1:00 PM EST
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have wrapped up another AFC East title and look to end the regular season off riding high. After hitting a rough patch in their schedule, getting a much-needed victory over the Buffalo Bills last Saturday was huge. Now, a familiar face—former coach Brian Flores—comes back home but his Dolphins team lacks the talent to really test Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Just like last year, the Patriots have discovered their run game at the end of the season, another good performance today could see them attempt to repeat the strategy that helped them win the Super Bowl a season ago.
Miami though has been a much tougher team than projected. After starting the year 0-7, the Dolphins have gone 4-4 in their last eight games. The tank job never came to fruition but the impressive finish to the year has helped to cement Flores’ status as an up-and-coming coaching talent in the NFL. Surely the coaching staff that features other former Patriot employees would love to go into Foxboro and steal a win but unless Belichick opts to rest a majority of his starters the gap between these two teams is too wide to be overcome on just pride alone.
PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 30 , Dolphins 17
New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
No one expected this from the Buffalo Bills this year. Thanks to some small changes to the offense, Josh Allen has been able to quiet a lot of his doubters and detractors with much-improved play in his sophomore season in the NFL. Allen still makes some poor decisions and could get better at avoiding costly turnovers but he’s still young and he’s shown that he’s good enough as is to be successful on the field. The true strength of this team is a defense that is solid at all three levels. Tre’Davious White is a true shutdown corner and their front seven creates pressure on opposing quarterbacks when the team needs it most.
Many felt that the New York Jets were likelier to put together a season like Buffalo and truly give the Patriots a run for their money in the AFC East. Things got sidetracked early when Sam Darnold contracted mononucleosis and was forced to miss an extended period of time. Without Darnold, teams were able to key in on stopping the team’s big free-agent acquisition, Le’Veon Bell. Bell was never able to find a rhythm and there were rumors that he could possibly be traded before the trade deadline (similar rumors are spreading about an offseason move from the Jets on Bell). Buffalo’s defense is going to prove too tough for New York in this game.
PREDICTION: BILLS 24 , Jets 13
Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals
What a season it has been for the Cleveland Browns. First, they won the offseason in resounding fashion. They retained Baker Mayfield’s preferred choice as their new head coach. They acquired Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants and signed Kareem Hunt. Yet, the offseason victories didn’t result in on-the-field wins for this group this season. The Browns will once again finish with a losing record. Changes could be coming once more for this team but only time will tell.
If you are a Cincinnati Bengals fan I advise you not to watch this game. Not because it’s going to be a blowout or anything of that nature but that it would be much better time spent if Bengals fans re-watched the jaw-dropping display LSU quarterback Joe Burrow put together in the first half of the College Football Playoff National Semifinal. Cincinnati is locked into place for the number one pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Following the head-scratching way they handled Andy Dalton this year, it’s clear that Burrow is the better move at the top of the draft.
PREDICTION: BROWNS 35 , Bengals 21
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
If Aaron Rodgers has an MVP-caliber season does it make a sound? Kidding, but the face of the franchise for the Green Bay Packers might have put together one of his best years to date. The numbers aren’t as gaudy as others but he and Matt LaFleur have been able to orchestrate one of the league’s most efficient offenses this season. The ability of Aaron Jones can’t be overlooked here either as he’s been great as a runner and a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Green Bay still has a chance of securing a first-round bye so there likely won’t be much resting from their best players today.
The Detroit Lions announced that Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn would both be coming back in their current roles for the 2020 NFL season. When the franchise let Jim Caldwell go it was because they thought they needed someone new to take them to the next level. Two seasons in and Patricia is yet to match a single-season win total like Caldwell produced in his final year with the team. While a win today would be great and build momentum for the future, with Matthew Stafford out there really isn’t that much of a chance that the underdogs pull off the upset today.
PREDICTION: PACKERS 28 , Lions 10
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Los Angeles Chargers have had their season derailed by injuries and late-game scenarios that didn’t play out in their favor. Two things that have become synonymous with the franchise of late. By the time their studs returned to the field healthy they had already dug themselves too deep of a hole to climb out of. The only thing left for them this year is to play spoiler to the Kansas City Chiefs’ attempt to climb higher in the playoff standings. Knocking a fellow member of the AFC West down the standings would be a nice way to close out an utterly forgettable year for the Chargers.
