Its the most wonderful time of the year. There will be playoff spots clinched and teams full of great cheer. Last week was a great week that was highlighted by three results. New England lost to Kansas City. The Eagles pulled off a comeback to remain tied with Dallas for top of the NFC East. The 49ers and Jimmy G walked into the Superdome and walked out with a win. This week should have more key results.
Playoff Outlook
AFC
Clinched: Baltimore, Kansas City (AFC West)
Byes: 1 Baltimore, 2 New England
6 Pittsburgh vs 3 Kansas City
5 Buffalo vs 4 Houston
Outside Looking In: Tennessee, Cleveland, Oakland, Indianapolis
NFC
Clinched: New Orleans (NFC South)
Byes: 1 San Francisco, 2 Green Bay
6 Minnesota vs 3 New Orleans
5 Seattle vs 4 Dallas
Outside Looking In: Los Angeles Rams, Chicago
Playoff Clinching Scenarios
Baltimore: Clinches Division with Win or Pittsburgh Loss, Clinches First Round Bye with Win+New England/Kansas City Loss, Clinches Home Field with Win+New England and Kansas City Loss.
Buffalo: Clinches Playoffs with Win
New England: Clinches Playoffs with Win
Green Bay: Clinches Playoffs with Win+Los Angeles Rams Loss
San Francisco: Clinches Playoffs with Win, or Los Angeles Rams Loss, or Minnesota and Green Bay Loss
Seattle: Clinches Playofs with Win+Los Angeles Rams/Minnesota Loss
Week 15 Picks (all times central)
New York Jets vs Baltimore Ravens 7:20 (Thursday) FOX (Pick: Baltimore)
Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers 12:00 FOX (Pick: Green Bay)
Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans 12:00 CBS (Pick: Tennessee)
Miami Dolphins vs New York Giants 12:00 CBS (Pick: Miami)
Los Angeles Rams vs Dallas Cowboys 3:25 FOX (Pick: Los Angeles Rams)
Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers 7:20 NBC (Pick: Pittsburgh)
Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Saints 7:15 (Monday) ESPN (Pick: New Orleans) (NFL 100 Game of the Week)
What to Watch For
The Green Bay game could go a long way in determining the NFC North. If Green Bay wins then they go up 1.5 maybe 2 games depending on what the Vikings do. The Rams vs Cowboys could be called "The Most Disappointing Team Game." These two were supposed to be the cream of the crop of the NFL this season, well the Cowboys are 6-7 and Rams are 8-5. The Dolphins and Giants is the game for the potential number one or two overall picks. This may be Eli Manning's last start if Daniel Jones cannot go. Monday night we get the teams that played in Super Bowl XLIV. That game was 10 years ago and one QB is still with his team...Drew Brees. The Saints are in a race for a first round bye and maybe number one seed in the NFC. They cannot afford a loss. Sunday at noon, may be the biggest game in Nissan Stadium in the last two or three seasons. The Titans can grab the division lead and have a shot at the three or two seed in the AFC. Sunday Night it is going to be Duck Dynasty's return to television...in primetime. Devlin "Duck" Hodges tries to beat the Bills who have not been in primetime in forever. The Steelers try to stay in the six seed, maybe pushing for the five seed.
Have a magical day and we will SEE YA! real soon.
