In life, history seems to always have a tendency to repeat itself. In the NFL world, it seems to happen more often. On Sunday this will not be the first time the LA Rams will meet the Chicago Bears in the post-season. The first time the Rams and Bears met in the post-season was in 1950. I was not alive then when the Rams would prevail in the NFL Divisional title game. That game was played in the LA Memorial Coliseum, obviously in LA. On Sunday this is not the first time the Rams will be facing ice in Chicago during the post-season. The ice that I’m talking about is not Donald Trump’s goon squad named ICE. The conditions in Chicago are close to below zero with frigid conditions and winds coming off the lake which is coined Bears weather. In 1986 the Rams came into Soldier Field for the NFC Championship. On Sunday the Rams will be visiting the Bears in the divisional round. Both times the Bears had quarterbacks with ice in their veins. If history repeats itself, the current Bears will head to the NFC Championship if they win. The Bears in 1986 won that NFC Championship and then went to the Superbowl. You know what happened then. The Bears won their only Superbowl trophy as they beat up the New England Patriots in New Orleans and did it in grand fashion. The Refrigerator Perry run in Superbowl XX to this day was one of the coolest things to happen in Chicago sports history.
On January 12th of 1986, Mike Ditka the head coach of the Bears referred to the Rams as the Smiths. He referred to his Bears team as the Grabowski’s. That game was almost 40 years ago. The Rams offense featured Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson. Their quarterback was Dieter Brock who probably had more success playing in the CFL (Canadian Football League) than the NFL. The Bears had the best ever running back in the history of the game in Walter Payton. They also had a quarterback who had ice water in his veins, Jim McMahon.
I compare McMahon to Jimmy Garoppolo, a guy who found ways to win games at a high rate but could not avoid the injuries. If he stayed healthy, he probably would have been the best Bears quarterback ever to this point. Not counting what Caleb Williams is doing now or what his future will be. McMahon versus the Rams in that championship tossed a touchdown pass to his favorite speedster wide receiver, Willie Gault. He also ran for a touchdown himself. He was nicknamed the Punky QB. Williams has earned the nickname Ice Man in present day. The Bears defense has to be mentioned here. As they played with ice water in their veins and may have been one of the best defensive units of all-time. They smothered Eric Dickerson on that cold day grinding him to pretty much nothing in the running game. The famous play in that game was Richard Dent blowing up Dieter as he forced a fumble. The ball was picked up by linebacker Wilbur Marshall as he had the scoop score with the big boy, the Fridge, downfield blocking. The Grabowskis that day put on a clinic over the Smiths. A 24-0 shutout. You could tell the California team was very effected by the cold conditions of Soldier Field located by the lake that day.
The present day Rams coming to Soldier Field are not going to be like the Smiths. I don’t think you can call the Bears the Grabowskis in this one. Neither team has a defense like they had in 1986. This game features two of the brightest young offensive minds in the game with the Rams’ Sean McVay and the Bears’ first year head coach Ben Johnson. The two players that are being talked about the most are the quarterbacks. Matthew Stafford is definitely not Dieter Brock. Stafford has won a Superbowl. Stafford has been in the MVP conversation most of the year. The Rams have two solid wide receivers in young Pua Nacua and a future Hall of Famer in Davante Adams. Stafford was originally drafted by the Lions who play in a dome. He has played in Chicago once a year suiting up for the Lions. Stafford has never played in a game under 20 degrees. He has played in some snow games. The Rams are coming from 80 degree weather, and the Bears weather has a cold advisory in effect on game day. Plus, this game is being played at night.
For the Bears it has been all about the ICEMAN!!! The number one draft pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Caleb Williams has flourished in year one under the guidance of first year head coach Ben Johnson. In the wild card round, he had an epic comeback against the arch-rival Green Bay Packers. Yes, Williams should be noted he has slayed the Bears arch-rival cheeseheads. This after decades of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers torching the Bears for sport. Like some annual hunting deer trip, instead the cheese heads would add a Bear head every season to their den. Nice bearskin rugs by the fire place. Williams who played his college ball on the west coast at USC, which is probably not far from Rams country, has blossomed into a well-oiled machine in the cold weather. Many Bears fans would like to see him start off stronger as the Bears become hot in the second half of all these games that Williams had made a living taking over late and winning. Williams is a league leader this year in game winning drives and comeback wins.
The only other sports legend in Chicago sports that had the nick name ICEMAN was Hall of Fame basketball player George Gervin. However, Gervin earned that nickname long before he suited up with the Chicago Bulls. Gervin started his career in the ABA (American Basketball Association.) Then the leagues merged & he played 14 seasons in both leagues combined. He was a 12X All-Star and won 4 scoring titles. He played his last season of his decorated NBA career with the Bulls which was the 1985-86 season. He played one season with Michael Jordan who was in his second NBA season at the time. That season Jordan only played in 18 games because of a broken foot. You could say the true Iceman of Chicago Spots belongs to Caleb Williams. We know Air Jordan may still be the most clutch player in Chicago sports history after Williams career concludes as we don’t know how it will turn out. Beating the Rams will build up the ICEMAN legacy.
You could say with looking at both the Rams and the Bears, LA has the better team. If these teams played on a neutral field, the Rams would probably win 7 out of 10 match ups. In cold conditions especially, teams coming from warmer climates don’t really do well. Looking at both rosters right now you have a few names that would be considered Hall of Famers. If we skip ahead to like 40 more years into the future, we may have all sorts of players from both rosters in this game that make it to Canton. The Rams and Bears players that faced off in 1986 have a ton of names from that game in Canton. This has been one magical season for Chicago and it may not end in a Superbowl like the ’85 team. The Bears are a number two seed. If they win they will have to play Seattle in the NFC Championship which will not be a easy task. The Rams could adapt in the cold weather and pull this game off. When history seems to always repeat itself, this go around it could be the Johnson’s over the McVays. LA has fallen victim to the Chicago icy conditions before, so why not again on Sunday. Maybe it will not be the Iceman that wins it for the Bears. Maybe some Bears linebacker makes the play and rewrites Wilbur Marhsall’s scoop and score play back in ’86.
Probably the best play in the NFL in a divisional round was the Immaculate Reception by the Steelers versus the Raiders in 1972. Where Steelers running back Franco Harris catches the ricochet right before it hits the turf and runs it a far distance for a big Pittsburgh touchdown. Round two of this current post-season could have some diabolical play like that. Can the the Iceman turn into Superman & pull off another epic outcome? In this divisional round some defense will make their stand. Last week we did a very poor job at picking the winners as we went (2-4) in the wild card round. We are looking for that Immaculate Reception in the second round to redeem ourselves as we served up only jokers in the wild card round. We crunched the numbers. We drank a few shots. Followed that hard work up with some chasers to come up with 4 solid winners for the Divisional round.
