network Christmas nights, eggnog belching fans can see Dallas beat up on the ravaged Arizona Cardinals. Put “Charlie Brown Christmas” in the DVD player.

Detroit @ Miami (-3 ½)
Miami was supposed to be a contender this year. They’ve underachieved all year. Detroit finally has a season they can build on in pursuit of their 5th win. Miami still should prevail but a Detroit upset is far from out of the question. There’s no time for slacking down by South Beach.

Houston (-2 ½) @ Denver
The 2010 season can be shown as nothing but horrible disappointments for both teams. The Texans were supposed to be a playoff contender. No one would have expected Denver to be one of the worst teams in the game. Perhaps coaching rumors will make more noise than cheers for the game as Texans’ coach, Gary Kubiak sure looks like a possible fit for where he caddied John Elway. The Texans simply have too much talent not to beat the Broncos, a team in disarray.

NFL 2010: Week 14 -- Decision Time Drawing Near

This week's games will make the potential playoff picture much clearer starting with the outcome of tonight's game as a hobbled Indianapolis visits the unpredictable Tennessee Titans. One major contest which will determine how much of a race is left in the AFC West pits Kansas City against San Diego in sunny California. Las Vegas won't pick a favorite there but we will try. How will a new coach influence Denver not that they or Arizona are playing for much. Likewise, will Washington find new life with problem child, Albert Haynesworth banned for the rest of the season. Let's also look at the Ravens and Jets, both of whom lost and fell to the wildcard spot in the AFC whild Pittsburgh and New England look vicious.

Indianapolis (-3.5) @ Tennessee
How can you go against Payton Manning at this time of the year? Nevertheless, we don't have a whole lot of confidence in this pick for the Colts.

Tampa Bay (-3) @ Washington
The Bus look like an up and coming team guided by a promising QB. The Redskins are on life support. Tampa wins.

Cleveland @ Buffalo (-1)
Ugh, two mitakes on the lake...the great Lake Erie Sewage Bowl. We're picking the Browns.

New York Giants (-3) @ Minnesota
Could this be the end of the Favre era? Truth be told, it's already over but we'll see if he starts. The Giants will win this one certainly.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-8.5)
The Bengals will be heading home face down floating down the Ohio River after this one.

Atlanta (-7) @ Carolina
The Dixie Bowl -- Atlanta wins.

New England (-3) @ Chicago
New England probably won't do to the Bears what they did to the Jets, but this will be one ass-whoopin' in Chicago.

Seattle @ San Francisco (-5)
Las Vegas seems more convinced than this writer on this one but we like Iron Mike. Pick the 'niners.

St. Louis @ New Orleans (-9)
The Saints go marching on!!!

Denver (-5.5) @ Arizona
Okay, how will the Broncos play for their new coach against a team that seems to have quit for the season?

Miami @ New York Jets (-5.5)
Jets will bounce back big time after their Monday Night ass whoopin'.

Kansas City @ San Diego (pick)
San Diego will probably squeak this one out as it's now or never for them playing at home. KC wins this one, they're as good as in as West champs.

Philadelphia (-3.5) @ Dallas
Yeow, will the new Cowboys have enough to beat an energetic Eagles team? We'll go with Philadelphia knowing this could go the other way.

Baltimore (-3) @ Houston
The Ravens are hopping mad after clobbering the Steelers only to wind up beaten in the 4th quarter. Baltimore wins!!!

MLB 2010 -- What's at Stake on the Last Day of the Regular Season

It all comes down to the last day.


In the American League, the winner of the American League East and the Wild Card depends on Sunday’s games. If the Yankees win and the Rays lose, the Yankees win the division and the Rays are the Wild Card. If the Yankees lose and the Rays win, both teams win, or both teams lose, Tampa wins the division and the Yankees take the Wild Card.

The National League is more wide open. First the American League West needs to be determined. The contestants are playing head to head. Atlanta is in the chase for the Wild Card. If the Padres and Braves win, the Giants would travel to San Diego for a one game playoff to determine the division. The loser would go to Atlanta on Tuesday to play for the Wild Card.

If the Padres win and the Braves lose, there would be no playoff.

If the Giants and Braves win, there would be no playoff.

Finally, if the Padres and Braves both lose, the Padres would go to Atlanta for a playoff to settle the Wild Card.

Got it?

Play ball!!!


.

NFL 2009: Week 17 -- The Grande Finale

The 2009 NFL season concludes this weekend with several key playoff races still at stake and seedings to be determined. An atmosphere of controversy covers the field as some possible scenarios involving teams not playing at full strength add an element of intrigue as the final standings are determined.

The decision of the Indianapolis Colts to essentially throw their game against the New York Jets and not to even attempt to compete for an undefeated season created a buzz through out the world of football fans. Were the Colts playing to win, the Jets would not have vaulted into the playoff picture and Denver would be on a win, you’re in scenario after losing to Philadelphia. Cincinnati faces the New York Jets in the nationally televised 8:00 pm game and who the Bengals face in the first round of the playoffs could depend on whether or not they win this game. Speculation is they would seek to avoid Baltimore if Baltimore wins its game against Oakland securing a wildcard berth.

Much interest will be focused on Dallas as the Philadelphia Eagles visit. The winner will be the NFC East champion.

The AFC wildcards will be Baltimore and the New York Jets if those teams win. Any number of scenarios could play out if either or both of them lose with Denver, Pittsburgh, and Houston lurking for a chance to move in. With all of these teams showing 8-7 records, the seedings are determined on the basis of predetermined tie-breaker considerations.

