The View from the Bleachers

I was 10 for 16 this week, as the postseason picture cleared some more. After bigging up Green Bay and Tampa as two of the only NFC teams who seemed to have any momentum heading into the play-offs, they both went and lost, the Packers getting a right whuppin’ in the Windy City. However, this doesn’t affect their seeding, and may be a well-needed wake-up call for the green and golds. I expect them to safely progress to the Championship Game, and the same goes for Dallas.

In the AFC, it’s very hard to predict. The five teams who have qualified thus far could all feasibly end up in the Superbowl. The Patriots obviously are the team to beat, while the Jaguars and Chargers seem to be getting better each week, and just at the right time. No-one’s paid much attention to the Colts, despite them being at 13-2, a record that any other season would probably see them as people’s favorites for the whole shebang. You can never count the Steelers out, as on their day they can beat anyone (although the reverse is often true), and so it’s only the second wild card team, whether it be the Browns or the Titans, who I can safely say won’t be playing in the Championship game.

Anyway, here’s my picks for the final weekend of the season:

1. New York Giants to lose in New England. With the play-offs safely reached, expect a weakened Giants side to travel to Foxboro, and allow the Pats to gain that 16-0 record.
2. Buffalo to lose in Philadelphia. The Bills will be more than satisfied with their season so far, so I believe that the prospect of finishing .500 for the Eagles will be the deciding factor.
3. Cincinnati to win at Miami. It’s been a disappointing season for the Bengals, but they will be buoyed by winning last week’s battle of Ohio. Miami, one win safely in the bag, will already be concentrating on next year.
4. Tennessee to lose in Indianapolis. With a bye week ahead, I don’t think the Colts will rest too many, so I expect them to win this one and end the Titans’ season.
5. Jacksonville to win at Houston. This is a very tricky game for the Jaguars, but it’s one they have to win to keep their fantastic momentum going into postseason.
6. Detroit to lose in Green Bay. The Packers won’t want to enter January having lost two division games in a row.
7. San Francisco to lose in Cleveland. The Browns missed the opportunity to seal a wild-card berth last week, but don;t think they’ll have any trouble this time around.
8. New Orleans to lose in Chicago. Despite having a losing record, the Saints could still sneak into the play-offs, but I think a revitalised Bears will finish a dire season on a high.
9. Pittsburgh to win at Baltimore. The Ravens are just waiting to begin the inquiry into why a season which promised so much ended up stinking so much.
10. Dallas to win at Washington. This is the game I had most trouble picking. The Redskins have put in some great performances in recent weeks but I think Dallas finally returning to their running game is a step forward for them, and that way they will emerge victorious even without T.O.
11. Seattle to win at Atlanta. The Falcons are in dire straits at the moment, and perhaps have the most to do to turn it around in the close season.
12. Carolina to lose in Tampa Bay. Tampa rested a lot of players last week. I think it would be a mistake to do that again and go into the play-offs on the back of two losses.
13. St. Louis to lose in Arizona. Although they won’t be in the postseason, the Cardinals have made good progress this season, while the disappointment of the Rams’ season is beginning to boil over if last week’s touchline blowout between WR Torry Holt and Coach Linehan is anything to go by.
14. Minnesota to win at Denver. Worringly for the Vikings, the Redskins seemed to show the world how to contain their running game last week, but it still looked positively unstoppable when you compare it to the Broncos, whose leading rusher last week was QB Jay Cutler.
15. San Diego to win at Oakland. LaDanian Tomlinson has unbelievable figures against the Raiders, and with the number three spot in the AFC seedings still up for grabs, expect another bumper night for L.T. and his colleagues.
16. Kansas City to lose at the New York Jets. This was meant to be the prime-time game, but the prospect of the 4-11 Chiefs at the 3-12 Jets hardly set pulses racing, so it’s been booted off in favor of the Titans-Colts game.