ROUND 2 NFL PLAYOFFS
NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND
SATURDAY GAMES
AFC
#6.BUFFALO BILLS (13-5) AT #1.DENVER BRONCOS (14-3)
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD: Did not play each other this season.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Bills (2-0) Broncos
1992 AFC Championship: Bills 10-7 Broncos
2025 AFC Wild Card round: Bills 31-7 Broncos
This game between the visiting Bills and Broncos is a rematch of the first round wild card game from last post-season. That game was played in Buffalo and the Bills won it. The key to a Denver Broncos win is how Bo Nix does. Will Bo be Bo or will he be Nixed by the Bills defense? Will Bo have his old green Oregon University jersey on under the orange Broncos representing the color of kryptonite? Josh Allen last week put on the cape and took his Bills on the road to win his first ever playoff game on the road in Jacksonville. Kryptonite may be needed. The Broncos are well rested being the number one seed as they had a bye last week. Allen will face a tough defense by the Broncos. The Broncos can get to the quarterback as they are one of the top units in the league at sacking the quarterback. They are the best defensive unit in red zone efficiency in the league. The Bills weakness on defense is their run defense. Will the Bills defense make RJ Harvey look like a Hall of Fame running back? I liked how the Bills defense has played the last few weeks. Look for Joey Bosa to have a big game for the Bills. The Broncos are familiar with Joey playing all those years with the Chargers. Sean Payton will have tricks under his sleeve as he has pulled off plenty in post-season games as a head coach. Can the Bills head coach Sean McDermott unravel Payton’s evil genius plot?
The Broncos have a problem finishing drives and settle for field goals instead of touchdowns. In two of the 3 games the Broncos lost this season, the opponents rushed over 100 yards. The Bills are one of the best running teams in the league. James Cook won the rushing title. I think the Bills will have a better day at running the ball unlike last weekend versus the Jaguars who are a top run defense in the league. This game will be close. The Broncos have racked up the most NFL defensive pass interference penalties in the league. That can come into play in this match up. I think the Bills can hang with the Broncos most of the game until Allen puts the cape on. It will be cold. Being from the Fortress of Solitude, Allen and the Bills will get back to the AFC championship game stealing another road win from another top seed in the AFC.
OUR PICK: BILLS
NFC
#6.SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (13-5) AT #1.SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (14-3)
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD: Both teams split the 2 game series.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Each team has won 1 meeting against each other in post-season.
2014 NFC Championship: Seahawks 23-17 49ers
2023 NFC Wild Card round: 49ers 41-23 Seahawks
In the last meeting between these two division rivals, it was all about the DARKSIDE!!! The Seattle defense held the 49ers to three points and 173 total yards in week 18. It was the last game of the season between both teams, but everything was on the line which included the NFC West title and the number 1 seed. Seattle won that 13-3. The Seahawks are rested having a bye last weekend. Their quarterback Sam Darnold injured his oblique in practice but is expected to play. The 49ers went on the road last week and knocked off the defending champs from last year. The 49ers lost their star tight end George Kittle in that win in Philadelphia. The 49ers will have their star offensive line back for this game Trent Williams who missed week 18 vs Seattle. Can the 49ers get another road victory with all the injuries they are dealing with against another top team in the NFC? The Darkside defense will limit Christian McCaffrey and that 49ers run game. It will be up to Brock Purdy to slay the Seahawks dragon here. Purdy usually has a clean game as Seattle is a top scoring defense. I think Darnold is lucky not facing this 49ers defense full strength with his injury. The 49ers injuries consist of the important pass rushers that get after the quarterback. Seattle’s running game will eat the clock up putting pressure on Purdy to throw the ball more which is not good as he needs a running game behind him. This will be a close game. The battle will be won in the trenches which goes to the Darkside. I like Seattle defending their home turf to move on to the NFC Championship game.
OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS
SUNDAY GAMES
AFC
#5.HOUSTON TEXANS (12-5) AT #2.NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (15-3)
HEAD TO HEAD REGULAR SEASON: Did not play each other this season.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Patriots (2-0) Texans
2013 AFC Divisional: Patriots 41-28 Texans
2017 AFC Divisional: Patriots 34-17
I feel like it’s hard to believe that we are still talking about the New England Patriots. They won the AFC East. They come into post-season as the number two seed in the AFC. They win their first game versus the LA Chargers and Justin Herbert in the wild card round.
Drake Maye if you’re following the Evil Empire is Kylo Ren as Tom Brady was Darth Vader. Maye like Vader and every evil dictator or villain out there or in the past, gets the easy kill in their first go round which was the Chargers. The Chargers only gave up 16 points versus the Patriots. I think the challenge now is how does Kylo Maye take on an actual Jedi which is not CJ Stroud? Will Anderson Jr. be unleashed on Ren and the Patriots offense? They were not very kind to Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers last week. I would say this will be a defensive game in cold weather which did not bother the Texans last week. The Patriots defense should be able to keep Stroud in check most of the game. Stroud has 5 playoff games under his belt. He will not have his number one weapon in this match up, Nico Collins, who suffered a concussion last week versus the Steelers. The Patriots have one of the top aerial games of teams left in the tournament. The Texans defense has been very good at shutting down the passing game.
Ole Chucky Gruden said weeks ago he liked the Texans and Seahawks in the Superbowl because of the talent they have on the defensive side of the ball. This Texans defense is a different animal than Maye has ever seen this season. The Texans are red hot which will melt the cold and snow away. They will score more points than the Patriots in a low scoring affair and come away with a crucial road victory.
OUR PICK: TEXANS
NFC
#5.LA RAMS (13-5) AT #2.CHICAGO BEARS (12-6)
HEAD TO HEAD REGULAR SEASON: Did not play each other this season.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Both teams have won 1 meeting against each other.
1950 NFL Divisional: Rams 24-14 Bears
1985 NFC Championship: Bears 24-0 Rams
I think the only thing in Chicago to bring people together is the DA Bears!! Caleb Williams may have played his college ball on the west coast painting his fingernails in warm weather at USC. They call him the Ice Man because he has ice in his veins as he led another epic comeback as he slayed the Packers last week in the wild card round. Meanwhile the LA Rams who have not played outdoors much this season are coming to a ice cold environment in Soldier Field where it will be cold as ice at game time. Matthew Stafford has had an incredible season as he has been in the MVP conversation all year. Stafford used to play in Detroit, but the Lions played in a dome all those years. He is familiar playing in Chicago coming to Soldier Field once a year with Detroit. The Rams had a difficult time getting past the Panthers. The Bears were a no show in the first half with the visiting Packers. Both defenses are very vulnerable. Especially in the secondary. The Bears defense needs to get takeaways to thrive. While the Rams defense thrives when they get pressure on the quarterback. Both teams can run the ball well. This is a well-balanced offense squaring off in this match up. Will the cold temps effect the passing game? The Bears will have the advantage on special teams with the kicking game. Bears kicker Cairo Santos has been masterful kicking using the winds like he’s playing golf. The Rams encounter Harrison Mevis who grew up in cold weather in Northern Iowa. Kicking in Chicago is a different animal for first timers. Which offensive genius will have the better game plan? Ben Johnson of the Bears or Sean McVay? They are two young brilliant football minds playing chess against each other’s defenses. Most of the league is playing checkers while they are playing chess.