Also at stake is the NFC first round bye. Minnesota could lose its spot if they lose to the New York Giants and Philadelphia beats Dallas. The third and fourth seeds are up for grabs depending on outcomes of the Dallas/Philadelphia contest and the Arizona/Green Bay contest for the NFC. In the AFC, the results depend on Cincinnati/New York Jets and New England/Houston.

Here are the contests for the final week of the season. Ones with playoff implications will be noted with an asterisk (*).

San Francisco (-7) at St. Louis
St. Louis couldn’t beat an egg much less the ‘Niners.

*New York Giants at Minnesota (-8 ½)
Minnesota must end its recent funk to beat the Giants as they should do at home. The spread might be a bit generous given recent play.

Jacksonville at Cleveland (-2)
Cleveland goes for four straight against the Jags who just fell out of playoff contention. Still the Jags are the better team.

*Pittsburgh (-3) at Miami
Pittsburgh fights for its faint hope of a playoff berth and should edge the Dolphins.

*New England at Houston (-8)
New England fights to secure its seeding while Houston fights for a chance at its first playoff berth. We’ll give Houston the edge but New England should beat the spread.

Atlanta (-2 ½) at Tampa Bay
Atlanta is left considering what could have been this year but should pull it together to beat the Tampa Bay Bucs who pulled the upset over the Saints last week.

*Philadelphia at Dallas (-3)
The winner gets to host the loser most likely in round 1 of the playoffs. We think it will be Philadelphia.

Indianapolis at Buffalo (NG, -8, -7 ½)
How on earth could Buffalo be favored? Given that the Indy brass could treat this game like the second half of a pre-season game answers that. Shame on a team that won’t compete. We’ll be cheering for Buffalo to follow through.

Chicago (-3) at Detroit
Chicago seems like a team on the decline while Detroit showed a flicker of hope this year, but still Chicago should prevail in this NFC North game.

*Baltimore (-10 ½) at Oakland
Baltimore must avoid penalties and other mistakes. If they do, they’ll win easily and head for the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Washington at San Diego (-4)
San Diego won’t be playing chicken like Indy and should beat the hapless Skins.

*Kansas City at Denver (-12 ½)
Denver must win to keep their playoff hopes alive depending on Baltimore or the New York Jets to lose.

*Green Bay at Arizona (-3.5)
Both teams are heading to the playoffs but minor seedings are at stake. We’ll pick Green Bay to beat the favorite.

Tennessee (-4.5) at Seattle
Tennessee had playoff hopes last weekend despite an 0-6 start. They’ll be able to finish proud pounding Seattle, a team that failed miserably in 2009.

*Cincinnati at New York Jets (-10)
Rex Ryan will have the Jets and their fans frothing at the mouths to nail down their wildcard berth. Cincinnati might play for comic relief as Chad What’s-his-name has promised some antics. Cincinnati is probably the team the wild card contenders would most like to face.

NFL 2009: Week 16 -- Colts Quit, Peyton Sits

Midway through the third quarter, the Indianapolis Colts were ahead of the New York Jets 15 to 10 well on their way to putting the game away maintaining their undefeated season, but something happened that will surely follow this team’s legacy for a long time. With the lead and victory in sight, Coach Jim Caldwell pulled Peyton Manning and other starters. Backup quarterback, Curtis Painter was inserted promptly giving up an interception to Jets’ cornerback Dwight Lowery with 4:52 left in the quarter.

Painter’s performance was beyond awful, absolutely incompetent, unprepared and unprofessional perhaps shaken by the awkward situation into which he was thrust, but never the less, the Jets would score 19 unanswered points to secure the win and vanquishing Indianapolis’s chance for a rendezvous with football history.

Is there something wrong with this picture?

We think so.

The Colts violated former coach and football philosopher Herm Edwards’ basic principle, “You play to win the game. HELLO!”

For the Colts, it was an early goodbye. While the intent was obvious, to protect players from possible injury having locked up home field advantage and a first round bye, was this a sound move from any position?

The Colts were facing a team in the playoff hunt. With the Ravens and Broncos at 8-6 and a six of teams including the Jets at 7-7 at the start of play, much was on the line with obvious post season consequences.

The Jets were all but out of contention, but with Tennessee, Miami, Jacksonville, Baltimore, and Denver all losing, the numbers added up to put the Jets in position to now secure a wild card birth. If they win next Sunday after yesterday’s results, they’re in. The loss to Pittsburgh and the Indianapolis surrender ultimately had little effect on the Baltimore Ravens who will still sneak into the playoffs with a win against Oakland since they have favorable tie-breakers.

The team most obviously impacted was Denver; they would remain slotted for the wild card had the Jets lost. The move all but eliminated the hopes of Pittsburgh and Houston who both stand at 8-7 but don’t have favorable tie-breakers.

In this context, is there any way to look at the Colts’ decision as a cowardly, ill-advised move?

Had there been a wide margin in the third quarter where the Colts were way out in front or way behind, such a move could be justified. Yes, to the victor goes the spoils, and the Colts did have the luxury of mailing this game in, but it appears to be a slap in the face for all we understand as basic sportsmanship.

Think of the pride of a quarterback like Peyton Manning who was visibly upset as the game fell to shreds. These are guys who are proud competitors with no sense of quit in their makeup.

Even more so, think of the fans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Would they invest in personal seat licenses, tickets, parking, refreshments, and maybe an ersatz souvenir or two giving up a Sunday afternoon to see Curtis Painter cough up a football game?

