Last Week: Ethan Katz: 8-7 Brevin Fleischer: 12-3

Overall: Ethan Katz: 81-55 Brevin Fleischer: 86-50

Washington Redskins at New York Giants

Scouting Report: The Giants ended a seven-game skid with a commanding win over the Titans last week. Without a doubt, the bright spot for this team has been the star play of rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Despite his phenomenal season, there’s no getting around the Giants wreck of a season. Luckily for them, they’ll be going up against a team that has had an even more  brutal season, the Redskins. Disregarding the fact that both of these teams might want to lose to secure a higher draft pick, the Giants are the better team, and should handle Washington with ease.

Pick: New York-28 Washington-17 EK

Scouting Report: The Giants may be bad, but the Redskins have been a disaster this season. Between the off the field controversy about the team’s name, the reports that RGIII’s teammates don’t have his back, and the three man quarterback carousel, this year has been nothing short of horrendous. Expect Odell Beckham Jr. and Eli Manning to score early and often.

Pick: New York-27 Washington-13 BF

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

Scouting Report: Losing hasn’t been a big part of the Patriots franchise in recent years, and this one is no exception. Their 10-3 record is tied for tops in the league. Tom Brady’s been doing Tom Brady things, and despite a relatively good season from Miami, I can’t see New England losing this one.

Pick: New England-31 Miami-21 EK  

Scouting Report: The Miami Dolphins are a good football team with a really good defense, led by the great outside linebacker, Cameron Wake. The Dolphins love to blitz linebackers off the edge and are one of the best teams at getting after the quarterback this year. Fortunately for Tom Brady,  he has plenty of options to dump the ball off to, like Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. THese guys can run those short patterns effectively and then take those short gains to the house.

Pick: New England-28 Miami-14 BF

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs

Scouting Report: We all know what happened the last time these two teams played. The Raiders picked up their first win of the season after starting an abysmal 0-10. For some reason, the Chiefs have struggled against poor teams in the past. The Chiefs have been on a three-game losing streak since that loss, and they really need to win their last three games if they want a chance at the wild card. They have three winnable games, with this one being by far the easiest. This is a must-win game for the Chiefs organization, and there’s no way they’re going to let Oakland come out of their house with a win.

Pick: Kansas City-27 Oakland-14 EK

Scouting Report: It’s been a tough year for the Chiefs. One can plainly see how the loss of Eric Berry to Hodgkin’s lymphoma has hurt the team both on and off the field. Berry was not only their Pro-Bowl safety, but he was also a locker room leader and a good guy in the community. That cannot be said about every star player in this league. The Chiefs truly lost a great. That being said, despite all of the turmoil and hardships, they are right in the thick of a playoff race, and they need to turn the focus to the emergence of Derek Carr and this Oakland team and take this must-win at home.

Pick: Kansas City-20 Oakland-17 BF

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons

Scouting Report: Atlanta suffered a heartbreaking loss against Green Bay last week. Their 31-7 halftime deficit made their comeback attempt very tough, but they almost did it. Despite that loss and a 5-8 record, as of right now, the Falcons would be in the playoffs. Yup. You read that correctly. A 5-8 team is atop their division. Pittsburgh had a commanding victory over Cincinatti last week, tightening their own division battle. A lot is on the line for both of these teams, and this should be a tightly contested matchup. Despite their obvious struggles, the Falcons defense will step up, Matt Ryan will have a field day, and the Atlanta Falcons will keep their division lead.

Pick: Atlanta-27 Pittsburgh-24 EK  

Scouting Report: Matt Ryan and the dome go together like peanut butter and jelly, but the bread is Julio Jones, and if the bread can’t be a part of the sandwich this week, the Falcons are in trouble. Both secondaries have been porous this year, and both teams have great receivers. If Julio Jones isn’t at full strength this week, the Falcons won’t have a weapon to match Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown.

Pick: Pittsburgh-34 Atlanta-24 BF

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

Scouting Report: The last time these teams played, Andrew Luck had a huge game and led the Colts to a big 33-28 victory. There’s a reason Andrew Luck dominated that game. The Texans have one of the worst secondaries in the league, allowing 264 passing yards per game. Luck has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and will be sure to expose Houston early and often in this one, as Indianapolis will cruise to a victory and extend their division lead over the Texans.

Pick: Indianapolis-30 Houston-17 EK  

Scouting Report: In order for Houston to have any shot in this game, they need DeAndre Hopkins to step up in a big way. He’s had troubles in past meetings with the Colts,  but if he wants his team to win this game, he’ll need to have a huge game. You know Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton are going to score. The Texans need Arian Foster and Hopkins to keep pace if they want to stay in this game.