In a cold game I think the scoreboard will be lit up. Stafford has never played a game under 20 degrees. Coming to these conditions after being in 80 degree weather is a shocker to your system. I think the first half will start off slow since Williams is a slow starter. Stafford will need a half to adjust. In the end the Ice Man Sub Zero being played by Williams freezes out Scorpion who is being played by Stafford in a mortal ice sculpting thriller. The Rams have not been playing well for weeks now. I think it catches up to them here.
It’s official this week as the old Highmark Stadium has played their final home game. The Buffalo Bills opened up their current stadium back on September 30th, 1973 in a home game against the New York Jets which they won 9-7. It started with the Jets and ended with the Jets on January 4th of 2026 with a 35-8 victory in the last game of regular season. The Bills ended up being being a wild card spot and 6th seed in the AFC post-season. The last 5 seasons the Bills have won the AFC East which guaranteed them a home playoff game. Not this season as the New England Patriots took the division and at the same time ruined the Bills’ pipe dream of playing a home playoff game giving Highmark stadium one more game. Yes, the Patriots beat the 7th seed Chargers last week which killed the fantasy of the Bills hosting the Chargers in the AFC Championship.
In 1973 when they opened the new Buffalo Bills stadium, it was called Rich Stadium. At the time of the opening, a Buffalo-based food products company called Rich Products signed a 25 year deal for the naming rights. It was a 1.5 million dollar deal. Rich Foods had to pay the Bills $60,000 per season. Rich Stadium lasted from 1973 to 1997. When the name was under Rich Stadium, it was during those great 1990 Buffalo Bills teams with Jim Kelly leading the charge with the hurry up offense. Those Bills of the 1990’s went to 4 straight Superbowls as you know the results there. We will move on to 1998 when Bills owner Ralph Wilson named the stadium after himself. It was Ralf Wilson Stadium from 1998-2015. Then in 2016 it became New Era Field, which lasted three seasons until the finish of 2019. During the pandemic, it just became plain Jane Bills Stadium. Then from 2021 on it has been Highmark Field, the name that will transfer to the state of art new stadium across the street at 1 Bills Drive in Orchard Park, New York.
Before Rich Stadium was ever built, the Bills played on the east side of Buffalo. The Bills were established in 1960 as part of the AFL and played their home games at War Memorial Stadium, aka The Rock Pile. They played 13 seasons there which held a capacity of 47,000. Then in the merger of the AFL and NFL, the Bills had to find a new venue because back then the NFL stadiums had a mandate of 50,000 seats which eliminated War Memorial Stadium. Ralph Wilson explored relocation to cities like Memphis, Tampa Bay, and Seattle. In the end the state and the Bills ownership agreed to stay in Western New York as they landed a new stadium and the rest is history.
It was week 18, the final game of regular season and final regular season game at High Mark. The current Bills came out wearing the retro 1990 helmets that Jim Kelly and those guys played in. The Bills rested many of their starters as Josh Allen did get one play to keep his Iron Man streak alive. The Bills were playing to improve their wild card seed and did not need the starters to get the job done. Back up quarterback Mitch Trubisky led the offense after Allen’s one play and he and the offense lit up the Jets to give the Bills a win to end their season and a W for the crowd in the farewell game. Running back James Cook did have a few rushes in the game before he sat down. Those few rushes won him the NFL rushing title as he becomes the second Bills player to do that since the Juice OJ Simpson wore the uniform before killing his X-wife. It was an emotional farewell as all the Bills chants were being sung proud from all the memories of this old building. On hand were Hall of Fame Bills players such as Jim Kelly and Andre Reed and their Hall of Fame head coach, 100 year old Marv Levy. The atmosphere was festive on a cold day full of warmth watching their team win and enjoying the last memories of the stadium. The jumbo-tron had a farewell video during the post-game with the song Iris from Buffalo’s own Goo Goo Dolls that featured all the cool and great highlights of all these Bills teams that played here 53 seasons. At the end of the game after all the songs and chants were sung and beers drank, the jumbo-tron read, “Thank You Bills Mafia.” Simple & to the point. Not even alien intelligence could think of something better.
The Buffalo Bills had some very bad teams throughout the 53 seasons. Some of the playoff droughts were decades long. The first ever playoff game at Rich Stadium came in 1988, a Bills victory over the Houston Oilers. It was the Houston Oilers that the Bills beat in that epic playoff game in January of 1993 called the COMEBACK.
No Jim Kelly in that game. The Oilers dominated the first half. The Bills made the comeback with back up QB Frank Reich who erased a 32 point deficit in the second half. The best game I ever saw played on the gridiron. The Bills won every home playoff game until the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars came to town in 1996 and upset Buffalo in the wild card round. The Bills were perfect against three teams at Rich Stadium those 53 seasons. They beat all 31 teams at this stadium at least once. They went perfect against 3 teams. They were 5-0 versus the Cardinals, 3-0 versus the Buccaneers and 7-0 versus the Packers. On January 1, 2008 the stadium had the first NHL Winter classic as the Buffalo Sabres skated outside versus the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. The Orangemen of Syracuse University played a few home games at this stadium. All the concerts over the years and many other events this stadium saw. All those great memories will last a lifetime for everyone who went there to see their beloved team perform. In society today, stadiums, like most things, don’t last forever. I wish we would have more stadiums stay open for over 100 years like Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley in Chicago. The new Bills stadium across the street will be something special based on the looks of it from the outside. The Bills could have easily put up a dome. Especially with all the snow and cold games they have encountered over the decades. The fan base and the ownership chose to go with an open air stadium with grass instead. My feeling and that of every other Bills fan is that the memories will instantly roll over to the new state of the art facility that looks ginormous. Buffalo is like Whoville in the Grinch story. Christmas still came for the Whos in Whoville after the Grinch stole everything. The snow will come, but it never prevents the Bills Mafia from enjoying the Sunday game rooting on the Bills. GO BILLS!!!
The NFL playoffs have arrived and the first round offers some thrillers for the Wild Card weekend. Many of these match ups could go either way. Most of the regular season was a crap shoot week to week. Many headscratchers leaving many people without any hair.
Maybe your girl lost her hair watching yourself rip it out in chunks. That is the way the NFL wants Any Given Sunday that anybody can beat you, me, and the moose. No Kansas City Chiefs. No Baltimore Ravens. Three teams come into post-season red hot. Can the Eagles defend their title from last season? The league has their oldest rivalry going at it. Everything shapes up like it will be a barn burner every game. I will throw my darts pick out of the hat or maybe pick the better helmet out of each match up. I’ll pick each winner out of each match up. Not promising you I will do a great job. You do not know if I’m drunk right now. I will roll out the Wild Card picks in the first 6 post-season games of the tournament. Grab the big canister of cheese balls at Menard’s and enjoy!!
ROUND 1 NFL PLAYOFFS
NFL WILD CARD WEEKEND
SATURDAY GAMES
NFC
#5.LA RAMS (12-5) AT #4.CAROLINA PANTHERS (8-9)
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD: Panthers beat the Rams in week 13, 31-28
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Panthers (1-0) Rams
The Panthers ended the Rams’ greatest show on turf dynasty back in 2003-04 in the NFC divisional round.