What could be a more arrogant thoughtless insult to the team’s loyal fans who rightly expect the team to put forth every effort to win every game? This isn’t baseball where there are 81 home dates where late September games could be of little consequence. There are only eight regular season games. With parking at $20.00, $7.50 for a draft beer, $3.50 for a hot dog, and tickets ranging from 44 bucks for the cheap seats way above the south end zone and 55 bucks for the nosebleeds to $129 for the really hot seats, we needn’t go into a song and dance about the sad state of the economy, NFL games are premium entertainment good times and bad.

Can or should NFL leadership attempt to ban the kind of practice employed by the Colts in their obvious forfeiture of a regular season game?

Probably not. It’s hard to imagine how a fair rule could be written. However, the Colts’ move surely shows that the sport is open to some very real forms of corruption if lineup manipulation was due to other motives. One would imagine Las Vegas and fantasy players are going berserk over yesterday’s fiasco.

The Indianapolis fans are in a miserable situation. They can proudly look forward to hosting the second round of the playoffs and the AFC championship game if they win their first playoff game. However, more than pride was robbed from them yesterday.

Let’s hope the tremendous uproar over the Colts’ management decision will serve to influence future teams not to consider such an ill-advised move. While Bronco fans surely should be more upset that their team lost to Philadelphia in a must win game yesterday, they can also feel some justified fury that their playoff status will be determined largely by a decision that was not the outcome of teams playing on the field with the intention to win.

Say it again, Herm, “You play to win the game, HELLO!!!!”

NFL 2009: Week 15 -- Merry Merry Two to Go

With two weeks to go in the 2009 NFL season, can anyone believe the playoff picture in the AFC? Currently twelve teams are in the playoff hunt though half of them must not only win their two final games but teams ahead of them must slip up to gain a wild card berth. Currently, the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos are in with records of 6-6, but what stands out as most unusual, six teams, Jacksonville, Miami, the New York Jets, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, and Houston all stand with a mark of seven wins and seven losses. Only four teams in the conference have losing records as the Indianapolis Colts stand atop the heap with a perfect record followed by San Diego at 11-3 with Cincinnati and New England the other division leaders at 9-5.

The NFC picture is much simpler. New Orleans (13-1), Minnesota (11-3), and Arizona (9-5) are in. Philadelphia stands at 10 and 4 with Dallas one game back and the New York Giants two games back. Green Bay (10-5) and Dallas (9-5) are the current teams slotted to be wild cards with Atlanta at 7-7 the only team with a faint hope of making the field.

Much will be decided this weekend, but the playoff field might not be decided until the final games at 4:00 pm on the last day of the season are completed.

Meanwhile, what the heck is going on in Minnesota? The feud between coach Brad Childress and quarterback Brett Favre is getting endless coverage four days after an on the field exchange of harsh words on the field Sunday. Coaches and quarterbacks blow up at each other frequently but when Brett Favre is involved everything gets tabloid proportioned attention in a wave of sports media hoopla.

The games:
San Diego at Tennessee (-3)
Go with Tennessee. San Diego has nothing left to prove. Tennessee does.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh (-2. ½)
Baltimore seeks to accomplish that which has eluded them far too many times bringing home a win in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have faint hopes of being in the post season while Baltimore is slotted. This game will come down to which team is healthier. Baltimore has the slight edge though we are admittedly biased. As Ray Rice goes, so go the Ravens.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans (-14)
Tampa mailed this season in back in October if not September. Forget about it!

Buffalo at Atlanta (-8.5)
Buffalo can rise up and hurt some decent teams but not this time.

Houston at Miami (-3)
Two 7-7 teams fight for a distant playoff hope. Miami will prevail at home.

Seattle at Green Bay (-14)
Seattle limps toward the end of a miserable season proving Coach Jim Mora not up to the job. Green Bay will stuff them into the frozen Tundra.

Carolina at the New York Giants (-7)
Carolina limps to the end of an embarrassing season as the Giants must prevail to punch their ticket to a possible wild card berth.

Oakland at Cleveland (-3 ½)
Two miserable teams which have some surprise victories to their credit, Cleveland should have the slight edge given the home field and west coast at east coast factors working in their favor.

Jacksonville at New England (-7 ½)
It’s do or die for Jacksonville who lost their lock on a wild card berth with last week’s loss. Meanwhile, New England seeks to secure their position as AFC East champ. They should take care of business at home in Foxboro.

Kansas City at Cincinnati (-14)
While Cincinnati has shown complacency once they appeared to have the AFC North locked up, Kansas City simply does not seem to have the power to pull the upset in this matchup.

Denver at Philadelphia (-7)
Denver needs this game to ensure their post season spot. Philadelphia needs this game to fend off the Cowboys to win their division. The Eagles have just enough of an edge to pull off this win.

St. Louis at Arizona (-14)
St. Louis couldn’t beat an egg much less a legitimate NFL team. Arizona wins big.

Detroit at San Francisco (12)
Detroit is still a miserable failure especially on the road.

New York Jets at Indianapolis (-5)
Rex Ryan’s Jets have a distant shot at a playoff berth. How much will that motivation count against a Colts’ squad seeking to achieve the perfect season? It would seem that almost by pure will alone Payton Manning will run an offense capable of stuffing the Jets.

Dallas (-7) at Washington
Washington can pull an upset especially at home in Largo, but Dallas should win this one unless they are truly hopeless in December, a reputation that last week’s win helped dispel.

Minnesota (-7) at Chicago
Chicago looked like one of the farcical failures in their loss to Baltimore last Sunday. Minnesota should come into Soldier’s Field and slaughter them. Given the high visibility of a nationally televised game, the Favre/Childress feud will get all the attention. Who needs the soap opera?

