NFL PLAYOFF EVE WEEK

WEEK 18 STRAIGHT UP PICK-EM WITH PLAYOFFS ON THE LINE

LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (11-5)

OVERALL RECORD: (159-97)

Still in search of my first weekly pot of the season.

THE SATURDAY NIGHT GAMES

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (9-7) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (13-3)

This game means more for the Steelers than the Ravens who have clinched the number one seed in the AFC. Who will the Ravens rest in this one? The Steelers need to win this game if they want to make the post-season. If the Ravens let the Steelers win, say they meet up in post-season & then find themselves on the losing end of that game. Let’s face both teams do not like each other. Mason Rudolph has saveD the Steelers X-Mas and New Years with back to back wins guiding the Steelers sleigh. Rudolph, like Tyler Huntley who will start for the Ravens at quarterback, these guys are career back ups. Both have been seasoned and through the turf wars. The Ravens head coach John Harbaugh does not want to even lose pre-season games and Ravens want to put the fatality on the Steelers season.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

HOUSTON TEXANS (9-7) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (9-7)

Winner winner chicken dinner is what’s at stake in this one. Winner goes to post-season & loser is home watching the playoffs on the couch.

The Colts won the first meeting between these teams way back in September. Things have changed since then. CJ Stroud looked sharp as he returned from concussion protocol that cost him some games. The Texans are a different animal with Stroud. The Colts at home is nice but Gardner Minshew has not won big games in the NFL. Stroud has won big games at the college level and he has quickly adapted his big play skills on the NFL. I like the road team in this one.

OUR PICK: TEXANS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (8-8) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (2-14)

The Buccaneers found the light at the end of the tunnel as they face the worst team in football for their path to the post-season. It’s simple – Buccaneers win & they win the dreaded NFC South. Buccaneers were one of the hottest teams in the league until the Saints cooled them off last week to set this up. The Panthers’ biggest problem is they can’t score. They would need the Dillon Panthers offense to win this game.

I don’t see Bryce Young having the game of his NFL career and winning this game for the Panthers. Baker Mayfield is looking for a contract next season for the Buccaneers or whoever I see him amp up getting the job done in this contest.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

CLEVELAND BROWNS (11-5) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (8-8)

This game means nothing to either team. The Browns have their seed locked up in the post-season and should and will rest players. The Bengals hole they dug early this season comes back to haunt them. They were eliminated last week in the loss to the Chiefs. The Bengals will be motivated to end the season with a winning record. Back up Bengals quarterback Jake Browning wants to go out on high note as he will not know the next time he plays a game in the NFL as Joe Burrow will be back behind center next season. If he stays healthy, Browning sits.

OUR PICK: BENGALS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (7-9) AT DETROIT LIONS (11-5)

The Vikings are still mathematically alive to make post-season play. The Lions lost a tough one last week versus the Cowboys. The Vikings need the Nintendo cheat codes and divide that by the DaVinci codes to get in. The Lions have the division wrapped up, but a win could improve their seeding. Lions at home with the Vikings mess at quarterback ends Minnesota’s season.

OUR PICK: LIONS

NEW YORK JETS (6-10) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-12)

This match up makes me picture the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz singing the song, “If I had a quarterback.” The days when things were easy for the Patriots and made Bill Belichick look like a genius when they had Tom Brady. Do you remember the one play Aaron Rodgers ran this season way back in game one? This game is the equivalent of pond scum draining in the prehistorical tar pits. You can talk about Jets defense. You can talk about how the Patriots will make a game out of this.

This is what everyone wants to see – the end of the Patriots dynasty and that means you, Billy Boy. Even though the Jets are a team many people don’t care for. This is something to play for ending Belichick’s NFL career with a loss. His Patriots career. Slime intends to resurface in another city.

OUR PICK: J-E-T-S JETS JETS!!

ATLANTA FALCONS(7-9) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (8-8)

The Saints need help as so do the Falcons to make it to the post-season. The Falcons path to the division title means they have to win this game and hope the Panthers pull off the upset over the Buccaneers. The Saints win and a Buccaneers loss is their best path for the division title. Now if Saints win, Packers and Seahawks lose, and Buccaneers win… they could sneak in the back door of post-season as a wild card. I like the Saints winning this game. They have the better team than the Falcons & they are at home. The Falcons did not look good last week and the Saints played very well.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (9-7) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (5-11)

The Jaguars need to win this game & then they win the division title in the AFC South. The Titans will have veteran Ryan Tannehill behind center. This might be his last stand as a starting quarterback in the NFL barring injuries to other guys in the future. If the Jaguars lose, they will not make post-season play. The Jaguars have done well on the road but have had hiccups in Nashville. The Titans intend to play better at home but have nothing to play for here. Will Trevor Lawrence be able to go? Even if Lawrence is sidelined, the Jags defense stepped up their game and that convinces me they should be able to escape Honky Tonk town with a win and get back to post-season.