The cool thing for the Carolina Panthers is their quarterback Bryce Young will get his first taste of playoff action. Which could be a learning experience because I don’t think Carolina will win this game. The Panthers backed into post-season as they lost their last two games which included a week 18 match up versus the Buccaneers. They needed help from the Falcons to get into the doggie door of the post-season tournament. The Panthers running game has vanished their last two games. In the first match up, Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions. I don’t see that happening this go around. Sean McVay will be well prepared for this rematch. The Rams will be getting Davante Adams back on the field who has been out with a hamstring injury since week 15. I feel the Rams defense could force Young into some stupid throws. Stafford is 5-5 post-season all-time as the Panthers become another notch on his MVP season. The Panther by far are the worst team in this post-season, and they even come in with a losing record. The playoff experience the Rams have coming into this game makes this a very easy pick.
OUR PICK: RAMS
NFC
#7.GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-8) AT #2.CHICAGO BEARS (11-6)
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD: Split the two game series
December 20th Bears won in OT 22-16 over the Packers in Chicago.
December 7th Packers beat the Bears 28-21 at their place
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Split the two post-season meetings
1941 Western Division playoff game, Bears won at Wrigley Field 33-14
2010 NFC Championship, Packers won 21-14
The last time Jordan Love was on the field was the December 20th game versus the Bears when he was knocked out of that contest. He has been out with a concussion ever since and will suit up and play this one. These two teams already played each other twice in the month of December. It’s the NFL’s oldest rivalry. I could see some more head hunting in this match up by both teams because they already have some bad blood that happen in the last two games. The Packers come into the playoffs losing the last 4 games. Last week they rested their guys as they were locked in at the number 7 seed. The Bears were playing for the number two seed. They have lost two straight coming into this game. If the Commanders did not beat the Eagles, this match up would not be happening this round. The Packers have the playoff experience over this Bears team. Ben Johnson has been involved in the playoffs with the Lions as the offensive coordinator. Can Caleb Williams get off to a fast start? The Bears’ slow starts coming from behind in the 4th quarter is much more difficult to do in the post-season. The Bears won that OT game with a lucky on side kick they recovered to send that one into overtime. In both games the Bears running game had the Packers defense on the ropes gasping for air trying to stop Chicago’s two-headed monster they have at the running back position. How will Love respond coming back against the team that knocked him into tomorrow land? That is the biggest question in a match up that can go either way. The Bears defense worries me. If they do not get takeaways they really are not stopping teams. The history of this rivalry does not favor Chicago. I think the Bears will not be the big cheese in this game.
OUR PICK: PACKERS
THE SUNDAY TILT
AFC
#6.BUFFALO BILLS (12-5) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (13-3)
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD: Did not play each other.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Jaguars (2-0) Bills
1996 Wild card game Jaguars 30-27 Bills
2017 Wild Card game Jaguars 10-3 Bills
This may not be a great match up for the Buffalo Bills in this first round. The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the league’s hottest teams coming into the post-season as they have won 8 straight games. The Bills closed out Rich Stadium in the last regular season there as they are moving to a new stadium next year. The Bills handled the Jets and rested many of their starters who have been banged up. This game features the top run defense in the game the Jaguars have. The Bills offense features James Cook who won the NFL rushing title. Here are some of the important facts we have. The Bills head coach Sean McDermott has a 0-5 record on the road in post-season which included a loss in 2017. The Bills did not have Josh Allen that game as he was drafted in 2018. With McDermott 0-5 on the road, that means Allen has a 0-4 record on the road. However Allen is 2-1 in regular season vs Trevor Lawrence, the Surf Nazi who Must Die in this match up.
Allen has won at least 1 playoff game in the last 5 consecutive seasons the Bills have made it to the post-season. The Bills defense on the road give up 33.5 points per game. While at home it’s a different story with 19.8 points per game. The Jaguars could exploit the Bills run defense which has been very leaky this season. The Jags have the history behind them 2-0 all-time versus Bills in playoffs. However history can change as the Bills have much more playoff experience than the Jaguars. I expect Josh Allen to put on his Superman cape, notch his first playoff win on the road, and really change the dynamic of the post-season in the Bills’ favor. No Chiefs in the post-season. I like that it’s the last season for former Jaguar, Gabe Davis, to have his moment. Big Game Gabe will get a touchdown in this one.
OUR PICK: BIILS
NFC
#6.SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (12-5) AT #3.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (11-6)
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD: Did not play each other this regular season
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Split between both teams in two games
1996 Wild Card game 49ers 14-0 Eagles
2023 NFC Championship Eagles 31-7 49ers
The Eagles are the defending champions from last season and are ready for their first title defense with the 49ers coming to play in cold weather. The interesting match up here is the 49ers offensive mastermind of Kyle Shanahan vs the defensive guru of Vic Fangio of the Eagles. Both teams coming off losses last week. The Eagles had a chance for the number two seed and lost to the Commanders. The Eagles rested their starting quarterback Jalen Hurts. The 49ers had a chance at the NFC West title which the number 1 seed came along with it with Seattle. The Seahawks defense held the 49ers to 3 points in that loss. The 49ers are dealing with multiple injuries which seems like always the case. Brock Purdy will play but suffered a shoulder stinger and hurt his thumb in that loss to Seattle. The Eagles defense will be a problem for the 49ers. Purdy is 4-2 all-time in post-season. Hurts has a 6-3 record all-time. I think the Eagles will be able to get productive yardage from their star running back Saquon Barkley as Seattle gashed the 49ers for multiple big chunks of yardage. I think the Eagles can generate more points on the 49ers defense than San Francisco’s offense on that stout Philly defense which is the key to this Wild Card game. This game will be a low scoring affair. In the end the Eagles’ first title defense is successful in Philadelphia. The 49ers looked like they could have had the number one seed the way they were playing. Those injuries mean that defense will not cut the mustard against this Eagles team.
OUR PICK: EAGLES
AFC
#7.LA CHARGERS (11-6) AT #2.NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-3)
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD: Did not play each other this season.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Patriots 3-1 Chargers All-time
1961 AFL Championship, Chargers 51-10 Patriots
2007 AFC Divisional, Patriots 24-21 Chargers
2008 AFC Championship, Patriots 21-12 Chargers
2019 AFC Divisional, Patriots 41-28 Chargers
This is an interesting game to pick from with two solid coaches going against each other. Mike Vrabel for the Patriots who has them winning the AFC East snapping the Bills run of the last 5 seasons. They have the number two seed. Then Jim Harbaugh’s second season with the Chargers he has them in the post-season in back to back years. Harbaugh’s first NFL coahing job he took the 49ers all the way to the Superbowl. Vrabel’s first NFL head coaching gig his Titans derailed the team he used to play and head coach for, which was Bill Belichick and the Patriots in 2020. Vrabel has a 3-5 record as head coach in the post-season. While Harbaugh has a 5-4 record as a head coach in the post-season. This is Drake Maye’s first ever post-season start. Justin Herbert is looking for his first playoff win in his career. Is the 3rd time the charm for Herbert? Can the Chargers protect Herbert as their line could be a weakness for the Patriots to exploit? The Chargers defense is very good against the pass. Will the Patriot missiles in the aerial attack turn into scuds?
