New Orleans at Atlanta – Thursday, 8:20 – Two teams with an intense dislike for one another meet for the second time in the 2012 campaign at the Georgia Dome. Both teams would love to pull out a win in this one: New Orleans (5-6) needs a win to keep any playoff hopes alive, and Atlanta (10-1) would be well served to maintain their current cushion in the race for the NFC’s top seed. The Saints took a bad loss at home against the Niners in Week 12, with Drew Brees turning in an uncharacteristically poor performance marked by two pick-sixes. The Falcons continued their trend of pulling out close games last week, eking out a win against a quality Bucs team to keep a firm grip on the NFC South. Atlanta has rarely dominated, but they are solid in all facets of the game, and are catching the Saints at a good time coming off of a loss. Atlanta should win and set off panic throughout Louisiana.
Seattle at Chicago – Sunday, 1:00 – The Bears (8-3) returned to form last week against the rival Minnesota Vikings. Jay Cutler will continue to improve in his recovery from a concussion, and he faces a Seattle secondary that has been distracted this week with news that cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman are to be suspended four games each for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. The Seahawks (6-5) are playing their second consecutive road game, in a hostile environment at Soldier Field. Russell Wilson will find it difficult to make plays against such a strong Chicago defense, but the Seattle defense will keep this contest close. However, Seattle is a much better team at home than on the road, tipping the scales in favor of the Bears. Chicago will continue their march towards the playoffs with a win come Sunday.
Houston at Tennessee – Sunday, 1:00 – This AFC South matchup is as big a mismatch as there is this week. The Texans (10-1) share the league’s best record with the Falcons, and have demonstrated their superiority on a consistent basis throughout the season. The Titans (4-7), on the other hand, came out of a Week 11 bye by losing to lowly Jacksonville last Sunday. Tennessee’s defense is putrid, and Houston should have no problem moving the ball. After a ten- day break, Houston’s defense should be rested and ready to contain Tennessee’s only offensive threat, Chris Johnson. The Texans will move to 11-1 with a win over their division rival.
New England at Miami – Sunday, 1:00 – The Patriots (8-3) should be feeling good about themselves, even without Rob Gronkowski, after putting such a beating on the Jets on Thanksgiving that Fireman Ed quit. New England’s oft erratic secondary has been much improved of late, and they will likely be faced with several opportunities for takeaways against Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins. Miami (5-6) used a last second Dan Carpenter field goal to best Seattle in Week 12, but Seattle is not the same good team on the road. Miami’s defense is solid, but the secondary has been weak and is primed to be shredded by Tom Brady and the Patriots’ arsenal of receivers. The Dolphins will put up a fight, but they are overmatched here, and New England should pick up the divisional win.
Jacksonville at Buffalo – Sunday, 1:00 – Who would have guessed that Chad Henne (yes, Chad Henne) would jump-start a beleaguered Jacksonville organization? A week after putting up 37 points on Houston, Henne and the rest of the Jags (2-9) took down Tennessee to pick up their second win of the year. Highly touted rookie Justin Blackmon seems to have discovered himself in the midst of the quarterback change, and is putting up the kind of numbers that were expected of him going into the year. However, Jacksonville is extremely poor on the offensive line, and the Bills have a bunch of pass rushers who have underperformed so far this year and are surely looking to break out of their respective slumps. The Bills (4-7) also excel at running the football, and the Jags rush defense ranks 29th in the league. Without Maurice Jones-Drew to keep them honest, expect the Buffalo pass rushers to pin their ears back and get after Chad Henne. Buffalo should put an end to Jacksonville’s brief resurgence.