Pick: Indianapolis-35 Houston-24 BF

Green Bay Packers at Buffalo Bills

Scouting Report: The Packers are good. Correction: The Packers are very, very, very good. 9-1 in their last ten, the Packers offense has dominated defenses. Rodgers has been unstoppable, with 35 touchdowns and just THREE interceptions. That’s some incredible stuff right there. Coming into Ralph Wilson Stadium and facing one of the top defenses in the league, however, things won’t be nearly as easy for them as they have been in recent weeks. Buffalo’s winning would be quite the upset here, but the Packers are human, and they have had some bad games. This might just be one of them, and I think the Bills come out with intensity and pull off the improbable upset to keep their season alive.

Pick: Buffalo-24 Green Bay-21 EK

Scouting Report: The Bills may have a very good defense, but the Packers have a GREAT  offense. Aaron Rodgers has weapons all over the field in Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Eddie Lacy. Lacy in particular has become a force now that he’s a major part of the passing game. I see the potential upset here, especially with Buffalo being at home, but I don’t think they have the weapons on offense to expose this average Green Bay defense.

Pick- Green Bay-24 Buffalo-13 BF

Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens

Scouting Report: This is simple. Don’t overthink this one. Baltimore is right in the hunt for a playoff spot in the AFC, while the Jaguars have struggled all season, and might as well try to pick up that first draft pick as they have had nothing going for them all season. This one will not be close whatsoever.

Pick: Baltimore-34 Jacksonville-10 EK  

Scouting Report: Baltimore needs to win this game to keep pace in the tightly contested AFC North. Jacksonville needs to lose this game to secure a higher draft pick. I think these two teams could both get what they want Sunday.

Pick: Baltimore-35 Jacksonville-17 BF

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers

Scouting Report: News of Cam Newton’s awful car accident has been the talk of Carolina and the country. Derek Anderson will be starting in place of Cam. With three games left and a chance to grab a playoff spot in the worst division in the league, this is not what the Panthers need. Fortunately for them, the Buccaneers aren’t the team that can really take advantage of the Panthers’ quarterback issue. The Bucs have been brutal this year on both sides of the ball. This is a must win for Carolina, and they’ll be sure to follow their dominating performance against New Orleans last week with a win here.

Pick: Carolina-21 Tampa Bay-17 EK  

Scouting Report: Derek Anderson played at Tampa Bay in his first game of the season and won, so I believe he’s fully capable of doing it again. However, I don’t know if he can muster up enough touchdowns to compete with Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson of the Buccaneers.

Pick: Tampa Bay-24 Carolina-17 BF

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns

Scouting Report: We’re in for a great divisional matchup here. The AFC North has one of the most tightly contested first-place battles of all divisions. There’s not much to separate these two teams. They have relatively similar styles of play, and it’s going to come down to the position matchups that will determine the outcome of this game. Johnny Manziel is getting the start in this one, and he and Josh Gordon have the potential to produce some big plays in this game. On the other side, however, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green could be connecting a lot in this game. When it comes down to it, Johnny Football is just too inexperienced to win a big game like this yet. He has the potential to be a star, but it’s going to take some time. In the end, the Bengals will come out on top in a close one.

Pick: Cincinnati-30 Cleveland-24 EK

Scouting Report: This game will be less about Johnny Manziel and more about the Cleveland’s defense. The last time these two teams met, the Dalton had the worst game of his career. There is something about this defense that gives the Red Rocket fits. For the Browns to win this game, Manziel has to not turn the ball over, get a few nice scramble plays, and throw a touchdown pass or two. I think it can be done.

Pick: Cleveland-20 Cincinnati- 17 BF

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans

Scouting Report: This certainly won’t be the prettiest game we’ve ever seen. Two 2-11 teams squaring off, that’s not much to get excited about. Not much talent here, and not much confidence either, but when it’s all said and done, New York is truly the more talented 2-11 team, and should find a way to get it done against an even worse Titans team. If this is on your local channel, however, I would find something else to do Sunday afternoon.

Pick: New York-31 Tennessee-21 EK  

Scouting Report: Neither team is good as evidenced by their identical 2-11 records. Both offenses have been horrific this year, and neither team has found an answer at quarterback. If there’s one advantage in this game for either side, it’s New York’s defensive line, which has remained one of the best in the league.