How will the Chargers do in cold weather? Along with a long flight from the West coast to the East? The Patriots are coming into the post-season winning three in a row and has a chance for the number one seed but Denver won. The Broncos beat the Chargers who took a knee in this game and rested players including Herbert who fractured his hand in week 17. The Chargers could have played for a higher seed in the AFC brackets. Instead they dropped to a seven. Is this what Harbaugh really wanted in this first match up in the AFC? The Patriots had most of this season played a easy schedule. They were perfect on the road, but their 3 losses come at home. Harbaugh may look like a mad genius here. I like the Chargers defense. I think the Chargers offense can get enough points to pull this out on the road and give the AFC conference another shocker in the wild card round.
OUR PICK:CHARGERS
MONDAY NIGHT
AFC
#5.HOUSTON TEXANS (11-5) AT #4.PITTSBURGH STEELERS (10-7)
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD: Did not play each other this season.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: First ever playoff game between the two teams.
Will Anderson Jr. along with Danielle Hunter means Aaron Rodgers is a dead duck. The Texans can kill the quarterback.
The Texans defense is one of the best or the best unit in the post-season. It took a wide right field goal by the Ravens kicker to get the Steelers the AFC North title and into the dance. The Ravens are another team that comes into the post-season red hot winning 9 straight games. The Steelers have lost six straight playoff games as they have been one and done is their pattern. The difference is Aaron Rodgers is why the Steelers signed him. All the playoff experience. He is 12-10 all-time in the post-season. This may be his last moment in the post-season. If he goes out with a whimper, he will run and hide before coming out of the darkness retreat & hanging up the spikes. The Texans CJ Stroud has a 2-2 record in the post-season. He’s done well in the wild card round. Can the Steelers line protect the old man from being knocked into tomorrow land?
The Steelers will get back Rodgers’ number one receiver DK Metcalf who was suspended two games for punching the fan in Detroit. The Steelers are the fastest team at getting rid of the ball at 2.62 seconds which will keep Rodgers in one piece. I like the Steelers offense being able to get the points they need. The Steelers defense will find ways to get Stroud and that offense to turn over the ball. The Steelers luck continues as they outlast the Texans in the cold in a close one. In like a 21-20 nail biter.
The last game of regular season in the NFL, week 18 featured the visiting Baltimore Ravens at the Pittsburgh Steelers for all the marbles. The winner would win the AFC North and clinch a playoff spot at the same time. When division rivals go at it in a game where it means more than just bragging rights, most of the time it will be a solid game. This game did not disappoint as it had several lead changes and came down to the very end. The Ravens drove the length of the field and set up their rookie kicker, Tyler Loop, for his biggest kick of his career so far. It was a 44 yard field goal and if he makes it, Ravens are in the playoffs. He missed it. The Ravens would be eliminated from post-season and in the aftermath of the situation, the collateral damage is Baltimore fired their head coach, John Harbaugh. Due to the Ravens missing the playoffs, is what they are saying.
John Harbaugh had the second longest tenure of any head coach in the NFL with 18 years. Only Mike Tomlin & the team that eliminated the Ravens for the Pittsburgh Steelers has the longest tenure in the league. Harbaugh started in 2008 as he compiled up 180 regular season victories as the Ravens head coach. His regular season record was 180-113 which is impressive. His Ravens teams had 11 double-digit win seasons in his tenure. By far he is the best head coach in Ravens history. He guided the Ravens to the franchise’s second Superbowl title back in 2012 when the Ravens knocked off the San Francisco 49ers. The head coach at the time was his brother Jim. In 18 seasons his team made the post-season 12 times. He has guided the Ravens to 8 AFC North titles. He was named NFL Coach of the Year back in 2019. In post-season he will leave the franchise with a winning record of 13-11. With Lamar Jackson, John was 3-5 in those post-season battles.
Lamar Jackson may be one of the best duel threat quarterbacks of all-time. In 8 seasons in the NFL, Lamar with his arm has thrown 187 touchdown passes to 56 interceptions. He has used his legs to score 35 rushing touchdowns. He has ran for over 6,500 yards. He has the most 100 yard rushing games as a quarterback all-time with 14. In regular season when he starts, the Ravens are 76-31 with him. As an AFC quarterback he has mastered the NFC with a record 24-4 against that conference in his 8 seasons so far. He is a 2x MVP of the NFL. He made 4 Pro-Bowls while racking up many other football awards. He has helped the Ravens win 4 AFC North titles which is half of his playing career. However in post-season, he has a record of 3-5 with an AFC Championship appearance.
The Ravens started off the season 1-5. They righted the ship and eventually got back to a 6-5 record. Which they dug themselves out of that hole. They ended up 8-9 with the loss to Pittsburgh. If it was not for back up quarterback Tyler Huntley, they would have been eliminated weeks ago. The Ravens back up quarterback who did all the right things even though most of the time he fed his beast running back Derrick Henry the ball in that victory in Green Bay versus the Packers in week 17. That was a much needed victory for the Ravens because the Steelers lost to the Browns which set that final game, winner takes all. Huntley went 2-0 as a starter this season for the Ravens as he also beat the Bears. Lamar Jackson went 6-7 as the starter for the Ravens this season. He had multiple injuries he dealt with this year with the hamstring and the back. The Ravens once again this season blew a few games where they had double digit leads. John Harbaugh has lost 26 games as the head coach where he has seen his team blow double digit leads. Everyone remembers what Josh Allen did to the Ravens in week one with that unbelievable comeback by the Bills. Who’s fault is that for these blown leads over the last several years: Jackson or Harbaugh?
Lamar Jackson to me in some of those games where the Ravens blew the lead of these games is on the sideline laughing it up with teammates always thinking they have everything in the bag. It was week one when Lamar pushed the Buffalo fan back in his seat after the Ravens scored the touchdown to build a bigger lead. That Bills fan smacked his receiver in his helmet, DeAndre Hopkins, after he caught the touchdown. Why is your leader going after the fan? Because he ruined the touchdown celebration? Would Michael Jordan hit a fan? No, he would get his player out of harm’s way and use the situation as motivation to win the game. Lamar has that too cool for school vibe where he’s more about his own image than anyone else. One Baltimore writer wrote before Christmas that he’s an overgrown kid trapped in a man’s body. If anyone is critical of the great Jackson, he becomes withdrawn which a kid would do. He looks withdrawn when he wears a hoodie sweatshirt and snow parka always on the sideline during cold games. Looks like the little kid in A Christmas Story wearing the snow suit who can hardly walk. The Ravens have their own set of rules for Jackson different than the rest of the team. The article also said Jackson falls asleep in meetings because he stays up too late playing video games. Jackson only shows up to things like mandatory camps for one day or so, and then is not seen. He is a quarterback that often gets hurt. Why not put the controller down for awhile and work on your own body? Your temple. No way he will play close to his 40’s or into his 40’s like a Tom Brady. Because he is not taking care of what God has gifted him, the talent to play quarterback in the NFL.