NFL 2009: Week 15 -- Hot Games, Cold Weather

Week 15 most likely won’t be decisive in determining the playoff lineup other than St. Louis could lock up the NFC West and perhaps some of the AFC 7-6 teams could void their playoff chances if they lose. Eyes will be on Indianapolis and New Orleans to see how intensely they are going after perfect seasons given they both have locked up just about everything imaginable. San Diego can enhance its chances of nailing down a first round bye by beating Cincinnati who’d secure the AFC North if they win. Minnesota has a two game advantage over Philadelphia.

Good news for Ravens fans, if Jacksonville falls to Indy, they will move into the 6th seed that even some national talkers are predicting though a few are putting their chips on the Miami Dolphins to eventually secure that berth. Jacksonville is the team most see likely to fall off. Meanwhile, no one’s talking about Rod Ryan’s Jets as they need to leap over all of the 7-6 teams. This all assumes Denver will hold on to its spot given they host Oakland and Kansas City with a tough trip to Philadelphia sandwiched in between.

Surely, we can talk of malice in Dallas since they will get their butts handed to them in New Orleans Saturday night. The Giants face the inconsistent Redskins in DC. Should the likely happen in those two games, the Giants will move ahead to the final spot in the NFC. Both teams face tough final games with Dallas hosting Philadelphia seeking to secure their spot as NFC East champs while the Giants travel to Minnesota who could have the first round bye locked up by then.

For what it’s worth, the odds makers in Vegas are nervous about his weekend’s games because as of this writing Wednesday morning, odds are not posted for some games. Does that make anybody’s life more complicated? We hope not. Meanwhile, many fantasy leagues go into playoffs. Have fun kiddies!!!

Indianapolis at Jacksonville (no odds) THURSDAY NIGHT
The odds makers must think Indy’s going to play soft in this game. Don’t count on it. We’ll give them the edge over Jacksonville.

Dallas at New Orleans (-7)
Let’s see how much worse the horrible Phillips/Romo December record can get. The Saints will gleefully exploit their situation.

Chicago at Baltimore (-10 ½)
Isn’t it amazing how slaughtering the 2-11 Lions make the Ravens look like a playoff team? Chicago is struggling this year and the Ravens defense could make them look silly.

Cleveland at Kansas City (-2)
Ugly! Kansas City will work hard to not let Cleveland equal their record. Home team gets the edge.

Atlanta at New York Jets (NO ODDS)
What’s up with this one? The Jets win.

Miami at Tennessee (NO ODDS)
Maybe someone should check the injury wire on Saturday for this one. Tennessee is playing like they have a shot at the playoffs while Miami must win to keep their post season chances alive. Perhaps Tennessee has the slight edge. That’s our pick.

San Francisco at Philadelphia (NO ODDS)
If San Francisco can bring their show east that messed up Arizona, the Eagles should be worried, but we’ll go with the Eagles.

New England (-7) at Buffalo
We don’t want to hear about the Randy Moss/Terrell Owens comparisons in this game. New England is professional enough despite this year’s struggles to hang on for this must win.

Arizona (-12) at Detroit
Detroit has a wonderful way of making a team’s horrible performance the previous week look of little consequence by the time their game reaches half time with the Cowardly Lions. Arizona wins this one and locks up the NL West.

Green Bay at Pittsburgh (-1)
Many odds makers did not post for this one. Pittsburgh is hurting. Green Bay is hungry. The big burger needs cheese more than it needs pickles. Green Bay wins.

Houston (-10) at St. Louis
Houston should win handily.

Oakland at Denver (-12 ½)
Denver knows they must win this game or else their comfy spot for the 2nd wild card gets thrown into chaos.

Cincinnati at San Diego (-6 ½)
This game should be one of positioning for post season position. San Diego at home is the stronger team.

Tampa Bay at Seattle (-7)
This game should be a bright spot for the Seahawks who’ve had a largely miserable year.

Minnesota (-9) at Carolina
This could be the next to last home game for the Fox/Delholme era in Charlotte. Too bad they face Minnesota then New Orleans which means the last dance could be uglier than imagining Rosy O’Donnell in ballet. Brett Favre will win this won and maybe do a Wrangler ad with Dale Earnhardt Jr. if he’s at home this weekend.

New York Giants (-3) at Washington
The Giants should be favored for this one but they are quite capable of coughing up games they’re supposed to win. The Redskins gave New Orleans the scare of their season but then can turn around and look like the bottom feeders. The Giants should have the edge in this game. They need to win this one to help destroy Dallas.

NFL 2009: Week 14: The Playoff Blender on High Speed

Okay, Ravens fans, it was a BIG victory scoring the most points in Ravens history beating the Detroit Lions 48-3. However, as uplifting as this chilly game in the cold rain was, it would be premature to get too excited about renewed playoff hopes. Yes, what needed to happen today took place, Jacksonville lost too. We must remember this bold victory was against the Detroit Lions, a team with two victories this year after losing them all last year. When’s the last time they won a game on the road? Second, the Ravens are dependent on Jacksonville losing one more game while the Ravens must win their last three games to secure a wild card berth. The other possibility would be Denver’s collapse losing two of their last three games. The Ravens host the Bears next week before travelling to Pittsburgh then Oakland to finish the season. Jacksonville faces Indianapolis then travels to New England and Cleveland. Denver hosts Oakland, travels to Philadelphia, then hosts Kansas City to finish the year.