Indianapolis at Detroit – Sunday, 1:00 – The Lions are officially reeling. Detroit (4-7) has dropped three straight, and has played themselves out of the playoff race. A key mental error by head coach Jim Schwartz cost his team big time when he threw a challenge flag on a Texan scoring play, nullifying the booth review and drawing a fifteen-yard penalty. Detroit’s defensive line will need to get after Andrew Luck this week for the Lions to win. Detroit’s high-powered passing attack should have a good week against a poor Colts secondary. However, I think this game comes down to motivation. Indianapolis (7-4) has far more to play for (a playoff spot and the honor of their cancer-stricken head coach, to be specific) than the Lions, and have been the more consistent squad throughout the year. The Colts offense will have its hands full dealing with the Detroit pass rush, but I think they get the job done. I like Indianapolis to pick up a big road win.
Carolina at Kansas City – Sunday, 1:00 – While many games this week have significant playoff implications, this game does much more in determining who may receive the number one pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The Chiefs (1-10) haven’t won since Week 3, and have played some of the ugliest football in recent memory over the course of this year. KC’s run game is strong with Jamaal Charles, but that is about the only thing they are good at. The Panthers (3-8) sport a bad run defense that could cost them going against Charles, but Cam Newton should easily outplay Brady Quinn at quarterback. Newton’s playmaking abilities will ultimately be the difference in a game between two downright awful teams. Carolina gets the win at Arrowhead.
Minnesota at Green Bay – Sunday, 1:00 – Green Bay’s inconsistency continued on Sunday night, as the Packers (7-4) were throttled by the Giants at the Meadowlands. The biggest problem for the Packers is on the offensive line. Aaron Rodgers is an elite quarterback, but it’s hard for any offense to succeed when the quarterback is harassed as much as Rodgers is. Injuries have also hurt the Packers, but the offense should get a boost this week with the return of Greg Jennings. Green Bay will also be helped by the return of Clay Matthews on defense, who is one of the more important players in the league. Minnesota (6-5) was physically dominated by Chicago last week, and face the tough task of going to Lambeau in an important game. Adrian Peterson will be able to pick up good yards on Green Bay, but without wide receiver Percy Harvin (injury), the Vikings don’t pack much punch on offense. Green Bay should overpower the Minnesota defense and bounce back from their Week 12 loss.
San Francisco at St. Louis – Sunday, 1:00 – San Fran and St. Louis meet for the second time this year, after playing to a the NFL’s first tie since 2008 in their first meeting. Much has changed for the 49ers (8-2-1) since that game. With Colin Kaepernick playing Lou Gehrig to Alex Smith’s Wally Pipp, a quarterback controversy has erupted in San Francisco. Kaepernick, the second year man out of Nevada, has looked impressive so far, but his success may not endure as defenses continue to figure him out. Regardless of who is at quarterback for the 49ers, their defense always makes them an undesirable opponent. St. Louis (4-6-1) preyed on Arizona rookie quarterback Ryan Lindley in Week 12 for two interceptions for touchdowns to defeat the Cardinals. The Rams have looked improved offensively of late, but they aren’t good enough to do much against a 49ers defense that will do better the second time around. Colin Kaepernick will lead the 49ers to a victory.
Arizona at New York Jets – Sunday, 1:00 – If you’re interested in learning what it’s like when two train wrecks come together, be sure to tune in to this one on Sunday! This matchup of two colossal disasters features one team that has lost seven consecutive games, and another whose quarterback fumbled a ball returned for a touchdown by running into his own lineman. The Jets (4-7) looked about as bad as a football team could look on Thanksgiving, but they will have had ten days to prepare for Arizona (4-7) come Sunday. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re going against a Cardinals team featuring a rookie sixth round pick at quarterback. Ryan Lindley performance in Week 12 is best described as putrid, and I wouldn’t expect any level of virtuosity to suddenly appear in a week’s time. In a game between two currently incompetent teams, I give the edge to the squad that doesn’t have to travel 3,000 miles to play this week. The Jets will win and avoid further embarrassment, at least temporarily.