John Harbaugh won the Superbowl with Joe Flacco. Lamar Jackson is a 10 times better quarterback than Flacco who is still playing. Harbaugh had pressure too from the front office to fire his offensive coordinator, Todd Monken. Maybe the offensive coordinator is responsible for calling a conservative game plan with his team in the lead by double digit points. The Ravens defense has been a liability the last two seasons. Harbaugh’s teams usually played solid defense most of his tenure. The Ravens miss Mike Macdonald who has Seattle with the number one seed in the NFC. Macdonald took the Seattle head coach job before the 2024 season as he is in his second season. Look at Seattle’s defense. Look at Seattle’s quarterback, Sam Darnold, who’s not the best in the league. He was coined a number one draft bust until last year when he finally clicked and had a monster year for the Vikings.
This is why 7 teams called about John Harbaugh 45 minutes after he was let go by the Ravens. Teams like the Giants, Titans, Browns, Cardinals, and Raiders all need head coaches & will be kicking the tires on Harbaugh. Then you’ve got teams like Miami, New York Jets and perhaps Cincinnati who may fire their current coach to get Harbaugh. Now through the grapevine, we hear Harbaugh did not see eye to eye with Jackson who is coddled by the front office. They say Harbaugh was losing the entire locker room because the head coach and quarterback were almost never on the same page. All this could be hearsay. I think if Harbaugh has a good defense and middle tier quarterback, he can win another Superbowl with another team. The Cleveland situation looks great having that defense. Myles Garrett reminds you of Ray Lewis. The QB situation dealing with the rapist in Deshaun Watson or another duel threat who is not very good in Shedeur Sanders is a worse situation than what you went through with Lamar. How about Joe Burrow and the Bengals? That would be interesting. He would need the entire Bengals defense to be revamped. All the money in Cincinnati is tied up with the offense. That would be a cool story if Harbaugh took a job with one of the teams in the same division as the Ravens. The Raiders job could be interesting with the number one pick. Dealing with Tom Brady and the rest of the Raiders ownership who fires head coaches for sport could be something you stay away from. I think he could take the New York Giants job. Having a young Jaxson Dart as your QB in year two. The Giants have some pieces on the defensive side of the ball. A few young playmakers are coming off season injuries. Which coach is going to get through Lamar Jackson’s muppet mind set? I like John Harbaugh’s chances to win his second Superbowl before Jackson can get to the dance. I’m not talking about dirty dancing with his teammates in the end zone with plenty of time on the clock for the other team to come back. Let’s remember Jackson in crunch time after teams come back on him will fold like a house of cards more than drive his team down the sideline for the victory. After the game he can forget about it and play some Donkey Kong.
Last week the Lions, Rams, and the Buccaneers laid a turd out there on the field costing me half my losses. Seeing the Ravens come to life in Green Bay was impressive but a loss. The Ravens should start Tyler Huntley this weekend and have him just hand the ball off to King Derrick Henry instead of trying Lamar Jackson. A guy who many by now should be soured on. Josh Allen should have converted the 2 point conversion on the Eagles & then I would have won that match up.
SEASON RECORD:(166-90)
NFL WEEK 18 STRAIGHT PICK-EM
Which villain in the final week of the NFL regular season will cause the most havoc? Will their plots be spoiled by the good? We will trot out the GOOD, BAD AND UGLY for week 18……..
SATURDAY GAMES
CAROLINA PANTHERS (8-8) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-9)
This game is for the dreaded NFC South title. I think most people would rather see the Saints or the Falcons represent this division in the post-season than either of these teams. The Buccaneers have lost 7 out of 8 games. They lost to a bad Dolphins team last week. They lost to this Panthers team two weeks ago. The Panthers have been very good at winning games after coming off a loss. They lost to Seattle last week but hung in there for most of the game until the Seahawks put them away in the second half. Can Baker Mayfield pull out one of those gutty performances and put on the cape? The Buccaneers have more experience in these games. Bryce Young will be facing a blitz at him which will include everything including the kitchen sink. I think Young will falter with the game pressure and the blitz, especially if the Buccaneers stop the running game. I have to bet on Baker coming up big here & then finding a way to knock off a team in the wild card round after this weekend.
OUR PICK:BUCCANEERS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (13-3) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (12-4)
This game has a lot riding on it. The winner will get the number 1 seed in the NFC and a first round bye along with the NFC West title. Sam Darnold a few seasons back was the back up for the 49ers starting QB Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy. This game reminds you of the Legion of Boom defense Seattle used to back when these two teams would mix it up being the two superior teams back then in the NFC and in present times. I have to give Seattle the nod at having the better defense. Purdy won a shootout versus Caleb Williams and the Bears last week as the 49ers defense did not look very good. The 49ers have the better offense even though Seattle can score. Seattle is not far off from the 49ers scoring machine. If Darnold has a bad game, I like the 49ers in this one. Let’s remember the Seahawks came close to beating the Rams the first time this season with a 4 interception day from Darnold. I like great defense over great offense as on any day. Seattle will hold on to the number 1 seed with a huge win on the road to get the bye for next week.
OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS
THE SUNDAY TILT
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (6-10) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (7-9)
For the Saints, is this the last time we see aging players like Taysom Hill, Demario Davis and the great Cameron Jordan suiting up for New Orleans? The Saints have marched to their 4th straight victory while the Falcons are flying high winning their 3rd in a row. The Falcons shocked the Rams on Monday night. The Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Slough has been impressive 3 straight games with at least 250 passing yards and zero interceptions. Slough will have to play this one without his number 1 guy, wide receiver Chris Olave, who has a blood clot in his lung. Kirk Cousins is playing better. The Falcons have Drake London getting back to his old self who has a few games in from his injury that sidelined him for weeks. I’d like to see the Saints win this one. This game could go as a coin flip. My gut is telling me Atlanta as Cousins has the big game, delivers the decisive blow, and ends the Saints winning streak.
OUR PICK: FALCONS
TENNESSEE TITANS (3-13) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (12-4)
Game show question involving Jaguars quarterbacks for 100 dollars. You would think a guy like Trevor Lawrence will have a very easy time rewriting all the Jaguars QB records. Sometimes we find some unique ones. Lawrence has accounted for 35 touchdowns this season. He has thrown 26 and rushed for 9 scores. He needs two more whatever combo he chooses to tie the Jaguars legendary Blake Bortles, who set the franchise record of 37 back in 2015. The Titans have been playing much better down the stretch as Cam Ward is starting to look like a keeper. The Jaguars need a win to win the AFC South. If they do not win, they need Houston to lose to the Colts. The Jaguars have won 7 straight games. They have won the last three meetings against the Titans. This is a division rivalry as both teams dislike each other. It will be close until the Jags pull away in the second half. Lawrence and that Jags offense have been lighting up the scoreboard and I don’t think the Titans will be able to match the score at this time.