Jacksonville faces two contenders, but how seriously will Indianapolis fight to go for an undefeated season when they have everything wrapped up for playoff seedings. New England could be fighting for their playoff life in week 16. It’s hard to imagine Jacksonville losing to Cleveland. A reality check would suggest Jacksonville will lose one more game, but Denver having both Oakland and Kansas City at home looks like a lock to be the first wild card seed.

The Ravens must win three games. A team like the Chicago Bears could rise up and beat them but the Bears are battered and not playing good football down the stretch. As horrible as things look for Pittsburgh, hosting Baltimore could be their last hurrah for the season, a chance to salvage a little pride. While they are out of the playoff picture, they could at least revel in knowing they knocked off the Ravens. The Ravens will have their hands full in Pittsburgh, but at the beginning of the year, did not most experts indicate they would have to go two out of three in their games against Pittsburgh and Indy? Surely, their trip to Oakland cannot be considered a freebie.

Lurking in the balance is the fate of the New England Patriots who could be ousted by Miami or perhaps the New York Jets as a long shot. They simply do not have their characteristic on field discipline this year. Their defense is full of holes. Tom Brady and his receivers are not automatic. Though Buffalo and Houston aren’t awesome contenders, these will be road games while they’ll have one heck of fight hosting Jacksonville.

The NFC playoff picture is far easier to discuss. Three divisions are surely secured at this point, Minnesota in the North; New Orleans in the South with both those teams securing first round byes. Arizona has all but locked up the West. Green Bay will be one of the two Wild Cards at 9-4. The opening is in the NFC East where three teams are in competition for two spots, the Division lead and the second Wild Card with Philadelphia, Dallas, and the New York Giants sorting out who moves on. Philadelphia clearly appears the strongest of the three teams while both New York and Dallas have significant problems. Once again, Dallas is in full self-destruct mode in December having lost miserably to the New York Giants in Week 13 and looked completely out of it this week despite only a three point loss to San Diego. It could have been much worse.

Looking at the competition ahead, things don’t look good for Dallas. They travel to face the undefeated New Orleans Saints next week then move on to Washington, DC where the Redskins will be playing for some measure of honor for what has been an embarrassing season. They’ll wrap up hosting Philadelphia in a game they hope will still be meaningful. Philadelphia hosts San Francisco then Denver. San Francisco would have to be playing on a higher level than shown so far this year to beat the Eagles. Denver could be tough but has not played well on the road during the second half of the season. If they win both those games, they should at least have a playoff berth secured by the time they travel to finish the season in Dallas. The New York Giants have two games they would win handily travelling to Washington then hosting Carolina. Their last game should be interesting playing Minnesota for their final game. Will Minnesota put their “A” team on the field or go easy to keep everyone healthy for the playoffs?

The road ahead would seem to cast Dallas as the odd team out. Their competition is tougher and their reputation for late season play is awful. Having listened to Wade Phillips comments to reporters, one does not see a coach with the fire in his belly prepared to lead a team into intense battle. Tony Romo, once again deserves his share of the blame, but the Cowboys’ failures are on both sides of the football.

Philadelphia appears to have the advantage. The Giants have definite weaknesses on defense on in its receiving corps. Further, Quarterback Eli Manning is far from 100% still nursing a sore heel. Their showdown tonight proved Philadelphia a touchdown better than the Giants in a 45-38 death match where both teams showed moments of brilliance then turned around looking sloppy and confused. Emotions were at a fever pitch with minor episodes breaking out to almost a brawl after the Giants gave up a fatal turnover deep in their own territory with seconds left. How ironic that the Giants started 5-0 and perhaps might not make the playoffs if Dallas holds up.

NFL 2009: Week 14: No Time for Losers or It's Over

Baltimore and Pittsburgh fans have something more in common than their contempt for each other. They’re both looking at their teams at 6-6 all but out of the playoff chase seeing Ochocinco and the Cincinnati Bengals running off to the playoffs as the Northern Division champs. Does anyone expect the Bengals will lose their last four games? Not likely, but didn’t the Tennessee Titans lose their first six? Warning Ravens fans, don’t use this as something to provide hope. Something else they have in common, they both play teams they should surely beat convincingly with Pittsburgh travelling to Cleveland for the NFL Network’s Thursday night game. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions come to Crab City.

Two of this week’s most interesting games in the AFC feature Denver playing at Indianapolis. Will Indy play full strength to preserve their perfect season or will they let up a little in preparation for post season? Meanwhile, Miami visits Jacksonville with its faint hopes of playoff action, but for any of the 6-6 teams to have playoff hopes, Jacksonville must lose.

Week 14 has a very interesting inter-conference game with San Diego visiting Jerry Land to play the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys still haven’t proven capable of winning in December. San Diego just rolls along.

Finally, the Sunday night match up has great stakes for the NFC East especially if Dallas loses. Philadelphia is tied for first but visits the New York Giants one game behind them.

This week’s toilet bowl matchup features Buffalo visiting Kansas City. The Ravens can look at the Washington Redskins travelling to Oakland as mine canaries for their final game of the season.

Here are this week’s picks:

Pittsburgh (-10) at Cleveland
Is there any way the Steelers can screw this up?

Detroit at Baltimore (-13)
A much needed easy win for the Ravens.

New Orleans (9 ½) at Atlanta
Atlanta is fading fast while New Orleans continues to pursue perfection.

New York Jets (-3 ½) at Tampa Bay
The Jets are one of those 6-6 teams holding on for dear life. They’ll win.

Green Bay (-3) at Chicago
Only a three point favorite? Green Bay should annihilate “da Bears.”

