1:00 PM EST
Indianapolis Colts at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 6-6 Colts head south for a match up with the 5-7 Bucs in Tampa Bay. Both teams look to keep their playoff hopes alive, although they both still face uphill battles. After starting the season 5-2, the Colts have quickly lost four of their last five games. They have seen key offensive players such as Jacoby Brissett, Marlon Mack and T.Y. Hilton miss time with injury. Marlon Mack will be back from his hand injury but they will be without T.Y. Hilton. The Buccaneers are coming off a good victory in Jacksonville against the Jaguars. Back home with their season the line, the Bucs get it done with an overall team effort.
Prediction: Bucs 24, Colts 21
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
One of the best games in the 1:00 PM EST time slot, the current first and fifth seeds in the AFC playoffs battle it out with many implications to follow. The Bills are coming off an impressive Thanksgiving day blowout of the Cowboys, and the Ravens just outlasted the 49ers in a game played in heavy rain in Baltimore. Buffalo looks to be clear of any precipitation today but heavy winds are expected to be present. With two of the best running games in football, expect to see a whole lot of yards on the ground for both squads. The Ravens have been on an incredible run this last month, but the Bills are no easy opponent. The Ravens great run comes to a stop here, as the Bills outlast the number 1 seed Ravens.
Prediction: Bills 23, Ravens 20
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
An NFC North division battle between two teams trying to rebound from tough losses. The Lions will still be without their leader Matthew Stafford as he is battling back/hip issues. It seems as though Stafford won’t play again in 2019, especially due to the Lions being out of playoff contention. The Vikings desperately need this game if they want to win the NFC North, as they remain 1 GB of the Packers. In Minnesota, expect the Vikings defense to step up and play well, while their offense can rely on Dalvin Cook and the play action passing game that it develops.
Prediction: Vikings 31, Lions 17
Washington Redskins at Green Bay Packers
Dwayne Haskins and the Washington Redskins are feeling themselves as they pulled off an impressive road victory in Carolina, causing the firing of Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera. Now they head to Lambeau Field to face off with Aaron Rodgers who is coming off of a great performance in the snowy Meadow Lands. Rodgers has always been good in the cold, as he holds the NFL’s best passer rating of 111.2 in regular season games played in December and January. Rodgers will get the job done at home today.
Prediction: Packers 27, Redskins 17
Denver Broncos at Houston Texans
Rookie QB Drew Lock looked good in his first start last week as the Broncos held off the Chargers 23-20 at home. This week in Houston will be a much more difficult task. Even though Denver won’t be in the AFC playoffs this year, they seem to keep every game competitive, even against more talented opponents. Deshaun Watson will prove to be too much even for the talented Denver defensive unit.
Prediction: Texans 24, Broncos 17
San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints
The other prime time game of the 1:00 PM EST games is here in New Orleans, as the NFC South leading Saints look to keep pace at the top of the NFC playoff picture. The visiting 49ers are coming off a tough loss in Baltimore, but have been playing great football over the last month. The big question of this game will be the match up of Drew Brees versus the 49ers elite secondary. The 49ers have only allowed 134 yards/game through the air this year, and Brees and the Saints have been quite inconsistent in terms of their play. Both teams desperately need this win, and the winner will be the team who can consistently move the ball and chew clock. The crowd noise of the Super dome will be a factor here, as the Saints will barely get the win with a late field goal.
Prediction: Saints 24, 49ers 23
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
The Bengals captured their first win of the season last week against the Jets, avoiding the dreaded 0-16 season. Rookie Head Coach Zac Taylor made the decision to hand the ball back to the Red Rocket on offense, and he looked pretty good in doing so. The Jets aren’t the most formidable opponent, but they had been playing very solid football winning their last three games before that. This week, the Bengals won’t have enough to win a close divisional game.
Prediction: Browns 20, Bengals 17
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
It’s been a hectic week for Panthers fans as they had to watch their beloved Head Coach Ron Rivera get canned after a despicable effort at home versus Washington. The Falcons have been mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture, but Carolina still holds a less than 1% chance of making it. In Atlanta though, with Julio Jones and Austin Hooper primed to return from injury, the Falcons get it done today.
Prediction: Falcons 27, Panthers 24
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
The last 1:00 PM EST game of the week is in New York as the Jets look to bounce back from a defeat against the Bengals. The Dolphins are coming off their best week of the year in which they Ryan Fitzpatrick dismantled the Eagles healthy secondary, in route to a 37-31 victory. The Jets will be without star running back Le’Veon Bell and safety Jamaal Adams, potentially their two best players. The Dolphins may have found something special in Wide Receiver Devante Parker. The 5th year wideout always had all the tools to become an elite receiver, and this year he is finally putting it all together. Expect for Fitzpatrick and Parker to connect on some deep balls again today in a victory over the Jets.
Prediction: Dolphins 23, Jets 20
4:05 PM EST
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars
The only 4:05 kickoff today features two teams coming off of bad losses. The Chargers dropped one to Drew Lock in his first NFL start and the Jags got pummeled versus Tampa. This week marks the return of Minshew Mania, and the Jaguars have decided to bench their $88 million dollar off-season acquisition Nick Foles for the rookie QB. With the inconsistent play of Philip Rivers, the Chargers should look to attack on the ground against Jacksonville. The Jags rank 31st in the league in yards allowed per rush at 5.1, and have allowed three teams to compile 200 yard games on the ground.
Prediction: Chargers 24, Jaguars 21
4:25 PM EST
Tennessee Titans at Oakland Raiders
Ryan Tannehill has proven to be a revelation for this Titans as they have won 5 out of their last 6 games with him under center. With both teams in the playoff hunt, the winner of this game could very well decide who gets to keep playing football into January. This should be another game that heavily features both teams stud running backs, as both Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs will be in line for major workloads.
Prediction: Raiders 27, Titans 24
Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals
The Steel City takes a trip to Arizona to fly with the birds as the Cardinals seek to bounce back after their worst performance of the year. Even with the early season injury to Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have managed to win close games, as they sit in second place in the AFC North at 7-5. This is largely due to their stellar defense, which has held six of their last nine opponents to 20 points or less. The Cardinals have shown glimpses of a bright future, but the consistency has not been there. This seems like a trap game though, as Arizona is due to play well – especially at home.
Prediction: Cardinals 20, Steelers 17
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots
America’s game of the week comes to you from Foxborough Massachusetts as the 10-2 New England Patriots look to rebound from a tough loss courtesy of Deshaun Watson and the Texans. The Chiefs are looking to keep their offense rolling after dropping 40 on the Raiders last week. Winning in Foxborough is no easy task, but the Chiefs have the star-power to do so. The big question is which Patriots defense will show up today? After allowing 65 total points in the first 8 weeks, the Patriots gave up 65 points to the Ravens and Texans alone. If the Patriots want to win they must get off the field on third down and control time of possession with long methodical drives. Don’t bet against the Pats at home after a loss, it usually doesn’t work.
Prediction: Patriots 30, Chiefs 27
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