OUR PICK: JAGUARS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-8) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (11-5)
This match up has both these teams going into different directions. The Texans have won 8 straight game and need to win this with a Jaguars loss, then they would win the AFC South. If the Texans can accomplish the division title, it would be their 3rd straight. The Colts have imploded losing six straight games in the second half after starting off 8-2. Indiana’s Daniel Jones got hurt. The Colts brought back Phillip Rivers out of retirement and he could not save their season losing all 3 of his starts. The Colts will give their rookie QB his first ever start in the NFL. Riley Leonard, a 6th round draft pick from Duke and Notre Dame, has played in 4 games this season. He has not really done well completing only 54.5% of his passes while tallying up 145 passing yards with two interceptions. The Texans defense is dangerous. Especially for rookie QB’s. I think the Texans will be quick and painless as Houston will put down the Colts like a horse heading to the glue factory after a long race while being a long shot having problems getting out of the gates.
OUR PICK: TEXANS
DALLAS COWBOYS (7-8-1) AT NEW YORK GIANTS (3-13)
This game does not mean much for either team. The Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka got his first NFL win last week versus a bad Raiders team. The Cowboys with a win would not finish the season with a losing record. A Cowboys win would also give them a 5-1 record in their own division. The Giants will be playing all their starters to give the Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart ending his rookie season on a high note. The Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has something to play for. Coming in he leads the NFL in passing yards. No Dallas QB has ever finished leading the league in passing yardage as Prescott would like to be the first. I can’t see Dart matching Prescott here in scores. Should be a close one. In the end, the Boys get the W.
OUR PICK: COWBOYS
CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-12) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (6-10)
The Battle of Ohio subplot has the single season sack record on the line. Myles Garrett tied TJ Watt’s and Michael Strahan’s record at 22 sacks but has not been able to get that final notch to be the king of the season. Joe Burrow is one of the guys along with Lamar Jackson Garrett who has sacked the most in his career. I like Garrett getting the record with his 23rd sack on Burrow. Both teams are coming off victories last week. I like the Bengals getting the victory as Burrow will get the last laugh in a big day over the Browns defense to win the battle of Ohio which does not really mean much these days.
OUR PICK: BENGALS
GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-7) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-8)
The Packers have already locked up the number 7 seed in the post season. This last game does not mean anything for them as they can’t move up and better themselves with a win. A Vikings win would give them a winning record for the season. Former Houston University and Arizona Cardinals draft pick Clayton Tune will get his second career start. He’s a QB that has not been tuned in so far in his career. In 14 games with one start which he lost, he is only completing 55.65 of his passes. He has tallied up only 78 passing yards and has thrown 3 interceptions. JJ McCarthy will start at QB for the Vikings. His number one wide receiver Justin Jefferson is 53 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards. The Packers will rest many of their starters. The Vikings defense will play the great Clayton Tune that will turn into a folk song somewhere on the ice in Minnesota waters while ice fishing.
OUR PICK: VIKINGS
DETROIT LIONS (8-8) AT CHICAGO BEARS (11-5)
How would you like to be a Lions fan right now? The Lions have lost three straight games and will not be making it to the post-season. Your division rival poached your talented offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and now he has the Bears in post-season and with a chance to get the two seed in the NFC. In week 2 the Lions blew the doors off the Bears defense in 52-21 massacre. Last week Detroit laid a turd on the field as Jared Goff had his worst game as a Lion. The Lions lost to a rookie quarterback making his second start versus the Vikings. The Bears hung with one of the cream of the crop teams in the NFC, the 49ers. Johnson has created the best QB in Bears history as Caleb Williams needs 270 passing yards to be the first Bears QB to ever reach 4,000 passing yards. The Lions are dead in the water thinking about their off-season plans. Playing outside with the Bears will not help get them tuned into this game. Johnson will execute a nice game plan for his team to win this one, and I think the Bears will feast off Goff as his turnover problem will linger into this contest.
OUR PICK BEARS
ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-13) AT LA RAMS (11-5)
The Rams are playing their starters in this one. They are playing for seeding. If they win week 18 with help from Seattle beating the 49ers, they would get the 5th seed. If Rams lose and the 49ers lose versus Seattle, then they would get the 6th seed. The Rams have lost two straight games. Most of the season everyone was talking about Matthew Stafford as MVP. He laid an egg on Monday night versus the Falcons throwing three interceptions. The Rams want to get the bad taste out of their mouths and go into the post-season on a high note. The Cards will help with that as they have lost 8 straight games. They have no division wins this season. The Cards defense has been horrible. They will play the role being that girl that helps men after break ups. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am.
OUR PICK: RAMS
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-10) AT (2-14) LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Raiders vs Chiefs is one of the best rivalries in the NFL. Coming into this one both teams combined have lost their last 15 games. This could be Travis Swift’s last game as a Chief. This could be the last game of his NFL career. Can you imagine no more Taylor Swift sightings? No more bone-headed responses in interviews by the Meathead Kelce. The silver and black fans can have a week without watching Geno Smith as their quarterback. The Raiders will give Kenny Pickett playing time as he was 0-1 in the only start he had this season. However, they get back their 3rd year guy Aidan O’Connell who has been out most of the year with a wrist injury. He will get playing time and could be the X-factor in this match up. O’Connell has a 7-10 career record in two seasons as starter in the NFL. The Chiefs without Patrick Mahomes will roll with Chris Oladokun who lost his only start of his career vs Denver last week as he tallied up only 66 passing yards in that one. The Chiefs should just let the Raiders win to knock them out of the running for the number one draft pick while improving their own draft status. This game will be an ugly one. The Chiefs in their last 4 games had had either 1 touchdown or zero touchdowns. I like the Raiders in this one especially O’Connell showing me he is the best available QB still standing on both teams. COYOTE UGLY SPECIAL!!!
OUR PICK: RAIDERS
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4-12) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (11-5)
The Eagles gave the Commanders a beat down two weeks ago.
I suspect we will see another beat down here. The Eagles have something to play for. They need a win and a Bears loss to take the number two seed in the NFC. However the Eagles will be resting some of their guys like their quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Commanders will be without 11 projected starters in this one as veteran Josh Johnson will get another start behind center for Washington. He has only 1 career win in the NFL which goes way back to the 2018 season where he suited up at that time for the Washington Redskins. The Eagles will give 25 year old Tanner McKee his second start in his NFL career. He was drafted by the Eagles in the 6th round from Stanford back in 2023. In 5 games so far in his NFL career, he has completed 68.8% of his passes and thrown 4 touchdown passes with no interceptions. He won his first career start in the NFL and should have no problem against a bad defense Washington has. Maybe this one will not be a beatdown. The result will end up in a Eagles win.