Seattle at Houston (-6)
Wasn’t the young Mora supposed to bring changes to the Seahawks? Wasn’t Houston supposed to contend this year? Houston has this one.

Denver at Indianapolis (-7)
The Colts express will continue to roll on.

Miami at Jacksonville (-2 ½)
Jacksonville has the edge though Baltimore fans pray for the upset.

Buffalo at Kansas City (pick ‘em)
KC should have the edge. Both miserable teams have some great upsets to their credit.

Cincinnati at Minnesota (-7)
Go get ‘em Brett!

Carolina at New England (-13 ½)
Charlotte will be too busy buzzing about Danica Patrick coming to town next year to even realize there’s a football game. The Fox/Delholme era is winding down.

St. Louis at Tennessee (-13)
The Titans got a taste of ugly against the Colts, but their 0-6 start will be even more of memory after they clobber the Rams.

Washington (-1) at Oakland
If the Redskins that almost beat New Orleans is the same team that travels to Oakland, this game will be a blowout. Otherwise, it could be way too close.

San Diego at Dallas (-3)
A Dallas loss almost guarantees the end of Wade’s World unless somehow the Cowboys go deep in the playoffs. There’s just something very basically wrong with the Dallas Cowboys. When will the Cowboys figure out Tony Romo is more interested in the star his celebrity status than the star on his helmet.

Philadelphia at New York Giants (-1)
A game couldn’t be much more closely matched but the Eagles could make this a strong win that with a likely Dallas loss will give them the lead of the NFC East.

Arizona (-3 ½) at San Francisco
Arizona’s strong victory over Minnesota proved they are truly a playoff contender ready for all comers in the 2009 post season. San Francisco continues to go through growing pains as Mike Singletary tries to find the right pieces.

NFL 2009: Week 13 -- Ravens Frozen Out in Green Bay -- The AFC Wild Card Picture

Ravens fans cannot escape, their football team played a horrible game that the 27-14 loss fails to sufficiently document. The story was familiar, unless a team has a commanding lead in the standings, for serious playoff contenders, all games after Thanksgiving are must win games. Sunday's results gave the Ravens a great opportunity to advance toward a wild-card berth but their efforts in Green Bay proved them unworthy.

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First, Joe Flacco was not on his game and clearly looked rattled when the game was on the line late. His decision-making was faulty and Green Bay's defense was ready. Completing 15 of 36 for 137 yards, the Ravens' QB only achieved about half the yardage of his rival, Aaron Rodgers. Further, misery came in threes as Flacco was intercepted and sacked three times. He also fumbled. So did Ray Rice who is usually a bright spot in the Ravens attack, but tonight was all but invisible rushing for 54 yards with 14 carries.

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Second, the Ravens simply must not play in constant danger of penalties. They were penalized 12 times for 135 yards. Ironically, Green Bay did worse, 11 penalties for 175 yards, but who won the game.

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The Ravens defense came through brilliantly in spots despite missing Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs, given the number of turnovers and short fields, the Ravens defenders had little room to give to avoid Green Bay scores. The scoring damage against the Ravens could have been far worse.

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As poorly as the Ravens started being shut out 17-0 at the half, late in the third quarter, they found life that brought them in easy striking distance of taking the lead scoring two quick touchdowns late in the quarter bringing the score to a three point deficit at 17-14, but that was all they had to give.

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After a couple more mistakes, the air was out of the tires, the dogs had left their cage, the chairs were on the tables, the Ravens looked finished, tired and beaten. Joe Flacco had that frozen "deer in the headlights" look that showed the game had taken its toll.

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While the playoff hunt is not over, the Ravens are now tied with Pittsburgh, Miami, and the New York Jets at 6-6 to overcome Jacksonville who has the tie-breaker if they should even up with them. The Ravens must see Jacksonville lose two games to go ahead of them in the wild card race. Denver would have to lose three games. The task is not impossible, but anyone short of a wild-eyed dreamer would see it as plausible. That the Ravens have Detroit and Oakland on their schedule should not be cause for feeling too comfy. The Ravens must travel to the West Coast on the last Sunday of the season to face the same Oakland Raiders who just knocked off the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

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While it's not time to give up yet, Monday night on the "Frozen Tundra" gave all Ravens fans a painful chill that only victory can solve.

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Wild Card Contenders:

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In:

Denver (8-4) (Div: 3-1, Conf: 6-3)

Remaining: @Indianapolis, Oakland, @Philadelphia, Kansas City

Jacksonville (7-5) (Div: 3-2; Conf: 6-2)

Remaining: Miami, Indianapolis, @New England, @Cleveland

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In Contention:

Baltimore (6-6) (Div: 3-2, Conf: 6-4)

Remaining: Detroit, Chicago, @Pittsburgh, @Oakland

Miami (6-6) (Div: 3-2, Conf: 3-4)

Remaining: @Jacksonville, @Tennessee, Houston, Pittsburgh

New York Jets (6-6) (Div: 2-4, Conf: 5-5)

Remaining: Tampa Bay, Atlanta, @Indianapolis, Cincinnati

Pittsburgh (6-6) (Div: 1-3, Conf: 4-4)

Remaining: @Cleveland, Green Bay, Baltimore, @Miami

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Analysis:

The good news for the 6-6 teams outside looking in is that Denver goes on the road to Indy and Philadelphia facing two strong playoff teams. The bad news is they would have lose a home game against Oakland or Kansas City. Jacksonville battles Miami, Indy, and New England with only Indy in great shape and Miami and New England facing perhaps must win scenarios to achieve their goals. They have a tough fight before their trek to Cleveland to face the Browns.