Tampa Bay at Denver – Sunday, 4:05 – Winners of six straight, the Broncos (8-3) are absolutely rolling at the moment. Denver wasn’t great last week against the lowly Chiefs, but Peyton Manning still threw for nearly 300 yards, and a win is a win in the National Football League. The Broncos have been strong on both offense and defense, and the defense will face a challenge this week in Doug Martin of the Bucs. Tampa’s Martin is a tough runner who will certainly make some plays, but Denver should be able to contain him enough while putting pressure on Josh Freeman to prevent big down field throws. Also Tampa Bay (6-5) will be hurt by the loss of cornerback Eric Wright to a suspension. They really could have used him going up against Peyton Manning and his wide array of weapons. Denver should come out on top at Mile High.
Pittsburgh at Baltimore – Sunday, 4:25 – The contests between the Steelers and Ravens are always heated, but this one has lost a little of its fire due to the probable absence of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. As shown in a Week 12 loss to Cleveland, Big Ben is by far Pittsburgh’s most important player, and Charlie Batch is hardly a capable backup. The Steelers (6-5) would be best served trying to grind it out on the ground, provided that their running backs don’t play hot potato with the football as they did last week against the Browns. Baltimore (9-2) has also dealt with many injuries this year, but none so impactful as Roethlisberger’s to the Steelers. The Ravens haven’t always won pretty, but that is who they are, and I expect an ugly AFC North slug fest come Sunday. Baltimore will take down Big Ben-less Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati at San Diego – Sunday, 4:25 – This game features two teams headed in opposite directions. The Bengals (6-5) have won three straight, while the Chargers (4-7) have dropped four straight. 2012 has followed the familiar Norv Turner-San Diego narrative: they get off to a hot start in September, then promptly become the Cleveland Browns for October and November. San Diego sports a merely pedestrian record this year, but they are actually quite bad: the combined winning percentage of the opponents they’ve beaten is .204. That’s it. I’m always wary of an eastern team playing out west, but Cincinnati has had no trouble dispatching of lesser opponents of late. The Bengals are surging, and San Diego is a mess. Cincinnati should win and keep rolling.
Cleveland at Oakland – Sunday, 4:25 – It’s not an understatement to say that this is one of the more boring matchups in recent memory. While most of the football watching nation will be fixed on the Steelers-Ravens or Bucs-Broncos games, these two squads will be facing off for: well, nothing (maybe a little pride, I suppose). Brandon Weeden looks to make the start for the Browns (3-8) despite suffering a concussion, and he faces a lousy Oakland secondary. The Raiders (3-8) will get a boost from the return of several formerly injured players (most notably Darren McFadden), but the bottom line is that they just don’t do anything particularly well. Cleveland has some momentum coming off of their Week 12 win, and they have played teams close in almost every game this year. Oakland has been blown out several times in 2012, and though I don’t think they’ll get embarrassed this week, I do think Cleveland is playing better football at the moment. The Browns will get the win inside the Black Hole.
Philadelphia at Dallas – Sunday, 8:20 – Though it may be difficult for Philadelphia fans to face it after so many years of success, the fact is that Andy Reid has completely lost control of the Eagles (3-8). Philadelphia is a turnover machine, and has lost their top playmaker to injury (DeSean Jackson). Nick Foles hasn’t been the answer at quarterback, leaving the Eagles in dire straits going forward. Dallas (5-6) was dispatched by Washington on Thanksgiving, but they have played better overall this year than Philadelphia. The Cowboys have the motivation of a playoff spot pushing them, and have had a long week to prepare for the Eagles, who are coming off of a short week. Dallas will win and maintain misery in Philadelphia.
New York Giants at Washington – Monday, 8:30 – The Giants and the ‘Skins meet for the second time this season. In the first matchup, New York (7-4) pulled out a narrow victory, led by Eli Manning, who threw for over 300 yards. RG3 made some plays for the Redskins (5-6), but a bad interception late in the game really hurt Washington. This time around, expect more of the same. Both teams are coming off good wins, and it will be close. However, I give the edge to the Giants, because they will probably be able to get a better handle on Griffin with the familiarity of a rematch. Also, Tom Coughlin won’t let the Giants get complacent with a playoff spot within close grasp. New York will pick up a big road win, and put a serious dent into Washington’s playoff hopes.