OUR PICK: JAGUARS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS(8-8) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (4-12)

The Seahawks need to take care of business in this one versus the Cardinals. Which Cardinals team will we see kneeling down for a better draft pick or the squad that took down the Eagles last week? If the Seahawks win and the Bears beat the Packers, they are in the post-season. I think the Cardinals will make a game out of this and bring the Seahawks season to the brink. In the end, Seahawks pull out a close one because slime like Pete Carol always finds a way to slither on. He’s like the Governor of the Walking Dead.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

CHICAGO BEARS (7-9) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (8-8)

This game is the Bears Superbowl if they win the game. The Packers need to win & then they will be in the post-season. These two teams met in game one of regular season and the Jordan Love ERA instantly started off with a bang as the Bears’ landlord is taking Aaron Rodgers torch and running with it. Things have changed since then. The Bears are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They are like the Lions of last year. The Packers beat up the Vikings last week as Minnesota tried a different quarterback behind center and it back fired.

Did anyone say Cheeseburger?

The Bears defense turns the Packers into minced meat which will serve up some nice cheese burgers all around. Justin Fields has a big day making a statement that he should be the team’s QB of the future. Bears send Green Bay Packing.

OUR PICK: DA BEARS!!!!!

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (10-6) AT LA CHARGERS (5-11)

This game means nothing for either team. Pride maybe. The Chiefs are cemented in the third seed of the AFC with the win over the Bengals. The Chargers dropping this game for draft position makes more sense. I think LA will have many Chiefs fans on their hands. I don’t see Patrick Mahomes playing and others. The Chiefs defense should be able to contain Easton Stick and that Charger offense who went dormant last week. The amped up Chargers team for the interim coach is over as they are back to business planning their exit strategy. The Chiefs will win it for their West Coast home away from home.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

DENVER BRONCOS (8-8) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (7-9)

The Jarrett Stidham revenge game for the former Raider last season, now Bronco this season, means war.

Stidham last week won his first start in a Bronco uniform since the benching of Russell Wilson. Stidham’s life is tough marrying a bikini model & now he could get his opportunity at starting position in the NFL. The Raiders are playing very hard and doing it so management will keep the interim coach Antonio Pierce next season and beyond as the guy. I like the Raiders defense. They know Stidham from what he did in practice last year. Sean Payton is a very good QB whisperer, but no way Stidham becomes John Elway in his second start this season on a Broncos team that probably had enough.

OUR PICK: RAIDERS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (11-5) AT NEW YORK GIANTS (5-11)

The Eagles still have a shot to win the division as they need to beat the Giants first. Hope the Cowboys lose to the Commanders. The Giants probably should take the loss here to get a better chance of finding a quarterback for Brian Daboll next season. Tommy DeVito, Daniel Jones, and Tyrod Taylor could be easily dumped on the curb side by the time the season ends. I like the Eagles in this one. I feel they will be the wild card traveling to whoever wins the NFC South in the 5th spot.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

LA RAMS (9-7) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (12-4)

Both the Rams and the 49ers are in the playoffs. The 49ers are the number one seed and really have nothing in this game to play for. The Rams could be 6th or 7th seed depending on if the Packers win and LA loses here. A win will get the Rams the 6th seed with 10 wins. The question is: Will the Rams rest guys? I can see this one falling to the 49ers scrubs beating the Rams just because they really don’t need it.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

DALLAS COWBOYS (11-5) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4-12)

The Cowboys win & they are the NFC East champions and are the second seed in the conference. The Commanders have checked out weeks ago as this team looks like they are going through the motions. The Cowboys play better at home than on the road. If the Cowboys lose and Eagles win, they will be the 5th seed and travel to play the winner out of the NFC South. The Cowboys are due for a big game and a clean one with no mistakes as they can go into cruise control from the brutal schedule they have had the last few weeks mostly on the road.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

BUFFALO BILLS(10-6) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (11-5)

This game is for all the marbles. Whoever wins between the Bills and Dolphins win the AFC East and have the number two seed in the conference. A Dolphins win means they win the AFC East and if they lose, they will be the 6th seed traveling to Kansas City next week. The Bills need to win for the division title. but a loss means they need help getting in. The Bills won the first meeting in Buffalo. Josh Allen is 10-2 versus the Dolphins all-time. The Dolphins are banged up on the defensive side of the ball. Some of the Dolphins play makers are questionable with injuries. I like Allen having a big game and taking this game and the division at the same time.

OUR PICK: BILLS