The Baltimore Ravens face three teams with losing records and one team at .500 in their final four games. They must win all four games and hope for help. The key game is their next to last game in Pittsburgh.

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Miami and the New York Jets have an additional consideration. Both teams trail New England by just one game so they are also in competition to win their division. Neither face New England, but New England will be tough to overcome given they face Carolina, go to Buffalo, host Jacksonville, then finish at Houston. Miami face two contenders and visits Tennessee which has only lost one game (versus New England) since Vince Young took over at Quarterback. While the Jets face two certain playoff teams in Indy and Cincinnati, both teams could be playing soft to preserve their health for the playoffs. Visiting Tampa should bring home a win, but hosting Atlanta who might still cling to playoff hopes in week 15 will be no push over.

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Given the Ravens inability to win games back to back much less putting together any kind of drive, expecting they will carry the rest of the season will require effort not shown so far in 2009. Stacking up against Pittsburgh, the Steelers do have what should be a "gimme" at Cleveland, but then host the Green Bay Packers who will be fighting like mad for their playoff fortunes. In all likelihood, the season will be decided before they travel to finish the year in Miami.

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That's right Yogi, it's not over until it's over, but depending on one team to lose two out of four games while winning all four remaining games is a very tough scenario but one that can happen.

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Keep dreaming. Some times dreams come true, but the 2009 Ravens lack the killer instinct of last year's team.

NFL 2009: Week 13: ONE CRAZY SUNDAY

Hello Green Bay. Guess who's stopping by tonight?

(Are there any dogs in the house? WOOF-WOOF-WOOF!!!)

That’s Why They Play the Game!

Who-da-thunk-it? Week thirteen brought some really high powered upsets.

First, does anybody think Miami isn’t just a little more motivated when they play New England? Visions of a snow blower being dispatched on the field to clear a spot to make it easier for New England a decisive field goal back in the days of Don Shula is certainly part of these two AFC East rivals’ lore. Miami made those boys from Massachusetts pay dearly for escaping the cold weather for the sunny joys of South Florida in a remarkable 22-21 victory.

The Oakland Raiders had been given up for dead before the season ever started, but now they’ve managed to pull off their 4th victory travelling to Pittsburgh and blowing their noses in those horrible terrible towels and beating the defending Super Bowl champs by a field goal. Yo' Iron City fellahs, you're not going to the playoffs this year. Enough to make a Steelers' dude choke on his Primanti Brothers monster sandwich.

Hey, big guy, you got some cole slaw running down your chin!

The New Orleans Saints travelled to the Maryland suburbs of the Nation’s Capital to face the hapless Washington Redskins. Surely, the Skins couldn’t pull the upset and ruin the Saints run at a perfect season could they?

At the end of regulation, the game was undecided. Could Danny’s boys beat the NFC’s most distinguished team, maybe a little tired after playing New England Monday night?

One more thing, the Saints NEVER win when the temperature is below 40 degrees. It’s been years, well over a decade at least.

Sorry folks, this is the Washington Redskins, experts at stealing defeat from the jaws of victory, turnovers and terrors are the tale of this game for Washington losing in overtime by a field goal.

Hey, HOW ‘BOUT THEM COWBOYS? Anybody want to take bets that a lot of Dallas area sports fans are lighting up the phone lines to complain about their star struck QB, Tony Romo, heading off to Vegas after their traditional Thanksgiving game? The Cowboys started play today atop the NFC east with a respectable 8-3 mark. However, something happened before they could hop on a jet and fly home from East Rutherford, New Jersey. They lost to the New York Giants, a team that has been struggling badly recently. The Giants dominated the game winning 31-24. Oh, what month is this? Did somebody say, December? The ‘Boys don’t win in December during the Tony Romo era? Wasn’t this the year the rock star groupie was finally settling down and finding his groove? What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? It appears Romo left his football talent in the casino, huh?

‘Twas not a good night for Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings as they travelled to the Arizona desert to play in a domed stadium a lot fancier than theirs and got turned inside out by Kurt Warner and all those other talented dudes who surround him. Last year, the Cardinals’ march to the post season looked like a fluke. This year, they look totally legit beating a team that could scarcely do wrong so far this year.

The playoff fight continues as Baltimore invades the Frozen Tundra for Monday Night Football against the Cheeseheads. This is a crucial game for both teams looking to improve their playoff odds.

NFL 2009: Week 13: Football in Toronto and the Playoff Hunt Turns Red Hot

The playoff run is on in full force as week 13 begins. Aside from a few select stories, the focus is on the division leaders attempting to hold their position and fight for home field advantage and the battle of which teams will succeed in securing the two wild card berths. Clearly, three teams stand out as exemplary performers for 2009. Indianapolis in the AFC and New Orleans in the NFC have perfect records. Right behind them in the NFC, is the Brett Favre led, Minnesota Vikings. The remaining first place teams show three or four losses with their fortunes governed by how close the nearest competitor in their division is playing.