OUR PICK: EAGLES
LA CHARGERS (11-5) AT DENVER BRONCOS (13-3)
The Chargers don’t care about this game versus the Broncos. That’s why they will start Trey Lance in this one and rest Justin Herbert who has been dealing with an ongoing wrist injury. The Chargers have a wild card and don’t care if they drop in the seedings. They want to do their best to be healthy in the post-season whoever they face. The Broncos have something to play for. A win means they will clinch the number one seed in the AFC Conference. Lance, the former North Dakota State Bison, has 5 NFL starts and has won two of them. He has completed 56.4% of his passes while throwing 5 touchdown passes to 4 interceptions in 15 total games. The Broncos got a kneel down last year versus the Chiefs in the last week to win the game that got them in the post-season. They will get another easy kneel down game from the Chargers that will give them the top seed in the tournament.
OUR PICK: BRONCOS
MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-9) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-3)
The Patriots are beating up women and their opponents this season. Two Patriots that may be charged with a felony starting with wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who beat up his chef and did not pay the bill for her cooking. Then defensive lineman Christian Barmore beating up his girlfriend which is the first time this happened. The Evil Empire is going down the same road as the last dynasty. The visiting Dolphins will probably turn into freeze pops playing in the cold here. Quinn Ewers was impressive for the Dolphins last week vs the Buccaneers in his second career start as he is 14-22 for 172 passing yards and threw two touchdown passes. The Patriots do have a shot in a way at the number 1 seed. The Chargers are giving the Broncos the grand prize pretty much laying down in that game. I think the Cons will prevail over the Dolphins in this one. Miami will make it interesting, but will eventually think about getting back to the palm trees in Florida as the cold will doom them once again.
OUR PICK: PATRIOTS
NEW YORK JETS (3-13) AT BUFFALO BILLS (11-5)
This will be the last regular season game at Highmark Stadium for the Buffalo Bills. It has had multiple names and opened up back in 1973. The Bills will wear the old 1990’s helmet that Jim Kelly wore when he led those great teams to 4 straight Superbowls. The Jets come in projected to get the number two draft pick. The rookie Brady Cook will get his 4th start for the Jets. The Bills come in as the 7th seed as they took a tumble with the loss to the Eagles last weekend. They could improve their status if they win this game, and the Chargers lose, and even the Texans lose. It would mean they could jump two spots by the end of the weekend. Will Josh Allen play as he’s dealing with a lower leg issue? The Bills could probably beat the Jets with their back up quarterback Mitch Trubisky. I can see Allen playing some of this game to get the Bills off to a solid start and end the old stadium in regular season on a high note. James Cook is going for a rushing title. The Jets’ Cook has not been stellar so far in his 3 starts. The Bills defense played very well in the second half versus the Eagles last week. I think we will see them do the same thing in this one and give Cook a bad day at the office as the Bills’ Cook will do most of the cooking this weekend.
OUR PICK: BILLS
THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME
BALTIMORE RAVENS (8-8) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (9-7)
What will hurt each teams’ chances of winning this last game of the year for all of the marbles? Yes, the winner goes to the playoffs while loser goes home. The AFC North is at stake. The Steelers really missed their number one wide receiver last week as DK Metcalf was suspended two games for punching a Lions fan a few weeks back. For the Ravens, if Lamar Jackson gets the nod behind center will his back up hold up? The Ravens played one of their best games last week with their back up QB Tyler Huntley feeding the ball to his beast running back, Derrick Henry. The Steelers looked like they cared more about preventing Myles Garrett getting the sack record than the overall game versus the Browns. The Steelers won the first meeting a few weeks back. Can Aaron Rodgers be that guy and take the Steelers to the post-season? The Steelers will have TJ Watt back in the fold. I think Jackson will blow over like a house of cards. Rodgers will have a gritty performance. The Steelers defense will contain Henry for the win and the AFC North title.
For the first time ever, two Chicago Blackhawks legends faced off against each other in the NHL not wearing the Indian sweater. Before last night, the only time you saw Captain Serious Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane going against each other, was in international play. Kane was born in in the United States while Toews was born in Canada. They won three Stanley Cups together skating for the Blackhawks. They came up around the same time and gave the Blackhawks franchise life again. They played 15 seasons together as they were roommates all those years on the road. They will be friends for life and eventually will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame when their time comes. To end the year of 2025, Toews with the Winnipeg Jets were the visiting team playing Patrick Kane’s Detroit Red Wings at the Little Caesars arena. I don’t know what was stranger… both Blackhawks legends wearing a different sweater or a arena named after Little Sleazers.
At one point, it looked like this reunion of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would never happen. The last time Toews was on the ice for a NHL team was his last season in Chicago, the 2022-’23 season. He had a 2 year hiatus from the game and the league due to health reasons.
It’s very much like when Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins leaves Gotham to train with the League of Shadows to improve his entire crime fighting skillset. Jonathan Toews did a 5 week stint in the country of India to improve his health and overall mind set with yoga, meditation, and herbal medicines. Then after his return to North America from India, he had weeks of hockey training to get back to his old form. Toews would sign a one year deal worth 2 million to play for his home team, the Winnipeg Jets.
Patrick Kane’s final season playing for the Blackhawks came in the same year as Jonathan Toews, the 2022-’23 season. Kane was traded to the New York Rangers while Toews’ contract ran out and was not re-signed because he was injured most of that season. The following season Kane would sign with the Detroit Red Wings, which is now his 3rd season in Detroit. He has already been back to Chicago to face the team that drafted him.
Both Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are 37 years of age. In the Captains’ return he has played in more games this season than his partner in crime from the Chicago days, 38 games. Kane recently returned from the injured list and could have missed this reunion. Kane has played in only 26 games but has been more productive than Toews. Kane has tallied 6 goals and dished out 17 assists for 23 points. He is only two goals shy of 500. Kane’s career numbers are impressive as he has 498 goals with 868 assists for 1,366 points total. Toews has lit the lamp only three times and has dished out 8 assists. In 16 seasons in the NHL, he has 375 goals with 519 assists and has accumulated 894 points. Kane is in his 19th season in the NHL.
This first reunion in different sweaters favored Patrick Kane’s team as the Red Wings won 2-1 over the Jets in this New Year’s Eve game. Neither Kane or Jonathan Toews were a factor in this game. The Red Wings have the better record this season as they are 24-14-3 to this point. The Jets made the post-season last season and got off to a great start. This season right now they have a losing record of 15-19-4. The reason the Jets signed Toews, was to be that veteran guy with his leadership skills and hoped they’d get something out of him on the stat sheets. So far Towes has done well on face offs. In general he has great instincts but has been very slow on the ice. Not sure how long this Toews comeback will last after this season concludes. It was a great story for Captain Serious returning to his hometown to wear the Jets sweater. This reunion with Kane was a nice story to end the 2025 year off with. Down the road we might not see these two legends on the ice at the same time. They may not be enshrined together in the Hockey Hall of Fame at the same time because they may not retire at the same time. If I was the Blackhawks front office, retiring both of their numbers one day at the same time would be very special. It would make a great finish with these two NHL legends while seeing them both together in the same ceremony one more time. While wearing the right sweaters, instead of the enemy Red Wings jersey or the Jets.
The Wild shamrock 