With a win and a New England loss, the Chiefs would jump to the second seed in the AFC and receive a first-round bye in the playoffs. If Kansas City loses and the Houston Texans defeat the Tennessee Titans then they drop down to fourth and get a date with the Bills (who are probably the team to avoid in the Wild Card round). An injury to Patrick Mahomes almost made this a lost season for Kanas City but they kept their head above water while he was out and since he’s returned they looked like one of the best teams in the league. We all know how amazing Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid are together offensively but bringing in Steve Spagnuolo as the defensive coordinator and signing Tyrann Mathieu as a free agent have really helped this defense to turn the corner.
PREDICTION: CHIEFS 27 , Chargers 14
Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Chicago Bears looked like a team ready to take over as the cream of the crop in the NFC North last year. Matt Nagy’s offense has unlocked a version of Mitchell Trubisky that many didn’t think was possible and the team had constructed a defense that could compete with any opponent. Khalil Mack played out of his mind and rookie linebacker Rowan Smith was tremendous for them. What a difference a year makes. Nagy and Trubisky have seemingly lost their magic but the defense remains stout. In the end, the team was too up-and-down on a weekly basis to repeat the success it had last year.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings overhauled their entire offense and committed to becoming a run-first team. Wins came early but cohesion did not. Wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs were frustrated by the lack of opportunities being given to them. Eventually, things started to click. Dalvin Cook was still a menace and the Vikings’ attack went primarily through him but Kirk Cousins was able to develop a better rapport with his big-name receivers and Minnesota gave the Packers all they could handle before last week’s Monday Night Football lost gave Green Bay the division title. As they prepare for the postseason expect them to take it easy today opening the door for Chicago to get a win.
PREDICTION: BEARS 17 , Vikings 10
Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Atlanta Falcons are arguably the most disappointing team this year. Last season injuries to critical components of their defense made it nearly impossible for them to look anything like the team that made it to the Super Bowl in 2017. However, this time around they managed to always get in their own way. Surprisingly, the mistakes and miscues weren’t deemed bad enough for Dan Quinn to lose his job. Instead, Arthur Blank is going to give him another chance and only time will tell if that was a good or bad choice.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the brink of history, if Jameis Winston throws two more interceptions he’ll be the first player in NFL history to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. Obviously, this is a cause we all can get behind and given the way he’s played so far this year this historical feat could be accomplished in Tampa’s first two possessions of the game. With the playoffs out of the picture and both Pro Bowl wide receivers (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin) out for this game, the potential 30/30 season is really the only reason to pay attention to what happens in the Buccaneers game today. With that said, we likely get a great game from Winston and Tampa Bay ends year one of the Bruce Arians era at .500.
PREDICTION: BUCCANEERS 31 , Falcons 28
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers
The New Orleans Saints could potentially clinch the number one seed in the NFC still and that means they’ll likely be playing their best for the majority of this game unless they jump out to a big enough lead. Drew Brees (most career passing yards, most career passing touchdowns) and Michael Thomas (most receptions in a season) will look to increase their record-breaking seasons this week too. New Orleans would love nothing more than for the NFC to run through the Superdome—they’ll need help in other games to ensure that happens. The Saints have looked the part of Super Bowl contender all season long (even when Brees was on the sidelines with his thumb injury).
For the Carolina Panthers, a year in which they were thought to have a shot at the playoffs and potentially a division title quickly had the rug pulled from underneath them when Cam Newton could no longer play through a Lisfranc injury. Kyle Allen looked the part of a potential replacement but ultimately faltered as the year continued. Last week, rookie quarterback Will Grier was given a shot and he played like a rookie. It is unknown if Newton will be brought back and it is unknown at the moment who will be their head coach as Ron Rivera was fired during the season. One thing is for certain, Christian McCaffrey is a BAD man! However, he does not play defense (yet) and the Saints should be able to expose Carolina’s weaknesses on that side of the ball.
PREDICTION: SAINTS 30 , Panthers 21
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