Tonight’s game is significant in that the Buffalo Bills are playing as the home team in Toronto’s Rodgers Center (aka Skydome). While the growth of American sports has retreated tremendously from Canada and some of its treasured NHL teams have ventured south, Toronto is the one city that is perfect for all major sports including the NFL. The NFL has long maintained a non-compete stance with the CFL as shown by waiting until after the Gray Cup was awarded to the CFL champs, but if there were a serious bid to place an NFL franchise in Toronto, the money involved alone could make it impossible to resist. Meanwhile, was it not for the steadfast loyalty of 91 year old owner, Ralph Wilson, Buffalo could have lost their franchise already? Buffalo is one of the smallest markets in the league with an obsolete stadium. Anyone seeing Mr. Wilson’s induction speech into the Football Hall of Fame would appreciate, this man is one of the titans of pro football and still is in charge of his affairs. Soon he will be gone, then what of the Buffalo franchise. A modern stadium in Buffalo with corporate suites does not appear on the horizon especially given Buffalo’s limited draw. The richer, big market draw of Los Angeles, Toronto, or perhaps even San Antonio could make it impossible for the next owner to stay put. While the drama will appear to be between the only NFL team that plays in New York, the Bills against one of the two teams associated with New York, New York who is about to play in a billion dollar stadium in New Jersey next year, the Jets, the real drama is behind the scenes as the game will serve as a showcase what Toronto offers a potential NFL franchise.

This week’s action:
New York Jets (-3 ½) versus Bills @ Toronto
While the Bills have shown some spunk against weak teams, the Jets have too many ways to beat them.

New Orleans (-9 ½) at Washington
New Orleans wins. No sense further bashing our other Mid-Atlantic team.

Philadelphia (-5 ½) at Atlanta
Philadelphia should cover this game but they can be so inconsistent. Atlanta seems to be fading as the injuries and inexperience take their toll.

Tampa Bay at Carolina (-6)
Were Tampa Bay not so darned awful, Carolina could appear a possible loser in this game. The Panthers almost seem to invent ways to lose (as do several other teams) but they’re strong enough to beat a team that seems to have trouble just showing up.

St. Louis at Chicago (-8 ½)
Speaking of a team that can invent ways to lose, Jay Cutler and the Bears seem to be good at it. St. Louis is just too weak with Kyle Boller at QB to have a chance.

Detroit at Cincinnati (-13)
Only if Cincinnati is too full of themselves, which can happen, could they lose to the Lions who are two games better than last year so far.

Tennessee at Indianapolis (-7)
Indy should win with no trouble but this could be a trap game. There’s some kind of magic working for the Titans who could do no right for their first their first six games, then have won five straight.

Houston at Jacksonville (pick ‘em)
The odds makers can’t pick a winner here and we’re on shaky grounds too. Jacksonville is in the second wild card slot. Houston still covets a playoff berth with many teams to overcome and have not yet shown capable of closing the deal. We give Jacksonville the edge.

Denver (-4.5) at Kansas City
Denver has taken a hard fall back to reality but are far better equipped than their division rival in KC.

Oakland at Pittsburgh (-14 ½)
Surely, Pittsburgh, regardless of who plays, should look healthy in a hurry against Oakland. The Steelers need to earn their spot in the playoffs. They’re not there now. The Steelers always show up to play.

San Diego (-13) at Cleveland
Why should San Diego have to waist the jet fuel to travel to Cleveland for this one? Cleveland mailed it in weeks ago. Coach Man-genius has proven a total flop in an organization that simply cannot put effective leadership in place as the product on the field deteriorates more and more.

Minnesota (-3 ½) at Arizona
Arizona shows they are a good not great team but they probably fade fast against the highly motivated Vikings.

Dallas (-2 ½) at New York Giants
It’s December, what’s Dallas’s recent history in December. The Giants have not been good lacking the receivers to support Eli Manning. Dallas seems better this year but it is money time where they have failed miserably in the Tony Roma era. We’ll pick the Giants to pull the upset at home.

San Francisco at Seattle (-1)
San Francisco just seems to have a little more hustle and determination. What a tough call.

New England (-3 ½) at Miami
New England can take nothing for granted against Miami, a team that can sneak up and bite them if they’re not careful.

Baltimore at Green Bay (-3 ½)
Hometown pick favors the Ravens who can go after Aaron Rodgers, rattle his cage, and pick up the win in the chilly Lambeau Field expecting a daytime high of 40 but it won’t be that warm at game time Monday night.

For Cowboys’ Fans the Theme in Texas Stadium is “Nevermore”

The Baltimore Ravens turned out the lights early on Texas Stadium finale.

The Baltimore Ravens cast aside doubts about their ability to win against the dominant teams as they dominated the Dallas Cowboys after a fumble deep in their own territory on the 4 yard line led to an early Dallas touchdown. From that point forward, the game was clearly in the Ravens' hands despite two late Cowboy touchdowns that the Ravens promptly answered with explosive performance from their running game that stunned silent the Texas crowd where runners broke loose big plays for touchdowns. Willis McGahee ran 77 yards for a touchdown while Laron McClain bettered that for 83 yards.

Naturally, some of the Ravens’ usual formula for victory continued. Ray Lewis lead the likes of Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott to flatten any possible running scheme whileEd Reed interceptions lead to Baltimore scoring. Dallas could come within a score twice in the fourth quarter, but the Ravens still looked in control.

With tonight’s defeat, it’s surely “nevermore” for the Cowboys’ playoff hopes as they sink behind Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Philadelphia all of whom have one fewer loss than Dallas. Two of these teams would have to collapse for Dallas to be back in the picture. It’s also “nevermore” for Texas Stadium as the “’Boys” will be heading to Arlington to play in the Cowboys’ new billion dollar plus football palace for the 2009 season.

Now we await for the soap opera drama off field to play out in Dallas. Surely Terrell Owens will have something to say about tonight’s performance and how if someone was paying attention to him, the Cowboys would have won with ease.

It’s not that simple T.O. It’s a team effort and the Ravens, as a team, beat the Cowboys, as a team. Yes, it is that simple.