Pick: New York-14 Tennessee-10 BF

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

Scouting Report: San Diego has a tough three game stretch to close the season out. It starts with this game. Besides that awful loss to St. Louis, the Broncos have been great all year. Both sides of the ball, the Broncos have been great. They haven’t had to rely on Peyton Manning every game, either. The emergence of a solid running back in C.J. Anderson has given this team an added threat that has been key for them in winning games. When Denver is playing at their best, San Diego just doesn’t have the talent to compete with Denver. There’s no reason Denver won’t come out firing here, and we’ll see why they have the best record in the NFL.

Pick: Denver-31 San Diego-24 EK

Scouting Report: There’s no way Peyton Manning goes two games in a row without throwing a touchdown pass. That’s virtually impossible. DeMaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, C.J. Anderson, and Emmanuel Sanders will all have great games and will exploit a San Diego defense that’s average at best. Philip Rivers is a good quarterback, but he doesn’t have th weapons around him to keep up with Manning and the Broncos.

Pick: Denver-37 San Diego-28 BF

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions

Scouting Report: The Lions have posted an impressive record of 9-4. They’ve won only two games against teams above 500, but they’ve only lost to one team below 500. Detroit knows how to beat the lower tier teams, but come playoff time, they’re going to have to step their game up. Luckily for them, Minnesota isn’t necessarily a top-tier team, and the Lions already defeated them earlier in the season. Their offense has struggled, but their defense has been dominant and should be able to hold Minnesota to 10 or fewer points and allow them to get the win.

Pick: Detroit-21 Minnesota-10 EK

Scouting Report: Could it be true? Is Calvin Johnson’s ankle healed? Is it possible? It appears so. Although he still shows up on the injury report every week, Johnson seems to have rebounded back to 2012 form, catching touchdowns, going for 100+ receiving yard games. This is a great news for Lions fans. Now their offense can finally make up ground and catch yo to that defense. Pick: Detroit-30 Minnesota-17 BF

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Scouting Report: In recent years, this game would have been one of the most highly anticipated games of the week. With San Francisco’s struggles this season, it’s sort of turning into just any other game. San Francisco is pretty much out of playoff contention, and a loss to the Oakland Raiders last week has truly summed up their struggles. Defense has been great, but their offense can’t get anything going even against some of the worst defenses in the league. Going into the most hostile stadium against the best defense and one of the hottest teams as of late, this game won’t be close. Seahawks win big.

Pick: Seattle-31 San Francisco-10 EK

Scouting Report: At the beginning of the year, this game looked like it could define a division. Instead, it’s turned into just a normal game. In fact, the 49ers have fallen so far that Seahawks vs Rams would probably get more hype. While Russell Wilson has grown and expanded his game to adjust to the NFL, Colin Kaepernick can’t seem to find a rhythm. Some of that may be due to the awful play of the offensive line this year, but a lot of it is his fault. He has the weapons in Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree, but he’s failed to use them adequately.

Pick: Seattle-24 San Francisco-17 BF

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Scouting Report: If you could watch only one football game this weekend, pick this one. With the Giants and Redskins out of contention, it’s these two 9-4 teams battling to win the NFC East. It was all Philly two weeks ago, and we could be seeing another Philly victory. Philly is 6-1 at home, and Mark Sanchez has shown that he can be a starting quarterback. Philly’s offense will be too much to handle for Dallas, and in a close Sunday Night Football matchup, the Eagles will come out victorious.

Pick: Philadelphia-31 Dallas-28 EK

Scouting Report: Here is the strangest fact of the season so far: Dallas is undefeated on the road. They are 7-0 on the road. Undefeated. Dallas. Who would’ve thought? In an NFL season that’s been defined by anomalies, this one may be the most surprising of them all. Expect Dallas’s offensive line to rebound from their performance on Thanksgiving, and look for Tony Romo to outplay Mark Sanchez.

Pick: Dallas-28 Philadelphia-21 BF

New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears

Scouting Report: The Saints and Bears have underachieved this year. Simple as that. After a great season from New Orleans and a decent season from Chicago, these teams weren’t expected to be 5-8 right now. There’s still hope for Saints fans, however. They could be under or at 500 and still make the playoffs. The team that wins the NFC South will not have a record better than 8-8. That’s pretty sad, but the Saints can’t complain about it. They have a lot more to play for than the Bears, and with the Bears brutal secondary going up against one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL in Drew Brees, almost everything points in New Orleans’ direction.

Pick: New Orleans-41 Chicago-17 EK

Scouting Report: These two teams have the same record but are going in completely opposite directions with opposite goals in mind. At 5-8. the saints have their eyes set on a winning their division and playing a home playoff game, while the Bears are contemplating gutting their staff and thinking about their draft pick at the same record. Both teams have the offensive talent to put up huge point totals and the defensive susceptibility to allow huge point totals.

Pick: New Orleans-30 Chicago-27 BF